Birding Texas - Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park

I've had a week in McAllen, Texas, and the opportunity to take in a few Texan Gulf Coast specialities.  First stop was the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, which is part of the 'World Birding Center' chain of sites down here.  The place was really well run, with a great visitor center, plenty of birding trails and hides, and a number of feeding stations which, in winter, would be absolutely brimming with birds.

Although summer is arguably the worst time of year to visit here, we still came across a number of excellent birds.  Around the visitor center, for example, there were a number of parties of feeding Plain Chachalacas...

Plain Chachalaca

Surprisingly in the trees, we also saw many of the odd Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.  This one was only too happy to pose for a photo.

Sharing the trees with the ducks were birds such as Northern Cardinals, countless Golden-fronted Woodpeckers and Northern Mockingbirds, Green Jays, Olive Sparrows and Groove-billed Anis, 

Northern Cardinal

Green Jay

 In the undergrowth, we encountered Curve-billed and Long-billed Thrashers, Mourning, White-tipped, White-winged and Inca Doves, Ladderback Woodpeckers, an Altamira Oriole, and an interesting case of a Hooded Oriole (below) feeding a young Bronzed Cowbird.  The Cowbirds are notorious nest parasites, and in this instance, the Oriole believed the Cowbird was from its own brood.

Hooded Oriole 

 Under a bridge on the reserve, there were Cave Swallows, Purple Martins, Red-winged Blackbirds and a Black Phoebe, whilst on the wires were some more Gulf Coast Specialities - Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Couch's Kingbirds.  On the visitor center feeding stations were Buff-bellied Hummingbirds.

Oh, hold on.  There's one more character that I've missed out....

Yep, that's right, Wily Coyote was in town.  Watch out Roadrunner.  

El Centenario in the summertime

The Summer survey at the Presa came right at the end of the dry season.  As a result of the long period of dry weather, there was very little water in the reservoir, and very few birds as well.  In fact, apart from a couple of adult Mexican Ducks, all that was present were about 6 breeding pairs of Killdeers.

A few weeks later, after some very heavy storms, though, and things were brightening up.  A lot of fresh water in the reservoir had attracted some decent birds.  Perhaps the best was this distant Roseate Spoonbill bombing over the water.  The same one that has been knocking around all winter, or perhaps a different individual?

On the water was a surprisingly good variety of ducks.  12 Northern Shoveler (non-breeders), as many Ruddy Ducks and Mexican Ducks and best of all, 2 adult Fulvous-Whistling Ducks.  On the wader front, there were 5 adult American Avocets in prime summer plumage and some Black-necked Stilts and Killdeers.

A Peregrine oversaw proceedings.

San Joaquin, Sierra Gorda

Been a bit slow on the blog posts recently - here's some photos from San Joaquin, a town in the south of the Sierra Gorda range, and just 90 minutes from Tequisquiapan.  As you climb into the mountains here, the habitat becomes more forested, and the bird life changes accordingly.

Below - American Robin, Crescent-Chested Warbler and juvenile Mexican Jay.

One good spot at San Joaquin is Aventura Park, where you can stay in cabanas, and walk around some of the tracks in the forest.  As well as the above, we saw Painted Redstarts, Audubon's Orioles, Yellow-eyed Juncos, White-eared hummers, Blue-throated Hummers, Canyon Towhees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and many more..

We had a day at Grutas las Herrera.  Here, there were Rufous-crowned Sparrows, nesting House Wrens, nesting Pine Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Curve-billed Thrashers..

Birding Ixtapa

Got out for a few morning's birding during a lads long-weekend in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo recently.  We were staying by the Marina in 'Porto Ixtapa' and around the complex, I had Streak-backed Orioles, Olive Sparrows, Citreoline Trogons, Rufous-naped Wrens, Great-tailed Grackles, Grey-breasted Martins, Barn Swallows, Mangrove Swallows, West Mexican Chachalacas, Great Kiskadees, Social Flycatchers, Tropical Kingbirds, Cinnamon Hummingbirds, Orange-breasted Buntings and Blue Buntings.

Olive Sparrow

Rufous-naped Wrens

Streak-backed Orioles

Things were great at dawn at Playa Linda.  In the Crocodile Pen, there were breeding Roseate Spoonbills, Green Herons, Yellow-crowned Night-herons, Snowy Egrets and Boat-billed Herons. Nearby, there were breeding Wood Storks.  Along the beach and offshore, we saw Brown Pelicans, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Boobys, Royal Terns, Least Terns, Willets, Neotropic Cormorants and Laughing Gulls.

Brown Pelicans at Playa Linda

Neotropic Cormorant

Roseate Spoonbill

Willet

Roseate Spoonbill

Green Heron 

Yellow-crowned Heron

Wood Stork

Mick Dundee

Great-tailed Grackle pair

After the beach, I walked up into the hills behind Playa Linda.  Here, I found Northern Cardinals, White-bellied Wrens, the endemic and beautiful White-throated Magpie Jays, Hooded Orioles, Yellow Warbler, Zone-tailed Hawks, Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures and many of the birds also seen at Porto Ixtapa.

White-throated Magpie Jay

Santa Catarina

I checked out this site on an evening stroll yesterday.  It's located 20 minutes north of Queretaro, and some fantastic species have been reported here, such as Wood Stork (see http://birdingmexico.blogspot.mx/).

Lots of good muddy areas held Least Sandpipers, a few Baird's Sandpipers, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, some American Avocets, many Killdeer and this sublime Semipalmated Sandpiper.  Didn't check all waders properly, I can see however how this place holds the potential to attract really good birds.

Not many duck left now in Queretaro, most having returned to breed in North America, but I did see a few Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck (resident), Mexican Duck (resident) and Blue-winged Teal.

Also, still c.70 American White Pelicans loafing around.  Plenty of Neotropic Cormorants and White-faced Ibis too, as well as Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets and Cattle Egrets, and the odd late Black-crowned Night Heron.

Migging Yellow-rumped Warblers abounded on the edges of the lake, and Barn and Bank Swallows were joined by some Nighthawk at dusk hawking for insects.

All in all, not a bad evening.  Certainly a place I will return to.

Wader Heaven at La Llave

A fine selection of waders was to be had at La Llave on Saturday morning.  Water levels are low at this reservoir as well, but the large expanses of exposed muds held some really interesting species.

As well as the gorgeous Wilson's Phalaropes pictured in the last post, I had the following (along with some notes about each one based on my observations).

American Golden Plover - 1.  A rare bird in Queretaro, and a first for me.

American Golden Plover

 2. Black-bellied Plover. 1. Again, a rarity in Queretaro, normally confined to the coasts in Mexico.

3. Semipalmated Plover. 4.  A good number of this coastal plover.

4.  Killdeer. Common.  Starting to get very territorial.

5. Spotted Sandpiper.  A lot, including two very territorial males (see below).  Do they breed round here?

Spotted Sandpiper

6. Least Sandpiper.  Several hundred.  Common winter visitor.

7. Baird's Sandpiper. 3.  Much more common in autumn, where they can be found in their 1000s.  I haven't recorded them previously this spring, though.

Baird's Sandpiper

 7. Pectoral Sandpiper. 6.  A good number of a bird only found here during passage.

Pectoral Sandpipers

8. Stilt Sandpiper. 5.  Winters in small numbers and more frequent in passage.

9. Long-billed Dowitcher.  >1000.  Huge numbers of this elegant wader, almost all of them  in breeding plumage as well.

10. Black-necked Stilt.  Quite common year round.

Black-necked Stilt

11.  Avocet. 5. Seem to be more prominent on passage.

12. Lesser Yellowlegs. c.20.  Seem to be many here and at Centenario during spring.

13. Greater Yellowlegs. 4

14. Wilson's Phalaropes. 200.

Not  a bad haul of waders all in all.  I'll try and get back there before the season is over, because it will probably get very quiet during the summer.

Non-wader highlights included hordes of White-throated Swifts, 1 Crested Caracara, 1 Northern Harrier, decent variety of ducks still (inc. American Wigeon, Gadwall, Pintail, all 3 Teals, and 1 Fulvous Whistler), Common Yellowthroat, Barn, Cliff and Bank Swallows. and plenty of other common stuff.

La Llave holds the key to Wilson

Brilliant session at La Llave this morning including getting close to this selection of Wilson's Phalaropes.  Many, many waders there altogether.  Full report to follow.