A South Texas Adventure with Nature Trip - Texas bird watching trip report

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Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

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คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

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E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

A South Texas Adventure - Day 7

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

First up:Santa Ana - feeding stations at the Visitor’s Center are often busy with Chachalacas, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers and Indigo Buntings. Just inside the entrance a short walk takes us to three “Hawk Watch” towers where we scan the skies for late migrant raptors and eye level views of tree top birds such as Brown-crested Flycatcher or perhaps the diminutive Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet.

We’ve had good luck with Gray Hawk and Groove-billed Ani here as well.

In the afternoonwe’ll search in places nearby such as the Fronterra Audubon Thicket or historic Quinta Mazatlán for any specialty species we may have missed or follow up on reported vagrants.

If time and energy allow, we’ll re-visit Estero Llano Grande to witness the Nighthawk fly out at dusk or some night birding around Santa Ana.

Saturday 22 ^nd of April 2023 and I had decided to leave at 6 o'clock for the Estero Llano Grande SP to have a look for the Yellow-crowned Night Heron. I sent an e-mail to my Guide to tell him that I would not join the group today as I wanted to look for the night heron.

Maybe the last chance to see the bird. I arrived to the park around 6 thirty and it was still dark but I could see the movement of the shore birds in the pond from the platform at the visitor center.

Click the below links to find:
• Park Map | PDF
• Trails Map | PDF

Night turns in to day

Night turns in to day

I sit on the platform looking at the night turning in to day and I even make a vide but this turned out to be “not very” exciting. I guy I met yesterday came around 7 o'clock and we had a chat and I got a lot of information about the Estero Llano Grande SP.

I left for the Grebe Pond at 7 thirty as there was enough light to take pictures. I stopped at a nest box on a pole to take some pictures of the birds flying around the nest box. The nest box had several levels with nest around it.

Purple Martin

Listen to the Purple Martin

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and High Pass Filter applied with Audacity

Many of them sitting on a nest box for several nests

Dowitcher Pond

I continue towards the Grebe Pond on the Waders Trail until I reached the Dowitcher Pond. There should be a small bride over the drainage ditch and I will arrive at the Grebe Pondon along the Alligator Trail.

I hear a loud call and I think it is the Great White Egret that I had spotted when I came here. I start my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and I start to record the call. I come around the reed and I could see that it was one American Coot making all the noise.

Listen to the American Coot

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and High Pass Filter applied with Audacity

We can hear the flight call of a Black-necked Stilt at 00:11

My new friend from the platform early morning showed up and we walked to the Grebe Pond so he could show me the night herons. We reached the Grebe Pond two minutes later and we spotted the first Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

We counted to a total of 5 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The birds were between the sun and my camera so I decided to come back in the afternoon when I have the sun in the back. My new friend is also going to show me the Common Pauraque.

The Common Pauraque is very hard to see as it is very well camouflaged when it is laying on the ground. So, we continue towards the Alligator Pond and my new friend showed me the Common Pauraque laying on the ground 5 meters from the trail.

It was almost impossible to see the bird unless taking a picture. Well, now I have seen this bird and I can put it to my list.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Common Pauraque

Alligator

We end up at the Alligator Pond and my friend ask if I want to join him going to the bird hide. I said that I might show up later, I will try to get more pictures of the humming birds, and I am especially looking for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

I walked back to the visitor center and I could see that there was a lot of visitors. And I was a little surprised, but then I realised that it was Saturday so people are coming to the park to enjoy the day with birds and nature.

No hummingbirds and I booked a Lyft car to go back to my y room for lunch before coming back here in the afternoon.

I don't know if my birding group have seen the Common Pauraque so I have marked the area and I can show them in the afternoon.

Now there are many visitors at the visitor center

eBird Report

Estero Llano Grande SP WBC (LTC 054), Hidalgo, Texas, US
Apr 22, 2023 06:43 - 10:15
Protocol: Traveling
2.67 kilometer(s)
25 species

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 6
Northern Shoveler 3
Plain Chachalaca 1
White-winged Dove 4
Common Pauraque 1
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 6
American Moorhen 1
American Coot 11
Black-necked Stilt 9
American Avocet 15
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Anhinga 1
Great White Egret 2
Snowy Egret 2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 5
White Ibis 8
Roseate Spoonbill 3
Green Jay 1
Purple Martin 30
Long-billed Thrasher 1
House Sparrow 3
Altamira Oriole 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Great-tailed Grackle 32
Northern Cardinal 3 One couple feeding each other’s

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S134589759

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Estero Llano Grande SP

I had tea when I came back to my room and I was a little sleepy so I went to bed setting my alarm to go off after one hour. I booked a lyft car and I left my hotel and I started the eBird app in Estero Llano Grande SP at 14:26 and this time I chose eBird hotspot: Tropical Zone at Estero Llano Grande SP

The first bird I see is an Inca Dove, a new “lifer” for me. I walk down to the bird hide and I take my seat. It is a nice bird hide but there was not much action going on, White-winged Doves and White-tipped Doves.

Inca Dove

Inca Dove

White-tipped Dove

White-tipped Dove

There were four wild animals looking like pigs showing up. I have forgot their names but wild animals it is. I had a few pictures but they did not stay for long. Two Green Jays showed up at the bird hide. But otherwise, it was mostly doves.

And of course, the Great Kiskadee that I think I have seen every day in Texas.

One Altamira Oriole paid a visit to the bird hide and one very beautiful Yellow-breasted Chat, the first time ever I see this bird so this was my 5th “lifer” today.

Something looking like a pig

Something looking like a pig

Something looking like a pig

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted Chat

I leave the bird hide to go back to the visitor center. I discover that I had stopped the eBird app so I have to restart the app. I walk back towards the visitor center and I spot a few birds and I manage to get a sound recording of the Brown-crested Flycatcher.

I spotted one Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a woodpecker. I could hear and see a lot of birds that I cannot ID in the trees

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Listen to the Brown-crested Flycatcher

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and High Pass Filter applied with Audacity

Sitting in a tree singing and I managed to get a picture as well

eBird Report

Estero Llano Grande SP--Tropical Zone, Hidalgo, Texas, US
Apr 22, 2023 14:26 - 15:36
Protocol: Traveling
1.04 kilometer(s)
Comment: eBird app accidentally stopped when I reached the bird hide and thus the 2 checklists
12 species

Inca Dove 1
White-tipped Dove 3
White-winged Dove 5
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 3
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Great Kiskadee 1
Green Jay 3
Altamira Oriole 1
Clay-coloured Thrush 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S134635102

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Estero Llano Grande SP going to the bird hide

Today's track at Estero Llano Grande SP coming back from the bird hide

I turn off the eBird app and I restart immediately and this time for the Estero Llano Grande SP and I walk past the platform and I can see that there are 5 Roseate Spoonbills in the pond at the visitor center.

There is also, I can count to 43 American Avocets in the pond, so that is a lot of avocets. I ran in to the beautiful Great Kiskadee on the way to the Grebe Pond. Well, it was actually two and they looked to be flirting. I got both a picture and a recording.

Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

Great Kiskadee

Listen to the Great Kiskadee

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.

Two birds sitting next to the trail at a distance from each other.

Great Egret / Great White Heron / นกยางโทนใหญ่

Great Egret / Great White Heron / นกยางโทนใหญ่

Yellow-crowned Night-heron and White Ibis

I reached the Grebe Pond and I was a wee bit disappointed, just one night heron and it was covered in vegetation. The light was perfect but now there was no birds to take pictures off. I waited around to see if there would be any action, but nothing.

I left walking back to the visitor center and I bought a bottle of water. I booked a Lyft car and my birding group arrived. They had seen the Common Pauraque yesterday so I did not need to show them where the bird was.

eBird Report

Estero Llano Grande SP WBC (LTC 054), Hidalgo, Texas, US
Apr 22, 2023 15:37 - 16:57
Protocol: Traveling
1.2 kilometer(s)
12 species

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2
American Moorhen 1
American Coot 13
American Avocet 43
Great White Egret 2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1
White Ibis 1
Roseate Spoonbill 5
Crested Caracara 1
Great Kiskadee 2
Great-tailed Grackle 5
Northern Cardinal 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S134648314

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Estero Llano Grande SP

My Lyft car arrived 30 minutes late and I was not happy, and the driver could not speak any English. Well, “Hello” and “How are you Sir?” He called on the phone before arriving and he spoke Spanish with me, not a word of English.

I went back to my room for tea and smoked salmon and we are leaving at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning instead of 7 thirty, click HERE to find out if we see any birds.

eBird Trip Report

Since April 2023 eBird offer a new feature, to create Trip Reports. At least this is when I first heard of this feature and I have decided to make the eBird Trip Reports instead of my list of OBSERVED birds.

And of course, this also means that I will HAVE TO go back and do the same for my old birding adventures, WHEN I HAVE THE TIME!

Today's Trip Report: Southern Texas bird watching tour with Nature Trip - Day 7 | Click HERE

Download | PDF

Lifers
Icons for lifers used in the eBird trip reports

Species lifer:First time that someone observes a species in their life

Photo lifer:First time that someone photographs a species in their life

Audio lifer:First time that someone audio records a species in their life

Exotic species
Exotic species flags differentiate locally introduced species from native species.

Naturalized:Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).

Provisional:Either: 1)member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2)rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.

When applicable, eBird generally defers to bird records committees for records formally considered to be of "uncertain provenance". Provisional species count in official eBird totals.

Escapee:Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
bred but don't yet fulfill the criteria for Provisional. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals.

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