3 Days in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (1 Viewer)

I recently had a business meeting in San Antonio, and have planned for a long time to visit the Lower Rio Grande Valley. All the usual specialty target species, and at the same time, I was hoping to hit two milestones that seemed within reach. First, I was pretty confident that I could get 27 new year birds, giving me over 400 for the first time. And secondly, I was hopeful that with 23 new life birds, I might hit 500 ABA birds.

My principal resources in planning the trip were a copy of the ABA Bird Finding Guide to the Rio Grande Valley, eBird, and personal recommendations from a variety of people who have spent time in the Valley.

My general plan was to rent a car in San Antonio on Thursday, October 27, 2011, and drive down to McAllen, where I would stay the first two nights. My first day, I wanted to hit the western area, including Falcon State Park, Salineno, and Roma, and finish the day at Bentsen - Rio Grande State Park. Then I would continue working eastward, thinking I might visit Santa Ana NWR, and some combination of Frontera, Allen William’s backyard, and Estero Llano Grande SP. I would move to Harlingen after that second day, and hit Sabal Palm and South Padre Island on my third and last day. During the business meeting, I did get a brief chance to look around the hotel and managed to pick up my first new bird of the trip, a Black Crested Titmouse, as well as Blue-Headed Vireo, Northern Cardinal, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Bewick’s Wren, Field Sparrow, and numerous Turkey Vultures overhead.

The trip started on an odd note. Showing up to pick up my rental, I was informed that the only thing they had was a BIG pick-up truck. Being the only male in Western South Dakota without a pick-up, I thought this was ironic. And I was not looking forward to using this gas-guzzler. But I was able to negotiate a free tank of gas (God knows how many gallons THAT was). And as I drove south towards the Valley, I started getting into this – made me feel like a real Texan, listening to Country Music, drivin’ my pick-up. Heck, maybe I should get a shot-gun and go all the way. No – have to draw the line somewhere.

In any event, shortly after a delicious repast at McDonalds, I spotted the unique silhouette of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, a bird I have wanted to see for quite a while. And I was hoping very much to have better looks than at 75MPH along US 281. Also got a quick look at a couple of Crested Caracaras, the first of several that I would see.

My son, who up until recently was traveling nearly all the time, has accumulated massive “points” with various hotel chains, and put me up, his treat, at the Hampton Inn, in McAllen. Nice place, centrally located. Planning an early start, my plan was to try to be at Salineno, on the the Rio Grande River, at or about dawn.

Amazingly enough, I was able to sleep, and rose early in the dark. This time of year, the sun doesn’t rise until just after 7:30, so I didn’t need to get up insanely early. It looked fairly windy, and the really surprising thing was that it was actually cold out. Texas has had an amazingly dry, hot summer, so this was really out of the norm. I kinda liked it, though, as the really hot humid weather is not my cup of tea. Not much traffic this time of day, I made good time and reached Salineno before dawn, although it was beginning to get light. As I was getting my scope set up, and getting on various layers of clothes, I got a visit from the Border Patrol, which I was to learn is ubiquitous in this area. A friendly word of advice to make sure I kept things secured, and to be aware that there can be “bad folks” about. I had expected this, and these guys were clearly prepared for lots of “bad folks”.

It was really a great scene at the river. There were birds everywhere. Scads of Red-winged Blackbirds flying in packs up and down the river. Big groups of Great Egrets, flying a foot above the River was an impressive thing to see. Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures soaring already. And Mexico is a mere 50 -75 feet away. Got a quick glimpse of a Kingfisher, but not well enough to identify it. Slowly I started to explore the area. Walking east along the river, I heard a tremendous racket of numerous Plain Chachalacas, which were easy to identify, even though I never did see them there. And quickly, I saw my first Great Kiskadees, raucous in both color and vocalization. Perched high on a telephone poll was the first of many Golden-fronted Woodpeckers. And then, hidden in the underbrush was my first of many Long-billed Thrashers. Out on and above the river, I spotted Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, the first of several “Mexican” Mallards, and a few Crested Caracaras. I could have spent a lot more time here, but I knew that I wanted to visit several other locations today, and had to move on.

Next stop was Falcon State Park. The first location visited was the RV Camping area, where I got my first looks at the beautiful Green Jays. Even though they are common throughout the Valley, you never get tired of watching them. Also saw a couple of Northern Cardinals, then noticed that one bird I quickly thought was a female Cardinal was actually my first Pyrrhuloxia. Traveling next to the Butterfly Gardens, I found a couple who manage the nearby feeding station, and they insisted I visit with them. As we sat there, the hostess enticed a Greater Roadrunner, with little bacon treats, and we feasted on more Green Jays, some Orange-crowned Warblers, Inca and Common Ground-Doves, and a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. Making my way around the park, I spotted a Belted Kingfisher, and my first Neotropic Cormorants, as well as several American White Pelicans. One last stop yielded Lark Sparrow, Cave Swallow, and my first Couch’s Kingbird.

Enjoying your trip,can't wait for the rest!

nice report dad, glad the hotel(s) worked out...when are you posting pictures?

After a quick lunch in Roma, I made my way, in some traffic to Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, one of the crown jewels of Valley Birding. Roads within the park are closed to vehicular traffic, and there is a tram that makes it’s way around the park roughly once an hour. Stopping first at the dyke between the Visitor Center and the Nature Center, I got good looks at male and female Green Kingfishers. And looking in the other direction, was a lone Least Grebe. Making my way to the Nature Center, just 50 yards or so past the dyke (where another Border Patrol was stationed), I could see a large number of Plain Chachalacas, which in contrast to those I heard earlier in Salineno, were not vocalizing. Too busy scarfing down the food at the feeders. I sat down outside with one of the Rangers who gave me some pointers on where to see various birds. As we were talking, there were large numbers of Green Jays, Great Kiskadees, Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, and then all of a sudden, there were a couple of Altamira Orioles. Felt like I needed sunglasses. As I drank in the view, the Ranger said, “There’s a Clay-colored Thrush, by the drip”. Sure enough. Nice look, although brief, and it turned out to be the only one of the trip.

For the balance of the afternoon, I explored more of the Park. Several other feeding stations yielded more of the Green Jays, Kiskadees, and then not far away, another Long-Billed Thrasher. At Kingfisher Lookout, I spotted a few Neotropic Cormorants with a large number of Great Egrets. At the Hawk Tower, there was a nice group of waterfowl and shorebirds, including White-Faced Ibis, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Blue and Green-Winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, “Mexican” Mallards, Mottled Ducks, Black-necked Stilt, Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, and circling overhead a number of Turkey and Black Vultures.

As I waited for, and then took the Tram toward the Park entrance, I spotted a large number of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, getting great looks. And the Ranger driving the Tram heard the distinctive call of the Gray Hawk, and stopped, giving us very close looks at a pair of these great birds.

I had signed up for a “night-hike”, hoping to see some Common Paraque, and it was getting late, but decided to take a another hike along the Resaca Vieja Trail. Some different habitat here, and I added more Greater Roadrunner and Pyrruloxia to the days finds.

Advice to those planning a trip to this park. Do not plan to get dinner at the Dollar General Store up the road. I had only about 40 minutes before the night hike started, and went to the closest place that looked like it might have something edible. Barely. Orange Juice and three Pepperoni and Cheese packets. Not good, but quick. Combine that with McDonald’s for breakfast, and Whataburger for Lunch, and this was one special day, gastronomically. Not.

Back at Bentsen, it occurred to me that I had not yet seen the local Hummingbirds, so as I waited, I kept an eye on some feeders. I did see a female Black-chinned Hummingbird and several White-winged Doves. The night-hike was mixed results. No Paraques to be found, probably because it was fairly cool, and bugs were less plentiful. But the hike was led by Roy Rodriquez, a wonderful ranger with great knowledge of the area. We heard Eastern Screech-Owls and Great Horned Owls, saw some Racoons, and Roy gave me some suggestions that changed my itinerary for the rest of my trip.

Because of the lack of water, Roy suggested that I might want to substitute Estero Llano Grande SP for Santa Ana, where I had planned on going the next morning. And I had already decided that I would skip Allen Williams backyard, and basically spend more time at Estero, and then visit the Frontera Audubon Thicket. Less driving, more birding.

I also decided that since Estero Llano Grande didn’t open until 8 am, it would give me time to try to locate some of the local Parakeets, that tend to flock early in the morning in the urban areas. Driving north in McAllen I was seeing large numbers of Grackles roosting, but then as we got close to the location I found in my Guide, all of a sudden the noise changed, and after pulling over, I got great views of about 75 Green Parakeets, first sitting in groups on the telephone wires, then screaming around in circles before flying away. A treat.

Estero Llano Grande State Park is south of Weslaco, Texas. It is a relatively compact 230 acres, and has been very nicely developed, consisting of shallow lakes, woodlands, and thorn forest. I was lucky enough to join a bird walk led by John Yochum, a Ranger at the Park. We started by taking a good look at the shallow lake facing the visitor center. Despite the sun creating mostly silhouettes, we were able to identify Great-tailed Grackle, Great Egret, good looks this time at a large number of Least Grebes, numerous Long-billed Dowitchers, Red-winged Blackbirds, several White-faced Ibis, Killdeer, Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal, a Wilson’s Snipe, and at the feeders behind the Visitor Center, where we got good looks at Buff-bellied Hummingbirds, not-so good looks at a fleeting White-tipped Dove, Northern Mockingbirds, Orange-Crowned Warbler, House Sparrows, Green Jay, Northern Cardinal, and a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

As John began to show us around the Park, the diversity of the habitat became evident. At the edge of the lake was a single Spotted Sandpiper, constantly bobbing. Nearby, we saw the first of several Common Yellowthroats, and the first of many Eastern Phoebes. As we approached Alligator Pond, we got a good look at a Ringed Kingfisher flying overhead. While we didn’t see any Alligators, there were quite a few Cattle Egret in the area, and several Common Gallinule. An area of thorn scrub yielded Curve-billed and Long-billed Thrashers, a Swainson’s Thrush , and an Eastern Screech-Owl in its box, and great views of two Common Paraques at our feet. Heading up to higher ground, we saw a late Eastern Wood-Pewee, a Loggerhead Shrike, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, as well as a Tropical Kingbird, and a Blue-Headed Vireo.

Reaching the canal that formed one of the borders of the Park, we were able to see 5 White-tailed Kites, including two juveniles. Across the way, patrolling an open field, were about 20 Long-billed Curlews, and in the canal we spotted a number of American Avocet, and a raft of about 50 American White Pelicans. Way off in the distance we were able to see a couple of Red-Shouldered Hawks, and a single Green Heron.

On our way back to the Visitor’s Center, we spotted Roseate Spoonbill, Osprey and Mottled Duck on another flooded area, and in the drylands, we saw Lincoln Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, and Nashville Warbler. Two birds that we had expected to see that eluded us were Olive Sparrow and Black-bellied Whistling Duck. John gave me directions to a couple of places that he thought I might be able to find the Ducks.

After a quick sandwich, I drove the 5 miles to the Frontera Audubon Center, in Weslaco, a small urban site with some nice habitat. Immediately behind the visitor center was a water feature and feeding station, where I quickly saw Lesser Goldfinch, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Mockingbird, and Buff-bellied Hummingbird. As it was already afternoon, things were a bit quite, but a leisurely walk around the area yielded Orange-Crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Least Grebe, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, and Couch’s Kingbird.

I tried one of the places John suggested for the Whistling Ducks after leaving Frontera, but to no avail. I drove to my hotel, this time in Harlingen, and using Yelp, found a great little place for Texas Barbeque for dinner. Two days down – one to go.

My last day in the Rio Grande Valley. First destination is Sabal Palms Sanctuary, about as far south as you can go in the States. But I decided to try first for the Red-crowned Parrots, which supposedly roost in an urban location in Brownsville. So another pre-dawn start found me wandering around Brownsville. A little difficulty in finding the right location, and once there, there was no sign of the Parrots. I wandered around for a while, but then started toward Sabal Palm. Passing a city pond, I decided to take a look, and finally there were some Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. This added a little excitement, as they were ABA bird #499 for me. Looking over my list of targets, I figured my best chance for #500 would be Olive Sparrow at Sabal Palm, or possibly Gull-billed Tern toward South Padre Island.

It was another beautiful morning as the sun began to rise. I spotted a few Couch’s Kingbirds on the road into the sanctuary. Arriving at the visitor center, it was clear I was the first visitor of the day, and I spent a few minutes visiting with the young guy working at the visitor center. Hearing that I needed the Olive Sparrow, he said I should have no problem, as they were often seen right there at the feeders at the visitor center. I spent a bit of time there, getting great looks at White-tipped Doves, Plain Chachalacas, and Green Jays But no Olive Sparrows, which I knew would be seen along the ground. Since it was really a nice cool morning, I was anxious to explore the area, and figured I would come back to the visitor center. So I headed off on the Resaca Loop Trail, looking first for a blind that was sitting on the Ox-bow lake. It was fairly quite on the trail, although I did get a good look at a Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

The scene at the lake was stunning. Good sized groups of American Coots and Least Grebes floated peacefully. On the far shore, I picked out a Great Egret, a few Cattle Egrets, two White-faced Ibis, a Solitary Sandpiper, and a Great Blue Heron. Immediately in front of the blind, a Green Kingfisher perched on a stick, making sorties into the water, emerging with small fish. Entertained me for a good ten minutes. Surveying some woodlands on the other side of the lake, I was able to see an Ovenbird, and a Common Yellowthroat, and numerous Eastern Phoebes.

Continuing my hike, I began to see more Great Kiskadees, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and an American Redstart, a new trip bird. Getting close to the water again, I observed a Common Gallinule, and a Yellow Warbler overhead. A couple of Northern Cardinals flew by, and then I got a good look at another Altamira Oriole. Near the turn-around point on the hike, I surprised a Red-shouldered Hawk, which had been perched low near the trail. Getting close to the visitor center again, I spotted a Carolina Wren, and a Black-crested Titmouse.

I approached the Visitor Center Feeders slowly, not wanting to startle any of the birds. There it was! A single Olive Sparrow scuttled in the underbrush, but gave me a good enough look to be very sure of it. And while I quietly celebrated my 500th ABA bird, I got a good look at a Yellow-throated Warbler.

At this point, I headed east toward the Rio Grande River, to explore the Native Trail. This side of the sanctuary was noticeably quieter, but I did see several Turkey Vultures overhead, a single Long-billed Thrasher, and another Golden-Fronted Woodpecker. After about 10 minutes, I arrived at the Overlook at the river. It was only about 35 feet wide at this point, and very quiet. I figured I’s spend a little while here, and see what developed. After a little while, I got a good look at a raptor overhead, but it looked different from any I had ever seen. Mostly white underneath, with a distinct black single stripe across its broad tail. Reviewing my field book, I concluded it must be a White-tailed Hawk, seen at the park before, but not this year. A real surprise. Before leaving the area, I was able to observe an American Kestral, and a Crested Caracara. Sabal Palms had been great, but it was time to move on. After a quick stop at a convenience store for some snacks, I headed for South Padre Island. The plan was to take the Old Port Isabel Rd., a 5 mile rough gravel road, where there had been recent sightings of Aplomado Falcon, which is not considered countable, but I still wanted to see it.

The road was indeed rough, and it was quite warm, by now. The first birds seen here were Eastern Meadowlarks, and Northern Mockingbirds. A couple of Savannah Sparrows perched on the roadside fence, and then all of a sudden, I spotted what looked like a couple of Sage Thrashers. I didn’t really expect to see them here, but I would have to wait until that night to see that they were highly unusual. I started to doubt my first impression, but then on TexBirds, I saw a post from the day before, where two people had spotted Sage Thrashers. Armed with this knowledge, I regained confidence in my original opinion.

Back to the present. I began to see some Raptors. A nice Harris’s Hawk, and an American Kestral, and then at some distance, I spotted a large falcon. I quickly got my scope out, and sure enough, it was an Aplomado Falcon. I was able to watch it for several minutes until it disappeared into the distance.

I stopped for a quick lunch in Port Isabel, and then made my way across the causeway onto South Padre Island. My first stop here was the Valley Land Trust properties on Sheapshead Rd. These are a number of empty lots that are being preserved, and have a few water sources. Lots of squawking from the Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles, and I also spotted Yellow Warbler, Long-billed Thrasher, and Lincoln’s Sparrow. Next – over to the Bay, where a few minutes of scanning yields Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Brown Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, and lots of Laughing Gulls.

At the Birding and Nature Center, adjacent to the Convention Center, I spent a good hour or so on their boardwalks, spotting a Long-billed Curlew, Tricolored Heron, Pied-billed Grebe. The boardwalk gave really good proximity to a nice mix of birds including Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstones, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-Necked Stilt, and even a few ducks that I hadn’t seen on the trip – American Wigeon, Redhead, and Blue-winged Teal. A little further away is a good group of terns, and after scoping them carefully, I find my Gull-billed Tern, along with Sandwich, Forster’s, and Royal. Making my way back in, I spot a Reddish Egret, and a Sora, somewhat strangely out in the open. Also a couple of Marbled Godwits, and a few Dunlin. Running into a fellow who I had seen early in the morning in the bird-blind at Sabal Palms, he pointed out a Peregrine Falcon sitting up on the Water Tower, and just before returning to the Visitor Center, I sighted 15 Eurasian Collared-Doves.

I spent a little time at the convention center, where the mosquitoes made it a bit challenging, but managed to add Wilson’s Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. My last stop, before heading back to Harlingen was the beach, to see what was out on the ocean. Lots of Laughing Gulls, couldn’t identify any others although I’m sure they were out there. A single Willet on the beach, and well as about 20 Sanderlings doing their thing.

Well, it was a great trip for me. I accumulated 140 species, 25 life birds, 46 year birds, and I passed both milestones I was looking at – 400 species for the year, and 500 ABA life birds. I got the chance to bird with some great folks, and thoroughly enjoyed my quick trip to the Rio Grande Valley.

Congrats on the milestones, Veagle. I enjoyed the report. Anytime you can get 25 life birds when you are crossing 500, you've had an excellent trip. Betcha the next 25 are a good bit tougher!

Steve

indeed. Good trip report. I have visited South Texas 3 time, but for never more than 3 or so days at a time. Far too short a period to properly bird the area, as you probably have figured out!

Mysticete said:

indeed. Good trip report. I have visited South Texas 3 time, but for never more than 3 or so days at a time. Far too short a period to properly bird the area, as you probably have figured out!

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Yes it is too short, but like you, I never seem to have large blocks of time to spend. This was a great introduction to the area, and I can envision visits in the future that would focus on special targets, and/or see some places that I missed this time. One of the things I didn't realize was how populated a region this was, particularly if you take into account the Mexican cities just across the border. These parks are really oases.