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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hamhed" data-source="post: 3159377" data-attributes="member: 70825">Sunday, 21stThe morning of the shortest day of the year began with a drive to South Padre Island, one of the longest barrier islands in the world.  The day had barely begun to brighten as we drove by decorated palm trees, glowing with Christmas lights, providing final evidence that we were indeed not in the mountains of North Carolina anymore.  Our target birding area today was the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center (<a href="http://southpadreislandbirding.com/" target="_blank">http://southpadreislandbirding.com/</a>), adjacent to Laguna Madre, the hypersalient bay that separates South Padre from the mainland.  The Center, I was told, is a mitigation area for an electrical substation that must have covered over a marsh or otherwise natural habitat.  The Center lies adjacent to the South Padre Island Convention Center and were at one time, joined at the boardwalks.  Some disagreements over payment for access separated opinions and consequently the boardwalks as well.  We found the Birding Center to have better birding.  The boardwalk is more extensive and habitat somewhat more varied.  Unfortunately, as we found out that morning, it does not open until 9.  Arriving much earlier than opening hours, we found two ways around that, though not necessarily recommended.  On the right side of the Center, I found that the groundskeeper had left the small maintenance shed door open.  I discovered that because on arrival, with a bladder screaming to rid itself of the coffee I downed earlier, I was desperately looking for any semi-secluded shrub taller than 3 feet to uncross my eyes, so to speak.  The open shed door led to the unoccupied grounds of the Center, giving me a hole in the dense shrubs for relief and the two of us access to the boardwalk.  Alternatively, on the opposite side of the building, is a cable across a walkway signed “For Pass Holders Only”.  The “Pass” may have not have been referring to a National Wildlife Refuge pass, but I had one and granted myself immunity should we be accosted.  Fortunately, the groundskeeper was busy with his tasks, unconcerned by our presence and we had the place to ourselves for the next hour.Birding was steadily interesting, keeping our mind off the strong and cool breeze and intermittent rain.  There are several shelters along the boardwalk to give regular relief for such tedious conditions.  Highlights included two Rail species, Clapper and Sora and a Least Bittern.  All allowed extended views, possibly the handrail of the boardwalk acted as a bit of a blind.  Plenty of water birds representation including herons and egrets, spoonbills, ibis, curlews, grebes, terns, ducks, etc.  A Northern Harrier and a Common Yellowthroat added more diversity and let us not forget the omnipresent Great-tailed Grackles.  Eventually, a number of other birders and small family groups (it was Sunday) joined us on the boardwalk without seeming to have much effect on the quality of birding.  After a long morning, we drove a short distance south to Ted’s Restaurant and had an inexpensive and most edible huevos rancheros.  On to the Convention Center for a short time in early afternoon.  There was little different there than what we had seen in the morning; we covered the grounds there quickly.  A birding friend had given us a tip on where to look for Aplomado Falcons, conveniently on TX 100.  We found the very tall cell phone tower he spoke of and parked there, scanning the tower, power lines and fenceposts without luck.  Across the highway, which is divided by a concrete barrier at this point, there is a hacking box on a tallish pole that is likely a focal point for the falcons.   Another area with potential for falcon sightings is Old Port Isabel road.  It is not paved; wet weather can make the road impassable for dainty little rental cars such as we drove.  We located the north end of that road that connected with TX 100 but were only able to drive 50 feet before facing a mud puddle that I think would deter most any driver in any vehicle.  With some daylight still remaining, one more try at the cell phone tower yielded no falcons so we returned to Harlingen.</blockquote>

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