The birds will have to wait

My "Big Life" will have to be temporarily suspended. I am going to be an adult and start teaching middle school Earth & Space and Integrated Sciences at a local middle school. And right in the midst of fall migration too.

Birding Continues

Despite my thought that I would slow down or stop after my year was over, the birds of South Florida have had other plans for me. On Tuesday, Eva and I headed down to the Everglades and picked up the super-rarity CUBAN PEWEE that had been spotted two days prior, but I''ll let her tell that day's story.

Yesterday, after a report of a female CERULEAN WARBLER at A.D. Barnes Park, I headed over and had luck finding this inconspicuous warbler. Migration is in full effect.

Guess what?

Rosana and I are going on a trip to see Eva and her parents... and I am intentionally NOT bringing my binoculars.

Crunching the year's numbers

80 different places slept at.

12 of which were campsites in my tent, for a total of 16 camping nights.

28 places I stayed at were with the wonderful people who I'd never met until I showed up at their houses. A thank you to each of them is not nearly enough.

I received a meager income from 5 random jobs throughout the year, including: independent carpentry with Devin, URI's Ryan Center, Opinion Outpost, the Sunrise School of Miami, and the Miami Science Museum.

I traveled through 31 states and 1 Canadian Province (B.C.).

467 ABA countable birds. However, there are 12 non-countables that I saw throughout the year:

HILL MYNA
YELLOW-CHEVRONED PARAKEET
MITRED PARAKEET
BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW
CHESTNUT-FRONTED MACAW
MUSCOVY
EGYPTIAN GOOSE
GREYLAG GOOSE
PURPLE SWAMPHEN
BLACK-HOODED PARAKEET
PEAFOWL
RED-MASKED PARAKEET

So the number of wild, breeding birds in the U.S. and Canada that I observed this year was 479.

I added 167 lifers to my list, giving me a life list of 497 right now.

Big Year Complete!

The last few days, I've been scrambling around Miami-Dade and beyond looking for those final birds. My last day of the year, yesterday, proved successful.

I got to Lucky Hammock and the Annex first, seeing a WHITE-TAILED KITE at about 6:30 am, land in the hammock, and immediately fly back west, where it had come from. Ironically, this is what Eva and I were really hoping for 1 year ago today when setting out on our first of my year big day. Yesterday, I also saw several WHITE-EYED VIREO, empids, tons of EASTERN KINGBIRD and PURPLE MARTEN in the Immokalee Rd. area. I also was able to find a SOLITARY SANDPIPER east of the C-111 canal that I was looking for for my year, so well worth the early trip.

I then went to Dagney Johnson in Key Largo looking for a BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO, but didn't get to see it after a couple hours of looking (9am-11am). This bird escape me this year, but definitely not for lack of trying.

In the early afternoon, I went to Matheson Hammock to look for the KENTUCKY WARBLER, reported the evening before, but had no luck. I did see a couple WORM-EATING WARBLER, a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, and NORTHERN PARULA. Warbler migration is in full swing.

In the afternoon I went up to Miami Shores with Rosana to look for a WHITE-WINGED PARAKEET. We drove around there and El Portal with no luck. We went to Starbucks there at about 4pm and got great looks at a flock of them, and then immediately noticed two RED-MASKED PARAKEET bothered by a Cooper's Hawk. Both of these were lifers for me, but only the WHITE-WINGED is ABA acceptable.

We celebrated last night up in Hollywood with some beers. I'm trying to wrap my head around the conclusion of this adventure still. I intend to put reflections, statistics, and future plans in the coming days in weeks.

Life's Ruff

Yesterday I headed down to south Dade to try to find the briefly seen female RUFF at the Cutler Wetland the evening before. Nobody had seen it since, and my one-hour search was no different. After, I headed to Lucky Hammock and the Annex to the Everglades, which proved that neotropical migrant movement had not fully begun, having only seen a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER and WHITE-EYED VIREO. On my way back up, I drove through some of the agricultural fields in Florida City, and came across a pack of 3 UPLAND SANDPIPER, which was a lifer!

Vacation and Florida Oddballs

Rosana and I took a trip up to St. Augustine, the Georgia coast, Savannah, and back down to her parents house. It was a good trip that included watching ghost crabs, ropeswinging, good beering, biking, history learning, etc.

We also got a chance to look for birds, including the gregarious FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY, which we more than just saw! Additionally, we went to look for the few eastern migratory WHOOPING CRANES that have been reintroduced to Central Florida. There was one at the Double C Bar Ranch, hanging out with a bunch of SANDHILL CRANES. Quite a sight. On our way home, we stopped in Palm Beach County to look in the sod agricultural fields, looking for the recently reported UPLAND SANDPIPERS, but were unsuccessful. Now Rosana's back to school, and I am back to being an unemployed birder.

PBC big day

Eva, Kim, and I went for a day of birding Palm Beach County agricultural fields and stormwater treatment areas on Sunday. We had a great day of 69 species, including my year BLACK TERN. What's more than that, we broke the Palm Beach County Big Day record (of 65). Looking over the records for a number of county big days, we realized we could probably break the record for a few with relative ease (Broward - 64, St. Lucie - 57, Nassau - 34). Still 3 weeks until the end of my year, and I've got a new birding goal in mind.

one at a time

As July turned to August, I have come to realize that I need to beef up this list before the end of my year. Hopefully this will happen, as it seems to be in the process.

I drove up to Eva's house on Saturday night, and we got an early start in the morning. We headed up to St. Lucie County to try to get some looks at two birds that have eluded me: BACHMAN'S SPARROW and FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY. After several attempts at the Savannas Preserve and surrounding areas, we had no luck, and headed to the coast in Ft. Pierce. The jetty south of the Ft. Peirce Inlet State Park was very productive for us. We got great looks at 5 species of TERN (LEAST, SANDWICH, ROYAL, GULL-BILLED, and a year-bird COMMON). Also, this juvenile BROWN BOOBY was hanging out on the jetty for us to get incredibly close to.

This morning, I got up at 5:30- two hours before my alarm to go to work. I thought about what I needed to get accomplished, and I remembered a certain roost waiting for me in Cutler Bay. Last week, Eva and I had tried to see the only sizable roost of West Indian race CAVE SWALLOW without knowing exactly where it was. Eva got the Pranty field guide, and clued me in to exactly where it was. This morning I caught at least 10 of them under the SW 216th street bridge, as they, and I, were beginning our days.

summer rarities and early migrants

Last weekend, between work related overnights in Martin County and Kennedy Space Center with teenagers through my summer position at the Miami Science Museum, Rosana and I stole away to Marathon in the Keys for some birding and relaxing. We got down there Saturday afternoon, stopping first at the Marathon municipal buildings. This is the one reliable nesting location in the U.S. for ROSEATE TERN, and they were there for us. The roof was mostly bustling with FORSTER'S TERN, which we at first thought were COMMONs. The ROSEATEs took some work to figure out.

That night, we stopped at the Marathon Airport, to see if we could spot ANTILLEAN NIGHTHAWKS. We heard them before we saw them, but they did end up coming close enough to get a definitive look. Later, we had dinner and some drinks at a tiki bar, and stayed, of course, at the Sandpiper Motel. The next morning we got up early and headed to Long Key State Park to look for BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO. We did not come up with it after about one and half hours of hiking, but we celebrated the two from the night before with a dip in the ocean off U.S. 1. That morning we packed up, and got home at about noon.

This morning, after dropping Rosana off at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport, I stopped by Matheson Hammock to see if the early migrants reported were around. My first of the season BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, AMERICAN REDSTART, RED-EYED VIREO, and a lifer LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH were all in the park. Not bad for summer down here.

Panhandler

Rosana and I headed up to Tallahassee for several days. We headed to Leon Sinks Geological Area south of town on Sunday, and were treated to heat. Lots of it. Fortunately, we did get a look at a ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. We then went to Wakulla Springs State Park to cool down, which was quite nice. On our way back to the city, I got my second year-bird of the day, a MISSISSIPPI KITE soaring over the road.

Cowbirded

Rosana and I went camping at Flamingo in the Everglades this weekend. I had a few birds to try to pick up there, now that summer seems to have set in.

First up was another try at the Cape Sable SEASIDE SPARROW, which turned up nothing. Next was locating a SHINY COWBIRD in a flock of about 40 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS in the parking lot area of the Flamingo visitor's center. Luckily, there were two males SHINYS in the pack, which were very easy to spot. Next up was checking out Eco Pond. We were there at dusk on Saturday with a lot of great birds including AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, WOOD STORK, AMERICAN AVOCET, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, BLACK-NECKED STILT, and so on. My goal was to try to find a LESSER NIGHTHAWK. With no luck that evening, I woke up at 6am to try again on Sunday, and did not see one then either.

Cuckoo

At Matheson Hammock in Miami this morning, I saw my first of the year MANGROVE CUCKOO.

Western migrant in Florida

On Friday morning, I saw that the birdboard was ablaze with birders having seen a male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK at Kendall Indian Hammocks park, not too far from the house. I got myself together quickly, and got there at about 11am. I was the only one at the spot, looking for it in my post-op shoe from Wednesday's ingrown toenail surgery. I spent about a half-hour looking, to no avail. Carl Edwards, a local birder, then came. He played the call, and within 20 minutes, we were treated to great looks at it. Here's a picture that a local birder Toe got of this common western U.S. migrant, but Florida super-rarity.

This was a life bird for me, having just missed its presence on the west coast this past fall.

Dade-land

After substitute teaching at Rosana's Waldorf school on Wednesday, we went to A.D. Barnes to have a look at the fall-out that seemed to occur that day. It was pretty good. We caught up with local birder Rock Jetty, and got great looks at male BLACKPOLL WARBLER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, tons of WORM-EATING WARBLERS, and a lifer BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

3 females

Rosana and I went to the Everglades this week, camping at Long Pine Key. I was hoping to see the real BAR-TAILED GODWIT at Flamingo, but it seems that it has moved on. While in the parking lot of the Flamingo visitor's center, we located a flock of INDIGO BUNTING. Among the group was one female BLUE GROSBEAK, new for my year. (female #1)


Yesterday morning, I went out to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to find the female WESTERN SPINDALIS that had been reported two days prior, and within 15 minutes, the 6 other birders that were there and I had gotten on it. (female #2)
Rosana and I left in the early afternoon to head to Lake Wales and visit her parents. On the way we stopped at a Palm Beach County reliable location for roosting BARN OWL. It was reliable indeed.

I have hit 450 birds for the year. My goal.

Rosana and I are getting married. (female #3)

Unbirded

After consideration on the Miami Birdboard of the bird that I saw at Flamingo, it appears that it was not a BAR-TAILED GODWIT at all, but a MARBLED GODWIT being an impostor.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT

Success chasing a rarity with Sherry in Flamingo, FL.
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Thespian, Couchsurfing Host, and still a Birder

My last week+ has been marked by these three things, which I will explain in three paragraphs (not including this one).

Rosana has coerced me to be in her middle school play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm playing the part of Lysander, and we will be doing our performance this Friday. It's crunch time.

We had a couchsurfer, Evan, who wasn't a complete stranger. I stayed with him at his home in Vancouver in November. he now finds himself completing a brewery tour of the U.S., and about to begin his hike up the Appalachian Trail throughout the summer. A good luck to him. Eva and Rupp also came by for a stay, which made for a busy night.

I have gotten some birding in. The spring migration fall-out has begun. With Evan, I checked out Matheson Hammock on Monday, and among tons of BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER and NORTHERN PARULA, I got to see one SWAINSON'S WARBLER, which is mildly uncommon in Florida during migration. It was new for my year. I've also helped Eva try to get the LA SAGRA'S FLYCATCHER at Bill Baggs State Park twice, and unfortunately, she has a new ABA nemesis bird.

Home

Saturday night, I went out to Decent Pizza in Tallahassee with ye ol' gang. After some slices, we checked out Waterworks and the Leon Pub, a few of my favorite old stomping grounds, before calling it a night.


The next morning I wasn't feeling all that well because of my cold, so I headed out of Tallahassee at about 9am, for the 8-hour trip south. The only notable experience of the drive was noting my first of the year SWALLOW-TAILED KITE over the Florida Turnpike. I got to my new home (aka Rosana's house) at about 5pm, where we had delicious pasta dinner and wine.


The last couple of days have been absorbed with job searching, but I have been able to get in some very worthwhile birding. On Monday morning, in the worst of my illness, I went to Bill Baggs State Park here in Miami in search of the LA SAGRA'S FLYCATCHER that has been seen pretty much all winter. With some locational help from Eva, I found the spot, and relocated the bird within a couple minutes. This morning, I looked for the other locally rare flycatcher at Matheson Hammocks County Park. After searching for about 25 minutes, a young local birder Alex called me over, as he had found the BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER in the oak picnic area, and we were able to watch it for about 10 minutes. Two great birds in two mornings of searching!

Gulf Coast

I went for a bike ride about 1/4 mile from Matt's house to the beach in Bay St. Louis on Wednesday. I got a good look at a variety of species on the way and at the beach, that included RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, CASPIAN TERN, and BONAPARTE'S GULL. The ocean was really nice.


When Matt got home from work, we went to a bar with his friends Amber and Mack. We hit up both Clyde's and Benigno's. We didn't get to bed until almost 4am.


Then next morning (afternoon), Matt and I got out to Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge, which was really nice. This was my first time in this style of longleaf pine forest since this summer, which helped me towards my year birds. I picked up one new year species pretty much right away, the BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH.


We spent several miles of hiking and looking for a RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER, which is a species of special concern, without luck. We finally noticed one when we got back the parking lot that we started from, and two individuals gave us a great show. In fact, Matt caught this great picture of one getting aggressive with a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.


Thursday evening, Matt and I went to a little coffee shop in old town called Mockingbird, which sold the local Lazy Magnolia draft and had music at night. It was pretty fun, and it was pretty weird how many people Matt knew here for being a fairly newby to town. After a pancake breakfast, I left Bay St. Louis Friday morning. I drove about 5 hours to get to Tallahassee, arriving just in time for happy hour at Steel City with some of my old colleagues. It was a good night of conversations with a bunch of my favorite people, who I haven't seen in almost one and a half years.


This morning I went out to Tall Timbers north of town to look for a BACHMAN'S SPARROW in a spot that the biologist there had showed Kim, Eva, Matt and I a couple years back. I had similar results of not seeing the bird.


After some tea and lunch with friends, I am relaxing, while fostering the beginnings of a cold, preparing for tonight's festivities.

Austism

Monday evening I met up with Maggie and Steph, and we went to the Congress Street bridge to see if we could gander the Mexican Free-tailed bat nightly show of them leaving their roost. We're pretty sure that only happens in the summer, because all we got was cold. But then we went to Magnolia for dinner, which was excellent.


Tuesday I got some work done, both to my car, and to my future life for when I get down to South Florida. It was pretty memorably uneventful, except for the Pad Thai that we made for dinner. On Wednesday, Maggie took the day off so we could have fun. We went to the Zelker Botanical Park to look for the recently seen CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, but had no luck. Then she showed me Barton Springs and we headed to McKinney Falls State Park to see what Rosana had in store for our upcoming camping trip there. Out last nature adventure of the day was at Mount Bonnell which is a good vista of the city and river system. We ended early to allow time to drink some beers at Posse East with Steph.


Thursday, besides waiting for Rosana to fly in, included some other things. I got a bunch of job applying done, looked for the CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD with no luck, and made sushi with Steph and Maggie. Rosana flew in on time, and we stayed near the airport. The next morning we ate at Boulden Creek, which was incredible, then checked out the Congress St. part of town. We got some records at Antone's, and then went to Posse East where Maggie met us. We had a few beers, which made us less inclined for the super-dinner we were going to get, so we had Kerbey Lane instead, which was fantastic.


Rosana and I stayed at Mag and Steph's that night, and in the morning made soem breakfast. In the afternoon, we all went out to Mother's, which was the excellent place that grows their own herbs in the back. After lunch and stocking up at Central Market, Rosana and I headed to McKinney Falls State Park where we camped. The weather was awesome, and allowed us some good times at the falls, as well as playing frisbee, hackysack, and having a fire.

The next day, Rosana and I walked around Congress St. again, and then checked into the nearby Austin Motel, which was a cool little place close to downtown. We got cleaned up here, and then went to 6th St. downtown to a couple of bars. Monday morning we went record shopping again and had breafast at Boulden Creek again, and a drink from Daily Juice. I dropped her off at the airport in the afternoon, and then met up with Mag and Steph in the evening. We got Baby Acapulco's for my final Austin meal, and in the morning yesterday, I left town.


I made two stops (besides gas and peeing) on my 9-hour drive to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi yesterday. The first was at the Atwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge looking for its namesake. Apparently they are not often found on the publicly accessible parts of the refuge, and I had no exceptional visit. I did however get to see my second ever CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONSPUR along the road.


My second stop was by a Texas State Police officer, apparently for driving in Texas with MA plates, which I think is a felony. He gave me two warnings, one for speeding (going 70 in a 65 zone) and following too closely behind the car in front of me (about 20 feet behind). He had a few questions about my binoculars on the passenger seat, to which I told him the incredulous story of me birdwatching. Eventually, I got to Matt's house at about 6pm, and we made some dinner, listened to music, and headed to bed pretty early as he had to work today.

Snowfall in Austin, TX

1-3 inches expected today.

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Lower Rio Grande pt. 2

Friday after my BK lunch, and after the rain stopped, I went to the Estero Llano Grande World Birding Center, and got directions to their infamous pair of day roosting COMMON PARAQUE. They were reliable, and very photogenic, even if they didn't know it.


While I was there, I ran into a Florida couple that I had talked to at Quinta Mazatlan the day before. They were going back there again to try their luck at the CRIMSON-COLLARED GROSBEAK again, and it got me interested. So I went back and had no luck finding it over the course of the 45 minutes before they closed. I left there and went to a reliable parakeet roosting area in McAllen, but there were no keets.

That evening, I met up with my couchsurfing host Shawn and his son Keyshawn at their house in Brownsville. The three of us went to a grand opening of an artspace downtown, that had a nice spread of food and wine.

The next morning, Shawn and I headed to South Padre Island with a couple of beachcruisers, which are bikes that were pretty easy to operate in the sand. We played some frisbee, and stopped at Sandy Feet's (a couchsurfer and professional sandcastle lesson giver) house, but she wasn't home. We rode up to the island's World Birding Center and walked around. There were some good coastal birds I hadn't seen since I was last in Florida, including REDDISH EGRET, BLACK SKIMMER, and CASPIAN TERN. On the ride back to the car, we stopped at the South Padre Brewing Co. for a beer and nachos. On the way off the island, we pulled over in a part of the expansive marsh to check out some terns, which proved to be the somewhat elusive GULL-BILLED TERN.

Later that night, Shawn's girlfriend Farelly met up with us and we went to a member's only gala for supporters of the Sombrero Festival. Shawn's a member of this particular section of next week's Charro Days in Brownsville, so they had this evening of dancing, lassoing, and food, which was pretty fun. When it got unfun and talky, we checked out a madrigal group performing at UT at Brownsville.The next morning, I went to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in search of the BLUE BUNTING that had been seen there over the past week. When I got there around 9am, 10-15 birders had been looking for it with no luck. I joined the search party, and gave up at about 11 with no success. I drove around the fields outside of the refuge a bit, looking at hawks, and eeked out one of the south Texas specialties I was looking for, a WHITE-TAILED HAWK. I also checked out the Hugh Ramsey Park and a supposed Harlingen parakeet roost, with no new sightings.

I drove a couple hours north to Corpus Christi, and in the early evening met up with my Danish couchsurfing hosts Anette-Kjestine and Soren. We had some really good conversation and falafel dinner. This morning I got going at about 7am to check out two rarities on the way up to Austin.
The first was a NORTHERN WHEATEAR that had been reported about a month and a half ago at an Amish farm in Beesville, TX. Soon, after I parked, I noticed the non-breeding plumed bird sitting on a piece of farm equipment, which darted away within two seconds of me looking, and did not return again while I was there. This was a really cool site, as it's only the second reported incident of this bird in Texas. I talked to the Amish man who found the bird, John Borntrager, who was a friendly guy.

The second site I went to was Choke Canyon State Park, where a NORTHERN JACANA had been reported and seen consistently for almost four months. The jacana didn't disappoint. I was able to locate him fairly quickly, and watch without disturbing his feeding behavior. While I was moving to get better shots at him, I scared this guy:

I think it's a broad-banded water snake, but I could definitely be mistaken. After success on my two bird goals of the day, I ascended back up to Austin where I am now, only a few miles (but also a few days) from where Rosana will be flying in to.

The Mayor of Brownsville

Speaking live at the grand opening of the arts and culture center of Brownsville.
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Lower Rio Grande pt. 1

Monday afternoon, I went to Steph's place of work in Austin- Posse East, which is a pretty sweet bar right near the UT football stadium. Maggie met us there, and when Steph got out of work, we went to this awesome Mexicany place that had $5 Mexican martinis. They were incredible.


Tuesday morning, I checked out Triangle Pond in town, which late in the fall hosted a family of very northern LEAST GREBE. When I took a look, there was only one present, but quite a neat find.


In the afternoon I worked on some business at the Spider House coffee shop, and spent way too long food shopping at Central Market. I made Maggie and Steph a pasta dinner at their house, and then we tried to watch The Invention of Lying, but were bored, so went to bed.


I woke up pretty early on Wednesday to get on the road down to South Texas. I was caught in some pretty bad rush hour traffic going into San Antonio, but was soon out of the insanity. I stopped near Pearsall to check out a couple of farm areas to hopefully get a look at some MOUNTAIN PLOVER that had been seen recently, but it was not to be.


At about 11am, I got into Laredo, and checked out Las Palmas Park along the Rio Grande. Pretty quickly, I was picking up new birds for my trip, such as GREEN JAY, GREAT KISKADEE, GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER, and RINGED KINGFISHER. The real prizes seen here recently, were the AMAZON KINGFISHER and WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATER that I was not able to locate. Coming back along a trail, I ran into a border patrol agent, who told me that while the whole area I was in was fine to be walking around in, but where I just came from was "no man's land." When asked what that meant, he said that many people get shot from across the river in that spot, and he would never go there. I think border patrol agents are paranoid and are happy with certain half-truths. Considering they're not allowed to GO to Mexico, how experienced and educated can they be about the issues in that country as it pertains to the trafficking and smuggling at our border. Do they really shoot birders across the river? Are bullets that cheap?


Heading down from Laredo, I stopped at Zapata to try another reliable place for WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATER, and had similar results. Pretty close by, I got to my destination of the evening- Falcon State Park, which is a reservoir on the Rio Grande that is a popular fishing spot.


Seeing a VERMILLION FLYCATCHER in the tree above site 57, my camping spot for the night was settled. I set up, then birded the area, looking for the recently seen ROADSIDE HAWK. In the process, I came across a HARRIS' HAWK and COUCH'S KINGBIRD, as well as many AMERICAN PIPIT.


I drove to the Falcon Dam before sundown, where I technically left the country, but did not enter Mexico. I birded from the dam, looking for MUSCOVY, as this is one of the few reliable places to see them. Unfortunately, there was little activity besides NEOTROPIC CORMORANT and GREAT BLUE HERON.


I woke up pretty early the next morning to look for the ROADSIDE HAWK and MUSCOVY again, and had no luck. I did find a feeder area in the park, where among many other birds I had seen, a CASSIN'S SPARROW was hopping around. I stopped at Chipeno river park on the way south, and saw no new birds. I was again hoping for some birds I had had luck seeing when I came here for a birding festival in 2008, where I saw MUSCOVY and RED-BILLED PIGEON. Neither were present. At this point, every target bird I've had has come up flat in South Texas.


The next stop was Salineno park, where my luck turned a bit. I didn't see the GRAY HAWK that is pretty reliable on the water here, but at the bird refuge (aka, a bird woman's over-feederified trailer) I saw some great birds. AUDUBON'S ORIOLE, HOODED ORIOLE, ALTAMIRA ORIOLE, OLIVE SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED THRUSH, WHITE-TIPPED DOVE, and LONG-BILLED THRASHER. A pretty productive stop.


I got to McAllen at about 1pm, and stopped at Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center, and looked around for a couple rarities reported there. Unfortunately it was pooring at this point. I did manage to see their TROPICAL PARULA, but after a few hours of looking , no CRIMSON-COLLARED GROSBEAK.


I headed to Kurt and Frank, my couchsurfing hosts' house at about 4pm, and got showered and clean clothed.


The three of us had a veggie-pita dinner that was really good, and had some wine. I went to bed at about 9:30 to get a good start on today. When I woke up at about 6:30 am, I quickly got ready and headed out to the Bentsen State Park World Birding Center. I got completely soaked looking for the super-rare AZTEC THRUSH with no luck, and in the process, missed the short morning show of a ROSE-THROATED BECARD feeding at the main entrance. I waited about 45 minutes, but it did not come back. I was pretty angry, and left at about 11am.


If I wasn't soaked enough, I went to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge to look for some more birds. I thought it was possible to get GROOVE-BILLED ANI, GREEN KINGFISHER, HOOK-BILLED KITE, COMMON PARAQUE, or others. No. Nothing but mud and water.


I'm not happy right now. That may be because I had Burger King for lunch though.