Wednesday, January 15

Early morning appointment at Rio Valley Dermatology where last week's biopsy was negative, so I managed to catch this one before it became malignant. Only treatment required was a heavy zap of liquid nitrogen. I also had 13 other Actinic Keratosis places that needed treatment. Much better than last year when I had 1 Basal Cell and about 30 AK treated. I have a follow-up appointment in March to make sure Dr. Hohnadel didn't miss anything. He was quite amused by my description of the treatment like taking a nap in an ant bed.

Only took an hour so we had plenty of time to visit Sabal Palms.

Quite a few changes have happened since our last visit about a year ago. First of all, the visitor center is now located in the restored Rabb Mansion. Second, the sanctuary is now operated by Gorgas Science Foundation. The old feeding station is still being maintained and the LIVE bird feeder cam is still operational. A new butterfly garden is under construction at the beginning of the new entrance trail. All of the other trails remain the same.

Dense palms surround the resaca...

 harboring Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's, Orange-crowned, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Wren, and Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. Carolina Wren called loudly but never came into view.

The trails seem better maintained than on our last visit. 

There is more water than last year, but Dave's Overlook was pretty barren and quiet...

as were the forest trails

The feeding station produced Buff-bellied Hummingbird, great Kiskadee, Green Jays by the dozen, strangely silent Chachalacas, Cardinals, Carolina Wren, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and Black-crested Titmouse. 

The LIVE bird feeder cam provided by Rio Grande Valley Master Naturalists offers a 24 hour view:

 http://sabalpalmsanctuary.org/feedercam/

Check it out! 

 My camera was at home so all  I managed were a few cell phone photos. 

What's unusual about Sabal Palms, the entire property of behind the border fence.

By that time, I was suddenly very tired so we headed home rather than heading for Boca Chica Beach.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. 

January 14 Anzulduas and Hildago

After a busy weekend leading bird tours we had Tuesday off from the refuge and decided to go birding...

One of our favorite places in the Valley is Anzalduas, a county park located on the Rio Grande in Hidalgo County and one spot in Texas where you can actually look north into Mexico.

We were barely out of the car before finding the mixed flock. Luckily some of the very tall trees are sparsely vegetated this time of year, so the birds were pretty visible. The first bird spotted was Yellow-throated Warbler (YTWA) followed quickly by Black-throated Grey Warbler (BTGW). American Goldfinch  (AMGO) in various stages of gold punctuated the tops of the trees while Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (BGGN) buzzed the lower branches. Also present were Yellow-rumped (YRWA) and Orange-crowned Warbler (OCWA), along with a very drab Pine Warbler (PIWA) that had me scratching my head for several minutes. A later PIWA had more typical coloration. We could hear Northern-beardless Tyranulet (NBTY) calling loudly from 2 directions at once and finally one decided to join the flock. Beautiful Blue-headed Vireo (BHVI), an unexpected Yellow-throated Vireo (YTVI), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (RCKI) and Black-crested Titmouse (BCTI) rounded out the small passerines. Both Golden-Fronted (GFWO) and Ladder-backed Woodpecker (LBWO) along with 3 or more Mockingbirds (NOMO) added additional flavor to the morning. I had my camera on my shoulder, but the birding was too fast and too furious to even consider removing the lens cover. Soaring birds were Turkey and Black Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. A lone Brown Pelican dozed on the remains of the Mexican boat ramp in the center of the river. The Mexican park received major damage in the flood of July 2010 when the river channel moved several hundred feet. 

I found this great photo essay about Anzalduas and learned so much about the park. We had wondered for years about the strange little corner fenced off with its strange "Do Not Molest" signs posted. 

Seems that water moving very fast over metal, the dam is metal, generates a large amount of electricity which is then taken from the dam to this area. Pretty ingenious. 

If you're interested in a complete tour of the park, check out this link. 

http://www.thedauphins.net/id103.html

The granola bars and snack crackers were wearing pretty thin by that time, so we located Delia's, the ultimate tamale source. Being used to only finding tamales around Christmas and New Year's way out in West Texas, imagine the joy of unlimited tamales 365 days a year. 

We ordered 1/2 dozen spicy pork to eat there, along with salad (lettuce, tomato, lime, and salsa) and 1/2 dozen chicken and cheese cooked in green sauce to take home. The tamales are steamed fresh all day long and the take home tamales were too hot to touch when delivered to the table. Delia started making tamales in her home 29 years ago and delivered them door-to-door. In 1998 she opened the first location in McAllen and now has 6 locations across the region. They are soooo good, and they even ship nation wide. 

After that satisfying lunch, we found the Old Hidalgo Pump House and World Birding Center. The birding center is no charge but the museum has a small entrance fee. Totally worth the price for a short video for background and a self-guided tour of the facility. 

Before water was made available for irrigation, most of the valley was only fit for cattle ranching. With the advent of the pumphouse and the irrigation system, the "Magic Valley" was created. A 365 day growing season and abundant water changed the economics of the entire region. 

These enormous pipes extended 40' underwater to feed the enormous steam driven pumps. 

The hurricane of 1933 and resulting flood rerouted the river half a mile away, necessitating a canal to supply the pumphouse with water. 

On the lower level of the museum is a wonderful model train exhibit to make any model train enthusiast green with envy. 

The central patio of the birding center is a map of downtown Hidalgo with the railroad down the center. 

The water feature along the edge is a model of the river. 

This Teleus Longtail was very active on the blooms in the sunlight. I also found a small yellow b'fly I think was a Statira Sulphur. Sadly, all my photos were blurry, a combination of wind and very bright sunlight and a very plain yellow lep. 

The border fence has closed access to some of the walking trails near the river. A Border Patrol car was parked behind the center bush near the gate. 

On the drive back home, we discovered the Valley Gun Club with its very unmistakable sign. No language barrier here.  

January 11 Bahia Grande

Great tour on Saturday morning with 4 visitors and 1 refuge volunteer. Our tours are the only means of seeing Bahia Grande and West Lake Road so we do have several volunteers when space allows.

Many things catch our attention other than birds...

Cat Track

Habitat suggests bobcat...

We tallied bird 33 species with a couple of UFO's... lots of desert birds which is usual for Bahia Grande. Habitat is so different from the Laguna Atascosa Unit. Coastal Prairie punctuated with prickly pear cactus and yucca, with a few "lomas" covered with thornscrub. The monster machine from Georgia has cleared 1500 acres of mesquite and huisache to restore the prairie while managing habitat for Aplomado Falcon. 

I missed photos of Curve-billed Thrasher and Pyrrhuloxia, but managed to snag the Cassin's Sparrow...

Snapped a photo of the Verdin, but through the cracked and dinged up windshield of the van it was too fuzzy to use. Would have been a great action shot, too, with lots of wing action. 

This big bull was herding his harem across the prairie

 A big thrill of every tour is a stampede of the Nilgai herd... we counted 40+ this trip

This young male seemed to say, "How about a little privacy"

The Nilgai was imported into South Texas by King Ranch in the 1920's for exotic hunting. Native to India and Pakistan, the first animals were obtained from the San Diego Zoo. The unique mammals adapted well to the climate while their immense size made fences totally useless.Without tigers, no natural predators exist for these massive animals. Hunting and an occasional automobile collision are their only worries. The big males reach a weight of 600-700 pounds. 

First Official Bird Tour

Yesterday was the first official bird tour of 2014... Bahia Grande Unit between Hwy 48 and Hwy 100.
Weather was extremely cold and incredibly windy, high temp of 42 with wind gust of 28 mph and complete cloud cover. So much for warm sunny South Texas! In spite of dismal conditions we managed a healthy 22 species for the 4 visitors who attended, David and Judy, Richard and Phyllis. Still training new bird tour volunteers Cari and Leon, too. Cari kept the bird list for me and David took great pictures.

One highlight was huge mass of small shorebirds...
rising from the surface of Laguna Largo like a plume of black smoke the enormous flock teased us from an immense distance. Even a scope view revealed not much more that  just so many black dots. Finally a portion flew close enough for a few quick photos to use for ID purposes. Comparing short straight bills to 3 main references, Sibley, Crossley, and The Shorebird Guide, I deduced Semipalmated Sandpiper (SESA) Any additional feedback from shorebird experts would be appreciated.


Another treat was the flock of Horned Lark - no photo of those - playing leapfrog along the road.

Two Savannah Sparrow sat up in a protected area long enough for us to study them. While viewing the two sparrows, a striking male Bobwhite (NOBO) popped into sight. Then a female periscoped up and down. As we oogled and aahed, the quail began a single file promenade across the road. We counted 8, 9...  thought the end had come when another head appeared, then ducked back into the grass. She finally worked up the nerve to cross, that's 10. No, Wait, another head appeared and then disappeared. She also eventually scurried and hurried across to join the covey - 11 total.  

The star of the show was the Aplomado Falcon (APFA) almost at the end of the tour. 

 A showy White-tailed Hawk caught our attention cart-wheeling and just having fun in the wind. After several  stationary minutes of entertainment, our forward motion spooked the Falcon from his perch just a few feet away. Luckily, he didn't fly far and found a protected snag on the downwind side of a small mesquite/thornscrub thicket. David managed some amazing photos. With our spirits soaring, we barely noticed the pothole minefield as we journeyed back to the visitor center. 

January 3 Sunshine at last!

Finally a sunshiny day and a chance to get out and really bird.

We started by driving to Osprey Overlook...

a viewing area overlooking Laguna Atascosa, the only place visitors can actually view the lake without going on a refuge birding tour.  

This sign has been added on Lake Shore Drive since we were here last year. A cougar had been reported by hunters and one of our birding tours had the experience of seeing him cross the road on the west side of the lake. 

The last week of hunting season begins January 4, so the bow hunters were preparing their stands for an early morning start. They bike or hike in several miles to their designated area before sunrise. Even the bikes are camo.

While birding the area we were treated to a beautiful Verdin and an Indigo Bunting, sadly both escaped before photos could be taken. The Mockingbird obliged, but everything turned out fuzzy so they were deleted. 

Back at the Visitor Center the Alligator was very 

obliging... although he never came out of the water, the view was terrific, thanks to the clarity. Cold weather, I guess. 

This is another new sign for advanced warning upon approaching the alligator trough. 

A Ladder-backed Woodpecker scolded noisily overhead, guess he was glad the sun was shining, too. 

I caught a glimpse of Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cardinal, and maybe a Tropical Parula. I saw the bird, the visitor standing next to me described it perfectly, but wasn't sure of the ID. 

A very handsome Olive Sparrow took advantage of the weather to enjoy the bird blind feeding area.

I can't resist the Kiskadee, even though they're thick as fleas. This one utilized the water feature in front of the visitor center, sometimes overrun with grackles and blackbirds. 

Two Grey Catbirds decided to join the party...

but only one stayed out for a photo shoot. 

Returning to Volunteer Village a herd of Wild Turkey froze when a Harris' Hawk appeared...

But soon returned to grazing as soon as they decided he wasn't a serious threat...

The Wildlife Officer's boat has a  fascinating assortment of decoys

So goes life on the refuge

Happy New Year

BRRRRRR! This is South Texas, a sub-tropical habitat and we've had nothing but rain and cold since we arrived. 47 degrees now (6 AM) and that's warmer than any time yesterday. We finished the year with 26.40 inches of rainfall, 2 1/2 of which came the last 2 days of the year. By contrast Anahuac received 45.58 inches total.

Black-eyed peas cooked in the crockpot yesterday so they're ready to go. Interesting how peas came to be a symbol of good luck for the New Year. Dates back to the Civil War and Sherman's march to the sea. The Union soldiers raided farms and fields for all available food plus taking the livestock. What they couldn't eat was burned, with the exception of "field peas" which were considered only fit for feeding livestock. Therefore, the southern folk relied upon these field peas for food and were lucky to to survive.

Thought the rain might be over so we headed out to try for the Amazon Kingfisher along Hwy 100. No luck with that one. 

Stopped by Palmdale RV at Los Fresnos to see Alvin's cousin Doris and her husband Bob. Met them quite by accident last year at a restaurant in Port Isabel. Had a nice visit with them to catch up on family news. Several of the older cousins  have passed this last year. 

Decided to add some birds for the new year. Had picked up White-tailed Kite and White-tailed Hawk on Hwy 106 earlier along with Turkey and Black Vulture and Crested Caracara. On Buena Vista Blvd, snagged Roadrunner, Bobwhite, and more mockingbirds than I could count. At VC, tagged Long-billed Thrasher, Cardinal, and Yellow-rump, Green Jay, and Chachalaca. Slim pickins with no feeders refilled for two days. Osprey Overlook had Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret plus Ground Dove. 

Just before the Rv village, we were treated to 3 beautiful Altamira Oriole. 

Happy New Year!