Downy Woodpecker on South Padre Island, 3/6/24
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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3w ago
On this past Oct 22, Gray Hawk researcher and all around fantastic birder Evan Farese found the first Cameron County record of a Downy Woodpecker at the Convention Center on South Padre Island.  Word got out late in the afternoon and several people got to see it, but those of us who arrived the next morning were surprised to not be able to refind the bird.  Who would have thought that a poor little lost Downy who had been most likely wandering for days down arid treeless South Padre Island would be so quick to leave an oasis like the Convention Center? Well two months later Evan foun ..read more
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Green-tailed Towhee, Mission, TX 2/15/24
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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1M ago
I was birding today south of  Mission when I ran into a couple who had just found a Green-tailed Towhee.  There's been quite a few in the Rio Grande Valley this winter with a particularly cooperative one at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands so it's no big deal.  When they described the location I realized it was Los Ebanos Road just east of the National Butterfly Center.  This area was famous a few years ago for several Hooked-billed Kites that were feeding on the Rabdotus snails that were having a good year.  I had not seen a Green-tailed Towhee yet this year so I made the ..read more
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Resaca de la Palma, 2/13/24
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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1M ago
Today I decided to make a try for the Cassin's Vireo at Resaca de la Palma State Park near Brownsville.  Even though I still need that species for my Cameron County list, I have not made much effort during my past few visits.  It's always a chore trying to distinguish between Cassin's Vireo and pale Blue-headed Vireo.  In west Texas during migration I feel pretty good about calling Cassin's Vireo but down here I've seen way too many pale Blue-headed Vireos to feel comfortable about making the call.  I wish they would just lump 'em all back into Solitary Vireo.  Anyway ..read more
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Limpkin at Salineno, 2-7-24
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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1M ago
It was forecast to be windy today so I decided to head west as the wind is usually not as bad out there.  Since my last trip to Falcon State Park suffered from Crane Hawkus interrptus, I thought I might go back to the lake and see what was about.  But as I drove through Roma I noticed the wind had already picked up so I decided to head to Salineno instead.  I figured the wind wouldn't be as bad down along the Rio Grande.  And maybe I could refind the Crane Hawk which has gone missing for a few days. Well as I approached Salineno the WhatsApp dinged.  Cameron Cox had ju ..read more
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Fan-tailed Warbler at UTRGV Brownsville, 2/2/24
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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1M ago
Back in December the second ever for Texas, Fan-tailed Warbler, was found by Evan Farese on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus in Brownsville.  I went out there a few days later and had a good but very brief view of the bird in the thick vegetation that borders the resaca behind the biology building.  It was a much better look than I had of the first record in Pine Canyon at Big Bend National Park.  I got very poor views of that bird and no photos at either sighting.  The Fan-tailed Warbler has been present since then at UTRGV but was MIA for a few days until ..read more
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Yellow-footed Gull at Amarillo, 12/16/23
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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3M ago
 A week ago an amazing first Texas record of Yellow-footed Gull at Southeast Park in Amarillo was posted on the Texbirds Facebook group.  Actually this first year bird has been present since early November and the local birders were passing it off as an immature Herring Gull.  I've seen this species on the Pacific coast of Mexico and at the Salton Sea in California where a few show up every summer but that's been a few decades ago.  This is not a species we were expecting in Texas although a young Yellow-footed Gull was seen in New Mexico just last year.  As the bird h ..read more
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Gray-collared Becard at Resaca de la Palma St Pk, 12/3/23
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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4M ago
Eight days ago visiting birders found the third US record of Gray-collared Becard at Resaca de La Palma State Park near Brownsville.  I rushed over and got to see it for about a tenth of a second.  Then I made the run up to the Panhandle to see the Pine Grosbeak.  Upon returing I once again drove over to Resaca de la Palma and spent seven hours seeing neither the Gray-collared Becard nor the Roadside Hawk.  I did get good looks at the Rose-throated Becard.  Yesterday I mowed.  We get to do that in December in the Rio Grande Valley. This morning I got up dark and e ..read more
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Pine Grosbeak at Palo Duro Rerservoir, 11/27/23
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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4M ago
So far birding has been pretty fantastic in Texas this fall.  The Corpus Christi area has a Cattle Tyrant, Eastern Marbled Godwit and three American Flamingos while the Rio Grande Valley has hosted Five Limpkins, two American Flamingos, several Blue Buntings and a Rose-throated Becard.  Then the group of fantastically skilled young birders who have been monitoring the Brown Jays at the Santa Margarita Ranch found both a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron and a Mottled Owl.  And that's not to mention all the uncommon western birds that have passed through the Valley this fall. I was takin ..read more
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Roadside Hawk at Resaca de la Palma, 11/24/23
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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4M ago
I woke up at 5am this morning and thought about getting up to give an early try for the Roadside Hawk at Resaca de la Palma State Park in Cameron County.  But I went back to sleep and didn't wake up till 7:30.  As I got up I thought people were probably looking at the Roadside Hawk right now.  At that moment the WhatsApp dinged and Mary Beth Stowe posted crippling photos of said hawk.  Well, good for her.  I took my time and didn't get over till 11 when I learned that the Roadside Hawk had posed for an hour and then disappeared. I looked around the parking lot for a wh ..read more
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Limpkin near San Benito, TX 11/18/23
Antshrike's Bird Blog
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4M ago
The Rio Grande Valley Limpkin invasion continues!  Estero Llano Grande State Park has had as many a three in the flood channel.  A first Starr County record was found a couple of days ago at Santa Margarita Ranch as birders tried to relocate the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron.  And today Michael Marsden found a Limpkin in a drainage canal south of San Benito at a spot know as Cantu Corner.  The bird was reported to have flown out of view around the corner and as the banks bordering the canal are private property, I decided to wait and see if the bird was refound.  Well it w ..read more
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