A Texas Twitch

Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) immature (near adult) 

South Padre Island-Pier 19, Cameron County, Texas

Oct. 5, 2018

By now I knew the drill, I'd hop on I-10 with a full tank of gas, fight through El Paso, and refuel in Fort Stockton. Next stop would be near Boerne, and that would take me into the Lower Rio Grande Valley with a third of a tank to spare. I even had 33 hours worth of 'A Clash of Kings' on audible to keep me occupied. Given the forecast, I wouldn't be faced with a snow storm en route like last December, but two vicious rain squalls were just as scary albeit much more brief. I encountered the rain outside of Van Horn, Texas and at one point I couldn't see more than a few yards in front of me. It was the worst rain I've ever encountered, but by the time I reached an exit I could pull off onto I had reached the other side of the isolated storm front. I didn't feel comfortable just pulling off to the side thinking I might get rammed by another car. Disaster averted, it was smooth sailing into the Valley.

When the Golden-crowned Warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus) was found and photographed the week before at Frontera Audubon Center in Weslaco, Tx I was unfortunately unable to chase it that weekend, instead having to wait. This turned out to be fortuitous timing as the third (and first chaseable) record White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala) was discovered on South Padre Island shortly before I departed Las Cruces and a Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) just a few blocks from the Pigeon was being reported reliably. With the stars aligned and enough lifer points to spare, I hit the road and hoped to clinch a bird I has tried a few times before to see but had managed to dip every time (the warbler). I had tried for the 2015-2016 Golden-crowned at Lions Shelley Park in Refugio, Tx but apparently an out-of-state birder had been playing a tape for that bird the entire morning before we (Roger Clark and I) got there, so we unsurprisingly didn't locate it. Though several others have been reported since then, the timing had not been conducive for me to chase most.

In keeping with tradition I made sure the playlist for my trip south included Waylon Jennings' 'Luckenbach Texas". And as per usual the lyrics sparked a philosophical debate as to the meaning of the chorus. This kept my mind busy for the next hour or so as I battled my way through the convoluted interchanges of San Antonio, ultimately coming to the same conclusion I always do: if "ain't nobody feelin' no pain," then in fact everyone would be feeling pain. That said, I'm assuming Jennings' wasn't much concerned with grammar, but maybe he was, and is secretly trying to convey the ubiquitous misery of those in Luckenbach. Maybe if the residents of Luckenback knew that Black-capped Vireos (Vireo atricapilla) and Golden-cheeked Warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia) could be found nearby they'd feel a little less pain.

Golden-crowned Warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus) 

Frontera Audubon Center, Hidalgo County, Texas

Oct. 5, 2018

Dawn found me at Donna's Reservoir killing time and looking for some hidalgo county birds. After about half an hour I made my way to Frontera Audubon Center which didn't open until 8:00am. Upon walking the trail I starting hearing a peculiar rapid scolding call that I initially mistook for a Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) though it seemed early for one this far south. A few moments later a chunky passerine came bombing towards me seemingly in response to my pishing, giving the angry "tip!" call notes. I was taken aback to discover it was the Golden-crowned Warbler with slaty-blue upperparts and glowing citrusy-green underparts. My other chases at Frontera had usually involved grueling all-day stake-outs as I suspect many of the vagrants that frequent this location also use the surrounding neighborhoods and are not always easy to track down. This at least seemed to be the case for the Tropical Parula (Setophaga pitiayumi), Blue Bunting (Cyanocompsa parellina) and Crimson-collared Grosbeak (Rhodothraupis celaeno) I had chased here in the past with varying degrees of success. Regardless, I silently thanked this bird for being so pugnacious and confiding.

I watched the bird for a few minutes and got some recordings before I decided it was time to fight my way out to South Padre Island. While I don't typically think of pigeons and large doves as being skittish (Ground-Doves and Quail-Doves notwithstanding), I was worried that the throngs of birders hoping to tick this pigeon for their Texas list might make it shy. Fortunately, Javi Gonzales was doing an excellent job at crowd control and the bird seems as placid as one might expect a large tropical pigeon to be. I arrived at the South Padre Birding and Nature Center around 10:00 and found a few birders clustered around the bird's favorite tree. It was apparently roosting, but tucked up in the branches, the only way to see it well requiring one to crawl up under the tree. There were a few other birders there doing just that, but Javi mentioned it liked to come out when it wasn't being pressed upon by gawking observers. As if hearing this the bird fluttered up and buried itself deeper in the foliage. The birders under the tree seemed to give up and leave, getting only obstructed views (I assume they saw it, but who knows). Meanwhile I stood with another birder a few feet back next to a shrub waiting for the bird to come out. A few other birders came and went. I was pretty tired from the drive the night before, hungry, and admittedly not in the most cordial mood. The parade of people coming and getting close to the bird's roost was beginning to really irritate me (I had a few choice words for some when the bird started to act agitated). After about half an hour it was just me a few others standing back from the tree waiting. Not five minutes later the bird descended from the tree and began preening, giving more-or-less unobstructed views when laying down.

White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephalus) Immature

South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, Cameron County, Tx

Oct. 5, 2018

I watched the bird for another half hour, eventually paying the price in chigger bites, but it was certainly worth it. I had been prepared for a large columbid, but I was a little surprised by how large this bird was. The fact that it is a young bird seems to support a post-breeding dispersal hypothesis. I'm not sure if there are any observable differences between those White-crowneds in the Yucatan versus Florida/Caribbean, but it would be interesting to know where this bird came from. There didn't seem to be any major weather disturbance associated with its discovery and the relatively conspicuous location makes me think it was probably discovered relatively quickly after it first arrived.

After my fun with the pigeon I made my way to Pier 19 a few miles south. I'd stayed at the KOA two years before with family so it was fun to find myself back at this spot. I walked into the restaurant looking disheveled and in full birding regalia (replete with goofy wide-brimmed hat, notebook, binoculars, and camera). The woman at the front immediately asked me if I was here to see the Booby and led me out to the pier behind the establishment. This bird had become quite the recent celebrity, and the Pier 19 staff seemed bemused by the funnily named bird because, as one mentioned, "it wasn't Spring Break yet." Mildly embarrassed, I explained the origin of the name and some of the unique physiological adaptations sulids use to forage and survive at sea. They all seemed pretty enthusiastic about learning this information and seemed to have a greater respect for their avian visitor.

Making my way out to the pier I found the bird's favorite spot occupied by only half a dozen Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis). I settled in to wait, guessing the bird might eventually come back, or might just be out of view. The sun was warm and the shade at the very end of the pier (inaccessible to me) looked inviting. A few other birders came and went. After an hour I found myself alone, watching some Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) and listening to the cries of Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla). I looked back at the pier and just like that the near-adult Masked Booby was looking back at me. My guess is before it had been hunkered in the shadows out-of-view.

Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) Immature

South Padre Island-Pier 19, Cameron County, Tx

Oct. 5, 2018

The bird sat and tousled its feathers some before dropping onto an apparent perch on the far side of the pier, once again out-of-view. This didn't last for long however, as the bird then flew a few dozen yard out into the water and began bathing and drinking. It was exciting getting to watch this bird from close range and note the bill color and structure. I had observed a Nazca Booby Sula granti) around this time last year on a pelagic off of San Diego, California so internalizing the differences between the two species was a nice exercise. I watched the bird splash about in the turquoise water really happy to have seen a new world seabird. While I hope to see many more (probably thousands) if I ever end up studying seabirds in the South Pacific, it was still a thrill to see this one.

I thanked the Pier 19 staff for letting me out on the pier and headed westward. I had the afternoon so I went over to Estero Llano Grande SP to look for a few year birds and build my Hidalgo county life list a bit. I had the park to myself and after a chat with a friendly ranger I set off on the trails. This had been the first place I'd visited in the Valley on my first trip to this part of Texas in August of 2015 with my friend Roger Clark. It was nice to be back to this park after three years. I was pleased to find the Plain Chachalacas (Ortalis vetula) were just as entertaining and bewildering as the first time I'd seen them 3 years ago, and I found myself wondering if these might be the same individuals I'd seen as my life Chachalacas.
After getting directions I managed to find the cavity where a resident McCall's Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio mccallii) was poking his head out sleepily. While I'd heard the species before, this was my first time seeing an Eastern Screech-Owl. I wandered around until closing time. It was warm and windy, but I managed to track down quite a few species.

Eastern Screech-Owl (McCall's) (Megascops asio mccallii)

Estero Llano Grande SP, Hidalgo County, Tx

Oct. 5, 2018

Not the greatest photo, but I had to contend with foliage because I didn't want to get too close to the bird

Saturday morning found me at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP before light, walking towards the Hawk Watch tower. I was hoping to track down a Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) which was the last of the "reliable" (at least formerly) Valley species I'd yet to see. I made it to the tower at 8:00am and settled in with the 6 or 7 others that were there. We didn't find any Hook-billed Kites, but the migrating Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus) put on quite the show. At least 2,000 were seen taking off and moving overhead during the 4.5 hours I watched. I was also able to add a fair number of species to my Mexico list. As things began to lull as noon approached I got to chat with Dan Gesualdo who is doing a 2018 Lower 48 Big Year. While I'm not really a fan of US Big Years anymore it was fun talking to Dan and we'd chased many of the same birds this year and in years past. I can appreciate a Lower 48 Year, especially since the emphasis the past few years has been on the US (and with Hawaii added... well I think a Lower 48 Year is pretty neat). Dan mentioned doing 22 pelagic trips thus far this year which I can certainly respect and it got me thinking about the prospects of doing an entirely Pelagic Big Year. If I had the funds to drop on something like a serious Big Year I think it would be fun and challenging to see how many species I could find from a boat, and rather than stick to US waters, might as well include the entire 75% of the planet covered in water. I'm not sure its ever been done before, which for me is way more exciting than trying to break someone else's record. But, different strokes for different folks.

After a full morning on the tower I began to make my way northward, stopping at various hotspots along the Rio Grande as I went (Salineno, San Ygnacio, etc...) Dark found me at Lake Amistad Recreation Area outside of Del Rio.

I've liked Val Verde County ever since I stopped there in December 2017 on the way back from my failed Mango chase (thanks winter storm Benji). The curious mix of East, South, and Edward's Plateau avifauna is enticing, and the apparent low birding coverage of this county is also exciting. I wanted to cover Devil's river SNA, but I needed to get home in good season so I decided to poke around Del Rio instead. I was at Rincon del Diablo before dawn hoping to hear a Barred Owl (Strix varia) but had no such luck. Sunrise found me birding along Vega Verde Rd under low hanging gray clouds and spitting rain, but this meant it was easy to pick out several dozen Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) flying around. I was also able to add a few birds to my Coahuila and Mexico lists, which was nice. The most unexpected bird of the morning along this road was a singing Audubon's Oriole (Icterus graduacauda) near an abandoned house with a dead pine tree in the yard. The deep melodic warbled notes were unlike any other Oriole I've heard. This is why I enjoy Val Verde so much, many of the Valley species reach their northern terminus here, and some unexpected Valley species occasionally find there ways up here as well. Unfortunately much of this land (as is the case with most of Texas) is private, so its difficult to know for sure how abundant some of these species are.

I found my way back to Rincon del Diablo where I was able to track down my target, two of the newly christened Morelet's Seedeaters (Sporophila morelleti). These were the first good looks I'd ever gotten of the species, which was nice, and I couldn't help but think of the Dwight Shrute's eccentric cousin from the American version of The Office when I wrote the species' banding code in my notebook.

I managed to find a few other species around town and ended up with 103 species in Val Verde at the conclusion of my visit. I searched for Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) with no luck. From what I've read this may be more of a winter species this far north, but I figured some may be arriving already. Devil's River SNA will have to wait, but hopefully not for too long. A quick check of Imperial Reservoir on my way through Fort Stockton failed to yield the Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarus) that had been found a day or two before, but my scope is not very good and the afternoon light was difficult. I managed to track down three US/Canada life birds on this trip along with actually seeing a few species for the first time (Screech-Owl and Seedeater).
As usual Texas didn't disappoint!

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

Del Rio-Cienegas Road Ponds, Val Verde County, Tx

Oct. 7, 2018