Looking for Lifers: Rio Grande Valley Day 3

Rio Grande Valley Day 3
South Padre Island Convention Center

The first stop of our third day was the South Padre Island Convention Center boardwalk. The boardwalk is right next to the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center and is free to the public for those who may not want to pay the entrance fee required at the Nature Center. We can't say what we missed by not going to the Nature Center, but we picked up some good birds along the boardwalk of the Convention Center which provided access to the same habitats.  We observed Tricolored Herons, Green Herons, Little Blue Heron, Blue-winged Teals, Reddish Egrets, Night-Herons, Northern Waterthrushes, Dunlins, dowitchers, Black-necked Stilts, Greater Yellowlegs, gulls, terns, Clapper Rails (lifer), and a couple of skulking Common Gallinules.

Common Gallinule South Padre Island Convention Center Boardwalk

One of my favorite experiences at the Convention Center was observing this Sora that preyed on and nibbled this tiny fish to death. This was a memorable experience since these birds are so secretive and it was the first time I'd ever seen a Sora display carnivorous behavior.

Sora Preying on Minnow South Padre Island Convention Center Boardwalk

Sora Preying on Minnow South Padre Island Convention Center Boardwalk

The Sora was so accommodating I decided to capture some video to record the behavior.

A pair of Green Herons flew across the water while a Black-crowned Night-Heron was snoozing on the edge of the water as we left the boardwalk and went back to the van to drive to our next planned location.

Old Port Isabel Road (The Falcon Was Worth the Mud)

From the Convention Center we drove off the island via Highway 100 (E Ocean Blvd) to Old Port Isabel Road.The fields along Old Port Isabel Road provide the right habitat for Aplomado Falcons. Our Birdseye app indicated that there had been recent sightings in multiple areas in the days before we arrived, including Laguna Atascosa, but we chose to try Old Port Isabel Road. We noticed that the dirt road had become mud as we turned off of the highway. It seemed passable so we proceeded. At one point, however, it became quite sketchy for us. The van was bogging down despite Eric's attempts to maintain our speed and control.  It looked like we would be okay if we could make it just a little farther.  Eric sustained forward movement, but we were losing traction as the loose mud filled in around the tires.  There was a moment when I wondered if we were going to be "those guys". Fortunately, Eric successfully navigated the worst part so we pressed forward until that fortuitous moment when we saw, for our very first time, an Aplomado Falcon (lifer). It was perched on a snag about 100 yards to our left.

These falcons used to range across the southwest in Arizona, Nevada, and Texas and down into Central and South America.  Their preferred habitat is open desert grassland with scattered perches. They were placed on the Endangered Species list in 1986. After 1952 there were no known breeding pairs in the US. The Peregrine Fund reintroduced them to parts of their US breeding grounds in the early 1990s and now there are breeding pairs in South Texas. Aplomados are about 16 inches tall and weigh about 10-12 ounces.

We ran across a few White-tailed Hawks along the muddy road and they were all perched on distant poles and somewhat obscured by mist and/or fog. They are not well lit and they are deeply cropped, but I kept the images below since they show the typical field marks for the adults of this species. I was quite surprised to see how short the tail was relative to the wing tips when perched. It made me curious to see how the short tail of a White-tailed Hawk would compare to an actual Short-tailed Hawk.

Deeply Cropped Image of a White-tailed Hawk Under Fog Port Isabel Texas

Deeply Cropped Image of a White-tailed Hawk Under Fog Port Isabel Texas

We eventually decided that it was time to turn back and return to the safety of asphalt when we found a relatively safe place to attempt a three-point turn.  I took a moment to check out the exterior of the van.



We did better at getting through the mud on our way back to the main road by approaching with the speed that respected the mud rather than the crawling speed that was conducive to scouring the horizon for falcons. I had a little fun this time by making a video of the return to better ground.

Once we were back on the road we made our way toward Brownsville Old City Cemetery. My Birdseye app was showing recent reports of a few more life birds, including Anhinga.  Mother Nature kindly provided a bit of a car wash with occasional rains as we drove to Brownsville and other destinations throughout the day. 

Brownsville Old City Cemetery

We arrived at the Old City Cemetery in Brownsville under, you guessed it, light rain and heavy cloud cover. The first bird that caught my attention was this Tricolored Heron that was on the bank of the pond. It was rather accommodating as it stood in a light rainfall.

Tricolored Heron Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

Tricolored Heron Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

Muscovy Ducks (lifer) were also amenable to some portrait photography.

Muscovy Duck Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks whistled from all around the small pond.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Pond Sliders (Turtles) Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

We saw what we hoped was going to be an Anhinga, but it turned out to be a cormorant. We did not see any signs of an Anhinga as we cruised around the cemetery and pond in the van for an initial assessment of the area, but I was determined to inspect the pond and possible roosts with as much diligence as possible so I got out and inspected on foot. I ran across what I believe is a Tropical Kingbird as I walked along the open side of the pond.

Tropical Kingbird Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

With some persistence I was able to put my eyes on an Anhinga (lifer) that was taking cover from the rain under a tree that was on the opposite side of the pond. That area of the pond was inaccessible because it backed up to private property. I did my best to focus on the bird through the rain that was falling and the branches between us.

A Hidden Anhinga Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

Near the cemetery was another small body of water that presented a couple of White Ibises (lifer). This bird was standing on one leg with the other tucked under its wing.

White Ibis Near Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

A crop of a similar image shows a little more detail of the rain drops beading up on the head and back feathers.

White Ibis Near Old City Cemetery Brownsville, Texas

Time was ticking and we found ourselves having only minutes remaining to enjoy birding the Rio Grande Valley. We had to get up to Austin for the evening to prepare for Eric's responsibilities with the dog show that would take place the next morning. We set our course back to Austin via Corpus Christi, hoping to get better views of Roseate Spoonbills.

We made a few random stops on our way back to Austin. One included a stop for a perched  Crested Caracara in the middle of who-knows-where.

Crested Caracara Somewhere in South Texas

Another stop include a ranch where a Ferruginous Pygmy-owl had been reported. However, the guard at that gate would not let us pass. We made a few phone calls to those with stewardship over the ranch, but they would not acquiesce despite the application of my best negotiating skills. They said big game hunters had paid big bucks to hunt on the property and that might pose a risk to our safety and the hunters' experience. The guy on the other end of the call asked me how much he should charge birders to go on the ranch and observe their Pygmy-owls. He was friendly, but not giving in. We had nothing to sway him so we resumed the trek toward Austin.

We reached Corpus Christi a little before 3 PM and this lone Harris's Hawk was perched on this wire above a canal.

Harris's Hawk Corpus Christi, Texas

We drove across the JFK Memorial Causeway to South Padre Island, but the weather turned against us so we turned back rather quickly to continue our trek toward Austin. We picked up three more species for our trip list as we went across the causeway and back--American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, and our only Peregrine Falcon.

Hans A. Sutter WMA

We pulled into the Hans A. Sutter Waterfowl Management Area about 3:30. This would be our last shot at getting better looks at and photos of spoonbills. The rain started falling on cue, right as we stepped out of the van and began to don our binoculars and cameras. By this time we were quite used to wearing the rain gear. We walked along a boardwalk to a semi-covered viewing area. There were no spoonbills present, but we did end up observing twenty five species and Eric located a Sedge Wren. Marbled Godwit, Willet, Forster's Tern, Black Skimmer, and Sanderling were new birds we added to our total list for the trip during this stop. I didn't spend much effort with photographs due to the rain, but here are a few.

Long-billed Dowitcher Under Rain Corpus Christi, Texas

Brown Pelican Approaching for Landing Under Rain Corpus Christi, Texas

Black Skimmer Under Rain Corpus Christi, Texas

Black Skimmer Under Rain Corpus Christi, Texas

An Odd Combination for Dinner

We made it to Austin after dark ready to eat some more Mexican food. I had a little bit of a desire to try some Chinese food, but I decided on Mexican instead. Eric searched for Mexican restaurants with good ratings as I was driving. He found a restaurant that met our requirements and requested directions with his phone. As we pulled into the parking lot of the place we realized that the restaurant had a different name and the tag line for the place was "Chinese and Mexican". "Well, it might be Chinese food after all," I thought to myself.  Both of us thought that Chinese and Mexican seemed like an odd combination, but we went in to give it a try. The place kind of felt like a hodgepodge of things. Eric said afterward that it looked like they were having a garage sale inside the place because of all the odds and ends they were selling at the cash register.

Anyway, the list of Mexican food items on the menu was short. I asked the server if they had chili rellenos and he responded with, "What?" And he had a confused look on his face. I then asked if there was meat in the enchiladas since meat wasn't listed on the menu. "Not really. Maybe little scraps." Eric asked about what type of meat was in the tacos and that was met with another weak response. The server then justified his lack of understanding for the Mexican food by stating that they were more of a Chinese restaurant. At that point I decided I'd take the Chinese route to dinner.  I asked about one of my favorite dishes, General Tso's chicken. "Oh, you want the General Toast?" "No. I want General Tso's chicken. T-S-O or T-S-A-O." He said, "It's actually 'toast'". I looked at the menu and it actually showed General Toast, the fifth dish from the bottom of the chicken section, right above the Beef choices.

I asked how it was made and it sounded like the right thing so I ordered it. Minutes later, for the first time in my life, I was enjoying Mexican chips and salsa with a Chinese entree. It was actually pretty good food despite the meandering course we took to get the food on the table.

Interesting culinary experiences are a great way to end a fantastic day of birding. Sometimes those experiences make great stories to recall.

We put another memorable day in the books as we checked into our hotel in Austin and prepared for the dog show that would take place the next day.

Pirates, Scorpions, and a Group of Harris's Hawks

My wife and I spent last weekend in the Phoenix area with our daughter and her family. We were there to celebrate my wife's birthday and do some trick or treating with our two young grandchildren. I also took some time to enjoy Arizona's Mojave Desert and attempt to accomplish one birding objective for the trip--locate and photograph a Harris's Hawk or two.

Pirates
Six weeks ago my mobile phone rang while I was having a late dinner with a birding and photography friend in St George, Utah. We had just finished a long day chasing wildlife and capturing images in the Mojave Desert of Nevada and extreme southwest Utah. I answered the phone and immediately recognized the voice of my three-year-old grandson. "Papa Jeff, do you want to be a pirate for Halloween?" How can you resist such a child-like request? He's my little buddy so we were mateys for Halloween. This little guy has accompanied me on several bird outings during my visits to the Phoenix area. He was with me when I found Black-and-white Warblers at the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch and when I photographed my first Costa's Hummingbird at Veteran's Oasis Park in Chandler. He really enjoys carrying my "bee-noculars" around and occasionally does his best to hold my Nikon D7100 with the 80-400mm lens on his own while capturing random, and sometimes, focused images.

Scorpions
One of my interests when I visit family in Arizona is hunting for scorpions at night. I enjoy searching for them at night because they glow a vibrant blue-green under UV light. I captured the image to the left using the camera of my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone. It didn't provide the detail I like for images, but it does illustrate the effects of UV on scorpions. I'm including the image below so you get a better look at a Bark Scorpion.

Harris's Hawks
I have been beta testing the BirdsEye Bird Finding Guide app for Android recently. I decided to test some of its functionality this past Monday before I was to head out to the airport for my flight home. I had very limited time so I needed to be very efficient if I wanted to find a hawk species in less than two hours that I hadn't encountered during numerous hours of previous Arizona bird outings. Using the app I was able to see all recent sightings and strategically select the location where I thought I'd have my best chance of success. Birds have wings and Harris's Hawks are known to be nomadic so there are no guarantees they will stay in the same place for long, especially when they are not tied down to a nesting location. I decided to head out to Lost Dutchman State Park outside of Apache Junction. That was relatively close and would give me about an hour to search after considering an hour of round trip driving time.

The State Park didn't pan out for me. Bird do have wings, remember? I had about twenty minutes to spare so I decided to drive a little farther out on Highway 88 to search the tops of every saguaro cactus and power pole I could spot while keeping an eye on the road. Luck was on my side and I soon spotted a group of five Harris's Hawks. I suspect they were a family, but this species is known to form groups that include juveniles from other adults. There were two adults and three juveniles in the group I encountered.

Harris's Hawks are very social. They are often seen in pairs or small groups, rarely as an isolated individual. They are the only raptors to hunt live prey cooperatively. They hunt like a pack of wolves, so to speak. Sometimes extended families will hunt in a coordinated effort to feed young. Some birds may attempt to flush prey from hiding while others soar above to watch for the fleeing prey. Their social nature and willingness to hunt as a team make them great falconer birds. They reside in desert areas of southern and central Arizona, southern New Mexico, and southern Texas and Mexico.

The image below shows a decent comparison of adult to juvenile when seen from below. The adult (left) has the all-dark chest with a tail that has a thick white base and tip. The juvenile is streaked on the belly and shows a barred tail on the underside. A much narrower white tip can be seen on the tail.

Harris's Hawks (adult on left, juvenile on right) Maricopa County, AZ

Adult Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

The chestnut colored upper wing coverts and matching leggings are classic for an adult.

Adult Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

The next image shows a juvenile in the foreground. The tail of this bird was barred on the under side (as seen in the first image above), but the top side of the tail had a white base (hidden by the wing from this angle) and a very narrow white tip. The white tip is hard to see because of the angle and this particular bird's tail tip was very worn. While we can't see the belly of the bird in the background the broad white tail tip indicates it is an adult.

Harris's Hawks Maricopa County, AZ

Not all juveniles show barring on the underside of the tail. The bird below shows no barring, but it is clearly a juvenile with the streaked chest and barred leggings. Compare this with the adult two images above.

Juvenile Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

Juvenile Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

Juveniles in flight show barred wings and a white base or panel to the primary feathers. Compare to the dark underwings of the adult that follows.

Juvenile Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

Adult Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

Juvenile Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

This image illustrates how juveniles have a broad white base to the tail while the white at the tip is very limited compared to an adult.

Juvenile Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

This juvenile has no real barring on the underside of the tail. However the limited white on the tip of the tail, the streaking on the chest, barring in the wings and leggings, and  the pale base to the primary feathers all indicate juvenile.

Juvenile Harris's Hawk Maricopa County, AZ

My first encounter with Harris's Hawks turned out to be one I'll never forget. A group of five that allowed me to study both adults and juveniles was a real treat. I think I have another favorite raptor species. Each species I encounter is unique and impressive. I can't wait to study them further during future trips to Arizona. I'd love to see their hunting behaviors, including how they are known to perch one on top of another at the top of a saguaro for a better vantage point while hunting from a perch.

Utah Snowy Owl Turns Into Escaped White Gyrfalcon

Around the middle of last week I and other Utah birders received an alert from eBird that someone had reported a Snowy Owl at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, Utah.  Based on the brief description provided by the observer I decided that the most likely scenario was a novice birder seeing a Barn Owl. Parts of the description, such as "small head" and "narrow pointed wings" were off for a Snowy Owl. I essentially ignored the alert and figured a confirmation would come in from another birder if it was really a Snowy Owl. Friday afternoon Sean Jorgensen, a Salt Lake County birder and photographer, emailed an image of a white bird he found in the area where the Snowy was reported and asked for an ID. It was a white-morph Gyrfalcon, an Arctic species which sometimes moves southward into northern US states during winter months. I replied to Sean's email as soon as I saw it to ask if the bird had jesses or any straps on its legs, thinking an escaped falconer's bird was the most likely case.

I left work and drove to the location which was about fifteen minutes away. I arrived to find about ten local birders looking up at the "Snowy Owl-like" falcon from the street bordering the golf course. Seeing the white belly and black marking on the upper side began to make sense as to why a novice birder associated it with a Snowy Owl. I'm glad it was reported so others would eventually recognize it for what it was and get proper attention focused on the bird.

The falcon stretched a bit and revealed the falconry gear attached to its legs. Bummer! Not a legitimate Gyrfalcon sighting, but it was an awesome bird to watch.

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Shortly after arriving on the scene our curious group of onlookers moved to the back of the home and onto the golf course. We essentially claimed one of the fairways. The golfers, neighbors, and other passersby seemed more interested in the bird than whether we were standing in the playing area. The falcon occasionally fluffed its feathers, revealing some of the small black spots on an otherwise bright white underside.

Mike Shaw from Hawk Watch International came by with a bal-chatri trap that held two Siberian Hamsters safely inside. The goal was to lure the falcon to the trap so it could receive proper care and be reunited with its owner. I had a semi-paparazzi experience when the celebrity falcon took flight from the pole, checked out the trap, and circled our group couple of times. I've never heard so many shutters going off as I did that afternoon when the falcon circled us in flight. The falcon was somewhat interested in the hamsters, but passed on them multiple times. The likely reason for this is that captive falcons are generally raised on birds rather than mammals.

We were rewarded with a few curious raptors as we stood around and observed the Gyr. Before we left we had seen a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Merlin buzz the Gyr while perched and while flying. The Merlin ended up chasing an American Kestrel when it saw that the Kestrel had a mouse in its talons. The two scuffled in the air until the Kestrel dropped the mouse. The Merlin dropped straight to the ground, retrieved the mouse, and flew off into the distance. A Cooper's Hawk was observed soaring in the distance as well. Here's one not-so-great image of the Merlin as it passed. The lighting was tough so I turned up the exposure compensation hoping to bring out some of the details. It was a dark bird to begin with and the lighting didn't help matters.

Female Taiga Merlin Flying Over After Buzzing an Escaped Gyrfalcon at Mick Riley Golf Course Murray, UT

Here are a few of the flight images I captured during some of the passes made by the falcon.  Our blue sky backdrop soon turned blah as clouds rolled in. It would have been nice to have a little more contrast from the sky for the flight shots.

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

The falcon was finally caught after I left. I was informed that Hawk Watch International had fed the bird and was holding it safely to be returned to its owner.

On my way home I passed a Best Western Hotel in Lehi and noticed about seven falconry birds on the lawn next to the hotel. I stopped to investigate and ended up meeting falconers who were in town for the annual Sky Trials, a competition for falconers. I met Chris, the president of the Utah Falconer's Association, and the owners of Falcon Force, Vahe and Becca.  They run a bird abatement business that uses falcons and hawks to rid farms, airports, and other properties of nuisance birds such as starlings and gulls. I showed them the images of the Gyrfalcon and they put out the word among falconers to locate the owner.

I captured an image of a very large female Harris's Hawk after visiting for a while with Chris, Vahe, and Becca.

I am glad that birders are out watching nature. We've discovered and rescued countless animals during our routine bird outings. We know and are networked with lots of great people who give their time, talent, and resources to care for some of nature's finest creatures. I'm grateful for those people.