Rarities in the Rio Grande Valley, from West to East:
Starr County
A Wood Thrush was reported at Falcon State Park in the Butterfly Garden on 11/11.
Morelet's Seedeaters and Muscovy Duck have been reported at Salineno recently. They are closely associated with the cane grass right along the river trail and on the island. A Red-breasted Nuthatch was at the same location on 11/10 - 11/11, as well as a Common Grackle on 11/8.
Santa Margarita Ranch: Brown Jay, Mottled Owl, Muscovy Duck, Rose-throated Becard and Hook-billed Kite have been present here. Site admission is through pre-arranged guided access only.
Hidalgo County
A Sage Thrasher was found on 11/10 on Jaras Chinas Road.
Two Audubon's Orioles have been at Bentsen State Park from 11/7 to 11/11.
An Audubon's Oriole and a hybrid Audubon's x Altamira continue at the National Butterfly for the third year this season.
A Spotted Towhee was at Quinta Mazatlan on 11/7 and 11/8.
A drake Wood Duck was at Edinburg Scenic Wetlands on 11/10 through 11/11.
A young male Rose-throated Becard was photographed on 10/28 on the Chachalaca Trail at Santa Ana NWR. It was reported again on 11/3. A late Groove-billed Ani was found on 11/8.
A late-staying Groove-billed Ani was reported in the Tropical Zone at Estero State Park on 11/11. A female Painted Bunting was found in the same park, in the Tropical Zone, on 11/5.
An immature Bald Eagle was seen soaring over Frontera Audubon on 11/6.
A Reddish Egret was at Delta Lake from 11/6 to 11/8.
Cameron County
A Hermit Warbler continues at Buena Vista Cemetery in Brownsville through at least 11/10. A Tropical Parula was here on 11/10.
A Tropical Parula was found at UTRGV Brownsville on 10/31.
An Iceland Gull was at the Brownsville Landfill on 11/9.
A Tropical Parula was at Resaca de la Palma on 11/11.
A Sooty Shearwater was seen from Brazos Island in Brownsville on 11/7.
An immature Bald Eagle was seen over Laguna Atascosa on 11/6. A Tropical Parula was near the HQ on 11/6.
A Tropical Parula was found on the Laguna Vista Nature Trail on 11/1, continuing through 11/8.
A Cape May Warbler was reported on 11/1 at the Valley Land Fund lots on Sheepshead Street, continuing through at least 11/5.
A Red-breasted Merganser was found at the South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center on 11/6. A Groove-billed Ani was here on 11/10 to 11/11. A Red-Breasted Nuthatch on 11/8. An Anna's Hummingbird was present on 11/9, and Purple Gallinule from 11/8 to 11/10. A Western Kingbird on 11/9.
A Townsend's Warbler was found at the South Padre Island Convention Center on 11/5.
Willacy County
A Red-necked Phalarope and a Western Kingbird were found near Lyford on 11/7.
There are a lot of late-staying migrants and lesser rarities this season not reported above. Full, up-to-date county eBird Rare Bird Alert Summaries:
Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy
A note on playback: Playback is strictly prohibited in ALL State Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and many if not all private nature parks. In addition to being potentially harmful to birds when used extensively, it is also disruptive towards other birders. Thank you for not using playback!
Good Birding!
---------------------------
Compiled by Tiffany Kersten
Nature Ninja Birding Tours
Additional resources for visiting birders may be found at NatureNinjaBirding.com.
