April 14th: This morning Harriet and Ann joined us again at 6am at the BW hotel. First we had breakfast but today it was a slower affair with our speedy lady with the nice backyard having a day off. After breakfast we checked out and packed up and drove in tandem directly to Anzalduas County Park. We arrived around 7:45am a bit before official 8am park opening but the gate was open so we snuck in. Right away by the bathrooms there was a tyrannulet singing. But before we could get on it the bird flew off some distance towards the river. When we walked over there it was no longer singing. After waiting for about ten minutes it began to sing again and this time we were able to track down not one but two NORTHERN BEARDLESS TYRANNULETS - a great start to the day.

We did a driving loop of the park and then headed to Santa Ana arriving around 9am. At Santa Ana we walked straight to the Pintail Lakes area. As we approached we started to see BROAD-WINGED HAWKS lifting off low over the trees. When we arrived at the lakes we were surprised to see a big change from two days previously. The dry lake now had a fair bit of water in it, and the about three fourths of the cattails had been cut down. Well the if you build it they will come theory worked here... as the ponds that were dry two days before now held no fewer than 12 species of shorebirds including PECTORAL, WHITE-RUMPED (2) and BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, plus WHITE IBIS (flyover), and several WHITE-FACED IBIS. Several good kettles of BROAD-WINGS formed as they rose out of the forest to begin the days northward migration to breeding areas. It was a great morning, with the only minor downside a few noisy kids rambling about the dikes looking out of place. Back at the Visitor centre BILL waited out the BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD and got some good photos at the feeder as his reward.

After a brief shopping break we continued on to Llano Grande south of Weslaco (on 1015 near our hotel). Here we saw many of the same shorebirds we had seen two days before with one notable addition being a single male winter plumage WILSON’S PHALAROPE flying around looking for a place to feed. Our next stop was the Frontera Audubon centre where today we received a red dot instead of green. There were quite a few birders but no one had managed to track down the trogon. Still the walk around the trails was very productive this morning with a notable increase in migrants. Over the next hour and a half we added SWAINSON’S THRUSH (several), WOOD THRUSH, CERULEAN WARBLER (male), WORM-EATING WARBLER, BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER and two male SCARLET TANAGERS. The CERULEAN and WORM-EATING were especially nice finds.

After this success we decided it was lunchtime and we sought out and found a Chili’s, where everyone enjoyed a great lunch and a cold drink or two. After lunch we drove north winding our way towards El Canelo with a few stops en route. The first stop was at Delta lakes where we found many shorebirds, our first and only LESSER SCAUP (a group of four), and several pink-breasted FRANKLIN’S GULLS perched on a mudflat.

Our next stop was the town of Raymondville where Tom and the ladies gassed up, and we then took a Dairy Queen break. Here we were entertained by two fisherman and a remarkable slow serving system which seemed to defy logic. Still we wanted our treats and eventually they were all delivered and thoroughly enjoyed. We drove north from Raymondville about ten miles to the turn off for El Canelo, turning west down the dusty entrance road and then north again into the ranch itself. As soon as we pulled into the ranch (around 5pm) we met Monica Burdette the owner and manager of the inn. She proudly sought out and showed us her nesting FERRUGINOUS PYGMY OWL roosting just ten feet away from us in the central courtyard. The female was in a dead palm not far away on eggs (she wasn’t visible). While we watched the owl a WHITE-TAILED HAWK flew over the trees nearby. After checking in and freshening up we then took a short walk around the property and tracks nearby. The highlights were a perched CARACARA, a large KING SNAKE, and when we returned to the inn an adult male, adult female and first spring male HOODED ORIOLE.

By now it was 6:25pm so everyone was ready to hang up their binocs and have a cold drink. We joined Ray and Monica in the pavilion outside and enjoyed several drinks, snacks and some lively conversation in the beautiful Texas spring evening. It was a pleasant way to spend our last evening. After our group photo we headed indoors for dinner. Monica and Ray joined us for a great dish of pork with tomatillo, rice and green beans, followed by a nice apple dish for dessert. Monica promises to soon have her recipes available in a cookbook for all to enjoy. After dinner we all squeezed into the minivan and took a drive around the ranch searching for owls. No luck with them, but we did enjoy great views of a BADGER watching us and digging a burrow. Another great day in South Texas with our trip total soaring to 260 species.

photo - Andy Buhler

photo - Andy Buhler