Field Trips around Weslaco

About four miles west of our RV Park is a Parrot Roost with mostly Red-crowned Parrots, but in the midst of them can be found:  Red-lored, Lilac Crowned and Yellow Headed Parrots.  We went to the roost at dawn and followed the noisy squawking to find them.

Yellow-headed Parrot

Orange-crowned Warbler enjoying a bath at Frontera Audubon Center

Clay-colored Thrush

We went two different days to Quinta Mazatlan to look for the rare Crimson-collared Grosbeak.  This Cooper's Hawk kept the birds at the feeders scattered and our first visit the Grosbead was a no show.

Our second visit was a success early in the morning, this female (or young male) was very cooperative.

We saw the bird several times

A young male Indigo Bunting was molting into his blue finery

A Blue-headed Vireo came close for a photo

We made a stop at Hidalgo, near the old pump station.  We found five colony nests of Monk Parakeets.  They love building their bulky stick nests on electric transformers.

We then stopped at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge during a rather hot afternoon.  Pretty quiet but we did find a lone White-faced Ibis.

 

We joined the bird club for a field trip to Progresso Lakes finding hundreds of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.  One of the birders has a home on the lake and let us scope the lakes from his property.

In a large tree in his yard was an Eastern Screech Owl,  mostly sleeping but woke up to see a huge crowd of birders staring up at him.

We spent two different days at the Valley Nature Center about five miles from us.  Of course, there was a rare bird we were looking for, and we took in some of the other wildlife along the way, like these Red-eared Sliders.

Leusistic Plain Chachalaca

The bird we came to find - The Golden-crowned Warbler

We drove over toward Brownsville, on the way we found this balancing Northern Harrier

On the south end of Old Port Isabel Road we found a pair of White-tailed Hawks constructing a nest on the only tree in a field.

Looking Good!

We think she likes it,  but she may have to rearrage a few sticks.

Starting his Spring song, this Eastern Meadowlark is planning his trip north.

Crested Caracara

Pink Ladies - Showy Evening Primrose

A one day visitor at Estero Llano - A Yellow-headed Blackbird

Long-billed Dowitchers

A young male Summer Tanager picking off Honey Bees from the hummingbird feeder.

Yucca or Spanish Dagger budding

One week later Yucca in full bloom

Our month at Weslaco is coming to a close and we will be heading west to Mission and the Spring Hawk Watch at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park.


Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann