We're finally off the reservation. I know that the Speedy Journal is a bit behind (I have seven draft posts that I hope to finish soon...if I remember the details), but I'm going to skip to the present for a bit.
Ellen and I took Speedy to the south corner of Texas to visit some of the refuges near there, particularly Santa Ana NWR and Laguna Atascosa NWR. They have large bird diversity and get some specialty birds seen nowhere else in the US. Santa Ana, in particular, is on the Mexican border along the Rio Grande River and is the edge of the range for some species normally seen only in Mexico or further south.
We got to Laguna Atascosa just after 2pm yesterday, just missing the 2pm tour of the refuge loop. It is 15 miles long and recently closed to auto traffic, so the only way to see it is via tram, bicycle or walking. We missed the last tram of the day and didn't bring our bicycles. We did the trails near the visitor center and it was very productive. Ellen saw several new life birds, (the first, the Green Jay in the parking lot as we got out of Speedy), also Altamira Oriole, Orange-fronted Woodpecker, Plain Chachalaca, Black-crested Titmouse, Whit-tipped Dove and Long-billed Thrasher, as well as a rabbit, Mexican Ground Squirrel and a five-foot long Texas Indigo Snake. On our way out of the refuge there was a Harris's Hawk sitting on a wire. We were able to pull up across the road from it and get a good look from Speedy the bird-blind.
Since we wanted to not make the same timing mistake today, we drove out to the Santa Ana refuge late yesterday, about 50 miles further, then found a nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant for dinner and a night in their RV lot. We got over to the refuge this morning while it was still dark and had coffee and breakfast until after sunrise (nearly 8am). We wished we'd been able to spend the night there as it was dark and quiet (we later found out that the refuge wouldn't have minded, but the Border Patrol would have hassled us).
We wanted to be early to join the morning guided bird-walk. There turned out to be about 15 in the group, probably a bit two large, but there were several good birders as well as the volunteer couple leading the walk. We were out about three hours and Ellen added another bunch of life birds, Great Kiskadee, Common Paraque, Clay-colored Thrush, Lincoln's Sparrow, Beardless Tyannulet, Couch's Kingbird, White-tailed Kite, Mottled Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Ring-necked Duck and Cinnamon Teal. She saw 42 species in all, missing only the Olive Sparrow, which I managed to pick out, but by the time I tried to point it out, it disappeared into the bushes.
After the walk, we decided to stay around for the 2pm tram tour. So, after lunch we walked out along the levee near the visitor center to see the Hawk Watch which started today. On the way out, we saw a Lesser Goldfinch pecking away on a sunflower and, just as we got to the hawk watchers, a Gray Hawk flew by behind them. I asked if they'd seen it but they hadn't. They did verify it from my description and by their own knowledge of seeing it pass several times earlier in the morning. It is a nesting resident and the nest was nearby. This gave Ellen (and me) two more life birds.
The tram tour was a bit disappointing as it just went along the refuge tour loop, also closed to auto and even bicycle traffic. There were only a couple of stops and not a lot to see (and no birds).
It was somewhat coincidental that the tour loops at both Laguna Atascosa and Santa Ana were both closed to traffic. Laguna Atascosa has a population of endangered Ocelots and closed their loop after two were struck by cars, one a lactating female whose kittens were never found. When the total US population is 50, these were a significant loss.
The Santa Ana loop was closed due to flood damage. After a hurricane the dams along the Rio Grande were opened to avoid overflowing their reservoirs. This flooded almost the entire refuge, which was under water for about three months. The water level at levee we were walking on was within a foot of the top. If it had crested, it would have wiped out farmland several miles inland and several of the cities along the Rio Grande Valley. The levee has been raised several feet since then. It now seems to be about 20 feet above the floor of the refuge and the river is probably about 30 feet lower than that.
We are going to the Bentsen-Rio Grande State park tomorrow for another morning bird-walk. Needing showers after today's walks, we've checked Speedy into the Americana RV park, just up the road from the state park. It is surprisingly nice for an RV park.
Maybe pictures tomorrow.
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