There were 12 of us from the SSBC: Jim Sweeney,who led the trip, Christine, Ernie, Kathy, Lynn, Joe, Nate, Patty, Paul, Pete, Ellen and me. We drove from home, everyone else except Christine flew down from Boston. Christine, who used to live on the South Shore, now lives in San Antonio and was our local fount of knowledge.
Not everything when according to plan, but we made many stops and saw many, many birds.
We went to:
- Santa Ana NWR (twice)
- Edinburg Scenic Wetlands (twice, but it was closed the first time)
- Estero Lladro State Park
- Laguna Atascosa NWR
- Laguna Vista Nature Trail
- South Padre Island
- Birding Center (twice)
- Convention Center (twice),
- Sheeps-head St. Valley Fund Lot
- empty lot on Oleander St,
- Old Port Isabel Road (twice—once each end)
- Salineno (twice)
- Falcon State Park
- Chapeno
- Roma Bluffs
- Bentsen-Rio State Park
- Anzalduas Park
- Brownsville Landfill
- Rt 100
- Green Parakeets roosting in the trees right above our campsite
- Gazillion shorebirds at Laguna Atascosa and South Padre Island
- Thousands of Dickcissels on the road out of Laguna Atascosa
- The morning flight along the bay at the South Padre Island Convention Center with thousands of Franklin's Gull, Orioles, Buntings and warblers flying past,
- Lesser Nighthawk at Anzalduas Park and the possible Tropical Kingbird.
- Lots of warblers at the Convention Center and the Sheepshead St lot (some of us saw a Golden-winged)
- Hook-billed Kite at the Bentsen-Rio Hawkwatch
- Aplomado Falcon (finally) on Rt 100 on the last ride back from Padre Island after not finding it twice on Old Port Isabel Road.
- No Tamaulipas Crow at the Brownsville Landfill (a story of its own)
- No White-collared Seedeater at Saleno
- Edinburg Wetlands being closed on our first attempt
- Sabal Palm Sanctuary closed on Wednesday when we planned to visit
Jim wanted us to only keep one list which he maintained. It isn't out yet, but we saw at least the following new species:
- Olive Sparrow
- Green Parakeet (at the RV park)
- Lesser Nighthawk
- Ash-throated Flycatcher
- Bullock's Oriole
- Philadelphia Vireo
- Hook-billed Kite
- Gray-cheeked Thrush
- Golden-winged Warbler (Ellen, not Steve)
- Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Ellen)
- Cassin's Sparrow
- Sandwich Tern
- Botteri's Sparrow
There may be more that I cannot remember.
We are now on our way to Big Bend National Park. We had a good 7 hour drive today to Seminole Canyon State Park outside of Del Rio, TX and will be on to Big Bend tomorrow. Some of the other folks from the SSBC trip decided to extend their trips and we should meet up with them there.
Too tired to write any more.
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