Southernmost Texas: birding paradise

Best region in the country, only So. Cal is comparable in diversity/number of species.

For example here:

Frontera Audubon Center (LTC 058), Hidalgo County, Texas, US ( Map ) (Hotspot )

Date and Effort

Sat Feb 02, 2019 7:47 AM

Protocol:

Traveling

Party Size:

4

Duration:

7 hour(s), 29 minute(s)

Distance:

41.16 mile(s)

Observers:

Angelina Vasquez

Submitted from eBird Android, version 1.9.5

Species

77 species total

7	Blue-winged Teal
2	Cinnamon Teal
3	Northern Shoveler
3	Green-winged Teal
1	Hooded Merganser
4	Plain Chachalaca
2	Least Grebe
1	Pied-billed Grebe
6	Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
6	Inca Dove
2	White-tipped Dove
2	White-winged Dove
1	Mourning Dove
2	Common Pauraque
1	Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1	Black-chinned Hummingbird
1	Buff-bellied Hummingbird
1	Sora
4	Black-necked Stilt
23	American Avocet
1	Spotted Sandpiper
2	Anhinga
2	Neotropic Cormorant
1	Double-crested Cormorant
20	American White Pelican
1	Great Blue Heron
3	Great Egret
2	Snowy Egret
5	Cattle Egret
4	Black-crowned Night-Heron
10	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
1	White Ibis
2	Roseate Spoonbill
1	Black Vulture
2	Turkey Vulture
1	Northern Harrier
1	Cooper's Hawk
1	Harris's Hawk
1	Eastern Screech-Owl
1	Ringed Kingfisher
1	Green Kingfisher
1	Golden-fronted Woodpecker
2	Ladder-backed Woodpecker
1	American Kestrel
1	Red-crowned Parrot
1	Eastern Phoebe
1	Vermilion Flycatcher
3	Great Kiskadee
2	Tropical Kingbird
1	Loggerhead Shrike
1	White-eyed Vireo
1	Blue-headed Vireo
4	Green Jay
8	Tree Swallow
2	Black-crested Titmouse
1	House Wren
1	Carolina Wren
1	Cactus Wren
1	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1	Hermit Thrush
1	Clay-colored Thrush
1	Curve-billed Thrasher
1	Long-billed Thrasher
2	Northern Mockingbird
1	European Starling
1	Olive Sparrow
2	Red-winged Blackbird
1	Great-tailed Grackle
1	Black-and-white Warbler
2	Orange-crowned Warbler
1	Common Yellowthroat
6	Yellow-rumped Warbler
1	Yellow-throated Warbler
1	Wilson's Warbler
3	Northern Cardinal
3	House Sparrow

south Twxas

Best place to be right now

Should I dare. I can add like 16 new species..!

Quinta Mazatlan WBC (LTC 063), Hidalgo County, Texas, US ( Map ) (Hotspot )

Date and Effort

Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:56 AM

Protocol:

Traveling

Party Size:

8

Duration:

3 hour(s), 10 minute(s)

Distance:

1.0 mile(s)

Observers:

Joanie & Mark Hubinger

Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.9.9

Species

40 species (+1 other taxa) total

18	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
12	Plain Chachalaca
1	Eurasian Collared-Dove
25	Inca Dove
1	White-tipped Dove
X	White-winged Dove
2	Mourning Dove
1	Common Pauraque
1	Ruby-throated/Black-chinned Hummingbird
1	Buff-bellied Hummingbird
2	Turkey Vulture
1	Gray Hawk
3	Golden-fronted Woodpecker
2	Ladder-backed Woodpecker
8	Great Kiskadee
1	Tropical Kingbird
2	White-eyed Vireo
10	Green Jay (Green)
8	Black-crested Titmouse
1	House Wren
2	Carolina Wren
2	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2	Clay-colored Thrush
4	Curve-billed Thrasher
1	Long-billed Thrasher
2	Northern Mockingbird
1	European Starling
8	Lesser Goldfinch
1	Olive Sparrow
1	Altamira Oriole
X	Red-winged Blackbird
X	Great-tailed Grackle
2	Black-and-white Warbler
6	Orange-crowned Warbler
2	Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)
2	Wilson's Warbler
1	Crimson-collared Grosbeak Continuing female at amphitheater feeders. Seen several times from 8:30 to 10:00am. Photos to follow
3	Northern Cardinal
1	Indigo Bunting
X	House Sparrow

Hometown birding

Despite being confined to home area, less than 2 miles in radius(north to Eaton Canyon), scored 55 species thus far. Without scope couldn't make out the ducks and Eaton Canyon flood control basin from New York drive.
And not sure I saw a Western Kingbird at Vina Vieja, too high and far on a lighting structure.
I think I heard Hammond's Flycatcher at Gwinn, on the south edge, a loud PIP! But not sure.

Good finds are Yellow-headed Parrot twice at Victory Park and home, Townsend Warbler downtown..

'Outlier' is of course Red-flanked Bluetail at UCLA William Clark library, but didn't really have a good look, to my chagrin. Very secretive(probably too many birders!).

Hopefully can find Fox Sparrow, Kestrel and Chickadee, also Orange-crowned warbler. The warbler I missed at William Clark(not sure I spotted it), and did found it downtown last month. Could find Munia at Eaton, as well. Hopefully, aiming for 60 species at home.

Anyway, really blessed what with those exotic parrots and Indian Peafowls roaming the area.