TX - FL Trip ~ February 1, 2010

I had been reading reports about the Amazon Kingfisher and Roadside Hawk in Texas and the Masked Duck, La Sagra's Flycatcher, and Red-footed Booby in Florida. That made it tough trying to decide which state to visit for my once-a-year out-of-state trip. Thanks to a tip from a birding friend, I found out that I could go to both states for less than it would cost me for the gas to drive there. So, after happily recording a 'shutout' at my 10:30 hockey game late Sunday night, I drove home, showered, threw my bags in the car, and headed for Philadelphia International. I arrived in plenty of time for my 5:35 AM flight to Laredo, Texas, with a plane switch in Houston.

I landed in Laredo, got my Hertz rental car, which turned out to be a Toyota Prius, and headed for the spot where the Amazon Kingfisher was being seen, arriving a little after 11:00 AM. The bird was visiting the area where the Zacate Creek spills into the Rio Grande River. It had been most reliably seen in the early morning and late afternoon, apparently spending much of the day out of sight somewhere along the Rio Grande. Along with up to twenty other birders that included Wes Biggs, I watched for hours, waiting for the bird to show itself. Afternoon sightings from there included Gadwall, Pied-billed Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Double-crested and Neotropic Cormorants, Snowy and Cattle Egrets, Green Heron, American Coots, Black-necked Stilts, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted and Least Sandpipers, Osprey, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk, White-winged Dove, Ringed Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Great Kiskadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

It was now after 5:00 with still no sign of the bird. As the sun got lower and lower, a number of birders 'packed it in' for the day. At 5:45, a bird flapped its way in towards the creek and I realized it was 'the' bird. It eventually worked its way up the creek where I managed to get very satisfying views of my 'life' Amazon Kingfisher, a 1st record for the U.S.!

This Ringed Kingfisher also hunted along the creek.

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