TX - FL Trip ~ February 2, 2010

I went back to the kingfisher spot early the next morning and got some more looks at the bird hunting along the creek. I also managed to get some better photos of it---not the best, but not bad either considering the heavily overcast conditions. This was one of those.

From there, I headed for the lower Rio Grande Valley where a Roadside Hawk had been sporadically seen at Frontera Audubon Sanctuary in Weslaco. Along Routes 359 and 285, I spotted many Crested Caracaras.

American Kestrels, Eastern Meadowlarks, a few Loggerhead Shrikes, and a group of Lark Buntings were also seen there along with one of my favorite raptors, a White-tailed Hawk. Unfortunately, the gray skies and light rain made getting any decent photos a real challenge.

I drove into Frontera Audubon's parking lot and discovered that I had missed the Roadside Hawk by less than five minutes! It was upsetting to hear, "It just flew." I spent the rest of the day there hoping for it to return, but ended up driving back to Laredo empty-handed in the 'lifer' department.

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