Since I didn't have any photos of Green Parakeet, I headed over to 10th Street and Trenton Road in McAllen around first light where they roost. Unfortunately, it was extremely foggy, so their true colors were badly subdued.
My next stop was Estero Llano Grande State Park. I had been to south Texas several times, but I had never been to this park. I walked down to the bird blind in the "Tropical Zone" and got some good photos of Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Green Jay, White-tipped Dove, Black-crested Titmouse, and Altamira Oriole.
Another nearby feeding area held Long-billed Thrasher and the conspicuous Great Kiskadee.
There were numerous Orange-crowned Warblers in every shade from the dull to the more colorful subspecies. Other birds seen in the "Tropical Zone" included Cooper's Hawk, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Curve-billed Thrasher, Yellow-rumped and Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and White-crowned Sparrow. A female Elegant Trogon and Crimson-collared Grosbeak were also being seen there, but they were only seen in the early morning before I got there and neither I nor the other birders were able to turn them up later in the morning.
Next, I headed over to the wetlands section of the park and walked the boardwalk and surrounding trails. Cave Swallows and Tree Swallows were overhead.
Both Tropical and Couch's Kingbirds are possible here and they are not easy to tell apart. Judging by the bill length, this bird appears to be a Tropical Kingbird.
Farther down the trail, a Black Phoebe was flycatching from a log in Curlew Pond.
Dowitcher Pond held Mottled Duck, Cinnamon, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Pied-billed and Least Grebe, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Snowy Egret, and White-faced and White Ibis.
I left the park around 2:00 and began the 4-hour drive back to San Antonio. After having Chicken & Dumplings at Cracker Barrel as my 'last supper', I checked into the WoodSpring Suites located just north of the San Antonio Airport.
Tuesday, January 19th
I returned the rental car at the airport and flew back to Philadelphia through Charlotte. I drove 589 miles during the 1-1/2 days and saw 71 species that included the Spotted Rail. More photos from the Texas part of the trip can be found in my Texas Photo Album.
It had been a long time since I had seen four life birds on one trip and it probably won't happen again unless I go to some place like Alaska. Maybe that can happen next year after all this virus chaos subsides.
Texas ~ January 17-18, 2021
1) Mottled Duck
2) Gadwall
3) Green-winged Teal
4) Northern Pintail
5) Northern Shoveler
6) Blue-winged Teal
7) Cinnamon Teal
8) Ring-necked Duck
9) Bufflehead
10) Ruddy Duck
11) Wild Turkey
12) Least Grebe
13) Pied-billed Grebe
14) Neotropic Cormorant
15) Snowy Egret
16) Great Egret
17) Great Blue Heron
18) White-faced Ibis
19) White Ibis
20) Turkey Vulture
21) Black Vulture
22) Osprey
23) Northern Harrier
24) Cooper's Hawk
25) Red-tailed Hawk
26) Crested Carcara
27) American Kestrel
28) Spotted Rail ***
29) Sora
30) Common Gallinule
31) American Coot
32) Killdeer
33) Wilson's Snipe
34) Mourning Dove
35) Eurasian Collared-Dove
36) White-tipped Dove
37) Green Parakeet
38) Buff-bellied Hummingbird
39) Golden-fronted Woodpecker
40) Eastern Phoebe
41) Black Phoeber
42) Say's Phoebe
43) Vermilion Flycatcher
44) Tropical Kingbird
45) Great Kiskadee
46) White-eyed Vireo
47) Blue-headed Vireo
48) Green Jay
49) Tree Swallow
50) Cave Swallow
51) Black-crested Titmouse
52) Carolina Wren
53) Marsh Wren
54) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
55) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
56) Northern Mockingbird
57) Long-billed Thrasher
58) Curve-billed Thrasher
59) European Starling
60) Orange-crowned Warbler
61) Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
62) Black-and-white Warbler
63) Common Yellowthroat
64) Savannah Sparrow
65) White-crowned Sparrow
66) Northern Cardinal
67) Eastern Meadwolark
68) Red-winged Blackbird
69) Great-tailed Grackle
70) Altamira Oriole
71) House Sparrow
*** denotes life bird.
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