Jason Horn, Rick Wiltraut, Dick Colyer, and I headed to south Texas for chances at some life birds. Our 28-hour drive got us to the gate of the El Canelo Ranch in the early morning hours on the 16th. The four of us uncomfortably slept in the car until morning.
January 16, 1998
We drove in to the ranch house and walked into the backyard where the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl was perched in one of the trees.
As we walked beyond the backyard, I noticed a male Phainopepla, which turned out to be a very unusual find for that area of Texas.
Other birds seen at the ranch included Northern Harrier, Harris's Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Northern Bobwhite, Sandhill Crane, Inca Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Barn Owl, Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, Pyrrhuloxia, Vesper and Lark Sparrow, and Bronzed Cowbird.
We drove south to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary near Brownsville where we unsuccessfully looked for Tropical Parula. Birds we did see there were Mottled Duck, White-tipped Dove, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, White-eyed Vireo, and Orange-crowned, Black-and-white, and Black-throated Green Warbler.
The next stop was Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, which held Neotropic Cormorant, Tricolored Heron, White-faced Ibis, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Peregrine Falcon, Plain Chachalaca, Sora, Black-necked Stilt, White-tipped Dove, Green Kingfisher, Couch's Kingbird, Green Jay, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Lincoln's Sparrow.
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