Howdy all! So, not a lot of birding action again the past three weeks. Shock horror! But lots of other activity to talk about. If you're here for some life talk, then stay right here - if you want wrestling, then just scroll on down until you see Christopher Daniels 😉
Despite the relatively little birding done over these past three weeks, I did manage to see a few cool birds. I saw a pair of Mississippi Kites in the neighborhood. Unfairly, it feels like some birds lose their lustre over time and with more sightings - kites have never really done that for me. I still feel like I want to stop and watch them flying around. In this case they were perched up in a tree as the sun went down apparently just enjoying the glorious sky and each other's company. I also thought I might have caught my first Sandhill Cranes for Duval for 2019, but sadly they were just south of the border in St. John's County. Ah well. I really do want to get out for some Duval birding, but there's just stuff going on right now that's been getting in the way.
They aren't exactly super clear - but you can make out the two birds here in the tree. Just visible are their pale heads.
The big thing going on right now is that I'm moving from the sleepy suburbs into an apartment right next door to work. Currently that has been occupying a lot of my brain's processing power and general focus as I get the current place ready for viewings as well as packing up and gearing up to move next weekend. It's quite a big shift really and I honestly haven't felt this stressed about something like this in a while. I do not enjoy the stress. Turns out, I'm normally a very unstressed person and stress does not sit well with me. I felt properly shook to my core with the decision-making process and figured that I just needed to go with what had been a good gut feeling rather than give myself too many options and get analysis paralysis.
So yeah, here's what the place looks like:
Master Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Arguably the most important room in the house!
Sitting room
I have little interest in a dining room... but gaming nook? Now we're talking!
I have pool and gym access, as well as tennis courts and a little dog park for Rowan. It is literally a five minute walk to work from my front door, so I will be saving a bunch on gas. Once I get my bike in working order I'll only need to get the car out for long distance stuff - all food shopping and stuff will be done by foot or bike. I'm looking forward to getting healthier, and having access to all this stuff, and being able to walk more, all of that is going to be for me I think. I really don't see how it can't be. Plus, for those who enjoy the D&D, I'm hoping to have a decent space available for such shenanigans.
On an unrelated note to all of this, was a chance I took to go to Fyter Fest - an All Elite Wrestling show held down in Daytona Beach (Saturday 29th). I've only previously been to a WWE house show, so I wasn't fully sure what to expect, but I was not disappointed at all. The production was very slick, the evening had a really good structure to it and I got to see some of the best active wrestlers in the world ply their trade. How could I complain with that? AEW looks set to be a real force in wrestling moving forwards. They have amazing talent and a clear desire to change the paradigm. I'm already a fan.
All in all, I feel like I am about to start a new chapter. I'm excited about it, and a little nervous. I've never done that well with change, but this feels like it is positive change so I'm hopeful I am able to adjust quickly and really make the most of the opportunity. I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Here's a couple of pics from the show. The info on the show said binocs were permitted. Little did they know, I am set up for digiscoping with my binocs!
Christopher Daniels - wrestling legend and member of SCU, still channeling Freddie Mercury
Riho on the way to the ring for a triple-threat match. She was great at Double or Nothing and put in another good showing here
Nyla Rose - looks set to become an absolute beast for the women's division. Displayed some amazing feats of strength (catching both Riho and Yuka at the same time) and agility (leaping off the top rope to deliver a knee to one of her opponents caught up in the ropes). Rose will likely prove to be often used as a way for the babyfaces looking to make a name for themselves to make a statement, but that's not a bad position on the card. I'm certain she'll also get a run with the title at some point. From what I've seen, it be a fun reign.
Yuka Sakazaki - a very energetic babyface who definitely had the crowd cheering her on for much of the fight. Really enjoyed her enthusiasm and some nice creative spots to help bring down the far larger Rose. Some good David and Goliath logic in the bout.
MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) on the way to the ring for his four-way bout. After his promo before the match, it's clear that he is as good on the mic as The Miz is. That's not a small claim either, because for me the Miz is still the best talker in the WWE. Really looking forward to watching his career grow. A future champ for sure. And that will be a fantastic run with the belt, full of big trash talk and cowardice.
Jungle Boy, carried by Luchasaurus, also on his way to the four-way
Jimmy Havoc - English hardcore wrestling royalty, was really cool getting to see him in action, even if it was mostly in a supporting role
The star of the four-way - Hangman Adam Page. Cool gimmick, excellent wrestler and very much a star around which the brand can be built
Darby Allin on his way to fight Cody Rhodes with a body bad in tow, with Cody's name sprayed on it. I'd heard good things about Allin before, but I wasn't prepared for just how good he was. His storytelling, selling of damage and ability to get you to root for him were all outstanding. For me, he was the most compelling character on the show.
The American Nightmare - Cody Rhodes. Haven't seen his struggles in WWE with creative frustration, it's amazing to see what he can do when he has the freedom to tell a story. His match here with Allin and at Double or Nothing with his brother, Dustin, are among the best I've seen ever. I was a big fan of this one ending as a draw - it put Allin over really well, showing his resilience against the larger and stronger Cody. Cody didn't suffer anything as a result of failing to win either. Sets both guys up in the upper mid-card and both would be very capable of a top title run at some stage.
The Lucho Bros (Pentagon Jr and Rey Fenix) with Laredo Kid. These guys were amazing. I've seen some of their work before, but wasn't quite prepared for how fast they worked. Despite the star talent on offer, I actually think Laredo Kid got the best rub from this - he looked every bit on the level of his more esteemed colleagues.
Kenny Omega - arguably the best wrestler in the world, depending on who you listen to. The action in the match was outstanding and it was a real treat to be able to see the Elite in action live. Omega lived up to the hype, as did the Bucks.
Matt Jackson hoists Fenix up for a Meltzer Driver, but Nick is delayed in the ring and Fenix escaped to live another day.
Jox Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose in WWE) showing some of the battle scars from his unsanctioned match with Joey Janella. While the result seemed certain from the start, Janella more than held up his end and put Moxley through hell. Yes, that is blood on his arm and yes, that is very much barbed wire stuck to a table - these guys really put themselves on the line for this fight. While Allin might be the most compelling act on the card, Moxley may still be the biggest draw right now due to his high profile departure from WWE and ongoing feud with Omega and entrance into the NJPW G1 Climax. This is probably going to be his best ever year of wrestling and it's cool to say I was there for his first bout in AEW.
Ok, so I ended up going 4 weeks instead of 2. Here's why though - I just haven't done a lot of birding to be honest. The last time I was somewhere other than work or home was MegaCon waaaay back in May.*** I do need to get out to the coast to try and pick up some more shore birds, terns and gulls, but there's not been a lot of unusual activity lately and that's just enabled my lack of birding. Of course, maybe that's what everyone has been thinking, and there's actually been a slew of amazing birds that nobody has been there to see? Probably not though. Summer birding in the southeast US is a tricky prospect, with temps hitting the 90s early in the day and staying there, also strong chance of some pretty hefty rainfall in the afternoons.
The one highlight to report from the past four weeks is my first Swallow-tailed Kite in Mandarin for the season. I had seen them this year in Duval, but always out towards the coast more. I had one soaring over I295 on my way home one day. Ooo, also had one at the game store while playing D&D. I basically stopped the game to point it out because it was circling in the parking lot - and they are just amazingly striking birds and I just want everyone to see them and appreciate them.
I know I've made a (good) habit of talking about my headspace on here, so I think an update in that area would be good too. It's been an interesting four weeks really. MegaCon was an amazing and crazy experience. I won't repost my many FB pictures here, but I am eager to go back again next year and experience it all again. Well worth it and would recommend it for any and all nerds and people who are just curious. I had a blast mingling with various friends, including a visit to a karaoke bar (no singing from yours truly sadly) and a 3am visit to IHOP. I feel like I'm still trying to work out how to be an adult (and I'm 35!) and working on things like work/life balance, establishing and maintaining good habits, etc. It's a long process and it's gonna be a while before I'll be truly happy with my progress, but I am happy that I'm trying to progress, I think that's important.
I've been down a little of late, but it comes and goes and I think it's a little better than it has been in previous weeks and months. I have phases of wanting to be really busy and doing everything, and then also wanting to do very little and be a recluse. On that point, I've seen a number of wonderful posts on FB lately talking about people wanting space. One of them (which I can't find now for the life of me) talked about how people get a lot of negative attention from Society for taking extended breaks from socializing but in fact for some people, that's just what they need right now. Sometimes withdrawing is very beneficial. Zero contact for extended periods of time probably isn't healthy for most people, but limited contact for a while can be a real boost. Socialization fatigue definitely happens, even to extroverts (such as myself). Don't apologize for taking space if you need it. It's nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be embarrassed about. Take care of yourself, first and foremost.
What's that? Running? Does running count as taking care of yourself? Oh... hmm... Ok fine, I have not been running. Why? Well... um... Laziness? I know, that's a terrible excuse. Well, it's not an excuse really, more of a reason than anything else. But I do have races bought and paid for coming up on the horizon - so I am going to try to really get going again. Slow and steady, that's the key. Just a mile at a time for now. I need to build up strength in my knees and ankles again before I try and push too hard. Also need to fix my bike so I can add in some nice low impact cycling. Also, might see if I can actually do some sort of active birding soon too, rather than just keeping up my streak (165 days and counting) on eBird. I would like to see something new in the not too distant future.
To that end - plans. Well, I do have plans. They are very vague, but amount to something along the lines of "I need to go somewhere really out of my current region if I want to hit 500" and trying to figure out where that might be. Current ideas include California, Arizona or, if I'm feeling more exotic, something like Costa Rica or maybe one of the nearby Caribbean islands. I'd obviously do research beforehand to make sure I wouldn't just be seeing all the migrants that I have already seen here this year. But yeah, still sitting at 437 - so I need to find 63 new species. I have no doubt I'll pick a few up here in Florida this year, but I probably need to get 50 more somewhere else if I'm going to hit my goal.
Also under consideration is another trip back to the UK (and beyond?) but unless I go somewhere really different, I would have to assume that would not a 50+ lifer trip. Obviously, going back to the UK would be less about birding and more about spending time with the Parental Units and the wonderful Cumming and Coughlin clans which is always awesome and therefore this is a potential trip that might happen regardless of birding aspirations. Now, if birding happened while I was on said trip and said birding happened to go to places where potential lifers might be then that would also be fine... Yikes, many much planning to be done.
***Somehow I didn't realize that MegaCon accounted for Week 20 when I started typing this. I left early on the Thursday to try and see a few birds, and got my 2019 Florida Scrub Jays at the same spot as before (Lyonia Preserve in Deltona). They were the only new FL bird for the year since the Global Big Day. I did hear Nighthawks both at the conference center and around the wonderful Air BnB place we rented. Nighthawks are awesome. I shall endeavor to find a consistent location some time and see if I can snag some pics.
So that was the last four weeks. I went nerding in a major way, went birding in a minor way, have a head which does things sometimes, have legs that don't do enough most of time and there are plans afoot - really, really vague plans.
I checked my phone for pics from the past four weeks - aside from con pics, there's really not a lot there. I shall endeavor to have actual bird pics for the next post!
Catch up episode again! I think a slight format revamp is necessary anyway. At this stage of the year I think it makes sense to go to biweekly for a while. Now, the more observant of you may see that this is a double biweekly post. I got a tad complacent about it but I'm back on track now.
So, understandably I think, I spent some time recovering from the Texas trip which left me rather lacking in energy for Week 16. I did very little aside from the usual birding until Sunday, when Mandy and I headed out to take advantage of the migration madness that has hit Florida.
First up the Theodore Roosevelt Area (basically the same place as the Spanish Pond Trail I've previously mentioned). It was a Smörgåsbord of birds just in the parking lot! So many great birds! And looking back through the pics I see I got almost no pictures of those great birds..
Glorious mature Bald Eagle sitting right above the trail
My first East Coast male Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Look at this marvelous chap! What a beauty. Stunning Northern Parula.
After walking around the Teddy Roosevelt Area we migrated over the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. I've not been there before, but it has proven very popular with the Duval birders of late, with the diverse flora helping bring in diverse fauna.
Here's the one and only video I have from the Arboretum - but what a video! Always super happy to find a Painted Bunting. This guy hopped out right next to the path and gave us a nice little display. Right around the same time we also saw a couple of Blue Grosbeaks.
All in all I added 13 year birds for Duval on the 21st. That's a really good day by anyone's standards. My Duval total stood at 152 by the time we left the park. I'm gonna drop the lists here since it is a long old post.
Theodore Roosevelt Area list
Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens list
Week 17 passed in similar fashion - with gentle short birding stints during the week mostly restricted to the parking lot at work and my back yard. On the Saturday I made a couple of stops and managed to pick up another six birds for the year.
This guy was the absolute highlight of my 2.5 hour visit to the preserve. Look at him go!
In addition to the Bachman's Sparrows who were calling like crazy (the 5 I reported was almost certainly a very low count), I finally got my Duval Wood Duck. I didn't see the bird, but I heard it flying south across the preserve. There are patches of water there and they've been reported previously, but I've missed out on Wood Ducks in Duval before, so it was nice to get a smallish monkey off my back.
It was a very pleasant time at the park and I even had an opportunity to stop and chat with one of the many local residents using the park for running. It was nice to have a chance to talk to someone who was interested in the birds around them and who clearly appreciated the benefits of the park.
Following on from Julington Durbin, I traveled over to UNF to meet up with Mandy and look for warblers and associates (Warblers and Associates, new band name, I call it!). UNF did not disappoint either. After nearly 3 hours of birding we had seen 37 species, including three more year birds - Scarlet Tanager, Summer Tanager and the ever glorious Blackpoll Warbler.
Scarlet Tanager getting ready to fly away.
Made an animated gif of him taking off because it was too cool! Look at the way he keeps his wings tucked in for a while first. That frame cracked me up the first time I saw it in isolation.
Tanager bullet!
We also saw this guy! Looks like a Southern Water Snake (based on very brief scouting mission online)
Not a bad shot of the Blackpoll in the end. They have a distinct similarity in appearance to Chickadees, at least in their heads. The yellow legs and dashed flanks aren't as clear as I'd like in the pic, but both are very helpful for IDing these guys.
On the Sunday, I had the opportunity to look after Trevor's girls for a few hours, which was cool. We tried to go to Reddie Point, but it was closed for some construction work, so instead we went to Blue Cypress Park, just down the road. The birds were incredibly uncooperative with the exception of about a dozen cardinals and one snazzy Green Heron (no pics sadly). And that was pretty much the end of Week 17.
Week 18 included 5/4/19 which in addition to being Star Wars day was designated as the Global Big Day for eBird. They encourage everyone to get out and just see as much as they can. I have so far done a fairly mediocre job on previous Global Big Days (27 in 2018, 0 in 2017, 49 in 2016, 0 in 2015). So Mandy and I hatched a plan to do something we'd talked about for a really long time - clearing the 100 species mark in a single day!
Before I go on to discuss the craziness of the Big Day, a quick note here to say that I got home from playing D&D on the 1st around 11pm and heard a Barred Owl! It was apparently in a neighbor's tree, as they were out in the backyard with flashlights trying to see it. It called for a good five minutes or so, seemingly happy to ignore the flashlights. An excellent yard bird and Duval bird 159 for the year.
Anywho, back to the Big Day. Obviously it required planning, which we did. I know, I was surprised by us as well. In theory we could expect over 150 birds in Duval County (the area to which we restricted ourselves) on that date, although seeing some of them required good luck and there's only so many places you can go in a 24 hour period. Also, birding all day long is really tiring and I'm not the energetic young thing anymore - I'm 35!
So we concocted a plan which involved meeting up pre-dawn at UNF in hopes of owls, specifically Barred and Screech, which we felt should be out on the trails somewhere. I'll skip the frustration of those pre-dawn hours - not a single owl was seen or heard, but we did see a few Cardinals flapping around the pre-school care centre... so yay...
Once dawn came around, though, we were not disappointed. It is worth pointing out that we made a conscious decision to not stress too much about trying to get images and videos of birds, as that would slow us down and we had a lot of places to visit. So we only really tried to capture pics of the special birds that day (yes, I know, all birds are special, but you know what I mean so don't sass me!).
I've looked back through the videos I did take there and unfortunately there's a distinct lack of properly diagnostic shots, but there were two really great birds and one pretty darn good bird on the trails.
Female Nashville Warbler! Apparently not expected as much during Spring (flagged as rare in eBird). If you squint a little you can make out the eye ring which is a good diagnostic feature on a relatively muted bird which can otherwise look similar to the more likely Common Yellowthroat female
We spent a good couple of minutes trying to get footage or pics of her, and this was about as good as it got. There's better pics for the overall shape, but this one shows that all-important eye ring as well as the muted yellow front.
This profile view also shows a hint of the eye ring as well as the absence of wing bars and the overall muted tones. Trust me when I say I wish I had a better pic, but I'll take this for now.
Swainson's Warbler - at least I had been following one and this is what I ended on, so I think it is the same bird...
On top of the Nashville and Swainson's Warblers, we picked up a Northern Waterthrush (my first ever in Duval) and left UNF around 815 after three hours and with 29 species on the day list.
We left UNF and added a few more birds to the day list (I missed the Purple Martin due to driving duty) and headed to the Jacksonville Arboretum. Obviously we were hopeful of finding the Painted Bunting again and maybe some other friends of his. Alas, during the hour we were there we did not get eyes on any buntings or grosbeaks, but we did still find eight species of warblers, including Cape May, Blackpoll and Black-throated-Blue. We saw 22 species total and helped raise the day tally by another chunk. A brief trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Area parking lot yielded a handful of birds, but few new ones. The Mississippi Kite on our route was nice though.
Next stop - Heritage River Roads Wetlands on the north side of the St John's River. This spot has consistently turned up a very diverse mix of birds and is far more productive than it looks like it should be. Sadly we did not see the Common Loon reported there lately (still missing it for my all-time Duval list somehow), but we saw 27 species total there during our hour-long visit.
On top of hearing a Painted Bunting in the roadside foliage, we added some other very good birds to the list. There was a group of about 10 Gull-billed Terns present, previously reported there by many others at this point. We also picked out a Long-billed Dowitcher from the crowd, associating with the numerous Short-billed Dowitchers. Another good bird for the day was the 40 or so American White Pelicans who flew over at one point.
Two of the Gull-billed Terns. They have a very crisp black cap extending well down the neck but not their cheeks, as well as a heavy all-black bill. Really cool terns.
Mixed group here showing Black-bellied Plovers, Dowitchers, Gull-billed Terns and almost certainly some other small shorebirds.
From there we headed to Big Talbot Island in hopes of more shorebirds, maybe a sparrow or two and then whatever else Horus and Huitzilopochtli felt like sending our way. One hour of birding yielded another 30+ bird haul, including another few good birds for that time of year. Once again, Long-billed Dowtichers were picked out from the crowd, as well as a calling Belted Kingfisher (apparently uncommon at this time of year in Duval, so says eBird). We were also able to add a couple of ducks, in the form of Blue-winged Teal, Mottled Duck and Red-breasted Merganser. We also had a lovely sighting of Clapper Rails in flight and swimming! Sadly the tide had dropped far enough that there was no sign of the sparrows.
For your viewing pleasure I submit this grooming Reddish Egret.
A much nicer picture of Gull-billed Terns, this time at Big Talbot Island SP. They have a very regal bearing, much to the dismay of Royal Terns everywhere.
Onto Huguenot Memorial City Park. We had a strong opening, with an American Kestrel, and following that up with a tally of 28 species across a three hour slog of a walk around the entire park!
eBird recorded the trip at 4.7 miles, only a small portion of that took place from the comfort of a car.
We opted to walk on the inside of the lagoon first, looping around the back to see what we could find out there. Our choice was rewarded early on when we encountered a group containing Long- and Short-billed Dowtichers close together with perfect viewing for comparisons.
Short-billed Dowitcher - note the more prominent white on the flanks below the wings and general grab color
Long-billed Dowitcher - more colorful overall with far less white on the flanks.
Getting some serious attitude from this Ruddy Turnstone
American Oystercatcher having a little lie down
My first Duval Whimbrel (one of four I think)
I tried to turn this into something more exciting. There is a very vibrant and passionate gull ID community in Florida so I am used to people posting all sorts of unusual gulls out here. Merlin flagged this one as a possible California Gull, but based on relative size to the Laughing Gull in the foreground, I was informed it is almost certainly a Herring Gull.
We also had well over 1000 Laughing Gulls as well as vast numbers of terns, shorebirds and other gulls. One other nice addition for the day was a couple of Savannah Sparrows. They should have been there, but it was good to get them on the list. Hitting 100 requires birds like the Sav Spa.
The day was mostly over by this point, but we weren't done! We stopped in at M&M Dairy on the way back into civilization and added Loggerhead Shrike, Brown-headed Cowbird and a group of Northern Rough-winged Swallow. From there we scooted over to Sheffield Regional Park to try for Coots and Gallinules, getting the Gallinules after a little waiting. We also saw these chaps:
Recently fledged Green Heron babbo! The parents came and visited it right after I started moving away, so no footage of that sadly. There was quite a ruckus though, as other chicks emerged and demanded attention and food.
Following on from there we headed back towards UNF. Unfortunately there was a huge sporting event which had several routes through the school blocked off. We were able to add Muscovy Ducks, Eurasian Collared-Doves, House Sparrows, House Finches, and a single Cedar Waxwing calling heard only by me which frankly was a relief as it offset that Purple Martin from earlier in the day.
To say we were flagging at this point would be massively understating it. It was around 730 that evening, some 14 hours or more after we started birding at that very location and we were totally bushed. As we were tallying up the final numbers we added one more bird, a Common Nighthawk flew over us bleeping at us as s/he went. That nighthawk was bird number 104 for the day! A staggeringly high number, yet somehow not the best of the day for Duval. Another local birder managed to hit a couple of extra places and finished on 111. Had we known we were a) that close and b) in such direct competition, I think we would have found the strength to try and find some more birds and try and sneak that top spot. Ah well...
The next day, I barely birded at all. Are you surprised? I logged over 36000 steps on the Global Big Day, absolutely destroying my previous record. So ended week 18.
But then Week 19 started! In fairness it started in a very similar manner to most weeks, with half-hearted birding efforts throughout the work week. But wait, there's more!
I have been wanting to make some more decisive steps towards improving my fitness, so I went out and purchased some running shoes from my local running store. They were not cheap, but I got expert advice on what shoes would be a good fit and I ended up buying the eighth pair I tried on. Then I started running! I ran three times during Week 19. All three runs I felt like garbage. Initially it was my lungs that hurt, then the pain slowly migrated to feet and legs. I am not going to give up though. I knew it would be a slow and painful start. But a start it is.
So to continue my efforts I have signed up for two races in the fall - the Fort De Soto 15k in St. Petersburg and then a return to NC for the Medoc Trail Races 10 miler. I absolutely love that race, it was the first time I pushed myself up to 10 miles. I managed to convince Angie and Mandy to join me in that one. It'll be fun to get the gang back together again.
My one birding outing of significance for Week 19 was a trip to Westside Industrial Park to add another Duval bird for the year. This location is well known to Duval birders as the best place to see Limpkins.
Sure enough - Limpkin! They're so freaking cute! Duval year bird 173!
And that is that! I'm up to date! Currently in Orlando for MegaCon. I'll be back tomorrow having very little to update, so the next post will be for Weeks 20 and 21.
Thanks for reading everyone!! Catch you on the flippity-flop
Julington Durbin Preserve list
UNF Wildlife Sanctuary (4/27) list
UNF Wildlife Sanctuary (5/4 morning) list
Jacksonville Arboretum list
Heritage River Road Wetlands list
Big Talbot Island SP list
M&M Dairy list
Sheffield Regional Park list
Westside Industrial Park list
For those who have been following along on FB, this will not be a surprise, but spanning across Weeks 14 and 15 Avian Adventures traveled to Texas, baby!
So, there's a lot to take in here. Basically, April has been a giant bird fest, probably one of the biggest birding weeks of my life. I'm not really sure how to even begin with this, so I guess we'll just go chronologically..
I really like flying and take numerous pictures out of the window, because I'm a silly goose. Here's some rando barrier islands I think off the coast of LA or MS.
Houston!
First new bird in Texas was the ubiquitous Great-tailed Grackle (picks to follow later). Much like the Boat-tailed Grackle, these guys were all over the place for the entire trip. I gather the birds aren't necessarily popular, though I'm a big fan. I like the grackles here, I like the grackles there. I like the grackles everywhere!
Dope sunrise over the bridge to Galveston
So that's how I got to the first location - Galveston beach. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary there, so we moved on to Lafitte's Cove - a surprisingly diverse little park in a housing development.
Here's what I look like when I'm paddling around in the Gulf of Mexico for the first time
Solitary Sandpiper - you can tell because it's spotted, not to be confused with a Spotted Sandpiper which is also spotted
Great-tailed Grackle (lifer 1 of the trip). You'll get a better look at that tail here shortly
Hooded Warbler - not a lifer at all, but probably the best looks I've ever had at these guys - there were several of them flying around getting close, zipping around, being awesome.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher!!! Lifer 2 (and 410) This guy was high on my wish list and we ended up seeing them almost every day. They're amazing! I heart them.
Eastern Kingbird hopping around to grab some munchies
Glossy Ibis - apparently this guy wasn't supposed to be here. We had a White-faced Ibis flyover (a lifer for Rich) but this guy was something of a local celebrity.
Downy Woodpeckers - both males,. not sure if they were competing for territory or what, but they were very active and chasing each other around.
Great-tailed Grackle showing off its awesome tail. The V-shape is very distinctive.
Later that day we saw our first ever White-tailed Hawk (lifer 3) while waiting at a red light. Alas, no pictures. Indeed, no pictures ever. I nearly got a video, but I messed up the binocucam. Here's the video.... you're welcome.
I think with some careful pausing, this might even be diagnostic 😛
We stopped by the NASA center in Houston, because that's a fun thing to do when you're in Houston.
Here's some other NASA things - literally not sure what they are
Here's another bigger NASA thing - it's a shuttle on a 747!
Anywho, that was day one (not counting the arrival day of course). 3 lifers added and making great progress.
Day 2 we started out heading south and stopped at the legendary Aransas NWR. The weather wasn't great sadly, it was misty and muggy and we got utterly scared to death...
That was on the Rail Trail, but it was more like the Gator Gulch. They were everywhere, they were loud and they in a baaaad mood. We didn't actually run away, but we walked pretty quickly.
Here's a Black Vulture that for a while I really thought was something far more exciting. No offense intended to the vulture, but I really thought for a second it would be something cool, especially since we were in Texas and there was a chance for all sorts of new birds.
Nervous deern staring at me over the terrifying gator water.
Ms. Anhinga chilling in a tree, well safe of any evil gators
Yet more Scissor-tailed action - I do have a video of this guy flying, but I need to edit it before I upload it. I'll have a special update once all the videos and get them uploaded
Another lifer for Rich, Neotropic Cormorant. It's not very clear here, but there are clear white edges around the yellow gape.
Ok, this is a crappy picture, but this is lifer 4, a Least Grebe! There were actually several of them here, including some young 'uns.
Stunning Yellow-crowned Night-heron on the prowl
On the way out we ran into these guys by the side of the road. Left is a skinny-necked Pectoral Sandpiper and on the right is a Least Sandpiper. Neither were lifers, but it was good to find them nonetheless.
Also, not pictured, we saw our first Crested Caracara (lifer 5/413) on the side of the road. Worry not, no pics here but pics to follow 😏
On day 3 we decided to stick around in Corpus Christi and take a relatively easy day off. Of course, things never really pan out that way, especially when there are birds to be found.
This Northern Bobwhite was chilling next to the hotel. Couldn't believe how good a look it gave us before it took off flying
We headed out to Mustang Island State Park to soak up some sun and surf. Naturally we ran across some birds.
Savannah Sparrow next to the visitor centre
Clay-colored Sparrow (6/414) - I looked for these numerous times in NC and FL, so it was awesome to finally get one. He was kind enough to sit out in the open.
I told you I'd get a pic of the Caracara! This was the first one we got in the binocs and then the scope. Then, get this, he flew right over our heads!
I love Reddish Egrets. Never get tired of seeing them. I think this was the only we saw in Texas.
Chilling on the beach at Mustang Island
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - we were hoping it was one of the other Texas hummingbirds, but the Merlin app said Ruby-throat based on the size and shape, especially the bill length.
Not pictured (sadly) was a flyover from a Long-billed Curlew (7/415). We also had a Whimbrel, which is a cousin of the curlew, just with a shorter bill.
Next up - we headed further south to the border. specifically we headed to Brownsville, even more specifically we headed first to Sabal Palm Sanctuary. This was, hands down, the most awesome outing of the entire trip.
Here's the sightings board at the park. Some pretty awesome birds on here - let's see if we see any of them...
Barely out of the parking lot and we saw this guy - Ladder-backed Woodpecker! Similar in sound to a Downy, but more closer to a Sapsucker in appearance.
Great Kiskadee! Another one of my top targets and we were still only ten paces from the parking lot.
I told you - literally everywhere! So gorgeous!
White-tipped Dove - this feeding station was literally ridiculous. So birdy!
Told you - Green Jay! Another wish list bird!
Green Jays chilling in the tree.
Plain Chachalaca! I think of these as tree pheasants. The noise they make is amazing! I'll get the video up ASAP.
Here's one in a tree.
Long-billed Thrasher! Note the grey head and brown body. Common Thrasher would be all brown, Curve-billed would be all grey. They are very considerate birds, thrashers.
That red eye can mean only one thing - Bronzed Cowbird!
White-winged Dove - not a lifer for me, but yet another lifer for Rich.
Green Jay chilling in a tree
Golden-fronted Woodpecker! Soo many lifers.
There were a lot of really cool paths at Sabal Palm, none of them too long a walk nicely.
Summer Tanager - he was taking a bath in the water feature (see below) and then hopped up into the tree
Said water feature, with the former plantation house in the background.
Another Ladder-back.
Grey Hawk! Look, he has a stick! Nesting material!
He then dropped his stick, screeched once and then flew away.
Couch's Kingbird! You can't tell, because you can't hear it. They are virtually indistinguishable from Tropical Kingbirds, it all comes down to the sound.
Hey look - another Ladder-back!
FINALLY!!!! Louisiana Waterthrush! I was so excited to see this guy. I've missed out him like four times in the past. Note the clear white throat which separates it from the Northern Waterthrush (streaky throat).
Look, that's Mexico! Technically we saw a few birds on the south side of the river, but eBird rules dictate that you count based on where your feet are, not where the bird is.
Hooded Oriole (female) hanging out at the house. She didn't stick around long sadly.
Another kingbird - I don't think this one called so we couldn't figure out who it was
After tearing it up at Sabal Palm we grabbed some awesome noms in Brownsville before heading over to the dump.
So, to the famous Brownsville Dump. As a big fan of the move, The Big Year, the dump forms part of a wonderful scene where Steve Martin wanders around the dump offering people Ketchup Potato Chips. Anywho, wonderful moment. Also, the dump is a well known location for all manner of birds including the best and pretty much only place to see the Tamilaupas Crows in the US. They're something of a specialty down there.
One little problem...
Cattle Egret chilling with some cattle (not pictured)
I was pretty convinced this was Cinnamon Teal - looking back, it's pretty clear they're not - but then what?
It's only blumming Fulvous Whistling Ducks! It took me forever to figure out that's what they were. I actually thought they must be something else, though I had no idea what they were. So happy to see these guys, even happier to see 40 or more of them.
Cute little Ruddy Duck. I tried really hard to turn it into a Masked Duck, but it just wasn't.
Looking up across a road and two fields we could see several birds over at the dump. Try as I might, I couldn't turn these two into Tamilaupas Crows. Compared to the other birds around them they were just too big to be crows, so I decided they had to be Chihuahuan Ravens.
Crested Caracara looking awesome! This time he was only across one field.
After a mixture of both success and a little failure, we headed back to town and found a nice park (Dean Porter Park) in Brownsville to chill for a bit. And guess what? There were birds there too!
Seriously podgy Muscovy Duck
One good Whistling-duck deserves another... Black-bellied this time
Super cute little cluster of Neotropic Cormorants swimming along the canal in front of a Snowy Egret
Tropical Kingbird calling - otherwise I would have had no way to tell it apart from the Couch's or maybe even the Western
Couldn't resist another pic of the Black-bellied Whistling-duck. They're so freakin' cute!
And that was the end of that day. So, there was only one full birding day left. What did we do with that day you ask? We went to the (probably) world famous Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, that's what!
Glorious looking Great Kiskadee! Look how amazing!!! Lovely yellow front and the rufous on the wings. I'm in love.
Super-cute squirrel taking advantage of the seeds having fallen off a feeder
A couple of Anis, but what sort? Are they Smooth-billed or Groove-billed?
Well, that settles that - very clearly Groove-billed. After talking to some of the locals, they said they were something of an attraction, though not strictly rare. Definitely got lucky to see them, barely five minutes after we got into the park and they were right behind us in the tops of the trees.
My comrades on our amazing adventure. I think this was right around the time i thought I saw a Clay-colored Thrush, but the little guy disappeared into the trees before I could get a better look.
Another Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Note how similar it is to a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
This time is actually IS a Cinnamon Teal! Not a lifer for me, as long time readers would know, but a nice bird regardless and a lifer for Rich.
Hey look, a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher! Also, Black-necked Stilts in the background.
A far better picture of a Sora this time. I think I took 50 pictures... may have gotten carried away.
Not the first sighting we had of one on the trip - but a Harris's Hawk in the wild! These are one of the most common birds to see in bird of prey centers in the UK. It was really cool seeing one in the wild. Rich and I had a great flyover while we were at the dump, but naturally there's no pics of that one, so you'll have to make do with this one.
And that, as they say, is that! There's tons of videos to come, but it'll be a while before they all get sorted. Thank you for your patience one and all.
All in all I saw 143 species in Texas across essentially 5 days of birding (even if one of them was supposed to be an off day). Of those 143 birds, 29 were lifers! It was pretty freaking amazing! I am 100% going to have to go back to Texas and see more birds. Total life list is now up to 437 after an amazing rampage through the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Also, you'd think that would be enough, but on the final day of Week 15 I went to Losco Regional Park just down the road from home back here in Jacksonville. I have been lagging a little on my Duval list, and I was able to add two for the year and one Duval lifer - Great-crested Flycatcher. Now, in fairness I have actually seen them before, I just never logged it.
And now, for some eBird lists:
Lafitte's Cove list
Jamaica Beach list
Aransas NWR list
Corpus Christi hotel area list
Mustang Island SP list
Sabal Palm Sanctuary list
Brownsvville Dump list
Dean Porter Park list
Santa Ana NWR list
Losco Regional Park list
