April 8, 2008: Birding South Texas (Sabal Palms Audubon Sanctuary)

We spent the morning today at the Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary, just outside Brownsville, right on the Rio Grande River bordering Mexico. This is a really cool place! We started off the morning with a minor liftoff of resting migrating raptors! We walked most of the trails here and got some really cool photos.

This outstanding sanctuary is at risk because of the proposed US-Mexican enhanced border fence. The fence would run north of here, cutting it off from the rest of the U.S.! (Large PDF-9MB of proposed fence map). If you agree with me that this is a bad idea, write your Congressperson or Senator! (More info on the Border Fence here) (Anti border-wall site)

This Broad-Winged Hawk had roosted at the sanctuary
Black-Bellied Whistlind duck perching on a tree
Golden-Fronted Woodpecker
Green Jay
Plain Chachalaca

Olive Sparrow

Paper Flower

American Coot (big foot!)

Northern Shoveler

Mottled Ducks

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks

Some nice Sabal Palm shots:

Blue Grosbeak

Couch's Kingbird

Below: a few photos of Chachalacas

Some shots of Green Jays at the feeders:

White-Tipped Dove

Long-Billed Thrasher

Looking across the Rio Grande at Mexico

Prickly Pear Cactus

Sabal Palm

Spanish Moss

Unidentified flower

Blue-Winged Teal

Gadwall

Red-Eared Sliders above and below

Least Grebe

Below: White-Tailed Kites

Aerial view of the Resaca at Sabal Palms, courtesy Microsoft Bird's Eye Imagery

Location of Sabal Palms (Interactive Map)

April 7, 2008: Birding Williams Residence (Pharr), Edinburg Wetlands, Frontera

After Santa Ana NWR, we had a great lunch at the El Dorado Mexican Restaurant in Alamo, TX. Outstanding! Probably the best shrimp cocktail we have ever tasted.....

Next it was to Williams Wildscapes in Pharr. Allan Williams has a beautifully landscaped backyard (that is what they do for a living - design wild and native plant landscapes), where you can bird for a $10 donation. The birding in his yard was great, and we saw the rare White-Throated Robin. It was a relaxing place to bird, also.

This was most of the rest of the afternoon, though we did also make brief stops at Edinburg Scenic Westlands, Estero Llano Grande State Park (no photos), and Frontera Audubon, where we only got to the front gate, since they were closed. All in all, a great birding day, and the hot weather (mid 90's) felt nice to us Western New Yorkers.

Flower photos from the backyard (not sure what they are):
Bird photos from the Williams Residence:
Plain Chachalaca
Inca Dove
Summer Tanager
The rare White-Throated Robin! He has stains on his throat from mulberries! (more photos below)
Long-Billed Thrasher
Golden-Fronted Woodpecker
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Above and Below: Buff Bellied Hummingbird

Northern Mockingbird
an inquisitive KiskadeeLincoln's Sparrow
lifer Clay-Colored Robin
Great Kiskadeefemale Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Edinburg Scenic Wetlands:

Blue-Winged Teal
Forster's Terns
Pyhrruloxia Domestic Muscovy with young

Estero Llano Grande State Park: Spotted Sandpiper
Great-Tailed Grackle

Frontera Audubon:
This snake was going through the parking lot
This Inca Dove hopped down to where the snake was, maybe to protect a nearby nest??

LOCATIONS MENTIONED (INTERACTIVE MAP)