Monday I went to McAllen, TX to search for the Rufous-backed Robins that were being seen at the National Butterfly Center in Mission\u00a0and at the Laguna Atascosa NWR on the coast.\u00a0 I drove to the Laguna Atascosa Visitor Center, arriving about 2:00 p.m.\u00a0 With a couple of\u00a0others, I kept watch for the rest of the afternoon on the little brook at which this skulky\u00a0Robin had been seen on several prior occasions.\u00a0 I believe I saw it but the lighting conditions were not the best, and since none of the other observers saw it,\u00a0 I would have to say that it was a possible sighting, and not one that I could be sure of.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Plan B was to go to the National Butterfly Center the next morning, Tuesday.\u00a0 Morning sightings of a Rufous-backed\u00a0Robin had been fairly reliable there of late.\u00a0 However, by 5:00 p.m. I was weary and the gates were about to be locked so I left, with no bird seen.\u00a0 The day was lovely and there were plenty of nice birds to be seen as I sat (or stood) \u00a0by the water feature.\u00a0 Prominent among them were the\u00a0colorful Green Jays and Great Kiskadees.\u00a0 About 20 other less\u00a0colorful\u00a0species\u00a0 came by during the course of the day.\u00a0 \u00a0These included several that are not found in Iowa, such as\u00a0 Plain Chachalacas, Black-crested Tufted Titmice, and Long-billed Thrashers, (which I first mistakenly identified as Brown Thrashers, until corrected by one of the local bird\/butterfly enthusiasts).\u00a0 Most of the others seen there are commonly also seen in Iowa.\u00a0 Several local butterfly experts\u00a0stopped to visit and offer encouragement.\u00a0 These were\u00a0\u00a0mostly former birders who\u00a0have, as they freely admitted,\u00a0 gone over to the “Dark Side” (Butterflying).\u00a0\u00a0In fact,\u00a0as the day turned warm and sunny, the butterflies were numerous and\u00a0pretty and added a welcome diversion from\u00a0\u00a0the long and fruitless\u00a0search for the Rufous-backed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With one more partial day to go, I decided to return to Laguna Atascosa.\u00a0 While I was there on Monday, the staff at the center told me that they have had a number of sightings of Aplomado Falcons on the preserve in recent years, including recent days.\u00a0 I have never seen one of these lovely raptors in North America.\u00a0 If the Rufous-backed Robin was going to elude me, at least I might come back with one new North American Life Bird to add to my list and, indeed, I did.\u00a0 In fact 2 of them.\u00a0 As I was nearing the Preserve at about 8:00 a.m., one was perched on a utility wire along the road and held still for a very nice view.\u00a0 Then, as I entered the Preserve, a second one put on an aerial show that was amazing, including the capture of some sort of small creature in a grassy field along the road.\u00a0 The Aplomado Falcon, primarily a Central and South American resident,\u00a0was once\u00a0somewhat common in south Texas, but was extirpated from the area for a large part of the 20th century.\u00a0 A reintroduction program at Laguna Atascosa has been quite successful and in the past two or three years, more of them are being seen on and around the Preserve.\u00a0 The winds became very strong and birding was extremely difficult, so I decided not spend any more time at the Preserve.<\/p>\n
My final search of the day was at the Allen Williams’ residence and landscaping operation in Pharr, TX.\u00a0 Allen has had a female Crimson-collared Grosbeak, another\u00a0Mexican visitor,\u00a0on his property for several days and this would be a new life-bird for me.\u00a0 Unfortunately, high winds and bad timing joined me on this visit, which I had to cut short to make it to my plane on time.\u00a0 Thanks to Mrs. Williams and her mother, I was able to enjoy a tasty hot flavored tea drink during\u00a0 my brief search about their property.\u00a0\u00a0Their gracious hospitality\u00a0was very much appreciated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monday I went to McAllen, TX to search for the Rufous-backed Robins that were being seen at the National Butterfly Center in Mission\u00a0and at the Laguna Atascosa NWR on the coast.\u00a0 I drove to the Laguna Atascosa Visitor Center, arriving … Continue reading