12 December 2011

Farewell to Texas...TEXAS (14 Nov)


Well with the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival finished (with a wild party I must add the evening before), there was nothing left to do but get in some final birding in south Texas before my afternoon flight out to New Mexico. Although very excited at the prospect of seeing New Mexico for the first time, and the prospect of checking out Bosque del Apache drawing me there, it is always with sadness I leave the Great State of Texas. It has been good to me over the last five years, and I am sure will continue to be. So I joined Michael Retter and Matt Hale in their quest for Hook-billed Kite at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We also met Chip Close on the "hawk tower" who gave a classic tale of you should have been here half an hour ago. Well a late night party delayed us slightly and in the process costs us the Hook-billed Kite. However, I was not fussed, this was my first sight of the legendary Santa Ana, and frankly I was just happy to absorb the scenes at the feeders there, where Plain Chachalacas tried to fight off all comers (and pretty successful they were too). Besides these bruisers the feeders were attended by Green Jays, gaudy Altamira Orioles, and of course, House Sparrows! Hopefully I will get back to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas again soon and give it the time it really deserves....

...But for now, New Mexico, and hordes of waterbirds were calling...

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