Our Birding Adventure

It's a long read - Go get a cup of coffee...

INTRODUCTION

My sister Jo and I packed up the truck and headed for South Padre Island for some serious birding – well, as serious as two rookie birders can get anyway. One of my goals was to see the Flammulated Owl that has been reported at the South Padre Island Convention Center. We were not intent on traditional listing and counting. We just wanted to see as many different species of birds as possible while spending some time watching their always entertaining antics. Since we are not experts, I tried to get photos or at least good descriptions of the birds we could not ID without studying a field guide.

GENERAL INFORMATION

– Route

We started Tuesday morning at Tiki Island, Texas. At 8 am, we left for Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. We arrived at 9 am and spent a little over an hour driving the auto tour. The Sarita Rest Area just south of Sarita on Hwy 77 was a welcome sight at 3 pm. After a little birding and a late lunch, we headed straight for South Padre Island and stopped off at the Convention Center shortly after 6 pm before checking into our hotel.

The next day was spent on the Island with three checks to see if the owl was cooperating. He wasn’t. We hit a few gulf side spots and took a drive on the Laguna Madre side. We also made a short visit to the Birding Center.

Thursday, we got an early start at 6:30 am and headed for Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). We joined their 8:30 to 10:30 am bird walk  and then wandered a bit on our own before heading to Estero Llano Grande State Park, arriving a little before noon. We left ELGSP at 2:45 pm to make it back to the Island in time to check on the owl. We got back around 4 pm and went straight to the Convention Center where we were rewarded with a good look at that elusive little ball of feathers, the Flammulated Owl. We stopped for good dinner at the Sea Ranch restaurant on the south end of the island, enjoyed a beautiful view of the setting sun with a double dip gelato and collapsed for an early evening to rest up for our journey back home.

On Friday morning, we checked briefly on the owl with no luck and then drove to the Laguna Atascosa NWR, back to the Sarita Rest Area and then Tiki Island with a decent arrival time of 9:30 pm. The total drive (starting and ending at my house) was 1121 miles.

– Lodging

We stayed at La Quinta on the Island just across the street from the Convention Center. Except when they turned the water off for 8 hours, it was all good. The room was clean and had two queen beds, a sitting area, a refrigerator and microwave. The price was reasonable and averaged to a little less than $100/night with all taxes included.

– Documentation

We jotted down names of birds as we saw them and if we didn’t know the names, we jotted down a description and tried for a photo so we could look them up later. We also tried to get iPhone recordings of some of the songs since that’s the only way to ID some of these birds. We were not so lucky with the vocalizations. Why do they stop singing when you push the “RECORD” button? Do they know?

I took a total of 2549 photos, most of which are duplicates of duplicates. Hold that shutter button down!

I did learn that my methods of documentation are lacking. I forget to write down what I see and at some stops I get so absorbed in watching the birds, I don’t write anything. I brought a little voice activated tape recorder, but I never bothered to drag it out of my pocket. Maybe a button activated recorder clipped to my collar would remedy the problem. But then I would have to listen to and transcribe hours of my voice droning on and on. Hmmmm. What do the real birders do?

DAILY ACCOUNTS

– Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Village of Tiki Island

Our first birds of the trip were a passing glance from Jo’s deck at our very own Laughing Gulls. Even though I’ve seen them a jillion times, I still scan the groups for the odd gull that looks different. They were all Laughers this morning. We left about 8 am and followed I45 to Highway 6 to FM2004 to FM523 to Hoskin’s Mound Road (CR227) – the long way – to get to our first birding stop.

Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

The first birds we saw were rather large, vicious, blood-sucking beasts. I couldn’t find them in Sibley’s, but Jo thinks they are called Mosquitoes. Since these bad boys prevented any walking, we just drove the auto tour.

Several very pale Red-tailed Hawks stayed at a far distance. We counted 20 different bird species at the refuge and probably forget to write down many of them.

Somewhere between the NWR and the next stop, we saw a field with many Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese. I scanned those Snows to see if I could pick up on a Ross’s Goose, but I wouldn’t have known one unless it flew over and introduced itself.

Sarita Rest area

The Green Jay stole the show at the rest area, but we were also happy to see the Golden-fronted Woodpecker. I was disappointed the water drip was gone. It produced quite a few birds on my last visit. Maybe they only have it during migration? I don’t know.

Golden-fronted and Brewer’s Blackbird

South Padre Island Convention Center and Boardwalk

A quick check as soon as we arrived on South Padre Island did not get us a view of the Flammulated Owl, but it did afford a fortuitous meeting with Scarlet Colley, the self-appointed Guardian of The Owl. Scarlet patrols the area most of the time and she makes sure the crowds do not put the owl at risk.

Scarlet is one of the few people that can actually find the owl. She puts one or more spotting scopes on him and will not let anyone use binoculars or get too close to his daytime perch. She made sure we were aware of all the rules before she let us explore. She tried finding the owl so we could see him, but all I saw through the scope was something that looked like bark to me. She wasn’t even sure it was the owl.

As dusk, the owl’s time to fly out and feed, approached, we headed over to our hotel right across the street. Scarlet gave us her card and said to come back the next day. She was certain she would find him.

– Wednesday, January 30, 2013

South Padre Island Convention Center and Boardwalk

Naturally, our first stop was the Convention Center to find The Owl and naturally, we couldn’t even begin to locate the little critter. The first few days he was spotted, he would perch almost in the open, but all of the gawkers forced him farther and farther back into the deeper brush each day. We wandered around hoping that Scarlet would arrive and find his chosen perch for today. Once he perches for the day, he doesn’t move.

When we first arrived, we saw plenty Myrtle Warblers flitting about. Those little “butter butts” were one of the most plentiful birds everywhere. We spent some time listening to a Tropical Kingbird’s beautiful sound. When I pulled out my iPhone to record the song, he clammed up and wouldn’t make a peep.

I still can’t differentiate the lesser and greater Scaup. This pair was identified by an on-line expert as Lesser Scaup.

This little Pied-billed Grebe was proudly showing off his catch. He did manage to gobble it down in one bite and was still looking for more.

For me, it is always a joy to see an American Bittern. Pointed out by a fellow birder, this one was lurking right next to the raised boardwalk. My lens would not focus that close, so I had to shoot through the railings. I could not get the whole bird in the frame.

When we returned from the Boardwalk, we checked on the status of the owl and he was still out of sight. Scarlet told us to come back in the early afternoon when the light would be better and she was sure to spot him. So, we headed out for a drive around the Island looking for places to access the water.

South Padre Island Drive – First Stop

The first road we drove down didn’t go all the way through and stopped at a subdivision. Rats… or maybe not. A very large bird floated in the water at the end of the canal running through the subdivision. We couldn’t identify the bird, but knew it was big. Pelicans roosted nearby, but Jo didn’t think he was a pelican. When Jo got him in the binoculars, she said it didn’t look anything like a pelican so I took a look.

Oh, my! The very large bird had a beak like a loon or a grebe. My lens hood jammed open and I couldn’t remove the lens cap. We could barely see the bird through the binoculars, so I knew if I didn’t get a photo, we’d never ID him. While I fumbled with the lens, Jo suggested using my little Powershot camera with better reach than my dSLR camera. Good idea! I did get a few poor shots because of the harsh light, but good enough to ID him as a Common Loon.

The next spot afforded a narrow water view. We thought we saw more loons, but after viewing through the camera and binoculars, we knew we had spotted our first Mergansers – all Red-breasted Mergansers and quite beautiful. And, we did see loons. On that side of the Island, an offshore wind blew at 25 to 30 mph gusting to 40 mph and several loons  were windsurfing. Okay, I’m sure the perfectly sane people knew exactly what they were doing… Ahem.

South Padre Island Drive – Gulf Side

We found a spot where we could park and take a walk on the Gulf side beach. The sand was blowing so hard I thought we might get covered up never to be found again. But, we did watch the antics of a few Sanderling. They were running up and down and never did stop for a second. This gull stepped in what looks like a tar ball.

We saw more Mergansers at a distance and the photos revealed a Bufflehead among the Mergansers. It was another year bird for both of us.

South Padre Island Drive – Laguna Madre Side

We drove a short distance down the National Seashore, but the dunes on both sides blocked our view of the water. We turned back and explored a sand trail spotted on the bay side. The very narrow trail didn’t have a “Keep Out” sign, so we went in. It was good, hard packed sand and at the end of the trail, we found ourselves on a little Laguna Madre inlet. The first bird we spotted was an Osprey. The many ducks stayed very far in the distance. This was the first time I mentioned needing a spotting scope. I must have said or at least thought it a dozen more times before this trip was over. The majority of birds were Northern Pintails and Red-breasted Mergansers. Several different kinds of wading birds also fed far away. Our on-line expert identified most of them from the photos.

South Padre Island Convention Center and Boardwalk

Well, conditions were nearly ideal to see the elusive little owl, so we headed back to the Convention Center. As we walked up, George shook his head in the negative. Well, rats! Scarlet desperately tried to find the little feather duster, but he was either AWOL or down low in the heavier foliage avoiding the strong wind. Third strike and we are out for today.

We checked out the butterflies and saw several species including Monarch, Great Southern Whites, Queens and the especially beautiful Red Admiral on the Mexican Flame Vine flowers. We also saw a Reddish Egret’s dance recital. What a show!

South Padre Island Birding Center

A disappointing short visit to the Birding Center led us to suspect an early roosting the birds. But, we did witness a Great Blue Heron buzzing a feeding Osprey. The Blue eventually ran off the Osprey, but the Osprey kept the fish. A Great Blue Heron carrying nesting material saved the day.

It was a nice day in spite of missing Mr. Flammulated Owl.

– Thursday, January 31, 2013

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

We arrived in plenty of time for the 8:30 am bird walk. We saw a Kiskadee in a tree just as we walked up to the Visitor Center. The Altamira Orioles, Plain Chachalaca and a Black-crested Titmouse put on a show at the feeding station just behind the Visitor Center. This was going to be a good stop!

I always try to learn good birding techniques when out with experienced birders. The importance of looking far away became quickly obvious. The leader and other birders searched the farthest perimeters of the fields before scanning the closer birds. I could barely find what they were seeing. Did I mention that I really need a spotting scope? Although, it would not have been useful on this walk. The leader kept up a good pace. If we stopped to scope all of the interesting birds, the walk would have lasted four hours instead of only two hours. Some close-up birds did afford nice looks. I got some in-flight shots of an immature White-tailed Hawk, a lifer for me. We also spotted the Green Kingfisher, another lifer.

 Estero Llano Grande State Park

Several birds sang a greeting at the entrance, but we could never spot them in the trees. Our first bird, a Long-billed Thrasher, only allowed a fleeting glance. We did get a better look at the Green Kingfisher, a cute little Ruddy Duck, a Spotted Sandpiper and twenty-four other species. We spotted a fifteen foot tall cactus with paddles like a prickly pear. A little research identified it as a spineless prickly pear, the Opuntia cochenillifera.

We saw the Golden-fronted Woodpecker and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Surprisingly, we didn’t see the most common woodpecker, the Ladderback. More exploration may have revealed him as well as the Common Pauraque, but I was anxious to head back to South Padre to look for Mr. Owl. A 2:45 pm departure got us back at just the right time.

South Padre Island Convention Center

Of course we drove straight to the Convention Center and were finally rewarded with a good look at the Flammulated Owl. Scarlet had two scopes set up, so we viewed him from two angles, one of the front of the owl and one from the side where we could see its tail and back. He was winking at us! I was quite excited to see him, although a bit disappointed that I never could get my camera to focus way back in those leaves to get a photo. We would never have found the little rascal on our own. Only a few angles have a clear enough path to get a glimpse of him – or at least part of him. You can see from the photo what we were looking through. He was way back in the tangle of leaves and branches and always perched on a branch that looks like the trunks in the foreground. And, he looks just like the pattern on the tree trunk.

While hunting for a place to eat, we ran across what I think is a Red-breasted Merganser on the bay side near Pier 19. What do you think?

We ate a good dinner at the Sea Ranch restaurant on the Island’s south end. I highly recommend the seafood enchiladas. Yummy! To celebrate our first and probably only view of a Flammulated Owl, we picked up a couple of gelato cups at Dolce Roma. Instead of eating inside, we decided to go find a spot to enjoy the sunset. Jo kindly offered to hold my gelato cup while I drove the few blocks to the Laguna Madre. Yeah, right. I wasn’t born yesterday. I held that sucker and drove with one hand. After a bout of the “late in the evening tee hee sillies”, we settled down and enjoyed a beautiful view of the setting sun while slurping up our double dips of gelato. It was still early, but we headed back to the motel and collapsed to rest up for our journey back home.

– Friday, February 1, 2013

South Padre Island Convention Center

We checked briefly on the owl. I really wanted to get a photo, but we never could spot him.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is very close to the island, so we arrived in just a few minutes. The very productive blinds next to the visitor center allowed great close-up views of several species. We got our first look at an Olive Sparrow here.

We drove the longest 15 miles ever on the loop, but the scarce birds stayed very far away. I was bored and wishing again for a spotting scope.

Sarita Rest Area

The Green Jays flew in to roost, but we didn’t see nearly as many birds as when we stopped here on the way down. The blackbirds were not even around and we were eating lunch. Strange.

The Village of Tiki Island

We arrived before 9:30 pm and since we got two huge cups of coffee when we stopped just a bit earlier to refuel, I was still wired enough to drive home. I drove in my garage before 11 pm.

The trip was all I hoped it would be and more. Having Jo with me to share in the bird sightings and beautiful sunrises and sunsets made it so much more enjoyable.

List of the Birds (in AOU order)

• Black-bellied Whistling Duck
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Snow Goose
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Mottled Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Cinnamon Teal
• Northern Shoveler
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Redhead
• Ring-necked Duck
• Greater Scaup
• Lesser Scaup
• Bufflehead
• Red-breasted Merganser
• Ruddy Duck
• Plain Chachalaca
• Common Loon
• Common Loon
• Least Grebe
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Anhinga
• American White Pelican
• Brown Pelican
• American Bittern
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Tricolored Heron
• Reddish Egret and White Morph
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• White Ibis
• White-faced Ibis
• Roseate Spoonbill
• Black Vulture
• Turkey Vulture
• Osprey
• White-tailed Kite
• Northern Harrier
• Harris’s Hawk
• White-tailed Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Crested Caracara
• American Kestrel
• Common Gallinule
• American Coot
• Black-bellied Plover
• Piping Plover
• Killdeer
• Black-necked Stilt
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Willet
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Long-billed Curlew
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Sanderling
• Least Sandpiper
• Dunlin
• Laughing Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Forster’s Tern
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Flammulated Owl
• Belted Kingfisher
• Green Kingfisher
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Least Flycatcher
• Eastern Phoebe
• Vermillion Flycatcher
• Great Kiskadee
• Tropical Kingbird
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Green Jay
• Black-crested Titmouse
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Northern Mockingbird
• Long-billed Thrasher
• European Starling
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Myrtle Warbler
• Olive Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Brewer’s Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Boat-tailed Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Altamira Oriole
• House Sparrow

 List of the Other Creatures

• Millions of Mosquitoes
• Several Dogs
• A couple of coyote
• The Occasional House Cat – no Bobs or Ocelots – boo
• Several Fox Squirrel – no Mexican Ground – boo
• A few Collared Peccary (Javelina)
• Great Southern White butterfly
• Red Admiral butterfly
• Queen butterfly
• Monarch butterfly
• Striped Mullet – Biggest mullet I’ve ever seen – At least two feet long.
• Several Red-eared Slider turtles
• Leopard Frog