Rio Grande Valley....

Along the Rio Grande Valley we hiked some trails to hopefully find a special bird species seen only in the southwestern area of the valley. I had hoped to spot an Altamira Oriole which has been often reported seen in the area. But we didn't see any. We did spot a Hooded Oriole at one of the sanctuary's feeding stations. We saw a few other unexpected bird species also. One group was a fly-over of snow geese while we were in the car, driving. And, luck would have it, absolutely no place to pull the car over and get a photo. But just seeing them was a special sight. They're beautiful against a deep blue sky!!! Another species we saw that wasn't on my 'to see list' and unexpected I'll show photos of next week. Stay tuned. Also spotted were, more common in Texas, the red winged blackbirds by the hundreds, inca doves, collared doves, kiskadees, muskcovy ducks, a nesting great horned owl [in a palm tree], northern cardinals, couch's kingbirds, green jays, dozens of golden fronted woodpeckers, common house sparrows, spoonbills, egrets, stilts, harriers, ONE hummingbird, a blue bird at a rest stop when I didn't have my camera strapped around my neck...darn!! Oh and another dove that is only seen in the Lower Rio Grande Valley which I'll share images of below...

Moving on...I mentioned we found one I was hoping to see other than the Altamira Oriole...and that was the Plain Chachalaca!!! [pronounced cha kah LA kah] ---so named for its sound/calls. We were lucky enough to see several as we arrived early at one of the secondary refuges on our list of possible stop overs. They are reported online and in guide books to be active early in the morning AND later in the evening just before sunset. The male Chachalaca has a red throat, visible only during breeding season...I found a couple with the red showing!! The female and male are quite similar [except for the red spot on the throat of the male] in marking and color...the female tends to be a bit smaller in size. The species is very common in Mexico and farther south into Central America ---very FEW are seen here in Texas and only  near Brownsville, Texas.

[male with red breeding throat]

PLAIN CHACHALACA

photos taken: Along Cattail Trail - Santa Ana NWR [outside of Brownsville, Texas]
Habitat Range: Plain Chachalaca

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The White-tipped Dove, as mentioned above, has a range that extends from South America all the way through to the southwestern tip of Texas. They are often somewhat secretive in the small U.S. portion of their range, preferring to use areas of dense low vegetation.




WHITE TIPPED DOVE
photos taken Sabal Palm Sanctuary Trail[s] Brownsville, Texas
Habitat Range: White Tipped Dove


TRIVIA:
The White Tipped Dove is easily identified even before you spot one...by its distinctive call, described as similar to the sound of a person blowing over the mouth of a bottle. [and I can attest to this statement!]

Unlike most other chicken relatives in North America, the Plain Chachalaca is largely arboreal, spending most of its time foraging in trees. It is commonly observed feeding in precarious positions, including upside down.


Now...share your birding experiences: