Texas: Sabal Palm to Popsicles

On this morning we got up early to head southeast of Brownsville to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary, a 557 ac. nature preserve located in a bend of the Rio Grande. With more than 5 miles of nature trails surely we’d see some good stuff.

Off to a sweaty start, we traveled through the park listening to a chorus of birds including this Long-billed Thrasher.

Along the boardwalks we heard White-eyed Vireo and warblers including Wilson’s and Black-throated Green. Unfortunately, I have no photographic proof. Finding warblers and vireos in Texas is similar to another fun game: Find That Texas Creature.

Here’s an example. Do you see what I see?

How about this one? Difficulty level 9/10. Not just Spanish moss.

See? Fun. Especially with creatures that won’t kill you. There are lots of spiders in Texas. Most made their presence known. Like the (harmless) Garden Spider that makes a great web with a knit sweater patterned center (stabilimentum).

Good stuff indeed. But we were also still looking for new birds.

We found Ladder-backed Woodpecker in the forests and White-tipped Dove, Plain Chachalacas, and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds near the feeders.

Perched in one a tree was a Broad-winged Hawk while soaring above us in the skies were Turkey and Black Vultures. A little lower was a White-tailed Kite.

Texas birds were becoming more familiar. Of course it wasn’t until we returned to the parking lot when we finally found one of our main target birds. Way up in a palm tree next to the 1892 historic Rabb Plantation House.

Was a 2017 Hooded Oriole!

Orange bird, white on shoulder, curved bill, black bib. Studying on the plane paid off. It was a nice send-off before we left for our next destination, the South Padre Island jetty. We made a good attempt but found more spring-breakers on the scene then birds.

This meant it was taco time before next making a return trip to the free boardwalks at the SPI Convention Center Nature Trail.

Back on the boardwalks we went to work birding with the intensity of a Tricolored Heron.

Or Green Heron.

Well, some of us wandered.

But it’s a good thing because that’s how Sarah found the best least surprise a Least Bittern!

And a Clapper Rail! Out in the open. Basically. Find that Texas bird!

Afterwards we all wandered back to the airbnb where we found a sweet surprise. A Buff-bellied Hummingbird had found the feeder we put out. Success!

Followed by an almost equally sweet post-birding treat, beer and popsicles!

Because we’re adults. Birders gone wild!

Tweets and chirps,

Audrey