Well, it’s been three years now since my brother Ron and I started what refer to as an Average Year. Think of it as a Big Year for people without Big Year pocketbooks and/or immense amounts of extra time on their hands. The 2024 Big Year numbers were in the 758 range, thus the use of “average” to reflect our efforts as or annual goal is 300 (yes, I know that is short of half). In 2022 (link here) we both fell just short. 2023 was a huge redemption year for me as I clocked in at 340 and even Ron broke the goal with his 302 (link here). Last year was fell short of the banner year before, but thanks to a late surge I managed to make it to 325 – birding in general felt really down last year, especially with the weak migration numbers that were seen. Ron’s ’24 count, well, we will not go there (shhhh, he fell way short, but shhhhhhh) (link here). Do we put ourselves through this again, the struggles, the exhaustion, the disappointments, the angst…hmmmm. After intense pressure from Ron, 2025 is a go – why do I do this to myself ha.
A big change from last year is we are going back to or standard Texas wintering plans. Pushing that to spring and going to Arizona instead was a key reason for coming up 15 short of the year before – it is hard to beat Texas winter birding for inflating your numbers. We will go back to Arizona in the spring which should still provide a huge boost. As in the previous years, I’ll do my best to keep this page updated with our progress as we proceed through the year.
To another year of birding … and brotherly competition!
The year is starting off quite well down here in Texas. As soon as I get a chance I’ll get the stats prepped and updated here.
Quick summary of 2025 counts:
The Cumulative Species graph for 2025:
Daily Species 2025 graph:
Monthly Species 2025 graph:
Comparison with 2024 graphs:
Updates:
03/27/2025: This was an absolutely incredible day of birding. We were based at the CT RV resort in Bensen, TX. We had the chance to visit with friends from Linda’s dog club that had moved out there full time. There were several birding spots that we had found on our visit last year and I definitely wanted to hit those – not to mention birding the resort wash is fantastic as well. We started at Kartchner Caverns SP. The plan was to finally get through the foothills loop, but the heat and my sore ankle caused me to only make it a little more than half way before turning back. Next year I will definitely finish off that loop. The main find there has to be the Lucy’s Warbler which was a lifer for me. Give credit to Linda who found it on Merlin first. Adding in the Rock Wren that flew down with 10 feet of me, the Green-Tailed Towhee and Crissal’s Thrasher were the cherry on top. From there we went to the Trinity Monastery in St. David. There we found the sure thing Gila Woodpecker and Red-Naped Sapsucker and a good catch of a Gray Flycatcher. There were two big surprises, the first was the sight of a dead Muscovy Duck in the middle of the road to their nature trail. That is definitely concerning with all the bird flu going around. Eventually someone came and dealt with it. Linda got to talking to a volunteer there and they informed her they have not had any episode of the flu to date. The other surprise was when I looked up and saw a large black bird flying overhead. Very much Vulture like in size and coloring, but I’ve learned from our Texas trip to always look for a stripe on the tail – there it was!! Wow, was that a great lifer as I had failed to find it in Texas after looking everywhere for it. That left me the late afternoon to bird the wash at the resort. Got the Gambel’s Quail that are thick there, but was definitely not expecting to find a Western Kingbird sitting in a tree up by the RVs. Now for the big surprise. While scanning the treeline in the wash, a yellow and black bird came flying by and landed in a relatively near tree – I did not get a chance to get a very good shot of it, but proceeded to follow it from tree to tree until I got somewhat clear shot – a quick check of Merlin confirmed it was a Scott’s Oriole another lifer for me. +3 lifers for the day, incredible.
03/24/2025: On our way out of town, we stopped back in at White Sands NP. Our visit the day before was a bit of a bust on the bird front – likely too hot. Figured we would stop in earlier in the day and see if that was more conducive to birds. Took the very nice nature trail there which took you up on the dunes and around the various habitats there. Sure enough found a lifer – the Brewer’s Sparrow and did find two Western Bluebirds out in the scrub. From there, we stopped at the Lordsburg NM Welcome Center and while driving into it, I noticed an interesting colored bird in the scrub next to the highway overpass. Jumped out with the camera to see what was up. There I found a Bendire’s Thrasher hanging out in a nearby tree and then noticed a sparrow with the tell-tale rufous spot on the wings – a Vesper Sparrow. They also had a number of Brewer’s Sparrow that I had just found at White Sands earlier.
03/26/2025: Still on the road out to the southwest. Our travel plans took us through the top part of Texas which allowed me to try and get some extra checks for that state. Nothing was being reported at our previous visit in Amarillo, but did find a Cackling Goose at a place called Medical Center Park. Turned out to be a very nice spot and yes, did get the Cackling Goose tinned. From there we drove to Tucumacari KOA in New Mexico. The lake in the nearby WMA was basically dry and what little water there was there we couldn’t find a way through without having to trek through tall weeds (Snakes, no thanks). Got too very good checks there, a flying Chihuahuan Raven and there were at least 5 Sage Thrashers.
03/23/2025: We are off to Arizona for the month. We stopped at a KOA in Elk City Lake, OK and added a Barn Swallow to the list. Not too sexy, but a check is a check ha.
03/18/2025: This year Linda and I finally made an effort to get to Mendenhall Road outside of Pekin. There are always reports from there, but we never managed to get there. Managed to get a number of Illinois bird checks, but thanks to a miraculous shot of a flying bullet, captured a Rusty Blackbird as it flew across the backwaters. Not sure I got that bird last year, so that was a good catch.
03/14/2025: Decided to take walk in Jubilee College State Park. Wanted to explore the new trail and map out how that got me down into the bottoms and the various options to make it back out. In the midst of all this, flushed two Fox Sparrows from an tangle for a new check.
03/12/2025: Got an easy add today, the Common Grackle. We passed by a field with no less than 25 Robins. In the midst of all them was a couple Grackles just passing the day – an easy get as it is one of our staples here in the Midwest – much like the Great-Tails down in Texas.
02/25/2025: Upon arriving back from Texas, I was expecting to get at least one easy check – the Barred Owl. There are plenty of them in our woods and in the surrounding trees, but for some reason we were not hearing them. Linda was heading into town today and called me to inform me one had flown right in front of her car and landed in a nearby tree. Dropped what I was doing, grabbed the camera and headed out to the road. Took a bit of hunting in the treeline, but eventually found it staring right at me. Shots were crappy due to the bad light and numerous branches, but enough to get the check!
02/14/2025: The feeders were hopping today, likely due to the bitter cold last night. Although I had been taking a real close look at all the Sparrows, I was completely surprised to see two specimens with the key spots on the side of the face which meant they were Eurasian Tree Sparrows!! A nice get this early in the year and probably the first time I have ever seen more than one here at the same time. I have fallen to 30th on the Texas 100 list, but back to number 100 on the US list. Still lagging on the IL top 100 list, but slowly creeping up – now at 390. Firmly in the #9 position on the Peoria birders list now. Current count is 244+2 provisionals.
02/13/2025: Snow came in the night before which means the Horned Larks would be pushed in from the fields to the sides of the nearby country roads. Problem is it was incredibly cold (4 degrees) making it difficult to get out and get decent shots. There was a large flock (30+) on Forney Rd in Brimfield. When looking at the pictures back in the warmth of the den, noticed there were Lapland Longspurs in the mix which is a lifer for me! No Snow Buntings though, which was a disappointment.
02/9/2025: Weather has definitely turned cold, but I had a free day while Linda and boys were doing a local dog show. Headed out to Detweiller Riverside in hopes of getting the American Tree Swallow and a Common Goldeneye checked off – again, the 2024 ATS check didn’t come until December and didn’t want to the risk – similar to the Mute Swan a few days before. A drive down to the boat dock was pretty weak beyond a pair of Bald Eagles and a flock of Canada Geese. Went back to the main golf area and took the loop. Found the American Tree Swallow in the usual place in the far back right and even found a Swamp Sparrow handing out in the reeds by path down to the water. Being so close, decided to drive up to Rome and see if the Goldeneyes were hanging out there. Nellie Park was dead, but managed to find that duck while driving the waterfront road that leads to Rome. Had to take the shots from the road as there was no place to really park along there. Good enough for the check!
02/7/2025: Took a trip down to Banner with Linda as I wanted to get the Mute Swan checked off early this year. Last year I waited until December and that leaves to chance if the weather goes bad and I can’t get down there before the end of the year. Not to mention this also gave me a chance to pick up a Tundra and a Trumpeter. Banner East had both the Mute and Trumpeter, but no Tundra to be found. A Common Merganser also flew by while we were there giving me another nice check. From there we stopped at Mendenhall Road for the first time ever. An interesting place with multiple pond areas ahead of the boat ramp. You may be shocked to learn this location produced the first check of the Mallard for the year.
02/3/2025: I was able to get several of our backyard varieties on the Texas trip, but a few are starting to trickle in. Today’s add was the Purple Finch. For this bird, I usually rely on the very distinctive female to distinguish this species from the more common House Finch.
02/2/2025: Now home, time to start picking off the easy adds at the feeders. First to come to the now fully stocked feeders was a Black-Capped Chickadee.
01/31/2025: Last day of the month, our last stop for the Texas trip and we will be back home the following day. Managed to get a few +1s as we were driving to Sam Baker KOA near the Ozarks. There were several Canada Geese sitting by a pond near Searcy, AR followed by a mixed flock of Greater White-Fronted Geese and Snow Geese just outside Bald Knob. Just before hitting Bradford, a Bald Eagle soared overhead. We finally made it to the KOA – reminder, do not go there on a bad weather day as the road is atrocious. A walk of the grounds was able to add a Red-Headed Woodpecker (which I wanted in Caddo), White-Breasted Nuthatches and what I believe to be a Golden-Eagle kettling with a number of Vultures – note, the eBird reviewer would like proof of this. Shots were underneath and a bit dark do to the clouds, but the lack of white underneath and the deep cut in the back of the wings to the body is what Ron and I believe are the tells. Will take it for now, but this may get overturned upon further review. The first month of 2025 is officially in the books.
01/30/2025: Another quick run through Caddo Lake yielded a Blue Jay and better pics of the Pileated Woodpecker – they had several of them. This was the last get for Texas birds and unfortunately, unable to locate a Robin there. As irony would have it, that is the first bird I found when we stopped at the Little Rock, AR KOA later that day. High water mark was #12 in the top 100 Texas Birders list.
01/29/2025: Our next birding spot is a place we have been trying to visit for some time. Last year it was on the trip agenda to hit on our way out to Arizona, but Linda came down with Covid and we had to shorten the trip out. This year we were able to make on our way back, but the weather was not the greatest – chilly and wet. We still had a really nice time there and we will definitely make our way back there for more exploration. Being further north now, we are getting a a lot of new (and easy) birds for late adds to the Texas count. Just walking the road to the boardwalks and the boat ramp netted 7 new birds – Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, both a Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers a pull forward of the Tufted Titmouse and a surprise spotting of 2 Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. Also managed to get additional shots of the White-Throated Sparrow I didn’t get very good shots of while in Waco. Plenty of Dark-Eyed Juncos so we are definitely getting into colder climates.
01/28/2025: Next stop was Waco. Fortunately, we have had our fill of the Silos, so no need to take time going back there. Instead, made or way back to Lake Waco-Lacy Point to take advantage of the opportunity to get the Harris’ Sparrow. That proved easier than expected as there were several in the exact spot we found them the last time we were there (bringing back memories of the Rattlesnake that confronted me then). Managed to pick up a number of other birds; Red-Bellied WP, a brief look at a Spotted Towhee alerted to us by Merlin and there other Sparrows (Song, White-Crowned and White-Throated). Was quite the struggle to finally find the White-Crowned Sparrow as I couldn’t locate it even with all the calls they were making. At the last second, two popped up in a tree right next to me – everyone needs luck from time to time.
01/27/2025: Today was a busy day full of all new locations. But first, a quick run back to the bird blind and a quick run down by the river in hopes of getting a Waxwing, Eastern Towhee and a Robin that had been reported the year before. Got the Waxwing and a bonus Eastern Bluebird. Decided to go check out their Savannah Bird Blind near the entrance. Took a while to find it (need better trail maps/markings). That ended up being a complete bust – absolutely NOTHING there. Went back to the RV, had some lunch and then we headed over to Canyon Lake to see what that was all about. Water is waaaay down. The first place we went to was the Cranes overlook. Had to walk a bit to get down to the water, but found Canvasback and Hooded Merganser hanging out in a inlet just down from about 1500 Coots! From there off to Ramp 6 in a quest to get an Egyptian Goose. Completely looked past them at first, but found two of those Geese at the water’s edge – quite effective camouflage. Made a quick check on eBird and noticed Wood Ducks being reported at a place called Guadalupe River South Trail not too far away. Off we went! I have to say, this place is absolutely amazing. It is essentially a set of trails that follows a flowing stream with rather expensive houses lining the other side. There are multiple paths down, one close to the water that is a pretty rooty, a nice wide dirt path a little bit up the bank and then a nice wide path at the top if you just want to get further down quickly. I absolutely enjoyed this walk (would have been better without the boot). Met some great people on the walk – a local couple I was able to point out a pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks in the trees and another visiting couple that I had the opportunity to introduce both the Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers hanging out in the water. Just before making my way back to Linda and the boys in the car, a Northern Flicker called out from across the river to cap the day. Will definitely come back again and make sure Linda and boys get to enjoy it as well.
01/26/2025: Whether is still not great, but an earlier start today. In the midst of a very good bird outing, met some wonderful people including a couple of Canada that was just getting into birding. Big apologies as I gave them a bad ID on a Woodpecker – I was looking at a Downy Woodpecker, but sometime during our discussion it swapped with a Ladderback Woodpecker oops. Also met a lady at the overlook (one of my favorite places anywhere) that ended up with a very similar background – very athletic, big biker, triathlon events, hiker, kayaker and a husband that ran ultras. Robin was just coming off a bad ankle injury as well and was just getting back on the horse. We bonded over our many sports related injuries ha. Note, she runs the Cranky Pickle Pickleball company. Picked up the sure thing Lesser Goldfinch at the bird blind along with an American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow and a wait for it.. wait for it .. House Finch yeah! snark. As a complete surprise, found a Canyon Wren, a Golden-Crowned Kinglet and about dropped the camera when a Brown Creeper flew into a tree next to me. +9 for the day, awesome.
01/25/2025: The month was growing old and it was time to start heading back to the Midwestern tundra. Our schedule took us to one of my favorite state parks, Guadalupe River State Park outside San Antonio. In a complete surprise, I spotted a Lark Bunting on the side of the road on the way there outside of Hebbronville. It was a bit late by the time we made it to the park not leaving a lot of time bird. Opted to just hit the bird blind and get whatever was having a late dinner. Got a Common Raven as it flew over the RV and then an easy Carolina Chickadee in the blind. Will get up earlier tomorrow and hopefully be a lot more productive.
01/24/2025: We had another chance to go back to Salineño for a second attempt at the Seedeater and Red-Billed Pigeon. To cut the suspense early, failed on both again. We did manage to pick up an Anna’s Hummingbird that had shown up for the first time the day before. Somewhat disturbing was the 4 deep spin out tire tracks at the launch that was not there the afternoon before. Linda took me back to Dump road for another chance at a Scaled Quail that had been reported there. We were able to find the spot the eBird report (w/ pictures). No luck there, but as luck would have it we flushed one from the side of the road as we drove by. To quick to get a shot, but with both saw it and that is good enough for the check for these rather secretive birds.
01/23/2025: One of the places we definitely wanted to hit while we were this far west was Salineño Wildlife Preserve. There are always interesting eBird reports from there and the chance to get a Morelet’s Seedeater was definitely worth the trip over there. This place is right on the Rio Grande River and the road into it seems a bit sketchy. That may a bad first impression as we had no issues while we were there. The volunteers there are wonderful and happily answered all our questions and provided details about this particular location. There is actually two places here, one is the Wildlife Preserve and the other is referred to as the Back Yard. There are stocked feeders at the backyard along with chairs and an awning to enjoy the view. the Preserve takes you down to the river itself and there is a nice trail to the right that takes you to a nice overlook across from an island. Managed to get a Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher on the way in and spotted a Ringed Kingfisher (right where the volunteers said it would be next to the island) and a few Mexican Ducks where paddling around the island. Unfortunately, no Seedeater or Red-Billed Pigeon to be found.
01/22/2025: This year we planned to visit a spot further west than we had been in any other Texas trip. Destination, Falcon State Park in Falcon Heights. I was always a bit concerned about this park’s location – rather out there and pretty much on the border. I have to say, with the new administration, the border issue was definitely changed for the better so that put me at ease. Falcon SP ended up being a really nice place and will be on our list for future trips. Not a lot of time left for birding after the travel, so we just headed up to their butterfly garden. Wow, wow and more wow! Absolutely amazing as there were Inca Doves everywhere along with a host of other birds. Highlights was the Cactus Wren I spotted sitting in a tree on the way into the park and the Pyrrhuloxia that were surprisingly abundant. The jaw-dropper was the multiple coveys of Northern Bobwhites. I have only seen them once and that was thanks to startling two of them at Shaw Nature Preserve. Now they were just walking around out in the open giving me incredible shots. Even Linda thought they were cute enough to shoot! Highly recommend going to the bird blind across the street. Ended up tinning the Black-Throated Sparrow and the Hermit Thrush over there. A +5 for the day!!
01/21/2025: A trip to replenish groceries ended up in a new lifer! While at HEB in Mission, Linda noticed there was a Green Parakeet Colony eBird pin close by. Ended up being less than a mile down the frontage road. Plenty of birds, but we had no idea where the Parakeets were. Scanned the lines and did a few circles in a nearby Home Depot – no luck. Linda took one more loop around the block which basically circled a car dealership. As soon as Linda turned back on the frontage road I spotted 4 Green Parakeets sitting on the telephone wire – score! Linda pulled into the dealership so I could get a better shot. Linda called it…as soon as we stopped so I could get a shot, a salesman came out eager to make a sale. Sorry, just getting the Parakeet..which had flown away. He immediately understood and gave us additional details about the birds and recommended we try out the Palm trees behind the dealership. No luck there, but excited about the new lifer!
01/20/2025: The wet, cold, sleety weather was upon us. Hunkered down for most of the day, but we did take a quick drive to a nearby place called Lakeview Ponds. Odd place as it is basically just dirt roads that line a ponds to the left and right. You can also go all the way to the end and follow the levee to the right/left. We eventually bailed on the levee as it was getting a bit tight (and muddy) and driving behind people’s houses felt weird. On the way back down the dirt road, did manage to spot the Ross’s Goose that was reported there and picked up a Stilt Sandpiper there as well. Big thanks to the guy in the truck we met on the dirt road that gave us additional details on the place.
01/19/2025: It was travel day as we were moving our basecamp to Bentsen Palms in Mission, just outside of Bentsen-Rio SP. There is one bird still at Estero that I really wanted to get checked off. It was unlikely I was going to be able to find a Fulvous Whistling-Duck outside of this area as we had already passed Anahuac pre-turning of the calendar. It was also turning cold and the bad weather was coming in quick so we didn’t want to waste a lot of time. Checked in at the visitor center to check on the status of the Fulvous – “not seen today”. Ugh. Took a stroll out to the railing on the deck and started scanning the Ibis pond. Must be my lucky day – there it was paddling happily less than 20 feet out. Check, we can go now. With the sleet coming the next day, Linda and I make a quick run over to Bentsen-Rio State Park, Linda on bike, me still clunking around with the boat anchor. Made my way out to the boat dock which was definitely going to be the farthest I could make it – Linda rode up and informed me it didn’t matter as the blinds were temporarily closed due to aggressive Javelinas. No Ringed Kingfisher, but did find a Solitaire Sandpiper hunting with a Spotted Sandpiper at the water’s edge. Met a very nice couple originally from Wisconsin (he grew up in my hometown). Also ran into Mark and Joanie again from Santa Ana. They were waiting for Tom (director of this state park) to return as he had an Anna’s Hummer in his backyard. Linda and I actually met Tom a couple of years ago as he helped us track down the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Brown-Headed Nuthatch in Conroe, TX. Ran into him again a few days earlier at the Woodcock sighting at Santa Ana. Unfortunately the Anna didn’t show up, but had a great talk with them as we waited – an American Pipit did fly over for an easy check for the effort.
01/18/2025: In the past, there has always been a sure thing at the Progresso Silos – a few Yellow-Headed Blackbirds…well, that and about a billion Red-Winged Blackbirds and slightly less Rock Pigeons and Common Ground Doves plus their random kin. It is there we were headed to today. One problem.. since our many times there below, the main road into the silos was marked “Private” – well, that’s new. Linda immediately got to work to figure a back way into the area as there had to be a way in based purely on the recent eBird reports. Around and around we went, every attempt ended with a Private notice on the road short of the destination. Eventually reached out to our birding friend Huck (Estero Llano Grande SP volunteer) and asked him how he got there (the day before). His path ended up with a Private notice as well. Hmmm what to do. Without further details, we got the Yellow-Headed Blackbird and a bonus Brown-Headed Cowbird checked for the year!
01/17/2025: It’s my birthday!! I can’t think of a better way to spend it than birding and that is exactly what we did starting with getting up early and heading back to Santa Ana to do the birdwalk with Mark and Joanny, they partner with Lisa and Steve for the tours later in the week. Joanny is a Beardless Tyrannulate specialist and hoping she could spot one for me. That didn’t happen, BUT we a member in our walk got eyes on an American Woodcock at the end of the bird blinds on Willow Lakes. A great check and people were coming in from all over the rest of the day to see it including our friend Huck who we met at Estero last year. Added the White-Faced Ibis while there and even got an Anhinga flying overhead. The birdwalk itself was somewhat eclipsed by the buzz of the Woodcock sighting and Linda ended up peeling off and heading back to the car. I hung a bit longer hoping for the Tyrannulate, but time was clicking by so headed back as well. Picked up Linda and went back to the feeders for one last attempt at the Rose-Throated Becard – no luck. I wanted to get the Say’s Phoebe so headed back to Progresso Sod Farm and got that checked along with a Lark Sparrow I wasn’t expecting. A good birthday, but the broken windshield thanks to some idiot driving too fast in a turn lane was a downer.
01/16/2025: It is Space X launch day!! After several delays it was finally a go. If it would have gone off when it was supposed to we would have had a great location to watch from the KOA campground on SPI. Not wanting to get caught in the causeway traffic afterwards, we opted to stay on the mainland and watch it from the Texas Ecotourism elevated boardwalk. We got there early thinking it would be packed, it wasn’t, so we headed over to Laguna Vista for ANOTHER try a the Ani – in a nutshell NOPE, but did manage to find the Tropical Parula as it came into bath while I was standing at blind #3. Headed back to the Ecotourism site and watched the launch – absolutely incredible experience and even got to see them catch the booster. The payload, not so lucky as it blew in the skies over the Caribbean. Was able to get out of there pretty easily, so headed back to Laguna for ONE LAST TRY at the Ani. No luck, but did get to visit with Dave and his wife who I had met on a previous visit.
01/15/2025: Back to Estero for a second shot at the Cinnamon Teal. As we were walking out to Dowitcher Pond, a guy asked us if we were looking for anything special. Upon hearing our Cinnamon Teal response, he passed along information it was hanging out near the boardwalk further down “Right now?”, “Yes”. After thanking him we hurried out and within minutes had the Cinnamon checked off. A nice get as we had missed it at Santa Ana where we usually spot it. Added the Bewick’s Wren and the Common Ground-Dove. Ron also let me have the Sharp-Shinned Hawk even though I didn’t get a shot of it as it flew behind us at the levee – the volunteers there had confirmed it was there not too long before I spotted it. That night Ron and I went Scorpion hunting – not a lot out, likely due to being so cold that night, but plenty of Pauraquee hanging out on the levee. Ron headed back to Chicago later that evening, one day before the Space X finally launched their heavy rocket at Boca Chica.
01/14/2025: Wet and crappy weather day, so we opted to make this a chase day starting at Progresso Sod Farm. The Burrowing Owl we usually photograph had been killed earlier in the year by a car so that was a miss, although we later learned about another one that had shown up in the area. Really wanted to the Say’s Phoebe, but no luck there – just added a Savannah Sparrow for the trip. Ron was able to get the Long-Billed Curlew and a couple of other ones I already had. From there we went to the Superior Turf Farm. A new place for us and lesson learned, NOT a place to go when it is muddy. Wow, was that sloppy as it is basically a dirt service road for the sod farm. Made our way to the pin for a Burrowing Owl sighting, but could not locate it at that spot – did get a lifer of a Sprague’s Pipit and an Eastern Meadowlark that was hanging out in the field. Note, we should have looked a little closer as there were other targets there we missed, but we were primarily focused on the Owl. We went back and looked at the submitted pictures on eBird and noted it was hanging out on a round cement culvert pretty low to the ground. Headed back out the way we came and didn’t spot anything, so Linda pulled into an opening to turn around when Ron and I shouted at the same time “THERE IT IS”. Unbelievable, it was maybe 20 feet from the car for some of the best pictures we have ever had of one. Linda scores again!
01/13/2025: Travel day today as Ron and I hit the Santa Ana NWR birding walk, the National Butterfly Center in Mission and even caught the Monk Parakeet Colony in Hildago to that easy check for the year (note, that area appears to be getting really sketchy, get the picture and move along). Our guides were Steve and Lisa Murray who Ron and I know very well. They are incredible and never fail to provide a great walk. We were basically the only ones there so we basically got a personal tour. I added 10 new birds there with the highlights being the Eared Grebe, the Green Kingfisher I missed last year, a Least Flycatcher Ron was the first to spot and a Winter Wren. Big misses were the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulate and the Rose-Throated Becard. From there we headed over to the Butterfly Center to once again go after the Audubon Oriole. That took a bit of work, but finally spotted “Smudge” the hybrid and eventually the Audubon’s joined it as I had suspected would happen. The Black-Chinned Hummer was a good add, but the real shock was the 13 Wild Turkeys that came walking right up to us not long after getting out of the car. Now that is my kind of birding!!…also takes the pressure off of going to Bensen-Rio Grande SP as that is the main get we need there each year. There were also two 2-yr old Tortoises being walked by the staff – they had just been dropped off at their HQ over the holidays by someone and they were trying to figure out what to do with them – they get HUGE and they already had Spike there (at least I think he was still there, but not sure I actually saw him). The nice volunteers gave us all the background on these Tortoises and happily answered all our questions – note, they were not the protected Texas Tortoise variety.
01/12/2025: time to move basecamp as we headed over to Llano Grande RV Resort in Weslaco. While checking I noticed a Red-Shouldered Hawk being very vocal in a tree next to the check-in building. Needless to say, the rest of the day was spent at our favorite nearby spot, Estero Llano Grande SP. Always a great place to pick up new birds which held true for today. Added 9 birds today including the staple Common Pauraque, Cave Swallow, Tree Swallow, Black Phoebe, Least Grebe and the celebrity for the year, a Louisiana Waterthrush that had an injured wing was hanging out at Grebe Pond. Big thanks to Brian (another one) who showed us where the Eastern Screech Owl was hanging out at the back of the Butterfly Garden. Met two other great birders there Bruce and Mike we got to spend some time birding with – we were able to show them where the Pauraque were sleeping by Alligator Lake which they were very grateful for. No Cinnamon Teal today unfortunately.
01/11/2025: Big birding day today, we hit a lot of the big places around SPI starting at the Bird Viewing and Nature Center ($10 a person). After several visits, the Peregrine was FINALLY sitting on the water tower outside the center – Ron brings the luck ha. Not a whole lot for me otherwise beyond a Lesser Yellowlegs. From there we ran over to the mud flats under news there was a Black Scoter over there. We ran into Michelle again (lady who found the Grace’s Warbler at Oliviera). She spotted the Scoter on the far side of the flats – everyone jumped in the Jeep and we sludged through the wet sand and made our way over there. Sure enough, there was a gorgeous male Black Scoter hanging out very close to the shoreline for my best pictures ever of the male. On way back, found a Cattle Egret hanging out in the brush and even added the Western Sandpiper that were probing the sands as we drove by. From there we picked up Linda and headed over to Laguna Atascosa so Linda could take pictures of the “pretty” birds. Sure enough, the Roadrunners were hanging out on the entrance road. Plain Chachalacas and an Altamira Oriole put a the cap on a good day.
01/10/2025: The weather was not the best, so we decided to hold off on paying the SPI fee at the birding center until a sunnier day. Instead started over at Laguna Vista in hopes of getting that damn Groove-Billed Ani that has become clearly my top nemesis bird. Guess what…no Ani AAAARRRGGGHH. Did get to add the Cooper’s Hawk and a nice pickup of the Couch’s Kingbird which is always tough when trying to distinguish them from the Tropical variety. From there back to the Laguna Madre next to the SPI Convention Center. Ron got a lot of birds, but the only add for me was the American Wigeon. Was a nice Sora Ron spotted but I already had that checked for the year.
01/09/2025: Ron flew down today, so we focused on the Brownsville area starting with going back after the Hermit Warbler at the Buena Vista Cemetery. Met some very helpful birders while there, but we were unable to track down the elusive warbler. Was able to get a lot of new tins for the year including the Black and White Warbler, Black Crested Titmouse and a stunning Vermilion Flycatcher. A Clay-Colored decided to pay us a quick visit as well. From there we went after the Grace’s Warbler for my second attempt at getting that rarity in the tin and to let Ron witness the fly in of the Parrots. Not the best shots, but we did manage to get a shot of the Grace’s hanging out with some Wilson’s Warblers and a surprised Yellow Warbler. Met birding extraordinaire Ann there and had a great time talking and birding with her. The Parrots eventually made their way in a little later than the last time I was there and stayed more on the far side of the park next to the ball diamonds. Scanning with more purpose this time, we managed to get all the Parrot species except for the Lilac-Headed, although we need to review the pictures to see if one happened to be there we didn’t notice. That gives me the Yellow-Headed (lifer) to go with the Red-Lored, Red-Crowned and White-Fronted variety from the previous visit.
01/07/2025: With the bad weather coming in, Linda and I decided to check out the Brownsville Zoo – considered one of the best in Texas – it did NOT disappoint. Quite an amazing little place with a lot of exotic birds – the Scarlet Ibisi and the flock of Pink Flamingos were really cool. On the way there, lucked out and saw a White-Tailed Hawk on a tree a bit back from the main road between SPI and Brownsville. A nice get for a 112 for the year.
01/06/2025: Back to the chase. There were some good finds being reported in Brownsville – the Hermit Warbler at the Buena Vista Cemetery and the Grace’s Warbler at Oliviera Park. Made a quick run down to Boca Chica to see how the SpaceX efforts were going – there is a planned launch this Friday!! Cool seeing them get the booster ready and seeing the towers they are going to try and catch it with. Managed to get a Harris’s Hawk and Black Vulture on the drive. The cemetery ended up being a lot harder than expected. Although a small(er) place, there is a ton of thick trees there. Finding a single Warbler there was a needle in a haystack. There were a few other birders there, but no sighting. Did get advice to look for the Butterbutts and the Orange Crown flocks and try to spot a yellow head. Got a Blue-Headed Vireo but no luck on the Hermit. Went over to Oliviera for a try. Was lucky enough to run into Michelle who actually found the Grace’s the first time. She was birding the spot it was found and gave me some key info like its pension to hang in back part of the trees that lined the bike trail. Even with our combined efforts, no luck, but got a Pine Warbler for the effort. Made a quick food run and came back for the 5:00pm Parrot arrival. Absolutely amazing as they came flocking in with the calls on 11! Snapped every Parrot I could knowing I could go through them later that night. Noticed I had definitely got the Red-Lored, Red-Crowned and White-Fronted variety. Will have to go through the images closer to see if the Yellow-Headed was in the mix. Quite the exhilarating end of the day. New count at 111.
01/05/2025: Today was the big “pay-day”, Literally. As much as I like the SPI Birding and Nature Center, I always cringe a bit forking over $10 a person – especially knowing the Purple Gallinule and the Mangrove Warbler had not been seen for some time. Even without those big pluses, did manage to get a large number of birds in the tin. Green Herons were thick, but the real surprise was the high number of Yellow-Crowned Night Herons that were there. I have not seen them there before and this time there were 7 including 2 juvis. Nice Spoonbills and got a bons Spotted Sandpiper on our second visit there of the day. The best bird of the visit was the flyover of the Sandwich Tern. From there I made another trip to Laguna Vista in search of the elusive Anis. Made 4 loops around the park without luck. Did get the Verdin missed the day before and met several other birders along the way (new birders Mark and is wife). Did get some great advice from one birder who let me know the Anis like to perch hidden in thick trees – this may be why I have not been spotting them as I was looking for them in more Crow like perch positions. A Crested Caracara flyby was a nice bonus. Back to SPI Birding Center and the mud flats. The lone Oystercatcher was a nice cap to a good day of birding. Past the first hundred mark with 101.
01/04/2025: Today we moved our basecamp to South Padre Island. Figured we would leave the pay visit to the Birding Center until the following day and instead hit the other standard birding places. Hit the SPI Mudflats first for a nice haul. Lots of Redheads, Royal Terns and Black Skimmers to start the birding day. Caught the Laguna Madre Trail after that. Fairly dead but Gators are always a bright spot in the day. Time to go after the Tropical Parula and my nemesis the Groove-Billed Ani at Laguna Vista Nature Trail. A very productive visit even though it was pretty hot out. Key finds was the Buff-Bellied Hummer, female Hood Warbler, both the Curved and Long Billed Trasher, Olive Sparrow, Nashville Warbler and a nice fly over from a White-Tailed Kite. No Rufous Hummer or Tropical Parula found, but 2 others alerted me to 4 Anis down the trail. Tore out of the blind, but unable to find them – swear I am never going to get that bird. Fourth day of the young year puts me at a respectable 90.
01/03/2025: Back to Leona Turnbull to start the morning. As noted yesterday, Met Tim and Q again on the boardwalk – they alerted me to two Clappers they had found (big thanks!). Also managed to really good looks at a Black-Throated Green Warbler that they had alerted me to the day before. Decided to head over to Charlie’s Pasture North. Tim had mentioned there were Plovers reported there and was on his way over there. Spotted them at a far overlook when I got there and slowly hobbled my way out there. Definitely worth the strain on the ankle as there were several Plover species out there an a few more shorebirds working the far pond. Had a great time getting to know Tim and Q and hope we can keep in touch and our paths will across again out in the field. Thanks to a couple of Belted Kingfishers on the channel wall as I was heading out, the 3rd day upped my count to 66.
01/02/2025: Started the morning at Leona Turnbull Birding Center. Leona never fails to produce and was able to fill in a lot of the usual checks. I was intrigued by a larger and odder looking Gull frolicking a distance out from the left boardwalk. A couple (Tom and Tonya, they laughed and declared it wasn’t planned) helped confirm that it was a Lesser Black-Backed Gull. A good catch as we had already passed Brazoria NWR where I usually get that ticked for the year. No Soras or Clappers to be found. From there went to Robert’s Park to see some Dolphins and get a few easy checks. Next up another attempt at the Kelp Gull. Passed the Aplomado viewing platforms again and counted 1 on first platform, 2 on second and another 2 on the third one – by far the most I have ever seen in one general area. Started at BM 212 at Whitecap Beach and drove all the way down the shoreline to BM 245 until I spotted it preening near the waterline YESSS! Next up, another attempt at the Cattle Tyrant and a quick shot at getting a Brown Booby. No Boobs found around the TA&M campus, but drove up to the blue dumpster at the Oyster Bar and sure enough, sitting pretty – easiest chase you will ever make. A runt through Swanter Park didn’t lead to much nor did the stop at Red Dot for the Iceland Gull. Drove back over to Leona when we returned. Met another Cat retiree (Arther H.) and had a great talk with him while we watched the Whooping Cranes that had come in close to the boardwalk on the right side. Also met Two other birders, Tim and Q – Tim was on a Texas Big Year effort with a 450+ goal. Ended up meeting them again on the day as they alerted me to the Clappers. Add the Sora with the rest of the haul for a new 2nd day total of 58. Note, now 4 for 4 on the rarities.
01/01/2025: It’s the start of the new year here in Port Aransas, TX, or as I like to say, THE BEST BIRDING DAY OF THE YEAR. Every single bird is tick on the tally sheet! Decided the best approach was to chase the rarities in the area before focusing on the easier birds to see. Started with a chase for the Kelp Gull which we found the day before to close out the 2024 year. On the way we caught the Aplomado Falcons sitting on the platforms across from Mustang Island – this will take the pressure off hunting those down on South Padre Island. Unfortunately struck out on the Kelp after cruising through the beach area we discovered it yesterday. Time to go after the Black Scoters in Corpus Christi. Started at Sunset Park where they were reported earlier that morning – no luck, but did check off a number of other birds including the Marbled Godwit. As luck would have it, I managed to spot a group of Scoters on our return back across the causeway toward Corpus Christi. Initial shots were a bit fuzzy, but the profile looked right. Had Linda drive back over the causeway and in a bit of miracle got a picture (while car was going 55mph) of 4 females and 1 male Black Scoter – my first male Black Scoter ever and a lucky Common Loon for the bonus. Since it was on the way, we dropped over to try and get the Cattle Tyrant we had just seen the day before on the blue dumpster – no luck, but had a great chat with other birders at the stakeout. 2-4 so far. Dropped by Charlie’s Pasture South for a chance to get the Whooping Crane. Managed to get that checked off in the week leading up to the end of 2024 at Goose Island and didn’t want to waste the time to drive all the way back up there. Hobbled my way towards an observation tower seeing LB Curlews and a number of Herons/Egrets, but no 5′ tall white birds. I nice couple coming towards me on the trail alerted me to a sighting out from the observation tower. Hobbled my way out there and sure enough one was there and two ladies there also put eyes on 3 more further out (2 males, 1 juvi). Not bad, a number of incidentals and 3 out of 5 for the rarities brought my first day total to 32.
Wildlife Intrigued 