South Padre Island this morning was hot and humid but the weather said there was a weather change midday. This is the second time we have had this. The day starts out all hot and humid, a big wind comes and within a few minutes the temperature has dropped to cool. This happened exactly when we were to start our three hour tram ride (in the open air with 50 seats) to tour the huge refuge. The winds were crazy and the palms trees were swaying away. There were few birds able to fly in these winds. So that was the type of day.
In the morning when we set out and turned to go through Laguna Vista we went by a park by the bay. We noticed something in the park. We turned in and found over 100 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on the grass. So it was a great start to the day. We had not seen this species yet although there were places we should have seen them. So we saw them in spades today.
We had White-tailed Kite, White-tailed Hawk, Harris's Hawk and Crested Caracara and many
Ospreys. I should add that we were looking for the Aplomado Falcon. This is what we wanted to see.
At the refuge we saw the usual south Texas winter suspects (Green Jay, Orange-crowned Warbler, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Great-tailed Grackle and many many Red-winged Blackbirds). We drove to Osprey Lookout and we saw Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egret and far out, many ducks. We did not have a scope.
WE learned today that Laguna Atascosa has 80% of the North American winter population of Redhead Ducks. We did not see any today. The guide told me that normally we would see rafts of these ducks. Nothing was out in the rough water and wind and the fellow had a scope. So it was an unusual day for the refuge. Where did the ducks go?
Before the tram tour, Barbr and I walked a couple of trails and had a picnic lunch. The tram started at 12:30 pm and off we went on the tram ride in the blustery wind that got worse as the tour went on. We saw White-tailed Deer and an Armadillo. We did not see any Nilgai (a type of antelope from India and Pakistan that were brought here by the King Ranch years ago and some escaped into the wild. The males are dark and weigh anywhere from 400 to 800 pounds and the females are smaller and lighter in colour. Nilgai means blue bull. I just googled the Nilgai in Texas and on the web it says that a zoo brought them in but we heard from the farmer the other day and today the guide that it was the King Ranch or a very big ranch for trophy hunting. So who knows, but we briefly saw some crossing the trail up on Brushline north of McAllen. So the Nilgai have thrived in South Texas.
Laguna Atascosa has 11 pairs of Aplomado Falcons that are doing well within the refuge. To save the Aplomado Falcon from predation by Crested Caracaras and Owls, hack boxes have been devised. These boxes allow a safe place for the Aplomado Falcon and are set up in various places as the park rangers follow these birds. The Aplomado Falcon program is very successful here. So it was at one of the stops in the tram tour, that we viewed from a distance two Aplomado Falcons sitting outside a hack box!!! The light rain came and the three hour tour quickly became a two-hour tour. There were people in T-shirts and shorts and sandals freezing on the tram and people were sharing towels and any extra clothing. On a sunny hot day like yesterday, the tram ride would have been great. Barbr said that if we had a good look at the Aplomado Falcon (and take the picture of it) she would buy a t-shirt. No T-shirt was purchased today.
Barbr and I left the park and continued to look for the Aplomado Falcon in the neighbouring fields but had no luck. It was 4 pm and time to head home. At Port Isabelle before the bridge to South Padre Island, we stopped for take-out meals at a fish Restaurant Jane and I stopped at on the last trip here. My fish was great and Barbr enjoyed her 1/2 pound hamburger.
We crossed the bridge to South Padre Island and it was windy, the water was full of white caps. After supper we went for a walk to the nearby CVS drug store in the windy weather. By the time we walked back, it was dark and we managed to walk into some muddy spots and our shoes were like mud blocks!
We hope that tomorrow the weather will be better. We plan to visit the World Birding Center here on the island. We have met many people here that are winter people here from the northern states and Manitoba and Ontario. We did not realize Texas was so popular as many of these people are not birders but some are fishermen and the fishing is good here. Plus it is much cheaper to visit here than in many places in Florida.
As I write this we can still hear the thundering booming wind outside.
In the morning when we set out and turned to go through Laguna Vista we went by a park by the bay. We noticed something in the park. We turned in and found over 100 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on the grass. So it was a great start to the day. We had not seen this species yet although there were places we should have seen them. So we saw them in spades today.
We had White-tailed Kite, White-tailed Hawk, Harris's Hawk and Crested Caracara and many
At the refuge we saw the usual south Texas winter suspects (Green Jay, Orange-crowned Warbler, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Great-tailed Grackle and many many Red-winged Blackbirds). We drove to Osprey Lookout and we saw Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egret and far out, many ducks. We did not have a scope.
WE learned today that Laguna Atascosa has 80% of the North American winter population of Redhead Ducks. We did not see any today. The guide told me that normally we would see rafts of these ducks. Nothing was out in the rough water and wind and the fellow had a scope. So it was an unusual day for the refuge. Where did the ducks go?
Before the tram tour, Barbr and I walked a couple of trails and had a picnic lunch. The tram started at 12:30 pm and off we went on the tram ride in the blustery wind that got worse as the tour went on. We saw White-tailed Deer and an Armadillo. We did not see any Nilgai (a type of antelope from India and Pakistan that were brought here by the King Ranch years ago and some escaped into the wild. The males are dark and weigh anywhere from 400 to 800 pounds and the females are smaller and lighter in colour. Nilgai means blue bull. I just googled the Nilgai in Texas and on the web it says that a zoo brought them in but we heard from the farmer the other day and today the guide that it was the King Ranch or a very big ranch for trophy hunting. So who knows, but we briefly saw some crossing the trail up on Brushline north of McAllen. So the Nilgai have thrived in South Texas.
Laguna Atascosa has 11 pairs of Aplomado Falcons that are doing well within the refuge. To save the Aplomado Falcon from predation by Crested Caracaras and Owls, hack boxes have been devised. These boxes allow a safe place for the Aplomado Falcon and are set up in various places as the park rangers follow these birds. The Aplomado Falcon program is very successful here. So it was at one of the stops in the tram tour, that we viewed from a distance two Aplomado Falcons sitting outside a hack box!!! The light rain came and the three hour tour quickly became a two-hour tour. There were people in T-shirts and shorts and sandals freezing on the tram and people were sharing towels and any extra clothing. On a sunny hot day like yesterday, the tram ride would have been great. Barbr said that if we had a good look at the Aplomado Falcon (and take the picture of it) she would buy a t-shirt. No T-shirt was purchased today.
Barbr and I left the park and continued to look for the Aplomado Falcon in the neighbouring fields but had no luck. It was 4 pm and time to head home. At Port Isabelle before the bridge to South Padre Island, we stopped for take-out meals at a fish Restaurant Jane and I stopped at on the last trip here. My fish was great and Barbr enjoyed her 1/2 pound hamburger.
We crossed the bridge to South Padre Island and it was windy, the water was full of white caps. After supper we went for a walk to the nearby CVS drug store in the windy weather. By the time we walked back, it was dark and we managed to walk into some muddy spots and our shoes were like mud blocks!
We hope that tomorrow the weather will be better. We plan to visit the World Birding Center here on the island. We have met many people here that are winter people here from the northern states and Manitoba and Ontario. We did not realize Texas was so popular as many of these people are not birders but some are fishermen and the fishing is good here. Plus it is much cheaper to visit here than in many places in Florida.
As I write this we can still hear the thundering booming wind outside.
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