Today dawned gray and dismal again but there was little wind, the mist cleared up a bit and it was warmer. It made a world of difference to the day for us and we headed inland and it was even warmer there. This is the view from the bridge of Port Isabel (I just noticed I misspelled the name in earlier posts.
It is said that sometimes it is the journey to the target spot that is the real adventure and it was today. Texas 48 from Port Isabel is a wonderful drive through marshes and mudflats and brackish waterways. There are a couple of pull-outs to get off the highway, primarily for the fishermen but it works for birders also. It was foggy but there was good visibility for a maybe a hundred feet. At the first stop we could see many Redheads today but they were far away in this huge bay. There were shorebirds and wading birds and flying birds all along the way. In a way it felt like Africa or Thailand with the numbers of birds at every turn. So we enjoyed getting to our target spot in Brownsville. There were Long-billed Curlew, Spotted Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Sanderlings, Reddish Egrets, both Pelicans, and many bird we just could not see the details as they were too far away with the mist/fog. A scope would have been great but even then at a certain distance it was all foggy/mist.
We headed to the Brownsville Landfill to bird as it is supposed to be a great spot in the winter to bird. We could not find it, it was nearby but it sounds like there was a road adjustment since the brochure was done up. We are finding that the Birding Brochure is outdated on several locations. In our case this is the third time we find that we can't get to the place using the printed directions (Brownville Landfill) or the birding spot does not exist anymore (McAllen ) or it is no longer allowed to go and overlook a dam (Falcon Dam). In today's case, the access was a nearby road which we could have got there but I phoned and the Brownsville authority said that the Landfill was too muddy and no one was allowed in until things dried up. So with that news we went to plan #2, a trip down to Boca Chica Drive & Beach again.
It is a really interesting drive for raptors and it was again today. Plus we happened to spot a sole Horned Lark on the rocks. I was keen to look for the crow I had seen here last time but did not get a photo. I remember looking at it and thinking they don't have American Crows here and what is it (possibility is Tamaulipas Crow) but by the time I picked up the camera, it was gone. It was right at the beach by the ocean and the Mexican border is not far off. So when I told a guide about it, it was likely it was. We did not see it today. Again it was foggy but it felt like the sun was going to break through at times. We had lunch here today and there was a Great Blue Heron, looking like it had seen better days standing in the vegetation on the dune. He stood there the whole time we were there and it looked as if he was an old Great Blue Heron, sort of like Gandalf. Here he is.
This time when we went through the border control checkpoint, I figured out that the border control officers must take license numbers down. This was our third time coming back through the checkpoint. The last time we drove to Boca Chica we did not make it all the way as our gas was low and we did not want to get stuck 15 miles down the road without any gas. This was a wise decision as there is nothing there at the end of the drive but the beach, no gas station, no cafe, no facilities, nothing. We went through the check point and the officers told us where to fill up and that with less than a quarter tank we had enough gas to get to the gas station in Brownsville. Once gassed up we headed to Boca Chica Drive and Beach again. And so on the same day we had to go through the checkpoint a second time on the return journey from the beach.
Today on our return journey from the beach, at the border checkpoint, the border guard simply asked me what unusual things did we see? I told him about he unusual bird today we found - Horned Lark. The two fellows waved us on.
We returned to Port Isabel shortly after 3 pm and it was too early to go back to South Padre so we drove to Laguna Vista and drove the nearby farm roads looking for the Aplomado. Nope. Lucky we saw it at Laguna Atascosa National Refuge on Sunday. We were hoping to find it on our own and get some photos.
It was getting more overcast and we headed over to the bridge to South Padre Island. It was foggy or misty or something so driving up the part of the bridge that is the highest it seemed we were in the clouds.
Supper was takeout for Barbr and I still had some supper to microwave. We were looking forward to the photos as several birds had to be identified from the photo. There is always a very good "discussion". We were quite happy with the day. There were lots of birds.
It is said that sometimes it is the journey to the target spot that is the real adventure and it was today. Texas 48 from Port Isabel is a wonderful drive through marshes and mudflats and brackish waterways. There are a couple of pull-outs to get off the highway, primarily for the fishermen but it works for birders also. It was foggy but there was good visibility for a maybe a hundred feet. At the first stop we could see many Redheads today but they were far away in this huge bay. There were shorebirds and wading birds and flying birds all along the way. In a way it felt like Africa or Thailand with the numbers of birds at every turn. So we enjoyed getting to our target spot in Brownsville. There were Long-billed Curlew, Spotted Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Sanderlings, Reddish Egrets, both Pelicans, and many bird we just could not see the details as they were too far away with the mist/fog. A scope would have been great but even then at a certain distance it was all foggy/mist.
We headed to the Brownsville Landfill to bird as it is supposed to be a great spot in the winter to bird. We could not find it, it was nearby but it sounds like there was a road adjustment since the brochure was done up. We are finding that the Birding Brochure is outdated on several locations. In our case this is the third time we find that we can't get to the place using the printed directions (Brownville Landfill) or the birding spot does not exist anymore (McAllen ) or it is no longer allowed to go and overlook a dam (Falcon Dam). In today's case, the access was a nearby road which we could have got there but I phoned and the Brownsville authority said that the Landfill was too muddy and no one was allowed in until things dried up. So with that news we went to plan #2, a trip down to Boca Chica Drive & Beach again.
It is a really interesting drive for raptors and it was again today. Plus we happened to spot a sole Horned Lark on the rocks. I was keen to look for the crow I had seen here last time but did not get a photo. I remember looking at it and thinking they don't have American Crows here and what is it (possibility is Tamaulipas Crow) but by the time I picked up the camera, it was gone. It was right at the beach by the ocean and the Mexican border is not far off. So when I told a guide about it, it was likely it was. We did not see it today. Again it was foggy but it felt like the sun was going to break through at times. We had lunch here today and there was a Great Blue Heron, looking like it had seen better days standing in the vegetation on the dune. He stood there the whole time we were there and it looked as if he was an old Great Blue Heron, sort of like Gandalf. Here he is.
This time when we went through the border control checkpoint, I figured out that the border control officers must take license numbers down. This was our third time coming back through the checkpoint. The last time we drove to Boca Chica we did not make it all the way as our gas was low and we did not want to get stuck 15 miles down the road without any gas. This was a wise decision as there is nothing there at the end of the drive but the beach, no gas station, no cafe, no facilities, nothing. We went through the check point and the officers told us where to fill up and that with less than a quarter tank we had enough gas to get to the gas station in Brownsville. Once gassed up we headed to Boca Chica Drive and Beach again. And so on the same day we had to go through the checkpoint a second time on the return journey from the beach.
Today on our return journey from the beach, at the border checkpoint, the border guard simply asked me what unusual things did we see? I told him about he unusual bird today we found - Horned Lark. The two fellows waved us on.
We returned to Port Isabel shortly after 3 pm and it was too early to go back to South Padre so we drove to Laguna Vista and drove the nearby farm roads looking for the Aplomado. Nope. Lucky we saw it at Laguna Atascosa National Refuge on Sunday. We were hoping to find it on our own and get some photos.
It was getting more overcast and we headed over to the bridge to South Padre Island. It was foggy or misty or something so driving up the part of the bridge that is the highest it seemed we were in the clouds.
Supper was takeout for Barbr and I still had some supper to microwave. We were looking forward to the photos as several birds had to be identified from the photo. There is always a very good "discussion". We were quite happy with the day. There were lots of birds.
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