Quarantine Chronicles Part 3: Texas, Hook-billed Kite

Because of the coronavirus pandemic my ability to go birding has been hindered so I decided to write about some of my favorite birding adventures in a series called the Quarantine Chronicles. This post is about my first trip primarily for birding, which was in South Texas in December of 2018. South Texas, more specifically the Rio Grande Valley, is one of the best birding areas in North America. It has a unique mixture of Gulf Coast and Central American birds. Many of these birds can’t be found anywhere else in North America. On the first day we spotted one of the rarest birds of our trip, the Hook-billed Kite.

These pictures were taken before I had my Nikon P1000 camera. My Dad took all of the pictures in the post. Thanks Dad for letting me use these! Here are my favorite shots from our first two days in Texas.

Quarantine Chronicles Part 2 here.

12/23/2018

White-tailed Kite
A White-tailed Kite perched in the distance.
Crested Caracara
Crested Caracara.
Gray Hawk
An immature Gray Hawk.
Northern Bobwhite
A small flock of Northern Bobwhite.
American White Pelican
Wow! Look at this flock of American White Pelicans circling above our heads.
Hook-billed Kite
Our main target of the day, a Hook-billed Kite! Hook-billed Kites are rare in the United States and can only be found at several locations right along the border. They can easily be identified by their broad paddle-like wings.
Harris's Hawk
Harris’s Hawk circling overhead.
Green Jay
A Green Jay enjoying a feeder.
Inca Dove
Inca Doves feeding on the ground. These small doves have distinctive scaly backs.
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker.
Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinal.
Greater Roadrunner
Greater Roadrunner.
Plain Chachalaca
A flock of Plain Chachalaca.
Long-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher bathing in a small puddle.
Curve-billed Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher.
Tropical or Couch's Kingbird
A Tropical or Couch’s Kingbird. These two birds are almost identical and only identified confidently by voice.

12/24/2018

On our second day in Texas we spent most of our time birding at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge which had seemingly endless trails. This is the only time I have ever seen 100 species in one day! It is an incredible birding spot. We ended the day at a Green Parakeet roost in the town of McAllen. These are some of the only wild Parakeets in North America.

Great-tailed Grackle
Great-tailed Grackles perched on a stump in a lake.
Least Grebe
A Least Grebe in the morning light.
Vermilion Flycatcher
Vermilion Flycatcher.
Green Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher.
Tricolored Herons
Two Tricolored Herons.
Harris's Hawk
Nemesis no more! After chasing and missing Harris’s Hawks in Colorado a half dozen times, I finally found one in Texas. These birds are common in South Texas which is in their native range.
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird.
Olive Sparrow
Olive Sparrow.
Common Pauraque
A Common Pauraque. These nocturnal birds sleep on the ground during the day and hunt insects at night.
Common Pauraque
These birds are perfectly camouflaged!
Green Parakeets
Green Parakeets sitting on a wire.
Green Parakeets
The Green Parakeets flying off into the night.

Stay tuned for the rest of our trip, coming soon!