Month: April 2019

A three-day weekend allowed us to have a quick getaway to Texas and hopefully see the Whooping Cranes. We landed in Houston early Saturday and arrived at Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR at 10:00 am. It was cold and misty so we expected to see raptors and not much else. There was only one other car on the wildlife drive and they confirmed seeing Sprague’s Pipit on the shoulder. We did have a five raptor morning with the best a White-tailed Hawk. Eighteen species in total including five more year birds: American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Sedge Wren, and Vesper and Song Sparrow.

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Next, we were off to Cibolo and Crescent Bend Nature Park. The park was once a residential trailer park that was devastated by flooding in 1997 and 1998. The many trails wind through varying habitats with opportunities for diverse birds. Of the 27 species, the biggest surprise was hearing a Barred Owl in the early afternoon. We added seven more year birds: Eurasian Collared Dove, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Black-crested Titmouse, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Chipping Sparrow and Great-tailed Grackle.

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San Antonio

After the early flight and great day of birding, we made our first visit to San Antonio. Seeing the Alamo and knowing the history behind it made us understand why this is the pride of Texas. The Riverwalk has so much to offer with dining and shopping along the San Antonio River. With so many choices it was hard to decide but we ate dinner at Boudro’s, a wonderful new American bistro. They even offer a dining option on a barge while you float down the river passing the colorful boats.

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Saturday morning we joined the San Antonio Audubon Society bird walk at Mitchell Lake Audubon Center. We checked in at the Nature Store and birded the grounds and feeders while the group assembled. Great birds were the Lincoln’s Sparrow, Spotted Towhee and Pyrrhuloxia. We heard the Audubon’s Oriole call several times which was ID’d by our leader. If we realized this was a life bird we would have asked to spend more time trying to see the bird.

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The group loaded up for a caravan around the property. In the two hours scouting the lakes, we tallied 45 species. Seven different ducks including 600 Northern Shovelers and 150 Ruddy Ducks. Unfortunately, we had to leave the group at 10:00 to head for our next birding destination.

Whooping Cranes

One of the main goals of the trip was to see Whooping Cranes. The only one we have ever seen was in Central Florida during our little big year of 2015. We checked in at the Inn at Fulton Harbor and walked across the street to board the boat for our tour. It was a little rough heading out to Aransas Bay but well worth it when we saw our first Whooping Crane. We saw a total of 19 Whooping Cranes and recommend taking the tour with Rockport Adventures.

On the ride back we stopped to see the Long-billed Curlews and Long-billed Dowitchers. One bird we did not expect to see was the American Bittern on the lawn in front of the Inn. The final count for this tour was 39 species and seven year birds including Crested Carcara, Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

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King Ranch

Our last birding adventure of the trip is a tour of Santa Gertrudis Unit of King Ranch in Kingsville. This is an immense working ranch that has been active since the 1800s. Whitney Lanfranco was our guide and both an excellent birder and knowledgable about the history of the ranch. We met her and the other participants to begin our van ride around the property. We knew this would be a bonanza for our Texas target birds. Just out of the parking lot we saw one of our favorites, the Great Kiskadee.

First stop was an old wooden trestle where we saw a Neotropic Cormorant, Belted Kingfisher, and several Crested Caracara. Winding our way along the ranch roads we checked the cactus patches for the Curve-billed Thrasher but did not find it. We stopped briefly at one of the horse corrals (cowboys on horseback still do much of the work here) and a male Vermilion Flycatcher was hawking bugs. After that, there are large numbers of Western Meadowlark and Sandhill cranes, as well as both the Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

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Some of the pasture roads are accessed by what are called bump gates. These are basically turn-style type gates that can be opened by contact with the truck bumper and self close behind you so it is not necessary to leave the vehicle. We go through several on the way to the feeders and also spot a couple of Pyrrhuloxia near there. As soon as the guide put her special feed on the platform the birds arrive from all directions. There are Green Jays, Long-billed Thrashers, Black-crested Titmouse and White-tipped Dove. An Olive Sparrow was a very nice addition to the list.

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On the final leg of the ranch tour, we drive along Reservoir Number 5 which has a variety of ducks, including Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck and Northern Shoveler. After a patient search, we finally get good looks at several Least Grebe, always a special waterbird for us. Heading back towards the Visitor Center, one bird then another pops out of the grass next to the tire ruts and fly high into the air. This would be the elusive Sprague’s Pipit and what a nice way to end our tour. There are too many birds to mention so you can see the eBird checklist here.

This is our second trip to the King Ranch, the first being with the Rio Grande Bird Festival. That time we birded the Norias Division at the south end of the ranch property. King Ranch offers a variety of birding tours and some are overnight tours due to the large area that needs to be covered. We will definitely be back and highly recommend this Texas gem to all our birder friends.

Trip Birds: 116     Year Birds: 44 Life Birds: 1

Next Up: South Florida Birding and Glamping