Texas March & April 2025
- Bob Croxton
- Apr 11
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 30
More editing/formatting and more photos to come. Usual struggles with identyfing American sparrows, managed to get all the peeps sorted. Separating Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitchers is problematic, particularly as many were between winter and summer plumages. Hopefully all the butterflies have been identified, but dragonflies have been difficult, despite having a 'Dragonflies of Texas' booklet and using Google Lens.
Despite all the gloomy stories about going to the USA at present, nothing but the usual polite and friendy locals, out of this world facilities at most nature reserves. All the smaller urban nature reserves, put simuler sites in the UK to shame. No issues going through border control and crossing through the Mexican border wall several times, to visit the Nature Reserves along the Rio Grande.
Weather
The first few days warm and sunny, then a number of wet afternoons and very heavy rain on the 28 March, followed by almost constant sunshine. A few day before I arrived in the Rio Grande Valley a year's worth of rain fell in a single day, this caused some roads to be closed and Santa Anna NP and Estero Llano Grande SP had restricted access due to flooding. My time in the Rio Grande Valley was hampered by very hot afternoons reaching 38c. After leaving the Valley, the rest of the visit was just warm and sunny.
Monday 24 March (Winnie)
My, forth visit to Texas following on from 2000, 2008 and 2023. Arrived at Houston at 3 pm. No satnav in the car and problems connecting a mobile phone meant I had to drive south around Houston and out to the east at rush hour, just following road numbers and trying to avoid toll roads, which I amazingly achieved. Only a few Turkey Vultures, Starlings and unknown grackles noted in the urban areas.
Once I left the freeway and went onto farm roads to the west of Winnie the more common birds of the USA were found Northern Mocking Bird, Red-winged Blackbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron flew out of a ditch with what looked like a small snake, White Ibis. As the sun set I dropped on a few raptors Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, unknown buto (prob Red-tailed Hawk), and my first ever White-tailed Hawk. Large flocks of distant Cormorants presumably Neotropical were also on the move at dusk.
Tuesday 25 March (Winnie)
High Island
Smith's Oak Wood
Early morning mist becoming very warm and sunny. From the Merlin app Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Seen Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret, Night Heron, Neotropical Cormorant, Anhinga, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Moorhen, Blue-winged Teal, American Coot, Tri-coloured Heron, Black Vulture, Cedar Waxwing.
Boy Scout's Wood
The fact that I was the only person present at this iconic venue sums up the lack of birds present. Thrush species, Cattle Egret.
South Pear Orchard Road - ponds Black-necked Stilt, Green-winged Teal, Shoveler, Glossy Ibis.
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
Barn Swallow, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Pied-billed Grebe, Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Greater Yellow-legs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Forster's Tern, Crested Caracara, Willet, Brown Pelican, Lark Sparrow, White-faced Ibis, Glossy Ibis.
Farm roads back to Winnie
White-tailed Dove, Eastern Meadow Lark, Eastern Kingbird plus regular sightings of Northern Harrier. Many Alligators at most sites. After seeing many dead by the roadside over the years, finally a live Racoon was seen crossing the road.
Wednesday 26 March (Galveston Bay)
Overcast and warm.
Winnie area farm tracks
Very much the same as previous days.
Rollover Pass
Black-bellied Plover, American Oystercatcher, Semipalmated Plover, Reddish Egret,
Yacht Basin Road
Two Ospreys atop power line posts, one with fish.
Bolivar Flatts (A beach you can take a car on and get close to birds, Royal, Caspian, Sandwich & Little Terns, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sanderling, Turnstone, Dunlin, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, American Avocet.
North Jetty
Short-billed Dowitcher.
Fort Travis Park
Hudsonian Whimbrel. Osprey.
Galveston area East Beach
Wilson's Plover, Least Sandpiper, Black Skimmer.
8 Mile Road
Many waders and wildfowl, but no new species
Laffite's Cove Nature Society (A small reserve in an exclusive housing estate, very impressive.)
Black-bellied Whistling Duck.
Galveston Island State Park
White-tailed Kite, Sora Crake, Virginia Rail, Stilt Sandpiper.
Sora Crake
Thursday 27 March (Freeport) Rain until mid-afternoon made birding difficult
8 Mile Road
Mottled Duck.
San Luis Pass Country Park
Inca Doves.
Brazoria National Wildlife Reserve
Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls (incresing numbers on each visit over the years), Wilson's Snipe, a very obliging wet female/imm. Merlin landed next to my car for a prolonged period of time.
San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
Bank Swallow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Sparrows, White-tailed Deer.
Friday 28 March (Rockport)
On the road the first American Crows of the trip, they seem very localised in this part of Texas.
Matagorda Beach
Huge flock of several hundred Black-winged Skimmers.
Port Lavaca
Clapper Rail
Aransas NW
Red-tailed Hawk, Whooping Cranes as distant as ever from the tower hide, then later found 3 a bit nearer. Northern Parula, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Gnatcatcher, Long-billed Thrasher, Louisiana Water Thrush, Greater Kiskadee, Possible Least Bittern and an American Bittern heard. Armadillo.
Saturday 29 March (Rockport)
Connie Hager Cottage Sanctuary Rockport
Hooded Warbler, Black-crested Titmouse, Black-chinned Hummingbird.
Shell Ridge Road, Rockport
On the sea Redhead Ducks.
North Cove Harbour Wetland Sanctuary
Mainly Least Sandpipers
Fulton
Spotted Sandpiper
Goose Island
Carolina Wren
Sunday 30 March (Port Aransas)
Rockport beach area
Mallard and many nesting Laughing Gulls, the Black-winged Skimmers, aparently that used to nest here now nest on an artificial island nearby.
Indian Point (Too many anglers disturbing the peeps made birding difficult)
Western Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit.
Leonard Turnbull Centre Port Aransas
Trees between car park and wetlands alive with Warblers mostly Yellow-rumped, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler. Double Crested Cormorant, Pintail, Gull-billed Tern, flock of Stilt Sandpipers was impressive.
Port Aransas Beach
The usual Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns and Sandwich Terns but no Bonapartè's Gulls which were the main feature a few weeks earlier in 2023.
Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond (New site not visited before, an urban small nature park.)
Long-billed Thrasher, Ruby Crowned Kinglet and a Mottled Duck.
Leonard Turnbull Centre Port Aransas
Two Clapper Rail showed well for a prolonged time.
Monday 31 March (Port Aransas)
Port Aransas Nature Preserve (Out of this world facilities with a board walk over a mile long through the salt marshes.Many close encounters with peeps.)
Horned Lark, White Pelican, Western Sandpipers.
Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond
Grey Catbird, Hooded Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Leonard Turnbull Centre Port Aransas
Wilson's Phalarope, Semipalmated Plover.
Mustang State Park
Piping Plover.
Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond
Returned late afternoon
Louisiana Water Thrush.
Port Aransas Beach
Several Bottle Nosed Dolphins were in the channel early evening.
Tuesday (McAllen)
On the drive to McAllen a White-tailed Kite was perched by the side of the road.
Estero Llano Grande State Park
High water levels meant most of water birds had left and some paths were closed.
Least Grebe, Crested Chachalaca, Green Jay, Altamira Oriole, Bronzed Cowbird.
Santa Anna National Park Due to the recent heavy rain apparently 21 inches fell in a day, most of the reserve is closed. Very few water birds left just Blue-winged Teal and Shoveler. First Kingbird species Hummingbird.
Benson Palm (There is still a large gap in the border wall to allow access to this state park, apparently they cannot put the wall through the national/state parks!) This was just a quick visit to see what the state of the park was. All paths open.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker and Green Heron.
Wednesday 2 April (McAllen)
Benson Palm
Steady morning passage of raptors mainly Turkey Vultures and Broad-winged Hawks. Smaller numbers of Swainson's Hawks, Black Vultures and Crested Caracara the resident Grey Hawk put in a brief apperance.
Quinta Mazatlan
Seemed very quiet bird wise, very hot in the mid 30's C, but a pond was excellent for dragonflies with several species present.
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands (This superb site which is where water from the local Sewerage Works is pumped into a large lake.)
New wildfowl in Ruddy Duck and Lesser Scaup, again just the most common of songbirds most gone to gone to sleep in the hot weather.
Thursday 3 April (McAllen)
Bentsen Palm State Park
Wild Turkey,
Hawk Tower
Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawks, 2 Swainson's Hawks, Crested Caracara, Grey Hawk.
Hidalgo Heritage Centre
Again very hot. Spotted Sandpiper, first wader for days.
The afternoon was very hot 36c, meant I was the only person at the two following sites, eventually gave up and retreated to my airconditioned motel.
Quinta Mazatlan
Clay-coloured Robin/Thrush a very local breeding bird in the USA, restricted to the Lower Rio Grande area.
Friday 4 April (McAllen)
BentsenPalm State Park
Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawks, 2 Swainson's Hawks, Crested Caracara, Grey Hawk.
Santa Anna National Park (Most of the park still closed due to flooding)
Dragonflies are proving very difficult to identfy despite having a Dragonfly leaflet on Texas species. Some kind of water snake White-crowned Sparrow
Estero Llano Grande State Park
Not much at all.
Saturday 5 April (Persall)
Salineno (Small reserve next to Rio Grande closed)
At the river one Ospreys on a stone in middle of the river another flew over.
Chapen̈o Road
Logerhead Shrike, Lark Sparrow.
El Rio Park (Strange place)
Black Pheobe and another Osprey on the river all of note
Falcon State Park
The first Road Runner and Harris's Hawk. And an Osprey with a fish was being harassed by two Crested Caracara. Least Sandpipers, Greater Yellow-legs and a Killdeer my only waders of the day.
Persall
First House Finch in motel car park.
An unusual occurrence at Persall when I went out for an evening meal. When I went to pay my $30+ at the till on leaving, I was informed that an anonamous diner had payed it for me! This aparently is not unusual and is regarded as a good deed by the person who pays, perhaps they felt sorry for me as I walked the ten minutes from my motel or was sat on my own?
Sunday 6 April (Austin)
Hill Country State Park
Eastern Bluebird, Vermilion Flycatcher, American Redstart.
Crescent Bends Country Park
This was a housing estate that was demolished after major flooding in the past and left to go wild, with the only signs left of habitation are a few tarmaced roads and lampposts. Superb bird feeding area with hide and clean toilets.
Lesser Goldfinch, Ladder-backed Woodpecker,
Hornsey Bends Bird Observatory (Austin Sewerage Treatment Works)
Amazing place, free access after checking in at a security gate, with almost open access around the sewerage lagoons, which for the most part you can drive around. Woodland walks hides etc.
Several hundred Least Sandpiper, Lesser & Greater Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilt, Stilt Sandpiper. Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, several hundred Shoveler, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup?
Colorado River, Austin
Went to visit the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bat Bridge. It was a cool night and few bats emerged, just a few of the Millions of Mexican Free-tailed bats were seen. The Echo Bat detector came up with the following species Southern Yellow Bat, Northern Yellow Bat, Pallid Bat, Yuma Myotis, Pocketed Free-tailed Bat.
Monday 7 April (Brenham)
Hornsey Bends Bird Observatory (Austin Sewerage Treatment Works)
Cave Swallow, Spotted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Lincoln's Sparrow. My first Snow Goose, it had a damaged wing, presumably left behind when the rest moved north.
Bastrop State Park
In an old water tower dozens of Chimney Swifts kept flying out midday, but none returned while I was there!
Buescher State Park
Blue Jay, Red-tailed Hawk, broad-winged Hawk.
Gay Hill
Sharp-shined Hawk, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Top photo).
Tuesday 8 April (Woodlands, Houston)
Red-shoulered Hawk
Lake Sumerville State Park
Pectoral Sandpiper, many White Pelicans.
Wednesday 9 April
Woodlands, Houston
American Robin. While driving it occurred to me that I had been seeing Eurasian Collared Doves, which are supposed to be relatively common and increasing.
Jessie James Nature Park
Very quiet just Yellow-rumped Warblers of note.
Flew back to Heathrow overnight, fairly empty flight, I had 3 seats to myself. An unusual ocurance at Heathrow, the BA plane did not go to a gate and parked in the middle of nowhere. First Class passangers unloaded onto a bus fairly quick, but for those of us in cattle class, we had to wait an hour for them to find more busses! Trains and bus home on time.
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