Wow, Where Does the Time Go?

I just realized how long it has been since I have posted.... wow!  Between parenting and then half time single parenting, I haven't had much time for birding, let alone posting.... In fact, my two days of birding with the Naturalest Naturalist in the last week have been my only two days of real birding in the last year or so!

Time to catch up with Texas....

John had gotten a text of a White-throated Thrush at Estero Llano Grande and, as he said (and I fully agree), the first rule of chasing rare birds is you go!  We got to Estero and high-tailed it to where the thrush had been seen, and were greeted by a throng of  birders, and virtually no birds.  The bird in question had been travelling with thrushes, which were quite absent.  While we waited, I managed my lifer Eastern Screech-Owl and Northern Beardless Tyrranulet,  but the bird we most wanted refused to  show.... until the thrushes returned and someone called out the White-throated!  There was a mad dash of birders trying  to get a view of this amazing rarity, and a few of us, myself included, managed to spot it through a gap in the fence before it disappeared.... lifer White-throated Thrush, and my second amazing rarity at Estero in only a few days!!!  The rest of our group missed it, but picked it  up on the return trip the next day.

Our last  full day in Texas found us at Rio-Bentsen State Park, hoping for another local rarity.... while waiting we picked up a few birds, but the target of the day did not disappoint, as a pair of dark phase Hook -billed Kites flew almost right over out heads before disappearing in the distance!  From there we returned to Estero where, as I  previously mentioned, the rest of the group saw the thrush while I wandered the park, and from there we drove up to Brushline Rd.

While Brushline yielded little, our next stop at Hargill Playa delivered  my lifer Northern Bobwhite and several other goodies.  From there it was back to Resaca for a bit  of parking lot birding, then on to Oliveira Park in Brownsville for the show, which did not disappoint in the least!  We picked up Red-crowned Parrot, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Yellow-headed Parrot, Red-lored Parrot, and others!  Yes, ABA Police, most of these do not appear on  my official list.

All in all, an amazing trip, and I cannot wait to go back!  Huge thanks to John Puschock and Zugunruhe Tours for an amazing experience,  can't wait to bird with you again!  Attu next time?

So, to catch up for the last  year and a half, here are my favourite record shots from that time frame, then back on track, thanks to some encouragement from Jeremy G.  As usual they ain't all pretty, but the birds were!

Wild  Turkey, near Creston, BC, July, 2015

Black-throated Sparrow, Whiffin Spit, October, 2015

Magnificent Frigatebird, Samana, Dominican Republic, November, 2015

Cattle Egret, Samana, Dominican  Republic, November, 2015

Cattle Egret, Samana, Dominican Republic, November, 2015

A bit of this and that, Haitises Nat'l Park, Dominican Republic, November, 2015

Brown Pelican, Haitises Nat'l Park, Dominican Republic, November, 2015

Brown Booby, Haitises Nat'l Park, Dominican Republic, November, 2015

Broad-billed Tody, Samana, Dominican Republic, April, 2016

Humpback Whale feeding, off Victoria, BC, May, 2016

Tropical Kingbird, Sooke, BC, November 12, 2016

Red Phalaropes, Jordan River, BC, November 12, 2016

Red Phalarope, Jordan  River, BC, November 12,  2016

As usual, I can't wait to see what the next adventure is.... maybe south, maybe north, maybe east, maybe west???  Heck, maybe it will be right here at home!

In the meantime, good birding!