The weather forecast for today was for about 100 degrees F and where
we were it was 107F. We birded in the morning at Santa Ana National
Wildlife Refuge and saw some wonderful birds When we arrived at Santa
Ana we had to wait for the park people to come in and open the office
up so we could pay our entrance fee. While waiting we were greeted by a real noisy family of
Chachalacas.
Once in the refuge we met a group of older fellers from Boston who showed us where the Harris' Hawk was (spectacular with its red shoulder patches). The Grooved-bill Ani who is a curious bird who came in because I was walking and phishing. The Clay-coloured Thrush also came in for my phishing and I actually got a photo of it. The Altamira Oriole was building its nest so we saw the male and female of the species. This was all at Santa Ana by 10:30 am. We packed it in by then, it was a 100F. For some reason when the park is busy on Sunday there is no tram working, today would have been a perfect day for a ride. The heat in the desert scrub area was stifling.
We talked with the park ranger for other places we could just walk not too far, or better yet take a tram or find a water drip for the birds. We found out that in this heat, one must be near a water drip or a pond or some body of water as that is where the birds come to. The kind lady suggested Hildago Pump House Historical Site. We drove there and had our picnic lunch of avocado, tomato, cukes and cheese salad (all fresh and so much tastier than what we get at home. Colleen also bought pineapple which was buttery sweet and Colleen is so talented that she can cut up a whole pineapple with a steak knife! At Hildago we got another lifer, the beautiful Green Kingfisher.
We also tried another place on the bird map, but it was closed. We decided to bite the bullet and go and check out Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park, even though we were not going to walk around to bird. We got there and they have a tram that does drop off and pick up. We asked where the water drips were and these were on Kiskadee Trail. We had the tram fellow drop us off in the tram, we walked down the trail about 5 minutes and then settled into a shaded covered blind with high roofs and open rafters and we were cool and watched the birds come to the water drip for an hour. Colleen got some more lifers here, a Road Runner and maybe an Olive-sided Flycatcher.
We had lots of water and we were in a cool breezy spot and the heat was fine. We were not exerting ourselves. We returned by tram so it was an easy birding outing in the extreme heat. WE met up with the Border Patrol (we were on the border with Mexico in the park) and there were four illegals who had just been found. They had been in the park four days without food or water and were in bad shape. They were being hydrated by the border patrol officers before moving them to record them or process them or something and they would be dropped off at the border afterwards. They had bug bites and some animal bites etc, poor guys. The Border Patrol were well supplied. They had wet towels to give this poor fellows and have a huge orange container of water (it must be 50 gallons on the back of their vehicle.
The park office closed and we stayed around at the visitor centre to view the pond activity and this is when we saw the Olive-sided Flycatcher. Returning back to the car, a fellow pulled up and asked if the park was worth a visit. We started talking and he had grown up in Ottawa and lives in Indianapolis (he married an American), plus he was staying at our B&B, but we had never seen him around.
Another nice neighbour at the B&B who turns out is from Calgary showed us how the shower works this evening It had stymied her also and it is a ring on the bottom of the spout that one pulls once you have the water right for you and then, the shower works. We left a note this morning for the B&B fellow Keith that our shower did not work, so he must get this all of the time. It looked like vintage bathroom fixtures! So far we have broken two glasses that we use for toasting our lifers each evening (just a splash) we are on our second bottle and the breaker did not go off again. So the place, once we leave it, will be a little worse for wear and normally nothing breaks, but this place perhaps could use some TLC. It is a quaint place. But it is clean, friendly also has a super birding store that has everything in it and it is full of birders!!! It is the Perfect Place.
That evening, I could hear some one calling outside and some birders at the Alamo (a two story small block motel) spotted a Barn Owl and I ran out in my night clothes, it was about 9 pm and called for Colleen to come quickly, but the Barn Owl did not stay, I had a good look and I think Colleen managed to see a distant fly by of the Barn Owl, who took off into the night to hunt no doubt.
Tomorrow we head out early to get in 3 hours of birding before it gets too hot to South Padre Island, so it is a early bedtime for us. Having a great time.
Barb & Colleen
Here are some photos from today Smooth-biled Ani, White-winged Dove, Chachalaca, a mysterious and interesting egg, Great Kiskadee and Green Jay
Once in the refuge we met a group of older fellers from Boston who showed us where the Harris' Hawk was (spectacular with its red shoulder patches). The Grooved-bill Ani who is a curious bird who came in because I was walking and phishing. The Clay-coloured Thrush also came in for my phishing and I actually got a photo of it. The Altamira Oriole was building its nest so we saw the male and female of the species. This was all at Santa Ana by 10:30 am. We packed it in by then, it was a 100F. For some reason when the park is busy on Sunday there is no tram working, today would have been a perfect day for a ride. The heat in the desert scrub area was stifling.
We talked with the park ranger for other places we could just walk not too far, or better yet take a tram or find a water drip for the birds. We found out that in this heat, one must be near a water drip or a pond or some body of water as that is where the birds come to. The kind lady suggested Hildago Pump House Historical Site. We drove there and had our picnic lunch of avocado, tomato, cukes and cheese salad (all fresh and so much tastier than what we get at home. Colleen also bought pineapple which was buttery sweet and Colleen is so talented that she can cut up a whole pineapple with a steak knife! At Hildago we got another lifer, the beautiful Green Kingfisher.
We also tried another place on the bird map, but it was closed. We decided to bite the bullet and go and check out Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park, even though we were not going to walk around to bird. We got there and they have a tram that does drop off and pick up. We asked where the water drips were and these were on Kiskadee Trail. We had the tram fellow drop us off in the tram, we walked down the trail about 5 minutes and then settled into a shaded covered blind with high roofs and open rafters and we were cool and watched the birds come to the water drip for an hour. Colleen got some more lifers here, a Road Runner and maybe an Olive-sided Flycatcher.
We had lots of water and we were in a cool breezy spot and the heat was fine. We were not exerting ourselves. We returned by tram so it was an easy birding outing in the extreme heat. WE met up with the Border Patrol (we were on the border with Mexico in the park) and there were four illegals who had just been found. They had been in the park four days without food or water and were in bad shape. They were being hydrated by the border patrol officers before moving them to record them or process them or something and they would be dropped off at the border afterwards. They had bug bites and some animal bites etc, poor guys. The Border Patrol were well supplied. They had wet towels to give this poor fellows and have a huge orange container of water (it must be 50 gallons on the back of their vehicle.
The park office closed and we stayed around at the visitor centre to view the pond activity and this is when we saw the Olive-sided Flycatcher. Returning back to the car, a fellow pulled up and asked if the park was worth a visit. We started talking and he had grown up in Ottawa and lives in Indianapolis (he married an American), plus he was staying at our B&B, but we had never seen him around.
Another nice neighbour at the B&B who turns out is from Calgary showed us how the shower works this evening It had stymied her also and it is a ring on the bottom of the spout that one pulls once you have the water right for you and then, the shower works. We left a note this morning for the B&B fellow Keith that our shower did not work, so he must get this all of the time. It looked like vintage bathroom fixtures! So far we have broken two glasses that we use for toasting our lifers each evening (just a splash) we are on our second bottle and the breaker did not go off again. So the place, once we leave it, will be a little worse for wear and normally nothing breaks, but this place perhaps could use some TLC. It is a quaint place. But it is clean, friendly also has a super birding store that has everything in it and it is full of birders!!! It is the Perfect Place.
That evening, I could hear some one calling outside and some birders at the Alamo (a two story small block motel) spotted a Barn Owl and I ran out in my night clothes, it was about 9 pm and called for Colleen to come quickly, but the Barn Owl did not stay, I had a good look and I think Colleen managed to see a distant fly by of the Barn Owl, who took off into the night to hunt no doubt.
Tomorrow we head out early to get in 3 hours of birding before it gets too hot to South Padre Island, so it is a early bedtime for us. Having a great time.
Barb & Colleen
Here are some photos from today Smooth-biled Ani, White-winged Dove, Chachalaca, a mysterious and interesting egg, Great Kiskadee and Green Jay
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