Estero Llano Grande State park, Weslaco, TX

Howdee all,

Today Jeff and I spent the morning and early afternoon birding at Estero Llano Grande State park 

This is a very nice park..with the most wonderful birders who work here..
Huck, John and Kyle..always helpful..you can tell they love what they are doing!

I am combining some photos I took a few days ago with today's…

The below photo was not today..today was all gray..until the sun broke thru the clouds and then it was all HOT..

Black-bellied whistling duck

Roseate spoonbill..men in pink tights…with pink tutu

Wood stork…men in gray tights..with white tutu Black-necked stilt We were looking for the Phalarope..no luck today..The stilts are always fun to watch..   We really wanted to see the Groove-billed Ani today..it would be a life bird for us…

So we went into the woods, where it had been seen

We didn't see it there…We decided to head for what used to be a camping area..to look for the Rose-throated Becard...

Another birder spotted the Becard…we had nice views but no camera shots..

While looking at the Becard..someone noticed the Ani fly by…

How exciting..two great birds in minutes…

Groove-billed Ani 

A life bird for us! Isn't it a strange looking bird? A Rose-throated Grosbeak was also nearby..We had nice looks at a Common Pauraque

The photos below were of a bird we saw a few days previously…

This birds nests on the ground…and blends in very well..

I thought it was a piece of bark..Thanks Huck for showing us this very cool bird.

It became very hot in the afternoon..

       I felt as though I was melting….        Sunflowers are blooming here…Fulvous Whistling Ducks    Curve-billed Thrasher   Great-tailed Grackle

Another great day of birding in Texas!

Birds of the Day

White- wing dove
Great-tail grackle
Mourning dove
Plain Chachalaca
White-tipped dove
Inca dove
Couchs kingbird
Tropical kingbird
Bronzed cowbird
Cardinal
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Purple martin
Wood stork
Mockingbird
Stilt sandpiper
Black-neck stilt
Long-billed dowitcher
Black-bellied whistling duck
Blue-wing teal
Great egret
Semi-palmated sandpiper
Buff-bellied hummingbird
Ruddy duck
American avocet
Red-wing blackbird
Long-billed thrasher
Great kiskadee
Olive sparrow
Brown-crested flycatcher
Curve-billed thrasher
Cedar waxwings
Green jay
Starling
Groove-billed ani
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Indigo-bunting
Rose-throated becard
Baltimore oriole
Barn swallow
White-eyed vireo
Lesser goldfinch
Brown-headed cowbird
Gull-billed tern
Eastern Meadowlark
Mississippi kite
Pied bill grebe
Forsters tern
American coot
Least grebe
Fulvous whistling duck
Northern shoveler
Gadwall
Marsh wren
Common moorhen
Glossy ibis
Common yellowthroat
Green heron
White pelican
Tri-colored heron
Snowy egret
Scissortail flycatcher
Harris hawk
Eastern kingbird
Chipping sparrow
Roseate spoonbill
Common nighthawk
Killdeer
Clay colored robin
House sparrow
Common paroque