Visited the Salineño birding site near Falcon State Park that I always make a point to visit while I’m here. All kinds of bird food is put out for the birds, including peanut butter (mixed with lard to make it easier to swallow). There were so many blackbirds at the site this year, however, other birds often had to fight to get some of the peanut butter.

Golden-fronted woodpecker

Black-crested titmouse

Curved-billed thrasher

Male and female northern cardinals

The altamira oriole, above, was chasing a lot of birds away from the peanut butter.

Below, one bird not with peanut butter, an Audubon’s oriole.

On arriving at Lake Walcott State Park found lots of birds and millions of midges. Took a spot in the sun, away from the lake, where there were not so many midges. The next day it was windy, which seem to blow away most of the bugs.

Above, a Bullock’s oriole (top) and a yellow warbler (bottom). There were lots of warblers.

There were also lots of robins. I saw one robin’s nest with newly hatched chicks inside. Magpies were flying around searching for nests to plunder.

Black-headed grosbeak at a park employee’s bird feeder.

Birds seen but not pictured: swallows and kingbirds enjoying the bugs, cedar waxwings.

On the first day at the park, I braved the midges to walk near the lake which is stocked with fish. Large fish, as shown above, could be seen from the trail. Was amazed that there were so many midges they sounded like a swarm of bees

On leaving Lake Walcott passed by some white pelicans on the Snake River with snow seen on the mountains near Pocatello, Idaho.

The Salineño Bird Refuge (aka USFWS Kepler Tract) is next to the Rio Grande River a few miles from Falcon Dam. There is a caretaker on site who puts out food for the birds. It is a place where you can see three different orioles at the same site.

Above, an male altamira oriole on the left, and a female hooded oriole on the right. The altamira orioles are the largest of the orioles.

Male hooded oriole

Male, juvenile hooded oriole.

Audubon’s oriole with a mealworm.

The altamira oriole on the left kept hissing at the great kiskadee on the right, until the kiskadee responded.

One green jay try’s a mealworm, while the other one sticks to peanuts. Mealworms have to be a rare treat. The kiskadees were really going after them. They have never seemed interested in the regular bird food I put out.

Random musings: The central Rio Grande Valley between the towns of Weslaco and Mission seems like a unique mix of people. You have a large population of winter Texans, mostly older and white, and a large population of young hispanics. A lot of the winter Texans come from midwest farming states. Many of the rv parks offer a lot of social activities. I talked to a man when I took my truck in for an oil change who has been coming here for 20 years. He and his wife love to dance, and there are lots of dances here. He also has a mobile home in Maine. They spend summers in Maine and winters in Texas and fly between the two sites.

The rv park I stayed at in Alamo charges around $2,000 for 6 months occupancy and 6 months storage. If you put a mobile home on the site, you are kind of stuck, as it is not easy to move a mobile home. The man I talked to said he owned the land his home is on, but that is probably rare.

Heard a lot of sirens this visit, at least one every 2 or 3 hours. All I saw were ambulances, no police cars. This may reflect on the large number of older people here and some large hospitals in the area.

Below, an orange-crowned warbler and a singing black-crested titmouse at the Frontera Audubon site.

Drove inland 60 miles from Arroyo City to Alamo, before a three-day cold spell hit. I’m staying at the same rv park I stayed at last year, right next to the expressway. It is hard to find a nice and affordable place to stay in this area. I arrived in about 4 layers of  clothes, because a cold wind had been blowing when I hooked up that morning. The clerk at the rv park asked me if I was cold. It was in the 60′s here, with no cold wind, so I was able to remove 3 of the extraneous layers. In Arroyo City there was very poor internet coverage, so I’m thrilled with the great coverage in a regular city like Alamo.

Was pleasantly surprised on visiting Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge to see a number of birds. There were a large variety of birds in a small lake and marsh. I don’t recall seeing such a variety of birds intermingle before. There were white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, black-necked stilts, egrets, both great and snowy, white-faced ibis’, sandpipers and others. Wonder if it was because of the expected cold spell or maybe strong winds near the ocean pushed them inland. One pelican had a green tag with number 398 on it. So far, no luck in finding its’ origin.

Although it had often been cold since I arrived in South Texas, the three-days of hard freezes at night here in Alamo were the first time it has gotten down to freezing. You can see it damaged some tender plants. Workers were busy in a lot of farm fields harvesting crops before the freeze arrived. It appears to back to the 60′s in the day and 40′s at night now. Texas came out better than Florida.

White-faced ibis’

There were a pair of Altamira orioles eating something in the bark of trees…sap?

Green-tailed towhee An olive sparrow

Long-billed thrasher

Below, picture taken on a rainy day, several days after the others.

The magpie fledglings were all on the ground this morning, hopping around. A parent called from a nearby tree, trying to get them to fly to them. They eventually were able to fly up to low branches on a tree.

Regret that I waited till after Memorial Day to head east to Idaho. In any event, finding lots of nesting birds.

A Bullock’s oriole feeding babies in nest. Their nest is like a sack hanging from a branch.

Downy woodpecker

Yellow warbler

Have seen a few grebe here. Think they may be Clark’s grebe rather than western grebe.

Every evening a pair of nighthawks circle around with rapid, flapping movements to catch insects in the air. They move so fast, it’s hard to get a good picture of them.

Have been staying at Lake Walcott State Park in south-central Idaho the past few days. The park is unique, in that it is located within the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge. This allows parts of the refuge to be used by the public for boating, fishing and camping.

The weather has been nice. It usually ranges from the 50′s at night to the 70′s in the day. Clouds and light rain blow through at least once a day, but does not stay long. Have not had any thunder or hail yet.

Above, the old main highway that runs parallel to the Snake River (and the refuge) and the new I-84. Had the good luck to see the hawk while driving the road.

There is a large flock of white pelicans here. The one above is diving for a fish in an area of rapids on the Snake River.

Bullock’s oriole. Have also seen a cedar waxwing.

Eastern kingbird.

Magpie fledgling. There are five of them perched inside a small pine tree near where I am camped.

Robin fledgling following one of it’s parents around.

Think this is an Eastern kingbird fledgling.

The way here: Stayed two days at Bruneau Dunes State Park. It has sand dunes, small lakes, and an observatory. C.J. Strike Wildlife Management Area is also right next to it and has no hookup camping areas. I found some nice areas in the wildlife area, but no place I’d want to take my trailer. Really got my truck muddy driving through parts of it and had to use my 4-wheel drive at one point. Made me thankful to have it.

Western (top) and eastern (bottom) kingbirds seen at Bruneau Dunes State Park.

Altamira orioles

Ringed kingfisher along the Rio Grande River.

The Salineño Bird Refuge (aka USFWS Kepler Tract) is some land next to the Rio Grande River a few miles from Falcon Dam and Falcon State Park. It belonged to some birders and was left to the government to be kept as a birding refuge that birders could visit. It is a place you can go to see three different orioles in one place.

Above, a great kiskadee and green jay enjoy some peanut butter.

Altamira oriole

Male hooded oriole (top) and female hooded oriole (lower).

Audubon’s oriole

Ladderbacked woodpecker

Thrasher

Ladderbacked woodpecker

Unfortunately inner Falcon State Park, away from the water, is overrun with mockingbirds that chase away a lot of the other birds. There are flocks of pyrrhuloxia. Have seen some roadrunners and quail, but they are pretty elusive.

Below, view towards Mexico at sunset.

Queen butterfly, Mexican blue-wing butterfly and a green kingfisher seen at Estero Llano Grande State Park. Finally got a half decent picture of a kingfisher, and a green one at that. Lots of beautiful butterflys here as well as butterfly enthusiasts.

Great kiskadee, altamira oriole, and two chachalacas seen at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Really enjoyed riding my bike through the park. It is a easy ride with no hills.

I am at the World Birding Center at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission, Texas. It is made up of a number of sites in the Rio Grande Valley, but this is their headquarters. Cars are not allowed in the park. A tram circles the road every half hour, so you get on and off where you want. Very nice for biking and hiking. Have to get a bike!

Above is a great kiskadee, a tropical flycatcher found only in South Texas in the U.S.

An altamira oriole

Chachalaca’s. They are a chicken like bird that moves like a road runner and likes to climb up trees.

A dove and a squirrel on a bird feeder.

A mother javelina grooming her child. The tourists here love seeing the javelina, but I noticed that nearby Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge considers them a pest.