Seedeater Sojourn

The Rio Grande from La Laja Ranch

This was an exhausting day.  Officially, it’s the first day of the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival.  My field trip today was billed as the Seedeater Sojourn with Julie Zickefoose, but she was engaged elsewhere and didn’t make the trip.  That was the only disappointment of the day. 

We left the conference center at 5:00 AM heading for a private ranch in Zapata County.  La Laja Ranch has been in the same family since the 1750s and was the first settlement north of the Rio Grande in that area.  It boasts a border of about 3000 feet along the river.  For most of that stretch, the river is lined with cane that produces the seeds that make up the preferred diet of the White-collared Seedeater.   The owner was very gracious in allowing 38 birder and four guides onto his property for a morning of birding. 

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

We broke into three groups and set out in search of our target bird.  For a long time we had no “target bird” luck at all.  We saw some Cardinals, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a House Wren, a Common Yellowthroat and a Lincoln Sparrow.  There was a Ladder-backed Woodpecker in one tree, and a great view of a Northern Bobwhite in another.  But just when it looked like we might dip on the Seedeater, one of the other groups called our leader with some good news.  We dashed to the spot and then waited.  And waited some more.  Then someone commented that there were some birds moving around in a tree at the end of the cane.  That turned out to be a Great Kiskadee, and standing just above it was a Plain Chachalaca, both lifers for me.  Add them to the Harris’s Hawk we saw along the roadside, and I had three lifers.  Not bad at all, but the day’s target bird was still nowhere in sight, so we waited as the temperature climbed toward 90. 

Northern Bobwhite

Then a gorgeous light-morph Red-tailed Hawk flew over us.  We all got on it and exclaimed over its beauty, but suddenly another hawk decided to share the same rising air.  It was a Gray Hawk and it immediately began calling to us so that there was no question at all about its ID.  What a terrific sight that was, and it was lifer #4 for the day. 

By this time we had been standing in the same spot for at least an hour, hoping for the Seedeater to return.  I’ve said before that birding teaches patience, and this time our patience was being tested.  But good things come to those who stand and wait … and bird.  A female White-collared Seedeater finally appeared, albeit deep in the cane.  It was very difficult to get a clear view, so I stared into the dense vegetation for several minutes trying to get a complete picture in my mind of what I was seeing.  Finally, there it was, the short, stubby bill that is characteristic of this elusive species.  And that was lifer #5!

Very soon after that we headed back to the buses and began the journey back to Harlingen.  Along the way we stopped at a picnic area that had a spectacular view of the Rio Grande with Mexico to the left and the USA on the right.  Of course, I was so taken with the view that I stepped into a low cactus and lanced my shin with about 30 tiny needles.  Pulling them out was no fun at all! 

Tomorrow is west Brownsville and Resaca De La Palma.  I’ll let you know how I do.

Caution:  Cacti May Attack Shin at Any Moment!

The Rio Grande with Mexico Above and the USA Below