I Have To Go Back to Texas
Although I managed 14 life birds and 74 state birds at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival this past week, I still missed a lot and there’s more in other parts of the state I haven’t visited. Species I still need from Texas include:
- White-collared Seedeater (Upper Rio Grande Valley)
- Golden-cheeked Warbler
- Black-capped Vireo
- Hook-billed Kite
- Masked Duck (rare)
- Swallow-tailed Kite (rare; easier in Florida)
- Short-tailed Hawk
- Harlan’s Hawk
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (King Ranch)
- Prairie Falcon
- Lesser Prairie Chicken
- Scaled Quail
- Yellow Rail
- Black Rail
- Mountain Plover
- Red-billed Pigeon
- Elf Owl
- Cordilleran Flycacther
- Gray Vireo
- Black-whiskered Vireo (easier in Florida)
- Yellow-green Vireo (rare)
- Brown Jay
- Tamaulipas Crow
- Brown-headed Nuthatch (also in Louisiana and Florida)
- Rock Wren
- Canyon Wren
- Mountain Bluebird
- Sprague’s Pipit
- Swainson’s Warbler
- Golden-cheeked Warbler
- Crimson-collared Grosbeak (rare Mexican vagrant)
- Varied Bunting
- Canyon Towhee
- Green-tailed Towhee (missed repeatedly this past trip)
- White-collared Seedeater
- Lark Bunting
- Bachman’s Sparrow (easier in Florida)
- Cassin’s Sparrow
- Brewer’s Sparrow
- Baird’s Sparrow
- Pink-sided Junco
- Smith’s Longspur
- Mccown’s Longspur
- Chestnut-collared Longspur
Some of these I could get next year at the RGBVF again if I go to different spots. For others I may need to visit different parts of the state, especially West Texas.
I could grab a few at the Laredo Birding Festival in February which should find White-collared Seedeater, Cassin’s Sparrow, Varied Bunting, Red-billed Pigeon, and a few others.
Another good option is Wings over the Hills in April which offers great chances for two endangered species, Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, and possibly other species since I haven’t yet visited the Texas Hill Country. Prairie Falcon and Cordilleran Flycatcher may also be possible here.
