Texas Day 2 - Santa Ana, Estero Llano

We got to Santa Ana reserve in good time. The pond near the visitor centre gets one off to a good start!  We took the walk out to Pintail Lakes. It was very exciting to round a corner and see a Crested Caracara flying overhead, shortly followed by our first Groove Billed Ani of the trip. One of the lakes had water in it and that attracted Black Bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Least Grebe, Lesser Yellowlegs and Black Necked Stilt.

Our walk then took us to the edge of the Rio Grande (so a view across into Mexico!) and then a lovely track to an Observation Tower. It was along this walk that Leo spotted a magnificent White Tailed Hawk overhead (later revised to a Swainson’s Hawk, after we studied the head markings on the photo – with Swainson’s, it covers the whole head, but with WHH it is to eyeline only).

After the tower, which didn’t get us the hoped-for Harris Hawk, we tried the Chacalaca walk back towards the visitor centre and wonderfully saw Black & White Warbler (seems to be very early) and Lesser Goldfinch.

After this very satisfying morning, we went on to Estero Llano (on our way to Brownsville) which was baking hot and all the ponds were dried up, so not much new there. 

Santa Ana

White Winged Dove

Green Jay

Black Crested Titmouse

Plain Chacalaca

Red Winged Blackbird

Great Kiskadee

Inca Dove

Cave Swallow

Couch's Kingbird

Groove Billed Ani t

Crested Caracara t

Great Tailed Grackle

Little Blue Heron l t

Black Bellied Whistling Duck t l

Clay Coloured Thrush

House Sparrow

Altamira Oriole

Orchard Oriole

Carolina Wren t

Black and White Warbler t l

Mottled Duck t l

Least Grebe t l

Black winged Stilt t

Lesser Yellowlegs t l

Turkey Vulture

Black Vulture

Lesser Goldfinch t l

White Tailed Hawk t l

Long Billed Thrasher

Bronzed Cowbird

Northern Mockingbird

Golden Fronted Woodpecker

Black Crested Titmouse

Black Winged Stilts

Ladderback Woodpecker

Lesser Goldfinch

Groove Billed Ani

Northern Cardinal

Swainson's Hawk