DATELINE: South Texas Birding Adventures Continued...

While still eluded by the Buntings and Green Kingfisher, we've had quite a day!  Probably put on over 5 miles on the Jacarundi Trail at Santa Ana (yes, the place of last night's death march) and still didn't see either bird but did have a pretty great time with the Armadillo!!  Seeing a an armadillo in Texas is no big deal as long as you don't care if it's dead!  I mean it!  These suckers have some kind of death wish or Lemming-like tendencies because you seem them dead everywhere.  It was my specific wish to see a LIVE armadillo and sure enough just as we were pulling in to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge there was one at the edge of parking lot just waiting to dash out into traffic and his impending death:



YEP, a little scared...me, not the armadillo

Here are pictures of the forced march - beautiful scenery - virtually no birds but armadilli everywhere:

While we got our exercise out on the trails of Santa Ana we got our birding fix this morning at two 'hole in the wall' places in Weslaco, TX.  No offense or anything but Weslaco is a bit of a 'hole in the wall' itself.  One of the big items on last night's news cast was a the rating of area eateries for health violations.  Barry about laughed himself silly -- it was pretty disturbing -- but I digress.  This mornings birding began at the Frontera Audubon Thicket.  Not much to look out from the outside - the first time we checked it out two days ago there was even a dead cat in the driveway, but it turned out to be just a fabulous warren of trails, boardwalks, and feeding stations that had a really excellent variety of species. 
 We sat for a very long time just getting such a kick out of huge flock of Chacalaca at the feeding station.  I'm going to try to include the video Wick took of these dinosaur-like guys mobing the feeders.

Chachalaca Feeding Frenzy

Now after seeing the Chachalaca at the feeders tune in to see Beth in action!  The boy Chachalaca's in particular seemed to be quite attracted to the call!  They fanned their tail feather's and got all up in it!

Chachalaca Whisperer

Okay, the next place we went was the Valley Nature Center, in a city park in Weslaco, TX.  Honestly, we were a little afraid to go in.  Looked like thugs hanging around a derelict building in this run-down area of town - well okay, it was all kind of run down but you get it, right?  Anyway, this little Nature Center was FABULOUS!  Incredible little displays sort of like the Alexander Lindsey museum at home. Once you walked out onto the trail you were literally surrounded by the most amazing numbers of birds.  We got particularly good views of the Great Kiskidee but the real "show" was the mating calls of the Chachalaca.  Unlike other places they were very secretive.  Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say they were "MODEST."  I only thought I knew how to talk to these birds - you gotta hear this to even believe it! Wow.  Nothing to see in the next video - apparently they were all behind closed doors - but, holy cow! They were noisily engaged.....

Wait! What? That's What a Mating Chachalaca Sounds Like?

Off to Brownsville and the Sabal Palm Grove tomorrow for our last shot at an Ocelot.