South Padre Texas and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
Highlights
• 5-05 Memorial Day weekend ( It was busy – Lots of traffic but that just makes a good excuse to drive slowly so you can ID more birds!)
• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge- We spent only two hours since the teens were anxious to get to the beach but what a two hours! It was worth every minute. I want to return and spend more time there.
• Adolf Thomae Campground – Inside the NWR but not a good campground. Don’t leave anything unattended. We had our tent and sleeping bags stolen. Stay on the island and drive over to the NWR.
• South Padre Island- Spent three days enjoying the public beaches and fishing. Rented Wind surf boards at a private beach that was filled with sandpipers, plovers and herons. We were the only ones there besides the wind surfing dealer.
• South Padre Island IsaBlonca Campground – It is on the south tip of the island and our campsite was right on the edge of the marsh. I could wake early and just enjoy my coffee and the birds. This was a great, safe and friendly campground.
• Inland Roadside- While driving to this and that and even to buy a new tent at the Wal-Mart, you can really see quite a few new birds especially when the traffic slows you down.
My Bird list (29 of these are new on my 05 list)
1. Brown Pelican –South Padre Island bridge
2. Magnificent Frigate bird – Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing, after a storm which produced a tornado and broke our tent poles
3. Great Blue Heron – Laguna Atascosa and at the marsh near our IsaBlonca Campsite
4. Great Egret- Laguna Atascosa and at the marsh near our IsaBlonca Campsite
5. Snowy Egret- Laguna Atascosa and at the marsh near our IsaBlonca Campsite
6. Tricolored Heron – Laguna Atascosa
7. Reddish Egret – Laguna Atascosa and standing on the mounds at the private beach where we wind surfed.
8. Cattle Egret- Seen while driving inland
9. Black-crowned Night Heron – At the marsh behind our IsaBlonca campsite
10. White Ibis – At the marsh behind our Isablonca Campsite
11. Black Vulture – Driving inland
12. Turkey Vulture- Driving inland
13. Black Bellied Whistling Duck- first seen at the Wal-Mart Parking lot in Port Isabel – It was the largest flock that I saw the entire trip.
14. White Tailed Kite- Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
15. Harris Hawk- Seen while driving inland
16. Osprey- Seen while driving inland
17. Crested Caracara – Seen while driving inland
18. Plain Chachalaca (Big Ugly) Laguna Atascosa- We nicknamed it Big Ugly because I couldn’t find it in my Sibley’s that fast. Didn’t know it was a turkey!
19. Wild Turkey – Seen at the first campground in Laguna Atascosa where our tent was stolen while bird watching. (I have camped all over and never had anything touched or bothered. The thieves came and took the tent, sleeping bags and pillows. We had everything else still packed up in the car, thank goodness.)
20. Snowy Plover- Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
21. Wilson’s Plover- Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
22. Killdeer- Seen at the IsaBlonca Campground
23. Black necked Stilt- Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
24. Willet- Seen in the marsh behind our IsaBlonca Campground
25. Ruddy Turnstone- Seen on the county park beach.
26. Sanderling - Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
27. Semipalmated Sandpiper- Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
28. Western Sandpiper - Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
29. Laughing Gull- Seen everywhere near the ocean
30. Gull-Billed Tern – Seen on a private beach, while teens were wind surfing.
31. Least Tern- Seen on the county beach and everywhere near the ocean
32. Caspian Tern- Seen on the county beach and everywhere near the ocean
33. Black Skimmer Seen on the county beach and everywhere near the ocean
34. Mourning Dove Seen while driving inland
35. Rock Dove – Seen in the inland towns
36. Inca Dove- Seen in Brownsville in town while at a stop sign.
37. Common Ground Dove Laguna Atascosa
38. White Tipped Dove - Laguna Atascosa
39. yellow billed Cuckoo - Heard at Laguna Atascosa
40. Greater Roadrunner Laguna Atascosa
41. Golden Fronted Woodpecker Seen while driving inland
42. Greater Kiskadee Laguna Atascosa
43. Green Jay Laguna Atascosa
44. Cliff Swallow On many bridges
45. Barn Swallow At our campground in IsaBlonca
46. Northern Mockingbird-Laguna Atascosa
47. Long Billed Thrasher- Laguna Atascosa
48. Olive Sparrow- in Brownsville in a fence warming itself after the rain.
49. Northern Cardinal - Laguna Atascosa
50. Great Tailed Grackle – All over the place
Itinerary
Day 1 Friday -Piled everyone (two teenagers and I) and all the camping gear into the car and headed off early for a 14 hour drive down to Laguna Atascosa. Almost there the teens spotted a “weird bird” in the median of the highway that sparked their curiosity. It was a Crested Caracara. Mind you, these teens aren’t birders but have been around me long enough to know all the Okie regulars.
We arrived at the exit from our 4 lane highway at Combs and traveled east toward the refuge. We had made reservations at the county park with the boundary of the NWR. http://www.co.cameron.tx.us/parks/thomae.html When we arrived we found it to be busy, several vehicles were parked in our site which was clearly marked reserved and rangers asked them to move. The neighbors camped next to us were in a party mood which lasted all night long. After driving 14 hours we opted to stay and then move to another place in the morning. Didn’t really have much of a chance to bird and couldn’t hear any night birds because of the noise.
Day 2 I finally rolled out to the sound of no singing and no car alarms that had invaded the night but to a very unusual bird - a Greater Kiskadee. Fixed a quick cup of coffee and off on the small roadside nature trial where a multitude of Long-billed Thrashers were eyeing me. (I bet they were wondering if I was the bad singer that sang love songs in the night.) The trail was very short and never left the road for more than 3 feet so I went back to the site and sat to watch the morning fly over. Laughing gulls, several terns and three Black-necked Stilts flew by. After the sleeping teens awoke, we headed out for a morning of birding at the NWR and an afternoon at the beach and looking for another campground closer to the beach. The NWR was absolutely the highlight of my trip and even the teens got into the game. At one of the feeders we enjoyed several varieties of doves and beautiful green jays. Then everyone moved aside and a large bird came in to feed. They immediately asked what it was but I had no idea. Didn’t even know where to look so we nick named it Big Ugly. I didn’t want to miss all the different doves, jays and others by taking lots of time looking up just this one bird – Big Ugly. Driving on the loops through the park we saw several other waders and two Big Uglys ran across the road so we stopped the car and took the time to look him up. Yes it was a Plain Chachalaca but it was easier to note him as Big Ugly.
After spending the afternoon at the beach and watching the gulls and several terns, we found another Cameron County campground which was much nicer and on the island where the teens would rather stay. They did find me a site that backed up to the salt marsh where the waders gathered each morning and evening. So arriving back at our original tent site to collect our tent and sleeping bags, we found that our gear had been stolen. OK I have camped all over and never had this happen. The rangers also reported that it had happened only one other time in seven years. Things were better though because at Wal-Mart they were trying to get grass started and a large flock of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks were enjoying the puddle caused by the sprinklers.
Day 3 After waking and noting several new waders in the salt marsh including a black crowned night heron and brown pelicans, the teens awoke and we were off to the beach. I enjoyed watching the birds from the chair and just not moving much. (The neighboring campers at this park were so nice and let us borrow many of their items.) http://www.co.cameron.tx.us/parks/ccparks.html
Day 4 We awoke to the sound of rain on the tent which soon was accompanied by a strong wind, then thunder and finally a hefty dose of lightning. We evacuated the collapsing tent and sat in the car. At least this one wasn’t stolen and after the storm could be repaired by duct tape. The morning was wet and rainy so we took our time at brunch at the local dinner. It cleared and they decided to go wind surfing. The rental was on a private beech where the dealer met us. I was in heaven- the uninhabited beach was full of peeps and plovers not to mention two big red egrets standing on mounds of sand. After giving the teens a surfing lesson, I sat and birded, hiked and birded, and sat and birded some more. While sitting talking to the dealer, a Magnificent Frigatebird flew by. On one of my hikes I encountered a white tailed kite enjoying the warm breeze and dipping and diving in the wind. The wind board dealer speculated that it was caught up in the storm and was headed back. This was a great end the day.
Day 5 We started driving home early and since I am the early “bird”, I go to drive. They fell asleep in the car and I was able to drive slowly enough to pick out some great finds including an Osprey, Crested Caracara and a Harris Hawk.
Nice report. Too bad about the camping gear. Surprised you didn't mention Green Jays as they are quite common in the NWR, at least they are in the Fall when I normally visit.