Eight days ago visiting birders found the third US record of Gray-collared Becard at Resaca de La Palma State Park near Brownsville. I rushed over and got to see it for about a tenth of a second. Then I...
Eight days ago visiting birders found the third US record of Gray-collared Becard at Resaca de La Palma State Park near Brownsville. I rushed over and got to see it for about a tenth of a second. Then I made the run up to the Panhandle to see the Pine Grosbeak. Upon returing I once again drove over to Resaca de la Palma and spent seven hours seeing neither the Gray-collared Becard nor the Roadside Hawk. I did get good looks at the Rose-throated Becard. Yesterday I mowed. We get to do that in December in the Rio Grande Valley.
This morning I got up dark and early to try again. I knew the place would be loaded as the two previous records were single birder observations. So everyone needs Gray-collared Becard for their life list. But lately the big crowds have had good luck so I made the 30 mile drive once again. I started at the overlook at the end of the Ebony Trail were early morning birders had been rewarded with great looks at the Roadside Hawk. A small group was waiting when I arrived. After a few minutes we got the word that the Gray-collared Becard was showing in the parking lot. I ran most of the quarter mile and...... missed the bird. But the several dozen birders were persistent and the unobrtrusive but not really shy bird was refound and we all got pretty good looks and this ABA mega. Gray-collared Becard is a species I've never seen in Mexico so it was a real lifer for me.
