3-22-2014 Hawk Watch

Canopy walkway between towers at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, TX

Wild verbena in bloom at Santa Ana NWR.

Wooden fence around a cemetery (1700's) in Santa Ana NWR.  Squared posts made from ebony.

The two brown birds are "plain chachalaca's".  We saw these at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission TX

This is a female orange crowned warbler, eating at the thistle buds.  Bentsen Rio Grande State Park.

As mentioned we visited Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park yesterday.

Today we toured Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, TX.  We rode the tram through the refuge.  The drivers were well informed.  We did not see many birds at all.  The lack of water is a problem in all of south Texas.

There is a "hawk watch" going on at Santa Ana NWR.  Volunteers are sitting on the banks of a canal to count the migrating hawks, falcons, kites, buteos and vultures.  There were big kettles (groups) of broad-winged hawks going through the skies today.  In two hours this morning approximately 500 broad-winged hawks had been counted.

The "hawk watch" started on March 15 and goes through April 15.

We are leaving here in the morning.  We are not in a hurry, so may go to Santa Ana and sit with the volunteer watchers/counters in the morning for a couple of hours.  We surely would learn lots.  

We ate tonight at a restaurant called "Mambo's".  On the menu was "gar fillets".  The menu suggested the gar be fried without flour for serving.  Several types of fish as well as differently-sized shrimp were displayed for the customer's choice.  The gar didn't call out to me!  This was a first for me----gar.  My gramps ate any fish he caught, but I don't remember him ever eating gar!