Yellow-Green Vireo (Lifebird) and Brown Booby in Texas, June 2014

Over the years I’ve been able to add a day of vacation to the beginning or end of a number of my business trips to fill some gaps in my statelists.  And in some cases I’ve taken this approach to chase after some rarity that has been seen nearby.  This has especially been the case in TX, where my work responsibilities require me to be in Houston at least once per month.  Since 2005 I’ve added no less than 10 life birds in south TX by adding a day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley or south Gulf Coast.  These birds have all been Mexican rarities that take up residence for an extended period of time during the winter when it is generally quite pleasant in south TX.  Early in 2014 when I was wondering what lifebird possibilities I might have in TX this year, I realized I had never chased after a Yellow-Green Vireo.  This species shows up most every year in south TX, and frequently in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, but typically in the oppressive summer months.  Now I think I see why this had had not been a target for me.  But I decided that this would be my year to chase after one assuming a reliable bird was sighted.

As a June trip to Houston neared I began to check the ABA Rarities listing on e-bird and noticed reports of a Yellow-Green Vireo from Blucher Park in downtown Corpus Christi.  That was just a 3 ½ hour drive from Houston so that would be very feasible with one additional vacation day.  And the reports mentioned that it was continuing from May, and singing as if on territory, which was very promising.  But would it stick around another 2 weeks until I could get there on my trip?  I continued to watch the listserve and e-bird and reports continued almost daily, most noting that it was singing constantly.  When it was still being reported the last 2 days before my trip I was cautiously optimistic.  I also noticed that a pair of Brown Booby’s had been seen for quite some time on the Corpus Christi waterfront just a short distance from the Vireo.  So if I found the Vireo fast enough I would give the Booby’s a try.

I landed in Houston the night before and drove about halfway to Corpus Christi.  After an early start the next morning I arrived at Blucher Park at about 6:50, just a little after sunrise.  I parked along the western edge of this small park and began to walk to the south.  No more than a minute later I heard a short call that was like a Red-Eyed Vireo.  Then I heard a couple more individual calls, and then the non-stop singing began.  It was the Yellow-Green Vireo – that was easy.  It was interesting that the song had the quality of a House Sparrow though was certainly recognizable as a Vireo with its short paired phrases.  A little later it popped into the open, but it was silhouetted against the cloudy sky, giving some less-than-exciting views.  Yellow-Green Vireo is ABA lifebird #740 and #718 for the Lower 48.

Over the next 2 hours it sang almost non-stop, but was only occasionally visible in the thick trees.  Finally it popped into the open and gave great views for these photos.

 

 

This little park was very birdy, and featured families of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Kiskadees, and Brown-crested Flycatchers, numerous White-winged Doves, a Buff-bellied Hummingbird, and a Bronzed Cowbird. 

With lots of time on my hands I then went over to the Corpus Christi waterfront to try for the Booby’s.  The birds were being seen on one specific channel marker and a pretty limited area of rocky breakwater nearby.  It was very easy to find this location, and although I just had binoculars, the marker and breakwater were distant but definitely close enough to be able to see if Booby’s were perched on them.  When I arrived there were Pelicans both on the channel marker and jetty, but no Booby.  Over the next 90 minutes I continued to scan the area, seeing numerous Sandwich, Royal, and Least Terns, Laughing Gulls, and Pelicans, but no Booby.  Then suddenly I looked up and noticed a bump on one of the jetty rocks.  I put the binocs on it and it was a Booby!  Wonder where it came from and how I missed it fly in.  I took these distant and heavily cropped photos with my 500mm lens.

 

 

 TX was only my third state for Brown Booby – and now my second state as a rarity after MA.

I now have 416 on my TX list, which is my biggest single state list by number.  But it is only my 9^th biggest list with respect to percentage of the ABA reportable threshold.  My 416 in TX is 132% of the threshold, whereas my 349 in NH is my 4^th biggest list by number, but my best with respect to percentage of threshold at 175%.  In other words, 349 in tiny NH is a much better total than 416 in giant TX (everything’s bigger in TX).  Sure would be nice for the ABA to at least include the number of species seen in each state on the reporting website so everyone’s list can put into perspective.