Day 74--In South Texas Again

I did not bird on Sat. or Sun. so that I could visit with some old friends in Austin, and enjoy some home cooked meals. Fresh clams on the shell with linguini in a red sauce hit the spot on Sat. nite. Sun nite we grilled deboned, pounded flat chicken legs seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil, spritzed with meyer lemon juice at the table. Oven roasted potatoes, dilled green beans and arugula salad with fresh mozzarella accompanied the lovely chicken along with some nice 2002 zinfandel from Consilience. But now it is back to road food again.

I left Austin this morning with my wife and good friends Craig and Renee to spend the next 4 days birding down in south Texas. The drive down thru San Antonio and Laredo took about 5 hours. We made a couple of birding stops in Laredo and San Ignacio to break up the drive. One of the day's birds was a great kiskadee (above photo). Tonite we ate fairly early at Hacienda El Rey in Zapata, Tx. Homemade corn and flour tortillas and very ample servings of fajitas, charro beans and rice made for a satisfying meal.

After dinner we checked out a known red-billed pigeon roost outside of Zapata and sure enough we found 7 pigeons sitting in the top of a dead tree. This bird has not been reported much this winter in south Texas, so I was very happy to locate this new for the year bird that is always somewhat tough to find. The day also provided northern rough-winged swallow and scissor-tailed flycatcher to add to the YTD list. Overall, the new week is at 37 birds with 3 very busy days ahead of us to find many more. Tomorrow our first stop is to try to see a brown jay. Stay tuned!