Ken, Bruce and I had another good day today, taking it a bit easier, with a lot less driving than most prior days. We started at Anzalduas County Park again, trying without luck for the Rock Wren that has been seen there, but finding a Merlin in the farmland just outside the park.

We next went to the National Butterfly Center. I have heard that half of the butterflies seen in the U.S. can be seen in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and this place is set up for attracting them, with gardens and feeding areas. It is good for birding too, and we looked for, and only Ken saw, a Field Sparrow. We did see a nice Gray Hawk, and enjoyed the place.

To read more about this issue and the fight the National Butterfly Center is putting up, check out this article.
Next was the Hidalgo Pump House Park, the location of the steam powered pumping station that helped irrigate the entire county in years past. It is now a museum, and has good birding habitat. We saw Anhinga, Tropical Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, and more.
Next it was time for a sit, so we went to the feeders at Santa Ana NWR, where after an hour or so of looking I finally spotted a Hooded Oriole high in a snag, to add to our trip list. This is usually a spring and summer visitor here.

We finished trying to get the Egyptian Goose that has been hanging out at a local city park, as Bruce needs this for his ABA list (probably not listable here though) but were surprised it was not there. NEarly every imaginable exotic waterfowl was there though, and we got our first trip Ferruginous Whistling Ducks.

Grocery shopping, and early quitting time, and now about to head out for dinner.
One more full day tomorrow then the boys head home Saturday.
Good birding.