Altamira Oriole

 The Altamira oriole is a large oriole that lives in Mexico and Central America. The northern edge of the range of the Altamira extends into southern Texas, which is the only place in the United States where these orioles can normally be found. They eat primarily insects, which they glean from the trees, with a little bit of fruit. Since these foods can be found all year long with in their range the Altamira do not typically migrate.

Like many other species of orioles the Altamira weaves a nest from roots, sticks, vines, grasses and other materials. The woven nest hangs down below the branch instead of sitting on the branch like other most species of birds. Their nest is longer then any other bird in North America.  

Happy BirthDay

Today, April 22, is Earth Day. It's a special day where we show our appreciation for the natural world and are more aware of the things that we need to do to preserve it.On Earth Day 2007 I began the Ecobirder Blog. During the past six years there have been good times and bad times, there have been days where I could not wait to share pictures and posts and days where it took almost every thing that I had to write a post for the day. During all this time many of you have visited often and left comments and encouragements for which I would like to thank you. With out you this blog would not be here. It has become kind of a tradition to share pics from the calendars that I make each year on this special day. So keeping with tradion here are the pictures from the 2013 Ecobirder Calendar. 

Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO

Ferruginous pygmy owl San Miguelito Ranch, Tx

 Altamira oriole at Bentsen State Park, Tx

Sandhill crane colt Necedah NWR, Wi

Western grebe Bosque del Apache, NM

Cabbage white butterfly River Bend Nature Center, MN

Red-headed woodpeckers Necedah NWR, Wi.

Gold-fronted woodpecker  Santa Ana NWR, Texas.

 Pied-billed grebe Crex Meadows, Wi

Black Bear Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, MN

 Gulf Fritillary Santa Ana NWR, Texas.

 Sandhill cranes Boque del Apache, MN

Northern Saw-whet owl Dodge Nature Center, MN

Thanks for a great year!

Bentsen State Park

Bentsen State Park sits in the middle of the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas. The park is named for the Bentsen family which donated the original 586 acres to the Texas State Parks Board in January of 1944. The  park was set aside for public recreational use, such as picnicking and camping, until 2004 when the World Birding Center chose the site to put their headquarters. In 2004 the roads into the park were closed to the public. All traffic into the park is now either pedestrian or the parks tram.

Over 325  bird species have been recorded in the 764 acre park. The park sits in the middle of the Central flyway and it is a stop over for many different species during migration. Some species end their migration at Bentsen spending the winter in the warm south Texas weather. Other species like the Altamira Oriole above, nest and raise their young inside the park .Bentsen is also a good place to see butterflies with over 250 different species of butterflies. The habitat is so rich for butterflies that the National Butterfly Center is adjacent to the park. There are also dragonflies, spiders, lizards, snakes, javelina and much more wildlife in the park. In 2010 I snapped my first pictures of a bobcat in the wild running across the road in Bentsen. Maybe next time I will get real lucky and get my first picture of a wild ocelot. 

Altamira Oriole

 The Altamira oriole is the largest oriole in the United States. They live in open riparian woodlands in Mexico, Central America and south Texas. They are omnivorous, eating fruit and insects which they pick off of trees. I photographed this bird at Bentsen State Park near McAllen, TX.

Their basket shaped nest is the longest of any bird in North America. They can reach up to about 25" long. They are made out of grass fibers and epiphyte roots that are woven together by the birds. Altamira orioles usually do not nest too close to each other even though they are not really that territorial.

Icteridae

Icteridae is a family of passerine birds found in North, Central, and South America. There is a wide variety of variation between the different species of Icterids but all have long slender pointed beaks. Icteridae consists of 97 species in 27 genera, most of which are found in the tropical regions of Central and South America. North America has 23 species in 8 genera. The North American species and genera include:
Xanthocephalus- which consists of only the yellow-headed blackbird. Even though it is called a blackbird it is more closely related to meadowlarks then it is other new world blackbirds.
Agelaius and Euphagus- Angelaius consists of the tricolored blackbird and red-winged blackbird. While Euphagus is closely related to grackles and consists of the Brewer's blackbird and the rusty blackbird.
Dolichonyx- consists of just the bobolink which combines characteristics form multiple other genera.
Molothrus- consists of the cowbirds including the brown-headed cowbird, shiny cowbird and bronzed cowbird. All three species are parasitic nesters, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds and leaving the other birds to care for the chicks.
Quiscalus- grackles, including the common grackle, great-tailed grackle and the boat-tailed grackle. Grackles are larger then blackbirds with larger bills and a longer tail.
Sturnella- which consists of the eastern and western meadowlark. It is difficult to distinguish the difference between these two species in the field. If I was better at my bird calls I would probably have an easier time since most people say that their song is the easiest way to identify them.
Icterus- These are the Orioles including streak-backed, Bullock's, Baltimore, hooded, orchard, altamira, spot-breasted, Audubon's and Scott's orioles. These are the most colorful of all of the Icterids found in North America.

Bentson-Rio Grande Valley State Park

No birding trip to south Texas would be complete with out a visit to the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Bentsen is comprised of 760 acres of wetland, scrub brush, riparian and woodland habitat. It is surrounded by 1900 acres of protected native habitat, 1700 acres of which are Federal Refuge lands.

Bentsen is located on the Rio Grande River. Centuries worth of Rio Grande River flooding has made the soil more hospitable, making it possible for large tracks of floodplain forest to flourish in the park, especially near the river. Some of the border markers, that fix the official border between the US and Mexico, are no longer very close to the Rio Grande demonstrating how the path of the river has changed over time.

Bentsen is also the headquarters for the World Bird Center. The World Birding Center is an organization that promotes conservation and ecotourism, centered primarily around birds, in the Rio Grande Valley. The WBC had many blinds and feeders set up in Benson to attract birds like this golden-fronted woodpecker.

Due to large tracks of different types of habitat Bentsen is a magnet for many of the different south Texas and northern Mexican specialty birds such as the Altamira Oriole.

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the best spots in the United States to go birding. The reason is because of the variety of birds. Many birds either spend the winter in the area or pass through while they migrate south, or back north. Besides the spectacular variety that you see during migration the Rio Grande is also the northern edge of the range of many different tropical birds. These birds are usually very colorful like this great kiskadee.

Bentsen is not only about the birds though. Javelina's take advantage of seeds that spill from the many feeders in the park. Even though they may look like it Javelina are not pics. Javelina are peccaries. Peccaries are native to North, South and Central America and have several differences from pigs originated from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Around the visitors center the staff has planted many native flowering plants in order to help attract humming birds and butterflies. Small ponds and pools in the park provide excellent habitat for dragonfly larva, some of which emerge as colorful adults like this red saddlebags.

If you are very lucky you may get a peek at one of the secretive cats that live in and around the park. Bobcats, like this young one that was crossing the road with its mother, are the most common wild cat in North America. Their smaller size, stealthy movement and the fact that they are crepuscular, active mostly at dusk and dawn, help keep them hidden from most people. This is the first wild cat that I have ever seen or photographed, a lifer. Michelle was not there to see them but she got her chance to see her first wild cat later in the trip.