Black-vented Oriole!

Black-vented Oriole male

This afternoon we went to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park for the rarity birds though.  Special targets were Black-vented Oriole and Blue Bunting.  We arrived at one feeding station and some birders were there.  They said 30-40 minutes before the Black-vented Oriole had been there.  While waiting to see if the BVO would reappear I got some local specialty birds:: Ringed Kingfisher (flyover), many Altamira Orioles (both lifers), and 3 Indigo Buntings as a year bird.  Then..I said in a soft voice (not to scare the bird!) "there it is..the Black-vented Oriole!".  2 other birders got on it during it's 3 second visit.  Then a while later my dad got on the bird again and many other birders saw it while it ate for a few minutes.  What a treat!  Then..although not a bird, we had the awesome treat of a Bobcat cross the path 100 yards ahead!

A birder that was there said that there was a spot in nearby McAllen where in the last 45 minutes of daylight WILD ABA countable Green Parakeets come to roost and there's often 1 or 2 Mitred Parakeets with them.  We went on our way back to the Super 8 Weslaco and got both parakeet species!

What a day.

Until later,

KestrelSwan