January 1, 2012

Day one is done. We had a great time. We started at Bentsen and saw Black-vented Oriole to start the year! While in the park we also saw all 3 kingfishers and a Grey Hawk. We also got an amazing look at a sleeping Eastern Screech Owl blending in perfectly with the tree bark. A big downpour sent us to an early lunch and then we made our way up the Rio Grande to Falcon State Park. We got some great birds there and met some really friendly birders. On the way back we stopped by Selineno with a bit of hope to see an Audubon's Oriole before dark. We were lucky enough to see some very close and as we started to leave Liam spotted a Brown Jay and asked "what is that, a Chachalaca?!" In case you didn't know it, Brown Jays are flippin' huge. What a great way to end the day! 75 birds today. Tomorrow should be amazing too!