This morning Kay and I took the half day RGVBF trip to Weslaco and visited two areas, and . These are relatively small areas but have excellent habitat for a good variety of birds. For me the highlight of the day was the ease with which we saw Clay-colored thrush. I was pleased that I located and was able to recognize the first of the 3 we saw today. It was really not tough to ID, being the size and shape of a robin, but all brownish above and lighter brown/buffy below. It has some streaking on the throat, but overall it lacks much in the way of dramatic field marks. Since we have yet to see an American Robin on this trip it was not tough to get onto this bird.
We got better looks at Green Kingfisher today than yesterday, much closer and in better light. The areas were small and the ride to get there only about a half hour so we spent the time birding rather that on a stakeout-like approach looking for specific species, or in a bus.
The Clay-colored was my third lifer of the trip, and tomorrow I’ll have a chance for Hook-billed kite, Groove-billed ani, and anything really rare that pops up. The trip is going well so far.
Maybe the most interesting thing I learned today is how Weslaco got its name. It is named after the company that the town initially supported. The company in turn was named for its owner WE Stuart and his land company, hence WES his initials, and LA for land and CO for company. WESLACO.