A bird walk yesterday morning led by Huck Hutchens at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Hidalgo Co, Texas, turned up an ABA Code 4 Gray-crowned Yellowthroat. The bird was seen and photographed by many throughout the day.
Photo by Chris Benesh, used with permission
Estero Llano Grande is located just south of Weslaco, Texas. From Hwy 83, take exit at FM 1015/International Blvd and then south for two miles. The bird was seen beyond the pavilion on the far end of the Ibis Pond. Estero Llano Grande is open daily from 8-5. Admission is $5.00.
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat is common shrubland species from northern Mexico throughout Middle America to Panama. It was formerly a breeding bird in the ABA Area, but more or less disappeared at the turn of the 20th Century. It’s become somewhat regular in south Texas since 1988 or so, with a number of records scattered throughout the area. A pair of birds even attempted nesting in Cameron County in 2005, though at least one of them was likely a hybrid with Common Yellowthroat. The last record of this species in the ABA Area was in 2006.