Days of Frustration: Our Battle to Spot This RARE Bird in South Texas

[@roygbiv5164]

I was there back in March, it took me 2 trips to get the becard and it was a very brief view! The Roadside hawk was pretty close to the road and had super views! Dipped on the Tropical parula. Congrats!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

We spent an entire week sipping on a tropical parula our first trip so we know how that feels

[@thetraveler2561]

Congrats boys on the Bicard patience is a virtue!

[@TheSmokie55]

I am not a birder, nor do I know anything about being a birder. But I found your channel and it makes me soooo very Happy! Liked and Subscribed. Great stuff my friend.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Welcome aboard!

[@oriolehop]

My friends and I are from NC and visited Resaca de la Palma in January. The bird had been seen earlier on the day we arrived but was not reliably reported for 5 days. We searched most of the 5 days with a few side trips for other rarities. We decided to depart and continue with our TX trip when it was re-found. We quickly headed back and were able to see the bird the next day. We hated the becard as well but seeing it made the trip worthwhile. We have never spent so much time chasing one bird. My friends got several other lifers and I also added Fan-tailed Warbler to make the trip worthwhile.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@oriolehop dang! Glad you were eventually able to get it!

[@aspiecomputergeek9870]

That whole area right along the Mexican border from Texas to Arizona is really just a hotspot for Mexican birds that have their ranges cross over into the United States. I went to the Cochise County area of Arizona with my dad years back and we spent hours looking for Vermilion Flycatchers , Elegant Trogons, and we even got a report of a female Flame Colored Tanager in Ramsey Canyon and got brief looks at it. I know nightbird wise that area is a hotspot for the Buff Collared Nightjar. I love your South Texas birding videos! That whole area is jumping with Mexican accidentals. One bird I hope you guys get to see one day is the Tawny Collared Nightjar, their range is right along the border in Monterrey. Occasionally they have popped into Texas in the past but those reports are hard to confirm though.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

This is a fantastic comment! South Texas birders are definitely anticipating the arrival of the nightjar. That area is basically Mexico in terms of how far south it is. One of our favorite places to go. Definitely need to hit southeast Arizona again

[@bobolink5974]

Glad you finally get the Becard. I missed it when I was there in March. A little disappointed but not unexpected considering how elusive the Becard was. At least I got the Roadside hawk before it's gone in a week 😂

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Let’s goooo Roadside Hawk! 👍👍👍

[@headtrauma_1]

Thank you for uploading so frequently! Your videos get me through my week

[@BadgerlandBirding]

We do our best to upload quality content as much as we can! Glad you're enjoying it!

[@susanbrown4891]

What a great video for all of y'all. Great Day ! 🕊 🦅 🦜 🦉 🦆 🪽

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Thanks!

[@NathanWebb-c5h]

Congrats on finding the gray-collared becard!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@NathanWebb-c5h thanks!

[@CamCam369]

lol! the struggle is real!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Haha it sure is

[@csfsangle]

I get it! When you want a bird so bad you almost hate it or mad at it when it goes away

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It definitely felt like it was purposely avoiding us, haha

[@thecornells7430]

Brilliant video, guys. Love it Keep putting them out. You're easily the best birding channel by miles. Know how feel being desperate to get a lifer, we've dipped on sooo many. 😂 Thanks from the UK.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Thank you so much! We appreciate the compliment :)

[@markshen3280]

Good morning 🌅 to you from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 SAR. The most popular dove in the semi-rural areas of the New Territories of Hong Kong 🇭🇰 SAR is the Spotted Dove. The less often (shy bird) is the Emerald Green Dove which usually hides in thick and dense vegetation among shrubs or sits in densely leafed trees 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I would like to see a Spotted Dove one day

[@suesmith3138]

It took us 4 tries to get it. But, when we finally did, it perched up for several minutes preening, and everyone was able to get good looks. Though it took four days during two different trips, it was totally worth it!!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@suesmith3138 wow! That sounds like an incredible viewing of it!

[@tomtorres7093]

Man.....yall were down here again!! One day I hope to bump into you guys out at one of the parks! I know it usually takes you guys a while to upload, but what date were you actually down here? Would be cool to know a time frame of when yall saw all of these birds! We go to Resaca De La Palma alot and haven't seen alot of what you guys captured....I'm excited to go back again now!!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@tomtorres7093 it’s in the description! Early February for this trip. We’ll be back for the RGV festival!

[@edobrien512]

I saw it on the last day in the valley. three times a charm. Don't talk to me about the Crimson Collard Grosbeak though.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Ooohhhh we have our own Crimson-collared story to tell lol

[@markshen3280]

The Spotted Dove is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in East and Southeast Asia. The species has been introduced to many parts of the world and feral populations have become established. They are plentiful in both Hong Kong 🇭🇰 SAR, too. Having said that, Singapore 🇸🇬 has the Zebra Dove, much smaller than the Spotted Dove.

[@RCSVirginia]

Young guys, there will always be that one for which you will work so hard, maybe just catching a glimpse or getting for a brief while. It'll be the one that got away. This applies to birds, too.

[@seanhuntley7203]

10:49 Benjamin Sampson Spotted

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Ben was a pivotal part of the Becard experience

[@DustinHaning]

Glad this had a happy ending at least!

[@wildasl1774]

I was able to see the becard and the hawk when I was down there in February. I did not see the parula with certainty - there were other who did, but I didn't get good enough looks to see if it was Tropical, Northern, or a hybrid. Just another reason to head down that way again. I should add that I did have Evan Farese as a guide for one day through Nature Ninjas, and he was great. I would not have been able to see as many birds as I did without him!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Can confirm, Evan is great! He’s the one who originally discovered the Fan-tailed Warbler!

[@wildasl1774]

@@BadgerlandBirding I know - I was able to see that bird with his help!

[@aspiecomputergeek9870]

My dad and I went all over the place trying to find a Kentucky Warbler back when I was a kid including a trip to Kentucky to look for it and then we ended up seeing it right here in West Michigan out by Grand Haven in a housing development. When I was a kid the Chuck Wills Widows around her trailer park gave me headaches just because they are so well camouflaged.

[@aspiecomputergeek9870]

All the times I've been to Hawaii up until 2019 I had never seen an I'Iwi. The whole thing is that we took a trip to Maui and after never seeing one for years we spotted a whole group of them up on a mountaintop.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

That must have felt nice to see!

[@guymatson7731]

Been trying for four years to get Boreal Chickadee at Sax Zim Bog - I get the frustration

[@BadgerlandBirding]

They can definitely be tough! Especially to get a visual!

[@Pancake_De_Editz]

I had a really hard and annoying time looking for spoonbills… they came into Delaware when I went there, are not usually there😂

[@justicia_azul]

Thank you all for always bringing attention to the Rio Grande Valley. I'm sure you already know that more than 90% of the original habitat here has been lost, which is a shame. There are restoration efforts being done by the fine folks at American Forests and Texas Parks and Wildlife. But it always hurts to see some private landowners sell biodiverse lands to real estate companies who seek to turn it all into concrete...

[@douglaswetzel3221]

The Ivory billed woodpecker.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

👀

[@Pancake_De_Editz]

2:25 jays too :>

[@jaurijantzi424]

That’s how I felt about the indigo bunting until this year lol

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Glad you were able to get it!

[@sydneyblackwell9276]

When I went there to search for it, if it wasnt for the group I tagged along with, I wouldn’t have found it. It was a hard bird to spot. Glad it was worth it!

[@1coolkitty]

Great pics and video! Can I ask what kind of camera you use?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@1coolkitty I use a Nikon D5300 for vlogging and we use the Panasonic LUMIX FZ-80 for most videos of birds but I’ve been testing some mirrorless cameras as well. In this video, some of the Becard pics are from friends of ours (noted in the description) since we didn’t get great media of it!

[@deliaguzman1138]

I dipped on it!

[@KlenissonBrenner]

One day a Say’s Phoebe showed up in Dade City, FL, which was about one-hour drive from where I was living at the time. It took me 3 trips to find it, but I got it and it was totally worth it

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Awesome!

[@rabbadoodles4522]

I am grom South Texas and I swear I have never seen a Grey Becard

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It’s super rare and uncommon in the U.S.!

[@carlsorensen9422]

i reefuse to belive freat grey owl is real bird its just ai generated bird that exist one facebook

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It’s actually just a running joke among birders and we just keep it going. They don’t actually exist.