Journey to 1000 bird species

        After the first unsuccessful chase of Yellow Grosbeak a couple of weeks back, I was watching the ebird lists. The next time it was seen after my visit, it was seen within seconds of waiting, and I was tempted again! It was seen on most days, and not seen on a couple of other days. I decided to take the next slot available and it was on a Wednesday. I decided on Tuesday night to make the trip a go. As noted in my earlier blog, I am keeping details to a minimum since it is seen at a private residence. The first batch of birders saw the bird 5 mins before we arrived! Me and the others waited until afternoon to get a minute of look at "Pedro", which is the name given to the immature male Yellow Grosbeak for bird number 978 . This is a TBRC review species and needs to be accepted for my count-ability rules. However, the opinion of the people I've talked to make me believe that it will be accepted. So I'm counting it!    The morning commute was 2 ...

     There were four options for chasing this month. The Little Gull at Dallas was being seen relatively closer for a few days which meant a scope may not be needed. The Yellow Grosbeak at a private residence, 2.5 hours away from ATX had a waiting list for weekend visits. I got into one and it was a couple of weeks away. The Golden-crowned Warbler in RGV was joined by a female Crimoson-colored Grosbeak - sadly I don't know if I can go through the border checkpost area with a pending I797 approval. A Fork-tailed Flycatcher was being reported at a restricted access area south of Houston.  Chase 1a:      I emailed the concerned person at Brazos Woods and fixed a time to bird the preserve that is normally closed to the public. The time was fixed to a window on Sunday, but I was notified Friday night that Sat was fine too. I drove to my uncle's place in Sugarland on Friday, and went to the preserve the next day.  Fork-tailed Flycatche...