New Paltz birding

The weekend in New Paltz, NY, was nice! It was really hot and humid, but we had a good time. I finally got to meet AB's parents and her sister CB and CB's hubby SB, which was really fun. Her mom and I immediately began nerding-out over wildflowers, sharing photos and stories of Pink Lady's Slippers. We celebrated AB's birdday too, with a delicious orange-chocolate cake that AB's mom made. Lots of good food, great conversation, and family love made the weekend pretty spectacular.

I took a few photos too, though not many bird photos came out. Still, my list was decent for the Wallkill Rail Trail:
Canada Goose X
Mourning Dove X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
House Finch X
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow X

as well as for the yard at the rental home we stayed in:
Canada Goose 35
Mute Swan 1
Mallard 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 8
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Least Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 2
Barn Swallow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Indigo Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
House Finch 2
House Sparrow X

I FINALLY saw my FOY Indigo Bunting, one of my favorite birds.

Now I'm in my old bedroom in Texas at my parents' house. I'm planning to do as much birding as possible down here, but as I pored over my field guide on the plane I noted that there aren't as many great birds here in the summer as there are in winter! Still, I'm planning to bird City Park and perhaps the Botanical Gardens here in San Antonio, then MAYBE a trip to Hornsby Bend near Austin, and then a swing south to Kingsville and the coast (Kaufer-Hubert Memorial Park, on Baffin Bay) to see my brother Ricardo.

Chances are good that I'll see at least some of these potential lifers:
Painted Bunting! Finally! I hope!
Northern Bobwhite
Neotropic Cormorant
King Rail (maybe--rails are tough)
Clapper Rail (maybe)
Wilson's Plover
Sandwich Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Least Tern
Sooty Tern (maybe!)
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (if we go into the King Ranch near Kingsville)
Lesser Nighthawk
Green Violet-Ear (hummingbird--I pray!)
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Bank Swallow
Cave Swallow
Summer Tanager
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Dicksissel!
Pyrrhuloxia (maybe)

I've been checking the local eBird reports, Rare Bird Alerts, etc., to get an idea of what's being seen out there. If I see half of these guys, I'll be happy. I'll really be flirting with the magical 300 lifebirds if I see them all, but I'm trying to be more realistic (not my strong suit, as you know).

So I'll be updating you all week from here in the Lone Star State. And ohmigod, it is even hotter here than I was afraid it would be.