Birding the Rio Grande Valley - Part One

One of the highlights of the trip was birding in the Rio Grande Valley.  This area of Texas is home to several tropical bird species.  Some of these species are also found in southern Arizona, but many are found only within a few tens of miles of the Mexico/Texas border. The area is also a major bird migration corridor.  Many species that breed in Canada in the summer fly through this corridor as soon as the spring weather begins to move north. 

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife refuge is located on the southern tip of Texas but not in the Rio Grande Valley.  It is a habitat of thorn forest, wetlands, costal mudflats and beaches.  They say that nearly half of all bird species found in the continental USA feed, nest or migrate through this region.

Green Jay, an intelligent, gregarious and gorgeous bird

Chachalaca- a very noisy chicken-like bird

Golden-fronted woodpecker-How's that for a colourful hat!

Ladder-backed woodpecker

Roadrunner

We visited 8 of the 9 nature preserves that are part of the World Birding Centre in the Rio Grande Valley.  Here are some photos of some of the birds we saw at each park.

Harlingen Arroyo Colorado/Hugh Ramsey Park

Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron

Altamira Oriole

Resaca de la Palma (Brownsville)

Tropical Kingbirds

Roseate Spoonbill

Least Grebe

Ibises and Egrets

Ibises, Egrets and Little Blue Heron

Water snakes mating

Black Necked Stilts, an Egret and some Dowitchers

South Padre Island Birding and Nature Centre

Laughing Gulls and Black Skimmers     Look at those beaks, will ya!   

Royal Terns,  Laughing Gull and Marbled Godwits

Laughing Gulls  Ha, Ha, ha!

Great-tailed Grackle

Black Skimmer skimming

Yes, we did see an alligator here

This guy was about 6 feet long

Osprey

White Ibises

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Immature Green Heron

Continued in Part Two.....