Photo Gallery
Our trip to South Texas will include visits to varied habitats and avifaunas. On the coast we’ll encounter waterbirds, shorebirds and marshbirds such as Roseate Spoonbills…
Photo: Michael O'Brien
…comical Purple Gallinules…
Photo: Rich Hoyer
…and secretive Soras, one of three Rails possible on this trip.
Photo: Gavin Bieber
We’ll then travel up the Rio Grande Valley’s riparian forest corridor seeking specialties like North America’s largest oriole, the Altamira Oriole…
Photo: Michael O'Brien
…the odd and very vocal Plain Chachalaca, the only member of its family found in the United States…
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
…noisy Golden-fronted Woodpeckers…
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
…stunning, but sometimes skulky Green Jays…
Photo: Gavin Bieber
…and their much rarer relative, the Brown Jay, of which perhaps only eight birds remain in the United States.
Photo: Michael O'Brien
We’ll also visit the drier country to the north of the river where we’ll likely find grassland and scrub species such as this Cooper’s Hawk that came into a waterhole to drink…
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
…the elegant Scissor-tailed Flycatcher….
Photo: Beth Russell
…the oberholseri race of Curve-billed Thrasher…
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
…or small coveys of charming Northern Bobwhite.
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
No visit to the Rio Grande Valley can focus solely on birds as there are a wealth of other creatures to attract the visiting naturalist, such as these walking sticks - the female is over 6 inches long!
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
Reptiles are well represented, and though we would be lucky to encounter snakes, turtles such as these Red-eared Sliders…
Photo: Gavin Bieber
…or the long-necked Chicken Turtle…
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
…and toads such as this Gulf Coast Toad are sure to be present.
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
The butterfly and dragonfly diversity in the valley is astounding and we may run into such living gems as this Zebra Longwing…
Photo: Gavin Bieber
…this male Roseate Skimmer…
Photo: Lynn Bieber-Weir
…or valley specialties such as this Thornbush Dasher.
Photo: Gavin Bieber