Photo Gallery
Photos by Michael O’Brien
We begin our South Texas tour in the coastal prairie where waterfowl, including Snow and Ross’s Geese, are abundant…
…and where raptors like this Ferruginous Hawk line the roadsides.
A visit to El Canelo Ranch and its resident Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl is always a highlight.
When we arrive in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, we’ll be greeted by such stunning gems as this Altamira Oriole…
…this Green Jay….
…and this more subtle but equally lovely White-tipped Dove.
In Brownsville, we’ll take a quiet stroll on the trails and boardwalk at Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary…
…where we’ll likely see Least Grebe…
…and Green Kingfisher.
In our wanderings we may see an Aplomado Falcon like this one near Boca Chica. This species was resident in the Valley as recently as the beginning of the 20th century and is now being reintroduced.
We may also see Clay-colored Robin, an uncommon and shy resident right along the Rio Grande. This one posed for us at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park.
As we move west, we’ll seek some of the rarest Valley specialties like these Brown Jays at Chapeno…
…and this White-collared Seedeater in Zapata.
Always a delightful stop is our visit with Gale and Pat DeWind at their feeding station at Salineño where we might see…
…Hooded Oriole…
…or an Eastern Screech Owl peering from its box.
One of the most exciting aspects of birding the Rio Grande Valley is the possibility of seeing a stray from Mexico. On recent tours here we have seen Crimson-collared Grosbeak…
…Gray-crowned Yellowthroat…
…Green-breasted Mango….
…Elegant Trogon…
…Roadside Hawk….
…and Blue Mockingbird. What will next year bring?