Jake Mohlmann from his recently concluded Texas: Rio Grande Valley tour

Our bevy of birders thoroughly enjoyed a sun-soaked six days in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. We explored a variety of habitats from the Gulf of Mexico at South Padre Island to the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert near Falcon Lake. Just over 200 species were seen and the list was flush with valley specialties like bright orange Altamira Orioles and gaudy Green Jays (below). Some mornings were spent overlooking Mexico on the banks of the Rio Grande (below) in hopes of spotting one of the many rarities we crossed paths with like this White-throated Thrush (below) seen by the group at Estero Llano Grande State Park. The multitude of Parrots and Parakeets encountered reminded us of being in a rainforest, and witnessing a total of seven species in 1 day was a highlight with excellent views of them all, including many Red-lored Parrots, (below). A fine way to end any trip to south Texas is to travel up to the Port Aransas area with sights set on seeing some of the endangered Whooping Cranes (below) that spend the winter here fattening up on delectable blue crabs. It's hard to imagine only 500 of these birds exist in the entire world. Our group was lucky enough to see around 25 of these amazing birds.

Altamira Oriole and Green Jay

Mexico across the Rio Grande 

White-throated Thrush

Red-lored Parrots

Whooping Crane