South Padre Island

Many of our days started with beautiful sunrises over the Gulf of Mexico.  We walked the beach looking for birds and collecting shells.  Each day brought something new.

Dolphins escort ship out of the channel

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling running the waves

Whole-leaf Rosinweed 

Oyster Shells

Brown Pelican free-fall for fish

Sting Ray

Snowy Egret feeding dance

Bay Bean

Man-o-War Jellyfish

At the north end of Isla Blanca Park is the University of Texas RGV Coastal Studies Laboratory.  Public is welcome to come see the live and mounted displays.  Can you find the Flounder in the sand?

Sea Robin

Striped Burfish 

American Bittern hides out

We returned to the Birding Center several times finding many interesting birds from the boardwalk along the Laguna Madre.

Reddish Egret - getting a close up

Marbled Godwit and Roseate Spoonbill

Little Blue Heron - bad hair day

Green Heron

Marbled Godwit

American Coot

Crested Caracara

We drove to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge twice for birding tours through the salt-brush scrub habitat and many wetlands.  Amazing places and worth the ride up the horrible roads that should be classified as an obstacle course.

American Kestrel

White-tailed Hawk

Redhead Ducks most numerous at refuge

Altamira Oriole

Cottontail & Great-tailed Grackle

Green Jays

We walked the beach on Christmas Day morning and found a wonderful surprise flying overhead.  A Magnificent Frigatebird.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit has the run of the RV Park

At the south end of the Isla Blanca Park is a memorial to the fishermen who were lost at sea from this area.  As Jesus stands with outstretched arms to gather all to him.

With the New Year came a cold front that gave us chilled rain and high winds, but no blizzards, freezing rain, tornados, or flooding and we pray for those dealing with those tragedies.  The sun came out again and we are enjoying the South Texas weather.
Love & Prayers,
 Ty & Ida Baumann