Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park

 This Vermilion Flycatcher visited our RV site for a few days before heading to nesting grounds. 

Watching for insects

This brightly colored male made many sorties and back to the fence.

Male Ringed Kingfisher - 16 inches long

Daily flights near the hawk tower

Female Ringed Kingfisher with blue necklace

Rare Hook-billed Kite actually perched nearby

Juvenile Hook-billed Kite - notice the paddle shaped wings

Lincoln's Sparrow

Ladder-backed Woodpecker male

Ladder-backed female

Long-billed Thrasher on territory beneath the hawk tower.

Hooded Oriole

Loves the Peanut Butter

Hooded Oriole female

Female making her presence known

Green Jay - also a peanut butter fan

First time visitors love this South Texas specialty

Look close for this rare bird - a female Rose-throated Becard

Adult Gray Hawk is a park resident

Blooming Huisache trees are making my eyes itch, but they look beautiful and attract bees

Migrating Osprey checks out the tower wetlands.

Nice flyover by a Swainson's Hawk

                                           Plain Chachalaca stretches while sun bathing.

Altamira Oriole, largest North American oriole

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Lark Sparrow

Great Horned Owl pair in our RV Park

Another rare hawk sought by birders - Zone-tailed Hawk

American Coot is not worried about this Northern Harrier

N. Harrier is only looking for rodents

This Harrier has become a daily visitor 

Migrating Savannah Sparrow responds to pishing.

Broad-winged Hawks are coming through in big numbers

Cloud ice crystals display rainbow of colors.

Looking forward to 4 more weeks of hawk count before we migrate north.

Love ❤️  & Prayers 🙏🏽

Ty & Ida Baumann

From the Coast to Bentsen RGV State Park

Peregrine Falcon watching Mourning Doves

   We ended February at the Weslaco area with a couple field trips.  This was near Progresso Lakes at the border wall where this young Peregrine Falcon was sitting on the bare field.  Trying to blend in with the dirt, we almost didn't see him there.  

Peregrine takes flight

Peregrine heads for the border

What a strange duck - Hybrid Pintail/Gadwall

Blue-winged Teal pair

Gadwall Drake

Gedwalls pair bonding

Least Grebe

White-tailed Kite hauling nesting material on levee

Roseate Spoonbill at Estero Llano

Black-bellied Whistling Duck - balance beam, olympic gold medal

Our Minnesota birding friends, Scott & Connie Jo took us in their truck to Boca Chica Beach

From the jetty to the Rio Grande mouth - Pictured Am. Avocets at Sunrise

 

SpaceX rockets being constructed at Boca Chica Beach

White-faced Ibis

White Ibis juvenile near SpaceX

Sabel Palm Sanctuay produces 9-banded Armadillo digging for food

Bat Falcon flares at female Am. Kestrel

Our fourth Santa Ana stop to see the Bat Falcon

A stop at Hidalgo locates Monk Parakeet flock feeding on acorns

Noisy Monk Parakeets fly throughout the town

Collecting nesting material

Monk Parakeet returns to colonial nest 

Great Horned Owl male guards the nest at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort

Eastern Meadowlark behind our RV site

Ringed Kingfisher catches a talapia at hawk tower resaca

Verdin below the hawk tower at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park

The rare Hook-billed Kite  makes an appearance

Crested Caracara does a flyover the Hawk Tower where we count every morning.

Migration is now in full swing and we are off to a great start with 16,000 raptors so far.  

It's a wonder to see God's Creation every day and visit with people about the birds.

                                                            Love & Prayers,

                                                            Ty & Ida Baumann