Lower Rio Grande Valley - Part 2

Before checking in at Bentsen Palm RV Resort we stopped at the National Butterfly Center and this purple waterlily was at the entrance.  We plan on going back many times and will have more to share at a later date.

Roseate Skimmer

Land Snail

Black-crested Titmouse sounds off

Cactus Fly

We took a day trip with friends to the McAllen Nature Center and walked their new trails.  We found this Cactus Fly and the Teleus Longtail.

Teleus Longtail

One morning as we arrived early at the visitor's center this large Cane Toad was checking out his reflection in the window. He looked like he wanted to fight this rival in his territory.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-throated Green Warbler

Green Kingfisher

Owlet Moth

Altamira Oriole - South Texas specialty 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - thousands in migration

We were wondering where all our hummingbird nectar was disappearing to and caught the culprit - a Golden-fronted Woodpecker.  Check that tongue sucking up the sweetness.

Green Jay  from the back

Green Jay from the front

Ant Flight

This Rock Wren was the first time this species was seen at Bentsen State Park.  Good thing Ty had the proof in the photos.

This Verdin made this nest in a day and is carrying in fluff to make it cozy

N. Cardinal takes a bath

For the month of October we volunteered at the Hawk Watch at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, just a walk across the road to catch the park tram for the 2 miles to the hawk tower.  Our rarest bird was the Hook-billed Kite which we were blessed to see two times on the 20th and the 29th.  We saw 22 raptor species and over 50,000 individuals in our 130+ hours of scanning the  skies.

Gray Hawk adult

Birds weren't the only thing we saw from the tower.  Almost everyday, either Homeland Security or Border Patrol buzzed by.  We were located one mile from the Rio Grande and they are always on duty.

White-tailed Kite out our "back door"

McCall's race of Eastern Screech Owl

Tropical Parula

This greeted us at sunrise on our way into the park.  Amazing color.  We will be here at Bentsen Palm until Dec. 1st.  and there is still much more to share with you.  Butterfly migration is amazing and we are looking forward to seeing these magnificent creations.

Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann

Lower Rio Grande Valley - part 1

We had a week before we were to arrive at Bentsen Palm in Mission, TX, so we decided to drive to Weslaco and bird several nearby areas.

We had heard that an immature Northern Jacana was at Estero Llano Grande State Park and we really wanted to see this bird.  This would be a new ABA bird as we had one in Costa Rica for a life bird.  We spent four days walking the trails along the marsh and woodlands in the park.  We saw the Northern Jacana everyday and had other great finds..

Northern Jacana coming near in the rain

Common Pauraque

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Buff-bellied Hummingbird on Turk's Cap

Loggerhead Shrike takes a lizard

Turk's Cap

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Sora

Great Kiskadee

Bronzed Cowbird

We took 3 other day trips from the 1015 RV park - Frontera Audubon Thicket, the Hargill Playa where we observed a life bird, the Collared Plover from south of the border, LaFeria Nature Center trails and the fields north of Progresso Lakes where we had flocks of Bronzed Cowbirds.

Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse

Thornbush Dasher

Yellow-crowned Night-heron

White-tailed Kite

White-tailed Kite takes flight

Ruthven's Whiptail

Oblong-winged Katydid

We stopped at Santa Ana on the way back west along the Rio Grande to Mission.  Pretty quiet as it is still early here for winter birds but we did find some insects and a Ruthven's Whiptail snake.

The reason we came in October to Bentsen Rio Grande State Park is to participate in the Hawk Watch even putting up with the heat and humidity of the tropical weather.  Every morning but Sunday we take the tram to the 2 story Hawk Tower to scan the skies for hawks, falcons, kites, caracaras, ospreys and vultures migrating out of the US to Central and South America.  We observed 20 species of raptors with over 17,000 individuals, plus another 79 bird species at the park.

Mixed Raptor Kettle

Swainson's Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Ringed Kingfisher - 16 inches

Tarantula at Bentsen Rio Grande

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers - hundreds in migration

Sundays we have been attending Palm Valley Church in Mission, TX.  An upbeat, Bible based fellowship seating over 2,000 for three services. We enjoyed returning as we attended here before as winter Texans.


There's plenty more to come in the next 6 weeks at Bentsen Palm.
Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida