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

Mission to South Padre Island

We took a pontoon boat ride on the Rio Grande with our RV Park activities group from Bentsen Palm.  We had lots of birds along the river including a flyover of the Mexican Roadside Hawk, Osprey, Zone-tailed and Harris Hawks. Lots of egrets and herons and several Ringed Kingfishers near nesting tunnels in the mud cliffs.

Ringed Kingfisher

Baby Alligator by the boat ramp

Plain Chachalaca

We had just a few days at Mission and found a few more interesting creatures to photograph.

Pavon Emperor 

Least Grebe

Lark Sparrows

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Cotton Rat checks bird feeders

We spent a morning at Quinta Mazatlan near McAllen to enjoy the birds and walking through the historic paths.

Com. Pauraque blends in to the brush

Headed east to South Padre Island and checked into Isla Blanca County Park which is on the south end of this 112 mile long barrier island.  Most is a wilderness area of sand dunes but the lower 3 miles is developing into a tourist destination, especially during Spring Break.

Brown Pelicans ride the waves

Black-bellied Plovers

Forester's Tern and Least Tern

Ghost Crabs are numerous on the dunes

Willets show off

Sandwich Tern with his yellow tipped bill

White Pelicans come south to join their cousin - the Brown Pelican

Once a week we drive to the Birding Center with its boardwalks through fresh and salt water and lookouts into the Laguna Madre.  This large bay separates the barrier island from the main land of South Texas.

Belted Kingfisher

Great Egret

Roseate Spoonbills resting

White Ibis surrounded by photographers

Northern Pintails arrive from "up north"

Clapper Rail takes a bath

Clappper Rail up close

Reddish Egret finds a snack

Yellow-throated Warbler

There is a Land Trust Area on Sheephead Avenue that is a small but amazing bird magnet for migrating birds.  Food and water is provided and this late migrating Painted Bunting found just what he needed for his flight south

Aplomado Falcon  female

We took a ride southwest towards Brownsville to find the Aplomado Falcons.  First seen at some distance but with much patience, they flew closer and closer.

Roseate Spoonbill reflects colors

American Oystercatcher

Much more to come in the next 7 weeks here on the Gulf of Mexico at S.P.I. and Boca Chica.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and God's Blessings for a wonderful 2016.
Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann