Bentsen RGV SP Continued

Kettle of mixed hawks and vultures

We continue Hawk Watch at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission, Texas five days a week for four hours each morning.  Great numbers of raptors rise and soar out of Mexico, over 20 species and in just the last 2 days over 10,000 birds came through.  There are many locations in North America where hawks are counted by volunteers of this Citizen Science Project.

Swainson's Hawk

Swallow-tailed Kite

Immature White-tailed Hawk grabs a snake

Immature White-tailed Hawk

Harris's Hawk

Yellow-headed Parrot - new species for Park

We see many other birds and creatures from the hawk tower.  We see God's creation everywhere we go walking the trails in the park and even on the buildings.

Great-tailed Grackle

Bold Jumping Spider on Hawk Tower

Acacia Tree Blooms

Bronzed Cowbird

Great Kiskadee with nesting material

Buff-bellied Hammingbird

Bull Snake

Antlion Adult

Pandorus  Sphinx Moth

Hooded Oriole next to our RV

Bouganvillea lined path to Quinta Mazatlan

We take a day a week to visit area birding areas.  We went to historical Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen and watched the bird feeders.  We don't think they were expecting these birds to devour all the seed.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks take over the feeder

"You don't say?"

Green Parakeets check nesting cavity

We went to the National Butterfly Center a couple of times which is only a mile down the road from Bentsen Palm RV Park.  We find great flowers and many butterflies and other insects here.

Drusius Cloudywing

Black Swallowtail

Northern Crab Spider attacks Phaon Crescent Butterfly

African Spurred Tortoise at the Butterfly Center

Retama Tree Blossoms  

The RV park is becoming empty as the Winter Texans head north.  We will be here till the end of the month enjoying the quiet except for the Border Patrol helicopters guarding the river. Then slowly head north to Wisconsin.

Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann

Back to Bentsen RGV State Park

 
We are now volunteering 30 hours a week on the Hawk Tower at Bentsen Rio Grand Valley State Park counting raptors coming north out of Mexico in their bi-annual migration.  




First Phase are the thousands of Turkey Vultures along with the Black Vultures pictured here forming kettles and streaming, making their way to the states and Canada.  Today over 13,000 vultures observed.



Mixed in are 20 other species of hawks, falcons, and kites.

White-tailed Kite

Cooper's Hawk

Crested Caracara

Many other birds and wildlife inhabit the 800 acres of Bentsen State Park.  There are 10 feeding stations and bird blinds that give the public great opportunities to study and photograph wildlife.

Bobcat

Vermilion Flycatcher

Lark Sparrow

Greater Roadrunner

Javelina

            

Long-billed Thrasher

Audubon's Oriole

    

Olive Sparrow

Green Jay

Altamira Oriole

White-collared Seedeater

We took one day off and drove west to Salineno, located along the Rio Grande in the more desert-like area of South Texas.  Winter Texans set up feeders that welcome birders to come sit and watch the show.  

Along the banks covered in tall grasses are the sought after White-collared Seedeaters, a small, shy bird that is a blessing to find.  We also saw Red-billed Pigeons, a Mexican species only seen in this small area along the river.

Northern Cardinal

White-winged Dove

    

Black-crowned Night-heron

California Carpenter Bee

Lincoln's Sparrow

Western Banded Snake

 We signed up for the pontoon boat ride on the Rio Grande with our RV park and enjoyed the wildlife along the river in Spring just as much as we did last Autumn.

One year old Alligator

         

Fiery Skipper

McCall's Eastern Screech Owl

A Budgerigar checking out The House of China in McAllen

We have six more weeks of Hawk Watch until we head north with the warbler migration.
Love & Prayers,  Ty & Ida Baumann