Edition 2B Rio Grande Valley, TX
February 2013 28
Way down in the southern tip of Texas lies the Rio Grande Valley. A warm, fertile region famous for the Ruby Red Grapefruit, the official fruit of Texas. The birdwatching is great here, with many unusual resident species, along with rarities that come up from Mexico across the river. Because of the tropical climate, birding is great year-round. I decided to go in October, to avoid summer Texas heat, and the crowd that arrives for the Rio Grande Valey Birding Festival in Nove-
mber. The weat-
her was very
pleasant, with
80-degree days
and Comfortable
nights. I towed
my pop-up cam-
per down to
Mission, Texas.
It's a long drive from pretty much anywhere in Texas, but well worth it if you're in to birding, which I am. I stayed at Oleander Acres RV Park, a quiet campground conveniently located just south of town.
The next morning, I made the short drive to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, a birding haven. For the past decade, the park has been closed to motorized vehicles to help protect the wildlife, so you must p park outside and walk in. However, == the park staff operates a free elec- = tric tram that can transport you = from one birding hotspot to another. == As I strolled down the empty old = park road with the sweet smell of = mesquite pods drifting through the === warm, tropical air, a large brown == bird flies out of a mesquite tree == onto the ground. It was a Plain ====== Chachalaca. Chachalacas are ===== medium-sized ground birds that == only live in the most southern parts === of Texas. I sat on a bench and wat- == ched the Chachalacas chase away == the smaller birds and chow down == on the birdseed
Tropical Plants
-Eamon Decker