and was exited to see them chasing each other over the palm trees. I had a pleasant walk through the "tropical area", filled with palms, Norfolk pines, and bright pink bougainvilleas. I then rounded a corner and came out into an open meadow with a pond surrounded with brown dry reeds. In the reeds, I could hear hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds were chattering away. Like a cloud of smoke, some of them rose out of the reeds and dispersed into the sky. The trail turned into a boardwalk crossing a pond. The secluded pond was filled with ducks and coots. The path than crossed a dry gorge and led to
Secluded Pond at Estero Llano Grande
-Eamon Decker
Anzalduas Dam Park, Hidalgo County
-Eamon Decker
Alligator Lake. I searched the whole lake, but didn't see any gators. My mom walked out to an overlook at the far end of the lake and saw a young hawk dive on an anhinga resting on a tree branch. The anhinga flew away, scared half to death. The hawk was too small to catch an Anhinga, he was probably doing hunting practice. After hiking all morning at Estero Llano Grande, we were very hungry and stopped at a small cafe in downtown Weslaco called Sevilla Restaurant. I ordered the Mexican Plate, containing a chalupa, taco, and enchilada made with fresh tortillas. It was delicious and cheap! In addition to the great Mexican
31 Southwest Highways & Fields