The Rio Grande Valley is known globally as one of the premier birding destinations, so of course we had to make a trip during spring migration. This area is an ecotone between the deserts of central Texas / Mexico and the thorn scrub of the coastal plains, so there are opportunities to see species that occupy both of these habitat types. The xeric surrounding landscapes (and agricultural / industrial land cover) concentrate high densities of birds into mini oases in protected lands that typically line bodies of water. While I missed out on getting decent photos of a lot of the migrants we saw, I did score some keepers of more residential species!
An eastern screech owl at Estero Llano Grande State Park
One RGV specialty I was determined to see was a plains chachalaca. Initially I was a tad anxious I wouldn't find many (or any) but quickly realized that they were pretty much everywhere! This pair were some of the first I saw at Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park
A least bittern doing his best cattail impression at the South Padre Island Birding Center
Our home growing up in rural Michigan had a farm pond behind it, and each summer we'd hear the song of the red-winged blackbird all day long. Now whenever I catch a few notes of their song it hits me with a huge wave of nostalgia, making me love these gorgeous birds more than I already would
Spring means time for babies (in this case, mottled duck chicks)!
I love indigo buntings, but this one might be my favorite I have seen yet. The bright, mottled blues with the yellow head are just so striking!
Birds aren't the only ones migrating through Texas in the spring! This monarch was fueling up on a stopover before it continued its long journey further north
Another RGV species I desperately wanted to see: WILD red-fronted parrots! When I was scouting the area on iNaturalist I saw a few observations of these guys and knew I needed to see them. After some googling I found a park near where we were staying that had hundreds if not thousands of them congregating each evening. Seeing and hearing all those parrots was one of the highlights of my time in Texas, even though I couldn't get a great photo because of the lighting
All photos taken with Canon 90D and 400m f/5.6 lens