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Did you know that Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is considered the crown jewel of Rio Grande Valley parks?  That’s what the press flaks at the World Birding Center say, and frankly, after visiting Bentsen, I’m not inclined to argue.  760 acres of Rio Grande floodplain forest and resaca woodland serve up some serious Valley [...]

My first day of birding at the 2008 Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival was pretty stupendous. Would the second day hold up? Considering that we were headed to the celebrated King Ranch, the Lone Star State’s largest ranch in Texas and a haven for birds for over a century, all signs pointed to yes. After [...]

Now that I’ve set the table by offering a glimpse into both the kinds of birds and kinds of birders one might see at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, let’s talk about trips.
One of the main reasons the southernmost stretch of Texas is so essential to U.S. birders is that this is the only [...]

I just flew in from the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen, TX and boy, are my arms tired. Actually, every bit of me is bone weary but it was worth it. The birding at this festival was epic, which is a term I don’t use lightly. This was due in no small part [...]

One of the most spectacular, important, and envy-inducing birding festivals in North America happens to be the one situated along the Mexican border in South Texas. The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen, TX is the real deal, a birding festival by birders for birders with truly breath-taking birds.
If you’ve ever dreamed of attending [...]

One endearing, some might say redeeming trait of sparrows is how the mix of species transforms dramatically based on geography and ecosystem. Sparrows,at least in North America, may always be there to bedevil you, but they won’t always be the devils you know. Travel widely enough and you may find a place where every sparrow [...]

The Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia) is one of the United States less accessible avian species. The golden-cheek closely resembles its cousin, the Black-throated Green Warbler, but its coloration is high contrast black, white, and brilliant yellow. This lovely little wood warbler winters in Mexico and Central America, migrating only as far north as a [...]

I’ve made it to Texas. Yee-haw! The first thing I noticed as I touched down at DFW was how pretty the grounds are, at least for an international airport. Striking emerald swathes of short grass separating runways are actually broad enough to harbor birds, which explains why, in addition to expected species like Great-tailed Grackle [...]