Brandon's Big Year in Birding: Rio Grande Valley: Final Day

Today we went up river for some new habitat. Stops included Salineno, Starr County Park, and Falcon State Park. It was an hour and a half drive from our hotel, but like everything else on this trip, it was well worth the effort.

Our first stop was Salineno. It's a place unlike any other location I've visited. Salineno Road dead ends into the Rio Grande River. At first glance, the area looks kind of dumpy. Birds, however, don't care about curb appeal. At the river one can find all three kingfishers, American White Pelicans, and Neotropic Cormorants among other species. The highlight of our river watching was a single Red-billed Pigeon. Expert birder Mary Gustafson, who was working on a Christmas bird count made the call. I got a good look at it, but didn't write it down until I confirmed it with Dad's Peterson's guide. Didn't doubt Mary, but I couldn't write it down on my list unless I identified the bird myself.

Volunteers have been maintaining feeders at Salineno for years. A wonderfully cheerful older gentleman named Merle is currently taking care of the feeders. We sat with him and his dog Jake (who was equally as cheerful) for about a half hour. After a slow start, activity at the feeders eventually began to pick up. We were able to get stunning views of Hooded, Altamira, and Audubon's Orioles. We also got unencumbered looks at Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, and Long-billed Thrasher.

After leaving Salineno we went to Starr County Park. The park is a campground that can be very productive for birds. Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, and a subspecies of the Yellow-rumped Warbler known as Audubon's Warbler were observed.

We then went to Falcon State Park for our final birding adventure in South Texas. The park was not extremely active, but Pyrrhuloxia and Greater Roadrunner were welcome additions to the list. Here are our departing images from the Rio Grande Valley...