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The Long-billed Thrasher is, I think, the most handsome of all of the thrashers! (though it does not have the longest bill).
The only place to find one is northeast Mexico or South Texas.
Here is one at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, in January of this year:
This is a female Hooded Oriole at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park.
During our week in South Texas, I never saw a male Hooded Oriole, and only one or two females.
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is another of a multitude of parks in the Rio Grande Valley which is famous for birding.
It is full of feeders which draw plenty of birds.
The park is so large that you can rent bicycles to traverse it.
The only spot in the United States to see an Altamira Oriole is in the Rio Grande Valley.
Adult Altamira Orioles are a stunning, vivid orange!
Tropical and Couch's Kingbirds are both common in the Rio Grande Valley in January.
This one was hunting from a fence near the parking lot as we were driving away from Estero Llano Grande State Park.
The only way to reliably tell them apart is by sound, and in my car was my friend Tjie, a superb birder-by-ear.
This bird, however, did not make a single sound during the time we were photographing it!
If it's a Couch's Kingbird, it's a life-bird for me, but for now, I can only say it's a kingbird.
A Yellow-rumped Warbler visits the feeders at Estero Llano Grande State Park, in January of this year:
An Orange-crowned Warbler:
The Black-crested Titmouse is only found in northeast Mexico, Texas, and a sliver of Oklahoma.
They were abundant during our time in South Texas, but this one provided the best photos, as it visited the feeders at Estero Llano Grande State Park:
Let's take a bath!
The Clay-colored Thrush was one of the birds I most wanted to see in Texas, I had not seen one during my previous short time there. South Texas is the only spot in the United States to see this bird.
For a few days, all of the birds I saw were skulking in the underbrush, which is usually where they spend their time.
This bird, however, visited the feeders at Estero Llano Grande State Park and posed for this picture:
The Green Kingfisher is very common throughout Mexico and Central America, but in the United States Texas is the only reliable place to see one.
I was very happy to see this one at Estero Llano Grande State Park, the only one I saw during our week in Texas.
The Common Pauraque is a nightjar, an insect-hunting bird that is active at dusk.
Its camouflage is so effective, that even when the bird is pointed out 15 feet away, it is still nearly impossible to see.
Luckily, there are docents at Estero Llano Grande State Park which helpfully point out the bird to interested birders.
This bird was sitting on a pile of leaves and wood just off of a fairly busy trail.
I have a guidebook for finding birds in South Texas written over 15 years ago, and it recommends this exact spot on the same trail as the best spot to find a Common Paraque!
Every few minutes the bird would open its eyes, shuffle a bit, and shake its feathers:
Two birding friends and I spent a week in South Texas during the last week of January.
South Texas is a prime birding spot because it is the northern range of many Mexican species which can be found nowhere else in the United States.
The Rio Grande Valley, in particular, has many state parks and other birding sites which have excellent habitat, as well as an abundance of feeders, which is helpful for photographing many of the birds.
We spent one morning at Estero Llano Grande State Park, in Weslaco, Texas.
I'll be sharing photos from there over the next few days.
How can anyone not love Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks?
They are gregarious, don't mind people, and whistle when they fly!
They are common in much of Mexico, as well as Texas, Florida, and an expanding range in other states.
