Two weeks ago I got back from a wonderful trip, led by Greg Lavity, down to the South Rio Grande Valley in Texas. We spent five days exploring the area from the Gulf of Mexico to Falcon Lake. Our trip started in Houston where we met and headed south. On our first day we stopped at Rockport to see the endangered Whooping Cranes. We ended the day at South Padre Island.
The next morning we visited the South Padre Island Birding Centre before heading off to Estero Llano Grande State Park. The birding was so good at Estero Llano Grande, that we stopped in again the next morning. That afternoon we left for Santa Ana NWR.
The next day we spent most of our time at Bentsen State Park. On our way to a late lunch, Greg spotted a large tree covered with hundreds of green parakeets. Greg managed to abruptly pull off the road so that we could all get a better look and grab our cameras. It was a very exciting stop! The last hour of light was spent at Falcon State Park.
On our last morning before the drive home, we stopped on the banks of the Rio Grande at Salinenoagain before re-visiting Falcon State Park. With a long drive ahead of us, we headed back to Houston after a quick lunch.
In all we saw almost 150 different species of birds. It was a wonderful experience. Thanks Greg for sharing your knowledge and passion for both birding and photography with our small group.
