EXPLORING NATURE: WINTER BIRDING

Where is the best place to go birding in the winter months?

Well, assuming you don’t want to roam too far afield, let me humbly suggest – Texas.

That’s right, our fair state is a prime destination for birders this time of year. And the top spot in the state during dreary winter weather is the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

This locale is full of avian winter visitors as well as tropical strays from below the border and unique yearround residents.

The area is generally sunny and warm and you’ll find all sorts of birding habitats, including remnant palm forests, wetlands, thorn scrub forests and oxbow lakes, just to name a few.

The World Birding Center (theworldbirdingcenter.com) includes nine sites along the long corridor that follows the Rio Grande for some 120 miles and terminates at South Padre Island. In this avian-rich area, you’ll find seabirds, hummingbirds, ducks, raptors, parrots, kingfishers and songbirds.

Some of my best sightings have included brown and green jays, the great kiskadee and the plain chachalaca. My best birding was in Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park.

The lower Valley is the only place in the U.S. where you can find all three North American kingfishers at one time. These include the belted, the ringed and the green kingfishers.

So if you really want to have a great winter birding experience, head south young man (or lady) and get thee to the Rio Grande Valley. By the way, I always come home with a car loaded with oranges and grapefruit from the many citrus growers in the Valley — a major added benefit.