Hwy 281 follows the Rio Grande for a while. I will drive near the river as much as possible during daylight, stop at birding sites, and see how far I will go, but no further than Mission. Weather again is overcast and humid, registering 74F at 8:30am.
Highway 281 is littered with historical markers and I tried to stop at each one. All were interesting, from former cemeteries of Spanish settlers to raids by Mexican troops on US troops, to a marker depicting the Rio Tract, a slice of land that switched from US to Mexican to US side because of the change in the Rio Grande banks. It took me an hour to make 30 miles, but I was in no hurry.
My first stop was Weslaco's visitor's center, a stop-over of friendly, helpful and knowldgable staff who insisted I have coffee and a snack, which I did.
By now it was hot, in the 80s. I stopped at 11:40am at the Estero Grande SP to watch more birds. The two miles of trail took me 90 minutes as I watched whistling ducks along the river, a harrier who killed something (I heard a death gasp of the doomed critter) and more ibis. One vermillion flycatcher kept teasing me by coming close enough for me to get my camera ready, but then flying off when I was about to focus on the bird. The Alligator Lake had two adult gators and allegedly some youngen but by now I'm tired of those reptiles and just want to see colorful birds.
I probably stayed at the state park an hour too long; the outdoor deck offered free WiFi to its guests and I wanted to relax and update my blog. However, my computer was too slow and I didn’t have the patience to wait for the photos to download.
Across from me were four Seniors, a couple from Canada talking to a senior couple from Wisconsin about their health care programs. They all spoke so loudly that it was annoying. The deck was made so that visitors could enjoy the birds in peace and not to listen to other people’s conversations. They were waiting for the 2pm park ranger program on backyard birds.
From the state park I drove on to the Santa Ana NWR and got there at 2:40pm, thirty minutes after leaving the previous place. This place was beautiful, with a large tract of subtropical land right on the swampy Rio Grande. However, it was also full of bugs and very humid. I was attacked by mosquitoes the entire hike which got to be very annoying.
I saw lots of wonderful, colorful birds: orioles, flycatchers and other variants. I started out hiking the two-mile Pintail trail along two ponds, climbed up the tree tower, sat in a bird blind, then came back via the Willow tail trail, adding up to almost four miles while hiking under Spanish Moss. I’d have gone more but the bugs were making my trip unbearable and I left the park at 4:30pm after I photographed a Harris hawk in a low-lying tree. I finally got a few good photos of a hawk!
This refuge is a must-see for all birders, but I wasn’t wearing the appropriate clothing for this hike: I had no long sleeves or pants on, no sun block, just a hat covering my oily hair. The seven-mile auto route is only passable now via bike, but I was too tired to hike anymore. There are many more trails that veer off the paved route that could make this refuge an all-day adventure with the right gear.
The Rio Grande at this point has the aura of a swampy green river, flowing gently around the refuge. Birds were on either side of the river. I saw minimal trash left by immigrants, to include a few deflated plastic floaters. As far as people in the refuge though, they were mostly seniors with the professional birding gear: scopes, binos and 600mm cameras and tripods.
I had two hours to spare, but didn’t want to drive too far, so I drove around the Pharr/Edinburg/McAllen area. And what an area it is! This is the metropolis of South Texas, bigger than Brownsville for sure. I just didn’t know where the good places to eat were,and settled for an all-Mexican fast food place, Taqueria Zarepa where everyone spoke Spanish, even the server! I had a very tasty chicken taco combo that included a spoft drink for $7.31. Limes came on the side, and my side dish was a heavily-buttered baked potato with fake cheese and fake bacon bits. This is the first time I’ve seen a baked potato at a Mexican place.
A security guard stood outsde the restaurant. He had been watching me parked in the lot going over my photographs and listening to a Obama-Clinton debate on CNN radio. Obama is such an eloquent speaker even over the radio. I was in the van listening to the debate for a good hour and he watched me the entire time; I'm surprised he didn't tell me to either leave to go inside. (As it was, the debate was repeated at 11pm in its entirity)
Highway 281 is littered with historical markers and I tried to stop at each one. All were interesting, from former cemeteries of Spanish settlers to raids by Mexican troops on US troops, to a marker depicting the Rio Tract, a slice of land that switched from US to Mexican to US side because of the change in the Rio Grande banks. It took me an hour to make 30 miles, but I was in no hurry.
My first stop was Weslaco's visitor's center, a stop-over of friendly, helpful and knowldgable staff who insisted I have coffee and a snack, which I did.
By now it was hot, in the 80s. I stopped at 11:40am at the Estero Grande SP to watch more birds. The two miles of trail took me 90 minutes as I watched whistling ducks along the river, a harrier who killed something (I heard a death gasp of the doomed critter) and more ibis. One vermillion flycatcher kept teasing me by coming close enough for me to get my camera ready, but then flying off when I was about to focus on the bird. The Alligator Lake had two adult gators and allegedly some youngen but by now I'm tired of those reptiles and just want to see colorful birds.
I probably stayed at the state park an hour too long; the outdoor deck offered free WiFi to its guests and I wanted to relax and update my blog. However, my computer was too slow and I didn’t have the patience to wait for the photos to download.
Across from me were four Seniors, a couple from Canada talking to a senior couple from Wisconsin about their health care programs. They all spoke so loudly that it was annoying. The deck was made so that visitors could enjoy the birds in peace and not to listen to other people’s conversations. They were waiting for the 2pm park ranger program on backyard birds.
From the state park I drove on to the Santa Ana NWR and got there at 2:40pm, thirty minutes after leaving the previous place. This place was beautiful, with a large tract of subtropical land right on the swampy Rio Grande. However, it was also full of bugs and very humid. I was attacked by mosquitoes the entire hike which got to be very annoying.
I saw lots of wonderful, colorful birds: orioles, flycatchers and other variants. I started out hiking the two-mile Pintail trail along two ponds, climbed up the tree tower, sat in a bird blind, then came back via the Willow tail trail, adding up to almost four miles while hiking under Spanish Moss. I’d have gone more but the bugs were making my trip unbearable and I left the park at 4:30pm after I photographed a Harris hawk in a low-lying tree. I finally got a few good photos of a hawk!
This refuge is a must-see for all birders, but I wasn’t wearing the appropriate clothing for this hike: I had no long sleeves or pants on, no sun block, just a hat covering my oily hair. The seven-mile auto route is only passable now via bike, but I was too tired to hike anymore. There are many more trails that veer off the paved route that could make this refuge an all-day adventure with the right gear.
The Rio Grande at this point has the aura of a swampy green river, flowing gently around the refuge. Birds were on either side of the river. I saw minimal trash left by immigrants, to include a few deflated plastic floaters. As far as people in the refuge though, they were mostly seniors with the professional birding gear: scopes, binos and 600mm cameras and tripods.
I had two hours to spare, but didn’t want to drive too far, so I drove around the Pharr/Edinburg/McAllen area. And what an area it is! This is the metropolis of South Texas, bigger than Brownsville for sure. I just didn’t know where the good places to eat were,and settled for an all-Mexican fast food place, Taqueria Zarepa where everyone spoke Spanish, even the server! I had a very tasty chicken taco combo that included a spoft drink for $7.31. Limes came on the side, and my side dish was a heavily-buttered baked potato with fake cheese and fake bacon bits. This is the first time I’ve seen a baked potato at a Mexican place.
A security guard stood outsde the restaurant. He had been watching me parked in the lot going over my photographs and listening to a Obama-Clinton debate on CNN radio. Obama is such an eloquent speaker even over the radio. I was in the van listening to the debate for a good hour and he watched me the entire time; I'm surprised he didn't tell me to either leave to go inside. (As it was, the debate was repeated at 11pm in its entirity)
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