Estero Llano Grande State Park (Second Visit), Weslaco, TX

On this visit we learned more about the history of the state park. 

Estero Llano Grande State Park was pieced together in early 2000. An old piece of farm land is the site of the visitors center and a series of shallow wetlands. An old dried up lake bed that was restored and is now thriving with wildlife is called Alligator Lake because of its inhabitants and its shape. Other parcels include a long term lease agreement with U.S. Fish and Wildlife of the Mercedes Tract, and an addition of Lakeview Trailer Park and a nature trail, now called the Tropical Area and Green Jay Nature Trail, from the city of Weslaco. Those land purchases and contributions along with World Birding Center, Inc. support, and the reclamation of wetland habitat with the help of Ducks Unlimited, allowed for a grand opening in June 2006 with almost 200 acres of park to explore.  In the spring of 2010 Estero Llano Grande acquired the Methodist Camp Thicket, now called Camp Thicket, a group retreat facility with prime Thornscrub habitat. Estero Llano Grande is bordered to the south by a section of the Arroyo Colorado watershed, known for many years as Llano Grande Lake, which only adds to the overall wetland appearance of the park. This now puts the park's size at 230 acres of some of the most diverse habitat in the Rio Grande Valley.

We enjoyed a wonderful guided bird walk in the morning and a guided tram tour in the afternoon.  On the tours we saw many birds, cactus, and other plants. The birds were (new for us bolded): Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Plain Chachalaca, Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Hero, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlew, Long-billed Dowitcher, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Common Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Red-crowned Parrot, Common Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Scissor-tailed Flycather, Green Jay, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Northern Mockingbird, Long-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Wilson's Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Sparrow.  These are a few of pictures.

 Black-necked Stilt

 

 Black-necked Stilts and Avocet

 



 Virginia Rail

 Sora

Cinnamon Teals and Green-winged Teal

Long-billed Dowitchers

 

 Red-crowned Parrots

Red-crowned Parrot

Red-crowned Parrot

 

 
Yellow-crowned Night Heron

 Alligator

Red-earned Slider

Bluebonnets (yes these were in the Valley)

Various Colors of Bougainvillea

Hong Kong Orchard

Other Plants and Trees

Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus

 Lady Finger Cactus

Horse Crippler Cactus

Other Cactus

 

 

 

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site, Brownsville

On May 8, 1846, the thunder of cannon fire rumbled across the prairie at Palo Alto, signaling the start of a two-year war between the United States and Mexico.  The Matamoros-Point Isabel Road was a primary feature of the 1846 battlefield.  United States General Zachary Taylor led his troops on the prairie from the north and immediately spotted the Mexican troops, led by General Mariano Arista.  During the five hour battle, the opposing lines shifted slightly, but neither army made a significant advance.  United States troops suffered relatively few losses in the cannon exchange while Mexican casualties numbered in the hundreds.  This set the stage for a Mexican withdrawal from the field and a U.S. victory the following day at Resaca de la Palma.

Views of Battlefield

Replica of an 8 pounder Mexican cannon.  The distinctive “Prussian Blue” color is an accurate color for Mexican artillery of this period.  Mexican forces at Palo Alto had 12 cannon, compared to 10 on the U.S. line, but the Mexican guns were older and of smaller caliber than the American pieces.

Replicas of two U.S. 6 pounder cannons.

 

Replica of an 18 pounder U.S. Cannon

 

Today, only six miles from the international boundary, the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to telling the story of the war between the United States and Mexico.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (second visit), across the Laguna Madre from South Padre Island

Near the refuge we saw an Aplomado Falcon which is a Rio Grande Valley specialty.

This visit to the refuge we took a guided bird tour of the Bahia Grande.  Historically, the Bahia Grande wetlands served as an important nursery for a wide variety of fish and shellfish and was important habitat for wildlife and wintering waterfowl. The natural tidal flow between Bahia Grande and the Laguna Madre was cut off by construction projects in the 1930’s and 1950’s. For nearly 70 years, the degraded wetland was a source of blowing dust, a site of massive fish kills, and a complicated natural resource problem. In 2000, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge acquired much of the property. Today, Bahia Grande is considered one of the largest and most successful coastal wetland restoration projects in the United States. 
It was a beautiful day on the Bahia Grande.   We saw 58 species of birds. 

 

In addition to seeing all the birds, another highlight was seeing several male and female Nilgai Antelope.  This antelope is the largest Asian antelope and is between 3 and 5 feet tall.  Males are dark blue/black in color and weigh between 240 and 635 pounds.  Females are tan and weigh between 220 and 470 pounds. 

 

After lunch we went on a bird walk and saw a pair of Orchard Orioles.  This is one indication that the migration has begun.

 

La Feria Nature Center, La Feria, TX

The La Feria Nature Center has several wetland areas, observation platforms, and a 1 mile walking trail. 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Domestic "Park" Type Mallard

Possibly a Lesser Scaup

Sabel Palm-native to area

Imported Palm

Monk Parakeets, Hidalgo, TX

In a neighborhood near the Old Hildalgo Pumphouse we saw Monk Parakeets and their nests.  Monk Parakeets, native to South America but long popular in the pet trade, established wild populations here in the 1960s. They are the only parakeets to nest communally; dozens live together year-round in large, multifamily stick nests built in trees and on power poles.