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.