Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission

Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park is located a few miles southwest of Mission, TX.  Since its opening in 1962, Bentsen has been known for the wide variety of birds and insects it attracts. Wildlife watchers from around the country flock to Bentsen every year to see some of the tropical birds, butterflies and dragonflies that inhabit the Rio Grande Valley.  The Rio Grande Valley hosts one of the most spectacular convergences of birds on earth with more than 525 species documented in this unique place. Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park alone has an impressive list of 358 species recorded within the park’s boundaries.

On our first visit we enjoyed a guided bird walk but we weren't able to get any good pictures.  The birds we saw were: Clay-colored Thrush, Pyrrhuloxia, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Pied-billed Grebe with a fish, Great-tailed Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Green Jays, Kiskadees, Couch's King Bird, Altimara Oriole, Inca Dove, White-winged Dove, and Mourning Dove.  We did see a group taking a Segway tour of the park.

On our second visit we spent time at the Hawk Tower.  Several volunteers were conducting a survey so we learned about hawks and other large birds.  This is the time of year that raptors begin migrating north.  We saw Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Anhingas, Red-shouldered Hawk, Swinson's Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Northern rough-winged swallows and cave swallows.  Saw this raptor but not good enough picture to identify.

At other locations in the park, the birds we saw on our second trip were Black Phoebe, Greater Roadrunner, and Chipping Sparrows.  We also had a special treat of seeing two bobcats at two different locations.