It was only a week ago I visited Sabal Palm Sanctuary. Just 5 miles from my camp in Brownsville (Texas), I paid a brief, 3+ hour visit to this nature reserve on a foggy, damp morning. I met Belted and Ringed Kingfishers last week, and I hoped to meet them again today. My kingfisher chase this … Read more
I last visited Resaca de la Palma State Park just before leaving Texas on my first visit in spring of 2020. It was closed during most of my stay because of the pandemic. However, just prior to my planned departure, they opened up the park, and I took advantage of my opportunity, twice visiting here … Read more
Only five miles south from my camp in Brownsville (Texas), Sabal Palm Sanctuary is an attractive birding destination. Nestled into the southernmost arc of the Rio Grande, it has jungle trails, grasslands, thorn scrub, and resacas. As remnants of old watercourses for the river, resacas hold water for pond-loving birds and other wildlife. During my … Read more
On 2021-01-18, it was a foggy morning in south Texas at the Sabal Palm Sanctuary, and when I walked into the grove, it added an eerie, mystical quality to my experience. Long tentacles of Spanish or Ball Moss draped the trees, adding a sense of wonder to the morning. I came hoping to meet my first Least Grebes, but I experienced so much more.
Last spring, while on my way through Texas and the COVID-19 pandemic was taking a grip on our nation and the rest of the world, I’d been boondocking in my RV. By that I mean I was sleeping wherever I could park. My RV being a van can fit into a typical parking space without … Read more
After being on the road since February 21st, on Monday March 23rd I suspended my boondocking lifestyle and settled into the Breeze Lake RV Campground in Brownsville Texas. I expected to stay one week to get my refrigerator repaired, but one thing led to another and it was seven weeks later before I resumed my … Read more
My first visit to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge was on April 20th, 2020 after I left Corpus Christi and headed for the southern tip of Texas. The full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had not affected my travel plans up to that time, but during my drive south, stay-at-home measures were implemented and services … Read more
Near the lowest end of the Rio Grande, less than ten miles from where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico, is the wide plain called Palmito Hill. Covered in grassy brush and cactus and edged in Honey Mesquite thickets, this area hosts Eastern Meadowlarks, Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers, Couch’s Kingbirds, Gray Catbirds, Blue Grosbeaks, Lark … Read more
As I send out this week-old report, I’m staying with my good friend Jerry in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many of the birding venues we’d hoped to explore during my visit remain closed, but we all hope that things open soon. 2020-05-08 Friday I pulled away from my Breeze Lake haven in Brownsville, Texas at about … Read more
On Monday March 23rd, I settled into the Breeze Lake RV Campground in Brownsville Texas expecting to stay for one week to get my refrigerator repaired. One thing led to another and six weeks later I began formalizing my plans to leave Texas. I’ve met some kind people in camp and made new friends. I … Read more
