Author: Justin Case
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Crested Caracara, the Mexican Eagle
by M. Kathy Raines With its sky-blue bill and facial skin reminiscent of candy corn, I instantly recognize this handsome, flat-heated, black-capped fellow—even as I zip down Highway 281 at 75 mph. The bird has an unmistakable silhouette. A slender raptor, the crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) has a large, black-crested head, orangish facial skin, white…
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The Elegant Gray Hawk
by M. Kathy Raines The elegant raptor, its chest adorned in alternating white and cloud-gray scallops, sat on a bare willow branch along the boardwalk one December afternoon at Sabal Palms Wildlife Sanctuary. Beak ajar, it repeatedly cried out a high-pitched WheEEEooo! What a treat! Had the hawk sat silently, I might not have…
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The awesome Osprey
by M. Kathy Raines Its upper bill a massive catclaw, its gaze penetrating, the perching osprey swiveled as it scoured the Laguna Madre for ripples and the glint of a fin. I’m glad I’m not a mullet, I thought. The Valley hosts an everchanging array of birds— resident populations, summer nesters, the flux of…
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Save the Monarch Butterfly – build a way-station
by Heidi Linnemann The Monarch butterflies we see in the Valley spend their winters in Mexico’s central mountain range and summers in our northern states. The Rio Grande Valley is an important stop during their journey. But Monarchs are in serious trouble. Their winter resting area is being lost due to deforestation. In the United…
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Some Bird!
by M. Kathy Raines Grackles—people either love them, or they decidedly do not. From first glimpse of a sleek, iridescent, purplish-hued great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), I have been smitten. I admire grackles’ regal tails, brash bearing and intriguingly varied vocalizations—clacks. shrieks, croaks and ascending whistles; they create a poignant symphony reminiscent of Stravinsky. Yet these…
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Native Milkweed – Plant is important to more than just butterflies
Recently, much has been written about Monarch butterflies and the importance of planting their host plant milkweed to help Monarchs increase their numbers. Zizotes, our native milkweed, is important to many other insects and spiders as well.