Caroline Cardile Since we moved to South Padre Island 15 years ago, spring migration seems to be lasting longer and longer each spring. A few years ago, it was typical for volunteers to stop putting out food at the convention center and the lots on Sheepshead Street on May 1, because migration was over. In recent years, the end…

The City Nature Challenge 2021 has come and gone. More than 1,270,000 observations were uploaded to the www.iNaturalist.org database from individuals in 419 cities from 44 countries worldwide. The challenge is in its sixth year and the fourth year that the Lower Rio Grande Valley participated. This year, 146 local participants logged 7,966 observations of…

by Pat Avery Have you fallen in love yet with the Green Heron? I’ve always searched for the Great Blue Heron for photographic opportunities rather than what I thought was the less spectacular bird. Earlier this year, fellow TMN Diana Lehmann and I visited the South Padre Island Birding Center in search of the Mangrove Warbler (which…

by Susan Upton Photos by Alicia Cavazos, Rio Grande Valley Chapter After recently completing the 2021 Texas Master Naturalist class, my mentor Alicia Cavazos and I headed over to Resaca de la Palma State Park to do a little birding. Before leaving, we made it a point to visit with the park Superintendent, Kelly Cummings-Malkowski. Since we…

by M. Kathy Raines “Did you see any birds?!” an enthusiast asks. Another replies, resignedly, “No, not really, just trash birds.” While we may not say this, we often think it. And no birder looks fondly upon a squawking Great-tailed Grackle devouring pulp from oranges lovingly set out for famished little migrants. This April, a few gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeaks,…

by Mario Fierro While working at Quinta Mazatlan as an Environmental Supervisor, I was first introduced to the world of birding and nature appreciation. The amount of information was overwhelming at times, but the beauty was even more so. This only made the desire to continue learning about the natural world around me even greater and led…