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The southernmost tip of Texas known as the Rio Grande Valley is one of the most popular birding and butterfly watching hotspots in the world. The four counties of Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy and Cameron form a subtropical coastal region with mild, dry winters and hot and humid summers. |
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park features more than 325 species of birds and over 250 species of butterflies on 760 acres of riparian woodland. Witness amazing hawk migrations, and enjoy bird walks and natural history tours at this key migratory stopover...
Chihuahua Woods Perserve
WebsiteSatellite View
Chihuahua Woods Perserve in southern Hidalgo County is west of Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, just south of the railroad tracks, immediately south of Business Highway 83 and west of FM 1427. It is a creation of the Nature Conservancy of Texas.
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands
WebsiteSatellite View
A 40-acre wetlands oasis in the midst of a lively urban landscape, the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands offers watchable wildlife year-round in a setting friendly to birds, butterflies and other water-loving creatures...
Estero Llano Grande State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
At the geographic center of the World Birding Center network, Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco attracts a spectacular array of South Texas wildlife with its varied landscape of shallow lake, woodlands and thorn forest. Even beginning birders and nature lovers will enjoy exploring this 176-acre refuge, which is convenient to all the Rio Grande Valley has to offer...
Falcon State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Falcon State Park in Zapata County - This is a Texas State Park. Day use, and Camping are allowed. Public access to Falcon Lake, (part of the Rio Grande behind Falcon Dam) is provided by this park.
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
Laguna Atascosa NWR is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, an oasis for wildlife with few alternatives. The refuge's 45,000 acres become more valuable with each acre lost to development--valuable to wildlife and valuable to those who enjoy wildlife in wildlands....
Sabal Palm Sanctuary
WebsiteSatellite View
The Center is home to many native species of plants and animals that reach the northernmost limit of their Mexican range here and do not occur elsewhere in the U.S. Cradled in a bend of the Rio Grande along the U.S./Mexico border, the Sabal Palm Audubon Center harbors one of the most beautiful and critical ecosystems of South Texas and Northern Mexico....
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,080-acre natural preserve on the banks of the Rio Grande seven miles south of Alamo in Hidalgo County. The refuge is noted for its unusual birds, mammals, butterflies, and plants...
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center
WebsiteSatellite View
A slender thread of land between the shallow Laguna Madre and the rolling Gulf of Mexico, South Padre Island anchors the World Birding Center with nature adventures in every season...
Fatbirder
Number of bird species: 509
A Birder's Guide to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas
Harold R Holt - American Birding Association; 2nd edition (January 1992)ISBN: 1878788019
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Bird Songs of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Southwestern Texas
Cornell Laboratory Of Ornithology - B0002PU562Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteThe Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge support their namesake refuge, while the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor support the Santa Ana and Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges. These two non-profit organizations help conduct environmental education and nature programs. They lobby on a local and national level, secure grants, promote the refuges and help with important projects that benefit endangered species...
Frontera Audubon
WebsiteFrontera Audubon is a natural urban jewel tucked in the South Texas town of Weslaco, five miles from the Rio Grande and Mexico. Our 15 acre site offers opportunities for birders, butterfliers and all those interested in the wonders of nature and biodiversity...
Rio Grande Delta Audubon
WebsiteRio Grande Delta Audubon is dedicated to conservation of our native habitat for the protection of birds, other wildlife, and for the enhancement and appreciation of our environment...
South Texas Nature
WebsiteThe four county Lower Rio Grande is the richest birding area and most diverse biologically in North America. There are 500 species of birds (which is more than most states). There are also 50 specialty birds that are found no where else in North America. They are listed below. Birders from all over the world flock to this special area to enjoy the birds and to fill their lists. The Lower Rio Grande has 80 great bird watching sites, with more being added each year. The area is so rich because of many factors, including the intersection here of desert and tropical vegetation zones, the mix of ocean and fresh water resources, forest, bush, grassland, desert and sand dune, and its location under the major central and western migration flyways...
World Birding Center
WebsiteThe World Birding Center: One of the most spectacular convergences of birds on Earth. Come visit the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas - where history, culture and spectacular natural diversity combine into one unforgettable nature adventure...
Brownsville International Birding Festival
http://www.brownsville.orgVery special birding awaits you this February amidst the best overall climate in Texas. The sixth annual Brownsville International Birding Festival offers Birders and other nature lovers a complete program of field trips, seminars and other fun events that will explore the biodiversity of South Texas and Northern Mexico...
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival
http://www.rgvbirdfest.com/The Valley boasts the biggest concentration of eye-popping tropical species, birds not found anywhere else in the U.S...
Wild in Willacy
http://www.wildinwillacy.comA four-day festival celebrating the natural bio-diversity of Willacy County, Texas, one of the four counties which make up the Rio Grande Valley...
Rio Grande Valley Museum
Located in Harlingen
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
The crown jewel of Rio Grande Valley parks, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park well deserves its status as headquarters of the World Birding Center...
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Serving as headquarters of this unique network of nine sites, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park features more than 325 species of birds and over 250 species of butterflies on 760 acres of riparian woodland. Witness amazing hawk migrations, and enjoy bird walks and natural history tours at this key migratory stopover. The park features nature trails, a hawk tower, birding blinds and viewing stations, primitive camping sites, tram tours and numerous opportunities for bird and wildlife photography...
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands
WebsiteSatellite View
A 40-acre wetlands oasis in the midst of a lively urban landscape, the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands offers watchable wildlife year-round in a setting friendly to birds, butterflies and other water-loving creatures...
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands
WebsiteSatellite View
From the South: Take Expressway 83 to Highway 281 and travel north into Edinburg. Exit at Sprague/Freddy Gonzalez and travel north on the access road until Sprague St. Turn right and travel through the interection into the Edinburg Municipal Park...
Estero Llano Grande State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
At the geographic center of the World Birding Center network, Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco attracts a spectacular array of South Texas wildlife with its varied landscape of shallow lake, woodlands and thorn forest. Even beginning birders and nature lovers will enjoy exploring this 176-acre refuge, which is convenient to all the Rio Grande Valley has to offer...
Harlingen Arroyo Colorado
WebsiteSatellite View
A gateway to the entire World Birding Center network, Harlingen’s Arroyo Colorado is close to major highways and an international airport, but remains a quiet wooded retreat from the hustle of urban life. Connected by the arroyo waterway, as well as hike-and-bike trails meandering through the city, Hugh Ramsey Nature Park to the east and the Harlingen Thicket to the west anchor an important reservoir of nature in a fast-changing world...
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
Laguna Atascosa NWR is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, an oasis for wildlife with few alternatives. The refuge's 45,187 acres become more valuable with each acre lost to development--valuable to wildlife and valuable to those who enjoy wildlife in wildlands...
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
The south Texas landscape is a unique blending of temperate, subtropical, coastal, and desert habitats. Mexican plants and wildlife are at the northernmost edge of their range, while migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes fly down for the mild winters...
Los Ebanos Preserve
WebsiteSatellite View
Visit the Rio Grande Valley's new and unique 82-acre private nature park to view birds and butterflies and enjoy native plants and trees. This special property boasts butterfly-friendly gardens, trails and tropical landscaping, including many varieties of palms. Our lake is host to numerous species of water birds...
Old Hidalgo Pumphouse
WebsiteSatellite View
The Magic Valley’s early 20th Century transition into an agricultural powerhouse is retold at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, which also embraces nature conservation as a wing of the World Birding Center. On a break from cross-border shopping excursions, visitors to this museum on the Rio Grande can learn about the steam-driven irrigation pumps that transformed Hidalgo County into a year-round farming phenomenon. They also can wander the museum’s grounds, where hummingbird gardens are planned, and where many of the Valley’s amazing bird species are regular visitors as well...
Quinta Mazatlan
WebsiteSatellite View
A 1930’s country estate in the heart of McAllen, Quinta Mazatlan is an historic Spanish Revival adobe hacienda surrounded by lush tropical landscaping and native woodland. A unique conference and events center, close to airports and hotels, Quinta Mazatlan is also an urban oasis, where quiet trails wind through more than 15 acres of birding habitat...
Quinta Mazatlan
WebsiteSatellite View
Our nature center is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday nights until dark...
Resaca de la Palma State Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Brownsville’s Resaca de la Palma State Park boasts the largest tract of native habitat in the World Birding Center network. Etched by ancient curves of the Rio Grande, its 1200 semi- tropical acres provide a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of an international urban center only a few miles away. Through the cooperation of local, state and federal land management agencies, a wilderness preserved from days gone by is open to nature adventurers for the first time...
Roma Bluffs
WebsiteSatellite View
History and nature meet on scenic bluffs above the Rio Grande, where the World Birding Center in Roma can be found on the old plaza of a once-thriving steamboat port. Part of a national historic district, the WBC Roma Bluffs includes a riverside nature area of three acres: The gateway to unforgettable birding adventures across Starr County...
Sabal Palm Audubon Center
WebsiteSatellite View
Sabal Palm is currently closed to the public. Please check back as we are seeking opportunities to make the sanctuary accessible to the public again. You may also email us at spac@audubon.org
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,080-acre natural preserve on the banks of the Rio Grande seven miles south of Alamo in Hidalgo County. The refuge is noted for its unusual birds, mammals, butterflies, and plants. The site was acquired in 1943 by the federal government to protect a remnant of the subtropical Rio Grande Delta riparian forest, most of which had been lost to agricultural clearing...
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
Along the banks of the lower Rio Grande is the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,088 acre refuge established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds. Considered the ‘jewel’ of the refuge system, this essential ‘island’ of thorn forest habitat is host or home to nearly 400 different types of birds and a myriad of other species, including the indigo snake, malachite butterfly and the endangered ocelot....
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
WebsiteSatellite View
Along the banks of the lower Rio Grande is the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,088 acre refuge established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds. Considered the 'jewel' of the refuge system...
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center
WebsiteSatellite View
At the southern tip of the world’s longest barrier island, South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center is a spectacular introduction to a world-class destination, and a doorway to all this vibrant sand, sun, and surf hotspot has to offer. A slender thread of land between the shallow Laguna Madre and the rolling Gulf of Mexico, South Padre Island anchors the World Birding Center with nature adventures in every season...
Valley Nature Center
WebsiteSatellite View
The Valley Nature Center is the oldest nature center in the Rio Grande Valley, and the only non-profit center fully dedicated to environmental education south of San Antonio and east of Eagle Pass. It has been in operation as a non-profit organization dedicated to its mission since 1984...
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2005 [May] - Daan Planting
ReportIn february 2003 I visited Texas. I mainly birded the coast and Rio Grande Valley. The main reason for coming back to Texas was for the summerbirds and a second chance for some missed species...
2005 [May] - Wendy Newnham
ReportThis report describes a birding trip undertaken by three friends who wanted to see the maximum species of birds in the shortest space of time. We only had nine days but were able to maximise this time by visiting three key areas on the south coast of Texas...
2007 [November] - Stephen Burch - Rio Grande Valley
ReportWith a business trip to Houston, Texas in early November 2007, this was an opportunity I could not resist for some birding and photography afterwards! Having previously visited the USA several times, a little research quickly suggested that the relatively nearby Rio Grande Valley (RGV) should be a good destination for finding new species and hopefully some productive photography...
2008 [February] - Rob Fergus
ReportThe Rio Grande Valley (The Valley) is one of North America's best birding areas, since it is in the northernmost part of the range for many Mexican birds, including Green Jay, Plain Chachalaca, Altamira Oriole, Olive Sparrow, and over a dozen other species...
2009 [April] - David Cardinal
ReportEvery bird photographer knows how difficult it is to photograph woodland birds--especially the colorful ones like warblers and buntings. And for those with either too little mobility or too much sense to race around the woods with a tripod it is usually impossible. That's why I'm always so excited about our trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas each April...
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Avian Adventures
Tour OperatorOne of our longest-running birding destinations, Texas continues to delight and amaze us with its variety and sheer numbers of birds...
John B Odgers
Mailto:GuideRio Grande birding guide: Tel 956-581-8861
Casa Santa Ana
AccommodationLocated in the heart of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, adjacent to world famous Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge...
Embassy Suites
AccommodationI found this a great base in McAllen for exploring the birding hotspots of the valley... reasonable rates, nice rooms, WiFi and a decent restaurant with room service Fatbirder
South Texas Birding Forum
ForumTo post to list:webmaster@caller.com
The south Texas birding forum. Talk about your South Texas birdwatching experiences. Follow website instructions to join...
Arroyo Colorado River blog
BlogI live on the Arroyo Colorado River in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. My favorite birding destination is our own backyard. Most days you can find me here, watching birds from the porch outside or through large windows overlooking the Arroyo. Sit awhile and watch the yard and river with me…
Birding In South Texas
WebsiteDescriptions & detailed location maps of 300+ birding sites - South Texas Coast...
The Birds of the Rio Grande
WebsiteA Birding Tour of Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley featuring stories and large photographs of these birds, in order...
The Rio Grande Valley's Nature Site
WebsiteWelcome to David and Jan Dauphin's Website. We have always been strong supporters of nature tourism, particularly in South Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley or LRGV, comprised of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties...
Brownsville and Rio Grande Valley Bird Photos
GallerySee birds known as Rio Grande Valley Specialties (only USA location). Others are not seen many places around the USA other than Deep South Texas...
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This site was last updated on Monday, 30th January 2012.
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