Non Bird Wildlife of Texas

   

We went to Texas to see wildlife not just birds. It is no secret that Laurie and I like looking for herps. We were hoping to see Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes. We wanted to see any and all new mammals too. 

   To my surprise we actually saw very few species. When it came to herps, many days were just too cold. Most of the days peaked at seventy degrees but had cold mornings (40-50 degrees). Even on the couple of eighty degree days we didn't see any herps at all. We were very lucky to see the four that we did see.

As for mammals we got a couple of good ones however, we saw far fewer species than I thought we would. We didn't see any Jack Rabbits. We looked all along the highway for feral pigs but never saw one. We did have a great experience with Javelinas. I got a photo of every species we saw. The coolest were the first species of photos (the Javelinas) and the last two on the bottom

We actually saw Javelinas multiple times. We saw them at Estero Lllano and Bentson. state parks. We saw them at dusk at Estero. We stayed late hoping to see some and were excited to see them. We had one in the parking lot at Bentson crossing the road and sitting in a ditch.

    However, the best day was our second time at Bentson. We rented bikes and went to all of the feeders. When we came to a blind near a secluded feeder, there were two Javelinas feeding. One of them smelled and heard us and walked out of sight. The other one didn't care and continued eating. The first eventually came back and got a drink. It folds its legs up to bow down to the water. It was adorable. We watched for twenty minutes before leaving before them to finish their breakfast. Multiple photos below.

   Despite their look, Javelinas (also called Collared Peccary) are not related to pigs. They are a hooved animal and would be closer related to deer.

We saw this drum (alive) in the shallows of our Whooping Crane tour

We also saw a small pod of teenage sized Bottle Nosed Dolphins that we watched feed and play for fifteen minutes while on the tour

The only rabbit we saw was this one which I think is an Eastern Cottontail. The same species we have.

We saw one Armadillo at Estero. It was in the brush and this was the only photo I could get

Eastern Fox Squirrel is the only squirrel species we saw. They were at most places including downtown 

San Antonio

On one of the warm days Texas Cooter (turtles) were sunning on the logs at Estero

South Texas does have alligators. We saw them at Estero Llano every time we were there. Most of the time the water was warmer than the air so I only saw three sunning themselves

I am not sure, but I think this is a Mullet. South Padre Island

Brown Anole

Okay, the other really cool species... This is a Nilgai Antelope. They are originally from Asia. Hunters imported them to a ranch in the 1930's to hunt. Some escaped and they thrived. There are now thirty six thousand wild Nilgai in South Texas. They are considered invasive because they compete with deer for food. It seems as though they really aren't welcome by anyone but hunters...and us. We saw a small herd at the Palo Alto Battlefield. The brown one below was the closest and the rest were far away along some bushes. The black one is a male. They are described as deer on steroids. This is true because you could see every muscle in it's body when it moved. It looked like a body building antelope. 

South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center

 

Tricolored Heron

  One of the places we had to go was the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. This is a private property and cost us $14. It was well worth it. There is a boardwalk that goes over a marsh, beach, and alligator enclosures. There are plenty of wild birds here but the place is also home for rescued alligators. When people call because they have a gator in their pool or there is a problem gator, some of them end up at this facility to live out their lives. 

   It was chilly the day we went and didn't make it to the center until 11 AM. By this point the air was warmer than the water and some gators came out to sun themselves. We did make a quick stop on the way to see the Aplomado Falcon. The falcon was distant but a Loggerhead Shrike perched on a fence post next to the car. This pitstop took a half hour and gave Mother Earth time to warm up. 

   At the center, you will probably see a domestic Mallard and a Muscovy Duck before you walk into the building. Just outside the back door is an owl enclosure and a deck. Just beyond the deck the boardwalk of three quarters of a mile begins. 

  Immediately, we had birds. Right in front of us were three Roseate Spoonbills, a large flock of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks, a feeding Common Galinule, herons, egrets, and many other ducks. It was good I took a few photos of the Spoonbills because they flew off in ten minutes. It was tough to walk away from this one spot but I also wanted to see what else was in store.

   Fifty feet down, Blue Winged Teal, Coots, and Northern Pintails were feet from the boardwalk. I took a ton of photos of the Pintails. Both Night Crowned Herons were perched in the trees a on the other side of the water (twenty feet from us) and a Green Heron would fish from the bottom most branches of the trees. Egrets and Great Blue Herons were fishing and doing fairly well. 

   

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

   The boardwalk leads out to a huge sandflat on the gulf. Hundreds of Redhead ducks were sunning themselves. The Spoonbills flew off to this area. There were many shorebirds but without my scope I didn't put any effort into figuring them out.  

   The boardwalk forms a loop but most of the good birds were back at the beginning so we backtracked and looked at them again. A Belted Kingfisher and a grumpy Tricolored Heron added to the mix. The Tricolored was close enough where I could get head and neck shots to fill my photo.

   The light was perfect and I ended up with photo upgrades of five species I had previously seen (separate post). This place was just awesome.  

Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

Palo Alto Battlefield

   

This gun weighs 2700 pounds and I think its 
canon ball is an eighteen pounder

    After leaving South Padre Island we had hours to kill before going to see the parrots in Brownsville and we didn't have a plan. When this situation arises, Laurie researches while I continue driving. She came up with a couple of ideas, one of them was the Palo Alto Battlefield. Seemed like a good idea so we went.

    The battlefield in Palo Alto, TX was the site of the first battle of the Mexican-American War. The war was simply a land grab by president Polk to take control of Greenland, oh sorry, I meant Texas and the southwest. There is a Visitor Center that has a very good short film about the cause of the war (Manifest Destiny, greed) the battle, and the outcome of the war. There are also artifacts from the battle along with a lot of reading in the museum. This is a site overseen by the National Parks Service and is really well maintained.

   I decided to just learn history and not look for birds so I only bought my small lens that would be better suited for photos of canon and the landscape. Bad idea...very bad idea.

    Within feet of the walking out of the visitor center   I looked up in the sky and I see two hawks soaring. I looked at the field marks of both and do my best to remember them. When they were out of sight (they flew into the sun like Icarus) I checked my guide. They were both very easy to identify. The white one was a White Tailed Kite. The other was a Gray Hawk. I can't tell you how frustrated I was. 

 

We walked up the boardwalk (to keep your feet away from snakes) and saw a small bird that I couldn't ID. I couldn't take it anymore and ran back to the car and got my big lens. I got back to the bird but of course it was gone. Luckily, I did see another, got a photo and it turned out to be a Verdin. 

   Besides the birds we saw Nilgai antelope. This is an exotic species that was brought to Texas in the 1930's. They escaped a ranch and have prospered. They are wild and considered invasive except by hunters who prize them. We saw a small herd and I got some distant photos. With my small lens it would have been pointless to try for a photo. It wasn't worth even trying to get a photo of the soaring hawks with my small lens, so I am happy I made the trip back to the car.

   As for the battle, it was one of the more straight forward battles I have ever been to. Both sides lined up in almost parallel lines.  The boardwalks are actually the line of battle. American commander Zachary Taylor had considered a frontal charge but his artillery was so effective he realized they could win by bombarding the Mexican line. The Mexican cavalry finally attacked the US flank. The USA had better canons and also grapeshot. They were deadly and the cavalry charge was repulsed. . The Mexicans retreated and set up the Battle of Resaca de la Palma the next day which the Americans also won. 

   Later in the war, The Americans opened up a second front on the Mexican coast and eventually seized Mexico City. In the peace agreement Mexico ceded most of the modern day southwest to the United States. 

Whooping Crane Tour

 

    Though I am not publishing them in order, this is the last blog post I am actually writing. It won't be the last I publish. I've been trying to mix them up with long ones followed by short ones. I posted two long ones when we were all snowed in for two days. Most of my posts are about birding so the ones that aren't  (Logistics, non- bird animals I saw in Texas, Palo Alto Battlefield) I'm trying to mix in to break up the monotony.  But like I said, this is the last one I am writing but I have others scheduled to be published each day. 

   We went to see Whooping Cranes on day three of our trip. It was the first thing we did when we left San Antonio. We had to get up really early because we had a couple hour drive to the town of Rockport. Our boat trip was 9 AM- noon. 

   The cost was not cheap. I think our boat trip was $125/person. Laurie normally goes on whale watches, but not expensive boat trips such as Rhode Island pelagics. She made an exception so our three hour tour was $250. To be honest, when I was researching Whooping Cranes, I thought the only way to see them was by boat. Since they are one of the rarest and one of the largest flying birds in the world I wanted to see them. If I'd have researched better, I probably could have seen them at other places from dry land for free. Many on the boat had already seen Whooping Cranes from other parks. 

   None the less, I have no regrets. We saw many species of birds. Besides the cranes, I got Neotropical Cormorant as a lifer. At the time, I didn't know I'd see them at every place that had water so I was really excited.  I also got a photo upgrade of a Long Billed Curlew. The only one I had ever seen before was in the prairie in Badlands National Park. So it was exciting to see eight of them.

   We saw many species of gulls, terns, shorebirds, and hawks. We had Bottlenose Dolphins near the boat for over thirty minutes.

    I had thought that Whooping Cranes flocked together.  I was wrong about this. Even in winter they are very territorial. Usually a mated pair and their offspring from that year will be in one area and they won't tolerate others in the area. We ended up seeing nine cranes. We saw two family groups and three "teenage birds" too old to be with their parents but too young to mate. The two families crossed paths and true enough, the male scared off the other family. 

   The captain was in no rush and let everyone enjoy all of the birds we found. He stopped at every species even if only for a minute. We stayed with the cranes for a very long time and as I said, the dolphins. He made sure I knew which cormorants were Neotropical. One lady hoped to see Curlews so when we saw them we stayed with them for ten minutes and made sure she saw them. It was a great trip.

It's not a perfect photo but it is a hell of a lot better
than the one I saw in South Dakota a hundred yards 
away with most of its body hidden by foot high grass

The harmony here did not last long. Whooping
Cranes don't like interlopers in their territory.

Estero Llano Grande State Park

 

Golden Fronted Woodpecker is soft light

   From what I can tell, anyone that has birded in the RGV has loved Estero Llano State Park. Everyone that I know that has birded the area has either told me to go there or told me how much they loved it. Estero Llano was one of my favorite places. We went there three different times. All three times were in the afternoon and evening. Even though this is not the ideal time to go birding, there was always something to see. 

   After leaving the Whooping Cranes on day three of our trip we had booked six nights at the motel in Alamo. Our Whooping Crane tour ended at noon and we were in the RGV by 3:30. I knew if we went to the motel we would sleep and never leave and it was so nice out. While I drove, Laurie researched places to go in the area. When she mention Estero Llano and that we were only twenty minutes away, it was a no brainer.

   I was anxious to see some of the Rio Grande Valley specialty birds so I couldn't wait to get there. From the car to the visitor center I got two lifers before even paying (Plain Chachalaca and Great Kiskadee). We paid our five dollar admission fee, got a map, and I asked where I could see Green Jays. 

   Estero has many different mini ecosystems. Part of the park is known as the Tropical Zone. This area used to be a campground. So you walk on paved roads through palm tree covered former tent sites. Other areas of the park include marshes with boardwalks, a couple ponds, and a dike that overlooks a river. 

   The ranger told me my best chance to see a Green Jay was in the Tropical Zone. However, the sun was high in the sky and we had a warm day so we went to the ponds first hoping to see alligators. We did find three along with a Green Kingfisher (lifer #3 for the park). In the marsh near the lakes we saw many Kiskadees, White Faced Ibis, and many species of ducks. Both Night Herons were perched in trees.

   We went to the Tropical Zone which was a fifteen minute walk to the other side of the park. I saw Ladder Backed Woodpecker high in a palm but didn't count it on my list because it was a tough look in the sun but did get a great view of a  Golden Fronted Woodpecker.  At one of the former tent sites was a feeding station. I saw a bird in the woods making its way to it and it turned out to be my first Green Jay. Green Jays are a common bird in the RGV. They are probably as common as Blue Jays are up here. However, it was the bird I most wanted to see.   Being the first one, I was afraid it could also be the last, so we watched it for a long time. 

 

The Paquaque on my second trip to the park

    Before dark another birder came by and asked if we wanted to see a  Common Paquaque. This is a species of nighthawk. I said yes and he pointed it out. I guess this individual has been sleeping during the day in the exact same spot for the last five years. I honestly couldn't see it because it blended in so well. The birder explained exactly where the face, body, and tail were. It was only after looking at photos that night that I realized that it's body wasn't leaf litter. We also saw our only Armadillo  at about the same time. 

   Estero #2

    After leaving Bentson the next day, we had some time to kill so we went back to Estero. Laurie was so tired that I made a solo trip while she slept in the car. I saw a couple different gators than I had the previous day. I also saw Texas Soft Shelled Turtles along with what was now becoming "the usual suspects" of South Texas specialty birds. I got a much better look at the Common Paquaque. It was facing my direction and could easily make it out now that I knew to look for the gold coloration. I made a trip to the dike and saw many species of ducks and some Roseate Spoonbills. 

While I was in the Tropical Zone a couple volunteers came up on a golf cart and started chatting with me. They told me about a McCall's Screech Owl. They showed me exactly where it was and I got a distant but clear photo of the cute little guy. It was the exact grey of the bark on the trees and took me a minute to see it. The volunteers were very nice and asked me if I "needed" any other birds. They told me where to look for a Ringed Kingfisher a species I was having a hard time finding. This couple (older retired folks) were unbelievably nice and helpful.

Estero #3 

 

On our second to last night we took  one more trip to Estero Llano. I hoped show Laurie the Screech Owl and point out the Paquaque to her. As we did the other two times, we checked for gators first. We saw a couple small ones on a log. We spent most of our time in the Tropical Zone. We checked for the owl but it was not there. We did see the Paquaque and she was amazed at how well it blends in. Near dark we changed gears and looked for mammals. We saw two Javelinas cross the old campground road. We slowly made our way in that direction. When we turned the corner, they were right there. We stopped and stayed still and watched them do their thing for a couple of minutes. 

   Summary and Logistics.

    All in all, the hype is right, Estero Lllano State Park is great. We had three mammals there (a Cottontail and the Armadillo and Javelinas). I saw multiple lifers plus consistently saw alligators.  As with everywhere else we went, there was a $5 admission/ person. There is plenty of parking. The trails are flat except the hill up to the dike. The scenery is diverse with the swamp, ponds, tropical area, and the river. There is one long trail that we did not do, but we did cover a lot of ground. The park is a few minutes off of the interstate and very easy to get to. Highly recommend 

Texas Hummingbirds

    East of the Mississippi we only have one species of hummingbird that is seen regularly. We see Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. Occasionally a rarity will get lost and fly in and everyone will go to see it. In my life I had only seen two species. Besides Ruby Throated I saw a lost Rufous in Rhode Island that spent much of a winter at a hummingbird feeder.

 

 I added a couple more species to my list in Texas. The first is a Black Chinned Hummingbird that I saw at Bentson. I mistook a female Ruby Throated for a Black Chinned at a feeder before a bird walk. Luckily, we found another one that was a Black Chinned along with another Ruby Throated at the same time. So my pics  have Ruby's mixed with Black Chinned. I think I finally have a definite Black Chinned Hummer below. 

On our last day, we went to Quinta Mazatlan which is the grounds of a mansion and very birdy. There had been a Buff Bellied Hummingbird and a Rufous Hummingbird there. I went looking for the Buff Bellied. After walking the grounds we sat at the hummingbird feeders and it didn't take long for birds to appear. I saw the Buff multiple times. It would fly in and drink nectar from flowers for a minute or two then fly off for five minutes. Getting a photo of a quick moving hummingbird feeding in flower bushes was proving impossible.

   Luckily, very luckily, it decided to take a rest in a bush and also feed from the feeder. I took a bunch of blurry photos but did get some sharp images. The Rufous showed up right as I was getting my first photos of the Buff Bellied. A nice lady said it was at a feeder. However, I have great photos of the Rufous in RI, so I never looked. I'd been chasing a photo of the Buff Bellied for a half hour and I was finally getting one. Photos of the three species I saw below

                                                       Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Black Chinned Hummingbird below

                                           

                                      Photos below of Buff Bellied. You can see the buffy underbelly

Birding the Rio Grande Valley Logistics

Our rental car which we named
Black Phoebe

  Taking a trip to either San Antonio or to go birding in South Texas is actually unbelievably easy. Flight, car rental, food, and lodging are simple to get. 

         Flight to SA

    We took a Southwest flight out of Providence. The flight was at 5:20 AM. We had an hour layover at Midway in Chicago. We arrived in San Antonio at  11:30 AM. We took our carry on and a personal item (backpack).We did not need to check luggage.  There was enough room for clothes, hygiene, and binoculars in our carry on.  Additionally, I took my laptop and my camera with my big lens and my small lens. We left our car at the Doubletree Hotel where we took  a two minute shuttle and they dropped us off right at the Southwest gate.

Roudtrip cost $330/person

Rental Car

    At San Antonio's International Airport we did not have to leave or take a shuttle to the rental cars. We just walked through the airport and up to level five to get our rental. We rented from Budget. they only had two cashiers on so it took over an hour to get a rental car. I had reserved a Toyota Corolla (or similar) but they gave us a free upgrade to a 2026 Chevy Blazer that was a really sweet ride. Cost for for eight days $485

Lodging

   There is plenty of lodging in both San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). You can stay in downtown San Antonio for $300/night. We got a room about seven miles from The Alamo that cost us $110 for two nights (55/night). It was a Super 8 and it was alright but run down. Still it did the job. After our early flight and delay getting the rental car we got to the motel at 3:30 PM. We went to bed for the night at 4:30! We were exhausted. 

   In the McAllen area of the RGV there are literally hundreds of motels striving to get your business. There is twenty miles of strip malls, motels, and restaurants along the highway, We saw no less than four LaQuinta motels along that strip along with every other motel chain you have ever heard of. We stayed at the LaQuinta in Alamo which is the next town east of McAllen. We had three motels that we liked. We actually stayed at the one that cost an extra $10/night because it had continental breakfast and an indoor pool and hot tub. We did use the hot tub three times but the pool water was chilly. Breakfast wasn't great but it got us going each day. Cost for six nights total $539

   Our actual room was beautiful. It had high ceilings and a futon. There was a big desk and a small desk. We had a fridge and microwave. It was really clean and the maid came in and made the bed everyday and gave us fresh towels.

Food

   In San Antonio we had a quick lunch at the Mexican place next to The Alamo. They had a special for three tacos, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, and a soda for ten bucks. It was my favorite meal of the trip. Along the Riverwalk there are many restaurants. Some were right along the walk, others were a block away. 

In the RGV along the twenty miles of strip malls you have every restaurant chain known to man. If you want to go out to eat you will have no problem finding a place to eat. We got a couple meals including Mexican and Fried Chicken. We also went to Walmart and bought food to take with us for lunch. We had PBJ along with a handful of chips for lunch while we were out birding. Finding a Walmart was simple. There are many in the McAllen area.

Gas

You are not out in the wilderness. Gas stations at every intersection

Distance

Downtown San Antonio is about seven miles from the airport. Our motel was also seven miles from downtown. We didn't go to the RGV after we left San Antonio. Instead we went to the coastal town of Rockport to see Whooping Cranes. We took a boat ride to see them. Rockport was three hours from the motel. After our 9AM-noon boat tour we drove the four hours to Alamo, TX.  We had to drive through Corpus Christi which was way bigger than I expected.

Coming from Alamo to San Antonio our ETA was 3.5 hours. However, with a stop for bathroom and coffee, along with filling up before returning the rental it took us four hours and ten minutes. There wasn't any traffic and speed limits ranged from 65-75 except for short periods going through towns.

   We did about 1200 miles. Seven hundred of that was leaving San Antonio for Rockport and then McAllen and the drive back to the airport on the last day. 

Flight home. 

   We took a 2:10 PM flight home. This let us get up at a reasonable hour before a long day. We were on the road at 8 AM. We arrived at the airport at 12:10. Returning the rental was simple. We followed the signs and dropped the car off where we picked it up. We walked into the airport and went through security with no lines.

   Our flight was delayed a half hour but still had no trouble at our layover, also at Midway in Chicago. We had an hour wait in Chicago. We landed in Providence at 9:30. We called for a shuttle from the motel we left our car at and they picked us up ten minutes later. We were home at 10:45 PM. 

TF Green, Midway in Chicago, and San Antonio were all easy airports to navigate.