This is another location of the "world birding center" and we started seeing birds as soon as we arrived at the visitor center.
People that flee the cold northern states for the warm temperatures of the Rio Grande Valley are often called "snow birds." Today we would see some feathered versions of snow birds that have arrived for the warm weather.
Unlike the state park just three miles from our campground, Estero Llano Grande has a series of ponds that the water birds are enjoying. Staying on the trails, we could get quite close to the birds.
Many of them were new to us. Just like us, these birds aren't from around here.
We've heard people given the advice to get their "ducks in a row." Today we see that Estero Llano Grande State Park does have their ducks in a row. If we look closely, we see that the row is made up of many different varieties of ducks.
Out of the water, this green-headed duck looked like his head was too large for the rest of his body. When we spotted him earlier on the water, he looked perfectly proportional.
Spring has already come to the valley. When we visited the Grebe pond, we found these downy baby grebes on the water.
But our best find of the day was a pair of roseate spoonbills. Their name is very descriptive. "Roseate" describes their pink color, and "spoonbills" describes the shape and the way they use their bills.
They use that spoon-shaped bill to dip goodies from the bottom of the shallow water.
We also hiked to the far end of the state park, but we didn't find any alligators in the Alligator Lake. But it was fun to explore a state park with water that attracts some beautiful birds.
The next stop on our field trip day was just a few more miles down the road--into Mexico. We haven't ventured across the border yet this year, so we headed just four miles south to the parking area at Progresso. Like most winter Texans, we have never driven our car across the border. It is much safer to leave it tucked away on the north side of the border, and then walk across the international bridge. The actual border is centered over the Rio Grande River.
The view from the bridge of the river was pretty this morning. The U.S. side was peaceful and empty. As we crossed to the Mexico side we could see groups of people of all ages on the banks of the river, yelling to the tourists on the bridge to throw down a "neeckle."
We were alerted to some changes in the cost of visiting Mexico. Visitors must now pay $1.00 (in quarters) to open up the turnstiles at the border. There are no officials asking to see our passports or checking to be sure we weren't bringing in dangerous substances. If you have $1.00, Mexico welcomes everyone.
We stopped to take the normal tourist picture in front of the Mexico sign to prove that we passed those rigorous standards to make this into an international field trip.
While we wouldn't cross the border just anywhere, we have always felt safe in the tiny town of Progresso. We know many people that make this trip for dental work, and others come to refill pharmacy prescriptions at rock-bottom prices. Hawkers on the street will invite you inside their medical facilities the minute you cross the border. We much preferred this quiet and friendly approach at this "farmacia" whose mascot waved to us from his over-sized suit.
The streets are filled with vendors selling wares, making it hard to get down the sidewalk. We also ventured into several stores to make a few purchases. It seems that most of our purchases were edible, as we love to try new food as we travel. We can say that we have never experienced ill effects from food purchased here in Progresso.
After walking as far south as we dared, we headed back north on the other side of the street.
On other trips south of this border, we have seen the line to return to the United States stretch for a block or more. But this day it only took a few minutes to show our passports and be welcomed back to the U.S.A. The return border crossing costs 30 cents, and we crossed the bridge back to the parking lot where our car was waiting. Our international trip didn't take long, and we were back home in time for the Friday fish fry at our neighboring RV park. We are usually kept busy with all the activities that can be found at our resort. But sometimes it's nice to do some bird watching and then cross the river and take an international trip.
We often crossed over there to Progreso. I wear a partial plate. Yup, the last one was done there. As you cross over the bridge to Mexico it is the large orange building in the plaza on the left. The secret to saving money, be with someone who knows the owner of the bridge. The turnstiles were opened for us.
ReplyDeleteMy ducks are often in a row. I have one Pekin and two Muscovys. They walk in a row from our pond to the front porch where they keep leaving deposits.