Birding Hotspots in the Rio Grande Valley
Special to Welcome Home Winter Texan
Erica Barrera wrote “Getting Ready for the Fall Bird Migration” in the November 27, 2024, issue of Welcome Home Winter Texan. This list of birding hotspots is a companion piece to that story. Both the story and this list of hotspots first appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of edible Rio Grande Valley. You can see that complete issue by visiting edibleriograndevalley.com.
Birding Hotspots:
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park* (Mission)
City of Brownsville Landfill (Brownsville)
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands* (Edinburg)
Estero Llano Grande State Park* (Weslaco)
Frontera Audubon Society Nature Preserve (Weslaco)
Harlingen Arroyo Colorado* (Harlingen)
Hugh Ramsey Nature Park (Harlingen)
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (Los Fresnos)
La Sal del Rey (Edinburg)
McAllen Nature Center (McAllen)
National Butterfly Center (Mission)
Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum* (Hidalgo)
Quinta Mazatlan* (McAllen)
Resaca de la Palma State Park* (Brownsville)
Roma Bluffs* (Roma)
Sabal Palm Sanctuary (Brownsville)
Salineño Project** (Salineño)
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (Alamo)
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center* (South Padre Island)
South Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary** (South Padre Island)
South Texas Ecotourism Center (Laguna Vista)
Valley Nature Center (Weslaco)
*Part of the World Birding Center, a network of nine parks and nature preserves
** Part of Valley Land Fund’s conservation efforts
Erica Barrera is a birdwatcher and the owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store in McAllen, a locally owned national franchise that brings people and nature together through bird feeding, native gardening, birdwatching, and community outreach.
