Day 29, April 30, 2018. From Harlingen to San Antonio

The day was overcast almost all day and the sun never did get through the clouds. The roads were very good, so the drive "up north" from the Rio Grande Valley, was quite smooth.

One stop for lunch, and two stops for gas and a  stretch break until we arrived at the SAS shoe Factory in San Antonio at 2:30 Pm. This is a "shoe stop" for Ruth and she lets me buy a few pair when we are there. I moved away from the usual white walking shoe that I get for the summer, to a blue and white, walking, tennis shoe with some lighter cloth so the feet breathe a bit.

SAS is a unique place. There is part of the old factory there and it is running on a schedule for tourists. They will take you on a tour of the buildings at certain times. The owner was a collector of old cars (see Photos), and the store is filled with many things to sell besides shoes which is the main retail item. There is free popcorn and ice cream is for sale.  Sort of, in some ways, like a "Cracker Barrel" without the food. Cracker Barrel came first in 1969 and SAS factory was estabished in 1976.

The entry to SAS in San Antonio --Burma Shave and old cars.

My guess is a 1926  Ford Pick up. Your guess?

We owned a 1955 Black and White '55 Chevvie .

Guessing again. 1928 Ford Pickup.

One of the aisles in SAS and  '39 Buick

 World Traveler's RV Park. Surrounded by huge motor homes.

Coming off I-37 we drove about 8 miles in the  town to get to the SAS store and then about the same distance back to get to the RV Park. World Travelers RV is very clean, up to date and well managed. It is  quiet here, as no freeways are close by. The closest road is Roosevelt Ave , which is a main city  street, and is the entry street.






Here in San Antonio as many of you know, there are five Spanish Missions .  These missions are the LARGEST COLLECTION of Spanish Colonial architecture in the world.  

            MISSION ESPADA,  (Founded in 1689 for the conversion of the Nabedache Indians).

                      MISSION SAN JOSE (served the Coahuiltecan Indians. Founded in 1720)),

             MISSION SAN ANTONIO DE VALERO, (Built in 1718 and is known as the ALAMO)

                                                   SAN JUAN (Capistrano in San Antonio)

                                    MISSION CONCEPCION (By the Franciscans in 1716).

They are each about 3 miles apart and are the result of the 1700's establishment by the Spanish Crown of the Catholic Missions on the North American Continent. They began to shape the landscape through their acequias,  (community opeated watercourse) farm fields, ranchlands, and mission communities.



We will "lay low" here until tomorrow when we head for Fort Stockton, TX which is about 1/2 way to Las Cruces New Mexico from here.  It is about a 300 mile run. One night in Fort Stockton and three in Las Crueces where we hope to visit Basque Del Apache NWR which is one of the best birding sites in North America.

Day 28, Sun., April 29, 2018, Sundy church, "Rositas" for b'fast, oil change, a ittle shopping.

Yep, It was Sunday once again. Many folks weeks rely on Sunday being a "marker:" for the week. Not so with us travelers, even though Sunday often is. Those of us that are consistent church attenders or members, just seem to know when Sunday rolls around. Other days of the week may fade into oblivion, but not Sunday.  ( I imagine the Jewish folks have a similar feeling about Saturday?)

So briefly we have:
1. A trip to the First UMC , where, after reading the outdoor bulletin board's regular schedule, as we drove by,  found that the 9:00 and 11:00 services were on hiatus today as there was a special 10:00 service centering on Child Abuse. We arrived 15  minutes before the 11:00 and saw that maybe they were running late at the 9:00. This day was a special service for all. There is normally a traditional service at 9:00 and a Contemporary one at 11:00 . We heard some of the service and lingered until the end.  So I am not sure that "counts" for attending a service! HA!

First UMC in Harlingen

It is 100 yearts old, and added on to in the 1950's

The old church (Now a Chapel) . A new welcoming addition was also added in the 1980's.

2. Lunch at "Rosita's " Restaurant. Strictly Mexican cvuisine, and delicious and hot as from the oven. All home made dough for the nchiladas, tortillas, and chalupas. I had the Mexican Platter (3 entrees) , and will have some for supper . Ruth likes eggs so had bacon and eggs.They chop the bacon here, as many dishes have everthing combined/. Very good cuisine and just a few blocks away.

THe Historical plaque for First UMC

Rositas for Lunch. Very good Mexican food.

3. A trip to Firestone for a lube and oil change before we hit the road tomorrow for San Antonio, as well as a short stop at Sam's to get cheese and some fruit for Jim. Mission accomplished.
Our site in Palm Gardens RV I didn't post yet so I'll add that with a moon shot from last night (full moon or almost?)  See ya down the road.

Full moon from the trailer.

The trailer in the campground

With the palm tree in view.

Day 27, Sat., April 28.Second trip to Laguna Atacosa, rain in the AM.

The first day at Laguna Atacosta NWR was so enjoyable that we didn't think we could top that,  so we returned today.
Even though it had rained most the morning (6:00-noon), it looked like it would clear by the afternoon. (Jim likes to prognosticate the weather...ask his children!).  By the time we arrived at about 10:30 it had just about stopped.  We found a new shortcut to the detour and that worked fine. Yesterday, taking the detour,  when we went down there I memorized the names of the roads we would take coming back, One of the was named 'Rule" I found  the sign that said it when going down. On the way back we could not find the road as the road  sign for "Rule"  was not posted at the other end.  (We found that 'shortcut' as a result.

Again on the way in on the three mile road to the NWR,  we picked up many species besides the FIVE  different kind of Doves that are there. MOURNING, WHITE TIPPED, COLLARED, INCA AND WHITE WINGED.There is also a Scaled Dove, but we were not able to identify it. After  brief look at the feeders at the center where Ruth spotted a "BLACK CRESTED TITMOUSE, and an OLIVE SPARROW. We ate lunch by the feeder there and recorded sounds of the CHACHALACA and  GREAT TAILED GRACKLE  for some of the DVD's we will make.

White Tipped Dove (one of five species here)

The Olive Sparrow that we had a tough time identifying

Yes there are rabbits, even in our city Campground

An Altimara Oriole (similar to Baltimore)

An explanation of the Reserve

One of the roads at Lagna Atacosa

I was fascinated by this Rio Hondo  city Day Care facility. Beautiful !

Then a trip down Lakeshore Drive again to the lake. On that 45 minute drive (2 miles take awhile when you are looking for birds.) we saw the  SCARLET TANAGER, TENNESSEE WARBLER, CARACARA and a NORTHERN FLICKER. The lake had less birds than yesterday, but many of the same ones. The REDDISH EGRET was there again, running after fish in the water. It is curious as it darts quickly from one spot to another.

The day ended quite well with 51 species , and even though we just missed an Alligator by 15 minutes at the Center, we did see a few more deer.

We stopped at Pizza Hut in Harlingen to pick up a Pizza and called it a day.

Tomorrow we will dress up a bit and head for the 11:00 service at First UMC here in town. Perhaps a brunch  and a lube and oil change in the afternoon will wrap up the day  and our stay here as we head for San Antonio on Monday.

Day 26, Fri., April 27m 2018, Trip to Laguna Atacosa NWR at 100,000- acres.

Female Harris' Hawk

Laguna Atacosa (the Lake)

Many Birds on the Lake. IT is a 65,000 acre Lake.

Green Jay

Curved Billed Thrasher

Thrasher again in bath.

Altimara Oriole

Road Runner in your face!

Bird feeder in the wild. (note wire protection)

Scarlet Tanager

Aside from the four days birding with Jim Stevenson, today was the best at finding and identifying the birds. We selected Laguna Atacosa , a 100,000 acre NWR along the Gulf of Mexico about 30 miles south of Harlingen. as our place to find the birds. We did that and more. Although there are Ocelots in the Reserve we did not see one, but did see some rabbits and deer along the roads. At this time of the year (Slow time)  maintenance is on the schedule there, with what monies are available, for the Reserves to do the "fixing' that is necessary. The main attraction here is a 15 mile auto tour around a fresh water lake that borders on the Gulf, an ideal pace for all kinds of wildlife from amphibians, flora, birds, fish, trees, bushes and other forms of living organisms.  This auto route was closed however, due to the maintenance that was being performed there.  So driving was limited to one 3 mile long road.

One town, Rio Hondo,  on the way to the NWR,  had a bridge under repair, and so a small detour gave us more opportunity to see the back roads. (There are always are some birds or wild life on them.)

We had a good start and arrived at about 9:30, which allowed us to still catch some of the birds feeding in the vast forests and feeding areas.(Some have water available from the birds.)

THIS SOUTHERN USA HABITAT HAS PLANTS, TREES, AND SHRUBS THAT ARE XERIC-ADAPTED That is... able to adapt to the harsh desert like conditions, especially the lack of water.

Ruth was extremely excited as we were able To see the beautiful Green Jay that we did not see at Santa Ana yesterday. She was ecstatic! She has talked about that bird for a long time and looked forward to it and getting some good photos. (see pics) . There was one road that led to the Lake (Laguna Atacosa) and we spent  about an hour on that one alone. At the end where the lake is located, there is a  kiosk above the lake where there were hundreds of birds feeding on the shallows of the Lake. The Lake is about 65,000 acres and very shallow.  About half of the NWR is water and that is not included in the size of the NWR.

We ate lunch overlooking that Lake and enjoyed sharing with folks from Nevada and New Hampshire who were seeking the birds as well. The Nevada folks lived at Lake Tahoe where bird watching is altogether different. (Deep water lake and high mountains.) He said he skied just last week as the snow pack late in the season was heavy.

We delivered our list of 50 birds to one of the interns at the Visitor's Center and she was appreciative to have it for the "bulletin board". She is a graduate of U of Texas, Rio Grande Valley in Environmental Science.What a time to be in on that discussion and working to improve our environment. Good luck Katherine. (Climate chage,pollution, recycling, etc.)

The afternoon was more of looking and watching for the birds along the side of the road and in the brush and undergrowth. I would drive at about 5 mph and listen for birds while using our eyes . If something seen or heard we would stop and wait them out.  Some times taking photos if the opportunity was adequate.  We did  see another of the GREEN TAILED TOWHEE'S, that we saw yesterday. This one Ruth said had excellent  and clear field marks.  Each bird has a few field marks' that help to identify it's specie. Size, overall color, specific colored parts, movement, stance, flight pattern, head shape, wing and tail shape, and of course  the song,  all are possibilities, There are more subtle ways to ID, but those are a few.  One example would be to discern the Black Vulture from the Turkey Vulture. The latter has a dehedral in its flight pattern of the wings, where the Black does not.

Near the Visitor Center we saw that GREEN JAY, the  ALTIMARA ORIOLE, WHITE TIPPED DOVE (Mexico), while on the road drive we saw ; CHESTNUT SIDED WARBLER,  ALDER FLYCATCHER, WESTERN WOOD-PEEWEE, and the ROADRUNNER. There were 50 species in all, that were seen today.
A very good day of watching for the birds. We will go back there tomorrow to seek a few others..

Day 25, Thurs. April 26,2018, World Prime NWR at Santa Ana . Now at 200 bird species

It did rain hard last night and the lightning is “King” size.  So for about an hour it was a noisy evening.

Our  start was a bit earlier today in order to get to the Santa Ana  National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)  some 30 miles down the road on the Rio Grande River. . The first tram that takes folks around the Refuge (It is NOT a Park), runs at 11:30 and we made it with a few minutes to spare. We took our lunch as we would stay through the early afternoon.

The Santa Ana NWR is not a huge Refuge at nearly 2,000 acres, but because of the way the land was divided  (See photo)  it is narrow and somewhat long.  The drive to the park was quite straight, with one turn toward the Rio and that was it. About 30 miles. We took the “local”roads through the towns , also could see the crops growing along the way. That way you get to see the local businesses and activities in the towns.  This is a predominately Hispanic settled area and most businesses are the same. History would show that the Mexican influence here is strong and there is still a hand operated ferry that plies across the river every day.

We were on time for the tram (a long, sleek vessel run by Propane gas.) and Randy and his wife, Fran were the drivers and guides (She drove) .  They are retired Air Force personnel, are “full timers” (RV)  and that kept thing pretty light on the trip when he spotted my “Army” hat right away. They were both knowledgeable and as there were only 6 of us all  “birders” on the tram, we concentrated on the birding while we moved and stopped from time to time. There were a number of “new”birds we could put on the trip list. This included the ALTIMARA  ORIOLE  (which we saw even before we had started onto the 11/2 hour tour), SWAINSON’S HAWK,  (Randy stated that there have been many of them this year), BROAD WINGED HAWK, BRONZE HEADED COWBIRD (new) , GRAY HAWK (new), TROPICAL KINGBIRD (new on life list), BROWN CRESTED FLYCATCHER (new on life list) and a GRAY CHEEKED THRUSH. In all we identified 42 birds today. Eating lunch and watching the birds at the many feeders there is a relaxing way to spend lunch. A short walk along the Mexican/USA Border found a few more birds. (This was on a road that the Border Patrol uses.). (We missed the 100 White Tailed Kites that they saw earlier in the AM.)

N.B. During a short walk off the tram down one  trail  to the Rio Grande, we ran across a group of 4 young men (20-24 years of age) who were also walking the trails. Randy told us later that they are “contracted” to perform some function for the Border protection , but he did not know what that was. The young men carried nothing except the clothes on their back. They were alert , briefly polite and about their business. We saw them 2-3 times that day.

Mesquite tree with "sugar" dripping

The Original land owners cemetary

Javalina (pigs)  footprints are one on top of the other.

The Rio Grande River has a current of 5-7 mph. (Mexico over there)

One of the trails in Santa Ana NWR

A Yellow Billed Cuckoo

The trees that have been flooded to their tops. View from levee.

The layout of Santa Ana NWR.

We saw these from a far off. Crops of some sort?

Up closer . They were onions just picked recently . Ready to ship.

Onions have been pulled to dry some. Then sorted and put in crates.

Beans up close.   Believe they are string beans/

Another side story is a ‘tool’ that the border patrol uses now that they know how valuable they are. It is a long story but here is a short version. One of the men  (Border Patrol) had a Mustang horse that he rode and always seemed to be able to find the illegals more than the other men on horseback or not. It seems that the Mustang horses, have very special senses that allow them to be alerted to danger (intruders) with  such subtle signs as, moving their ears in a certain direction, or just walking to the place where the illegals are hiding. So the Department  went to the Mustang Preserve and purchased 50 of them and sent them to Oklahoma to be trained and 20 of them made the cut. They are now finding illegals at a significantly higher rate than was seen before.  This may not be appear on the internet! Animal technology!

The history of the Refuge is vast, as it gets flooded  every few years and the flood comes to the top of the dike that surrounds the Refuge many times. We rode on that road today and looked down on the trees that it would have covered  just as recently as 2008. The flooding wipes out many of the native trees, and invasive trees come in quickly. One of these trees is the Rotana. it grows 20 feet in two years. Other trees seen in the Reserve are seen below. Other trees seen were: Texas Ebony,  Mesquiite (see pic), ,  "Christmas Tree",  and the  Yacan,

Randy mentioned that Teddy Roosevelt started the idea for the Reserve but I am not clear on if that was correct, as the Reserve wasn’t started until the 1940’s.

Finally a mention of Ocelots.  There  are very few of them, but they are on the increase as a result of a huge habitat improvement program that is attempting to avoid predators and to provide food . There is a narrow band of land that they are working to continually improve conditions. It seems to be working as the population in the last 20 years has gone from 2  up to 20.

Some last minute stops after the Refuge were at  an onion field, a pharmacy (see yesterdays notes)  and the H.E. B grocery.  Ruth says it is the cleanest and best supplied store she has been in. (Of course the many fresh veggies and fruits from the valley, helps get that vote.)

I’ll add a few photos of some of the crops, already picked and now growing.

See you tomorrow, as of this time, I cannot sure be where we will go.

Day 24, Wed.,April 25, 2018, First full day in Harlingen. 91 F M/sunny

It was a good day weatherwise ,and as evening approaches, the rain in the NW is heading our way. Not much, but it looks like some. The differences in Michigan weather predicting and the plains of Texas, is, you can see it coming, and it is what they say it will be. Nothing in the way to change it's contents. So possibly a thunderstorm  and certainly some rain.

Today was a relaxed day and we are getting used to doing things early and late.The middle of the day is for "siestas" and for getting out of the sun.  This AM Ruth needed to get some meds on order and that took the better part of the hour with the insurance Co., who would not send a 'script' to an address for us to pick up on the road. She finally did it the easy way and had her MD call it in to a local Walgreen's just down the road here in Harlingen. We will pick it up tomorrow. (Technology is a two sided coin.)

 Beehive Cactus

Jim in front of a giant Prickly Pear Cactus

A Chachalaca

Under the bushes is a Green Tailed Towhee

The trail in Ramsay Park

One of the ponds in this unique desert park

The Curved Billed Thrasher sings away.

In case you get lost there .

So, we had a delayed trip out to two potential bird sites, the second of which was fruitful albeit in the sun and some shade as we walked the trail at 90 F,  in Ramsay Park on the edge of Harlingen.  This is a desert habitat with cactus, and enough trees (oak) to allow the body to get out of the sun at times. Some of the trees that are in this park are:   Wild Olive, Texas Ebony, Cedar Elm, Snakes Eyes (bush) , and Lemoncillo There are great benches to sit quietly and observe the wildlife. There was activity in the desert, on the floor, in the air and in a small pond nearby. Ruth took a short walk ahead of me and was able to zero in on a CHACHALAKA, and a pair of CURVED BILLED THRASHERS.  Then sitting on the previously mentioned bench we observed some ground scratching birds that lingered near and were searching for food under the brush. We could see them with their shiny green tails and red caps (though not as clear as thought) They were  the GREEN TAILED TOWHEE, a pair of them.

Overhead, Jim spotted a pair of CHIMNEY SWIFTS, and sitting on a limb and chasing flies was a GREAT KISKADEE, who sounds quite like its name when it calls. The other bird we added to our species list was the GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. So four new birds on the list as we approach 200 species.

Harlingen , if you have never been there, has two main streets that are one way and then converge right at the junction of two Expressways  and it can be confusing to the novice. I almost went out of town the first time near there. Coming home I drove the wrong direction and WAS going out of town until Ruth mentioned I was.  We are  beginning to use the GPS more but still like to figure out where we are going ahead of time using maps.

In the afternoon , after lunch, we tried to solve a trailer problem. It seems the jack for the tongue lift, would not work when we needed it to raise the tongue for level after unhitching. There is a "Plan B" with a manual handle, but that is not why we bought it. The batteries it runs off of are brand new,  but there was a problem. We called a local recommended company to send a guy over .  So , "Silver" came over and analyzed the problem and sure enough in five minutes he found that a "breaker"of sorts that catches the electricity from from the batteries to the jack, was dead, He clipped it off, connected the wires, taped it securely and was finished. His 27 years doing this sort of work was worth the call. Oh,... how much was the service call to the Park? Wanna Guess/?Nope. It was just $35.00 and well worth the work. A very fair price. Excellent work as the jack now works once a gain,. Save those muscles.

Ruth prepared the hamburgers on the grill for supper, with her favorite flavors and that was a treat.  Once in a while we like to cook on the outdoor, portable  grill.

As the storm approaches I will get ready to study the visit to the Santa Ana NWR a few miles down the road. Here the possibilities for viewing the Tropical birds are almost endless.  If we do get there in the morning it should be good.   Enjoy the photos from today mostly from Ramsay Park.

Post Script. The thunder and lightning has started and the rain is nearby. BOOM! It was short lived about 15 minutes. That was it!