Passport to Texas

Green Jay /Chara Verde (Cyanocorax yncas)

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This is Passport to Texas

Birders in the know travel to south Texas in winter.

Wow. The Mecca down there is The Valley. And the three or four counties along the Rio Grande are just the powerhouse for winter birding in Texas.

Cliff Shackelford is a non-game ornithologist for Parks and Wildlife.

Birdwatchers from all over the country – really all over the world – are going there to see birds that are stacked up and wintering in big number, because it’s very mild down there. Cold snaps are very unusual and that’s why there’s a lot of agriculture – like citrus that doesn’t handle freezes very well at all. But, where there is remaining thorn scrub habitat or riparian woodland that can be just really excellent birding in the wintertime.

Shackelford says while the Rio Grande Valley is “the mecca” when it comes to sheer volume and varieties of overwintering migratory species in Texas – it’s not the only place.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series, and funds diverse conservation projects in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.