Saturday, February 16– On Wednesday, we visited the Quinta Mazatlan McAllen Wing of the World Birding Center.
The Center is housed in a 1930's historic Adobe home on the South side of McAllen.
The home is an attraction by itself. We were free to roam around many of the beautiful rooms – what a magnificent place.
Outside the grounds can be explored using one of the many trails that loop through the vegetation. Much of the area is overgrown giving plenty of hiding places for the numerous birds. Feeding areas are spread out giving private viewing areas to enjoy the wildlife.
There are hundreds of hummingbird feeders and orange slices in the trees. We came across several water features that make great places for birds or animals to get a cool drink or go for a swim on a hot day.
Almost 500 species have been documented in this unique place. We saw many green jays and numerous other birds scattered around the property.
Green Jays
We know it is a hummingbird but not the specific name.
The best find was several rather large Chachalaca birds. We were quietly walking down one of the trails and two walked out of the brush right in front of us. We quickly stopped and sat down and enjoyed four of these big birds parading through the thick brush and crossing the trail all around us. How cool!
This little guy was causing a stir at the bird feeders.
We spent about two and a half hours wondering around the Birding Center before calling it an enjoyable day and heading home. Once home we sat outside soaking up some of the beautiful sunny days we've been having here in the South Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
Wow, what a treasure. The house was beautiful...the birds magnificent!
ReplyDeleteYou have been visiting so many interesting places! :)
ReplyDeleteTerrific bird photos! I would LOVE to see some of those. Glad I got to see them through your eyes....The birding center was very beautiful, too.
ReplyDeleteNice trip and another thing to add to my todo list. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLooks like that one Chachalaca was performing for you --- what a treat.
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed Quinta Mazatlan, too. You gotta love those chachalacas! Someone told us there is a hunting season for them in Texas:(
ReplyDeleteNot positive about the hummingbird, but your other mystery bird is the ubiquitous House Sparrow. It is a non-native species that is not protected in the US. Nasty things. I bet the birding center isn't happy about having them around.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place. I love the Green Jays. I've never seen one in person....someday!
ReplyDeleteIt's strange, but I am less and less impressed with 'man made,' but love nature. As we know, nothing can compare to God's creation.
ReplyDeletewow what a place...gorgeous...and great bird shots...
ReplyDeleteWOW .. love the birds!
ReplyDeleteJust wandering through that magnificent house and grounds would have been a great day. Then you got to see so many birds too! Great pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. . .adding the link to my Evernote file.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely want to go and see it.
I'm copying your pic of the feeding platform to show Dave. . .that is exactly what we need to build for the wildlife viewing area here.
Great post!
What a beautiful setting. This looks like a must visit when in Texas.
ReplyDelete