QUINTA MAZATLAN WORLD BIRDING CENTER

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

Great Kiskadee

We know it is a hummingbird but not the specific name.

No idea.

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!

TO BUSY TO BLOG

Tuesday, February 12 – WOWSIE has it been hot here in Mission. On Sunday, we were the hottest spot in the country. Yes, it does say 96 and this is just February.

We have been having another wonderful, fun, very busy winter here in the Rio Grande Valley. About a week ago, we met up with fellow bloggers, Gayle and Jim of Life's Little Adventures. We met Gayle and Jim last year and wanted to be sure to meet up again this year. They are co-activity directors at a nearby park. We had a wonderful lunch at BJs with a few beverages thrown in for good measure.

On Sunday after church, we all headed over to Angie and Rick's for an "Omelet in a Bag" brunch. If you have never tried an omelet in a bag, you are missing out on a real neat experience. To explain very quickly, the first thing you do is break two to three eggs into a Ziploc bag.

You don't need the bag holder, but the Bloody Mary next to the bag does help.

Press all the air out of the bag, zip it up and blend the eggs together. Then add as many condiments as you choose. We had onions, bacon, ham, cheese, green peppers, etc.

Zip the bag back up and mix all the ingredients together as Pablo, better known as Paul, is doing below.

Now it is ready to be placed in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Once done, slide it on your plate and enjoy. This is the quick version, if you want more details, just drop us a line we will be happy to give you some additional tips.

Our host/hostess and cookers, Angie and Rick.

While the omelet is cooking, don't forget to enjoy a few beverages of Mimosas, Bloody Marys, coffee, tea, or whatever.

The sweet table got a good workout also.

Marsha wants to share Angie and Rick's beautiful new window. It is made out of stain glass by a local gal. When the sun shines through, it is even more gorgeous.

We just can't get over all the different positions Bella sleeps in. For some reason, she loves to push against anything and everything, even when she sleeps.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

SANTA ANA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Friday, February 8 – We went to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday.

This is more than just a birding center. We saw this interesting sign in the Visitor's Center.

The Refuge is located in Alamo,TX. Its 2008 acres of subtropical thorn forest is recognized as a birders paradise. It is home for numerous birds that are South Texas specialties.

The weather was very hot and dry and there were not many animals or birds to be seen.

We did see quite a few water birds around the Pintail Lakes area but most of the other wetlands were pretty dry and deserted.

There are two observation towers; one 40 feet tall. We climbed both towers and walked the 100-foot rope bridge through the treetops.

Marsha hates this type of bridge but wouldn't allow Paul to call her a chicken.

The bird feeders near the Visitors Center were fairly busy. We sat and watched several species of birds feeding on seed and oranges.

We did enjoy our hiking and a relaxing day in the wilderness.

After hiking around the sanctuary for about three hours, we called it a day and headed home. There are several other birding centers in this area, and we intend to check them out in the future.

Thank you to Heyduke50, Jane, and On the Horizon for identifying the tree in our last blog as a Silk Floss Tree. Here is a link to learn more about the tree.

We were also asked a why Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto was built in Rio Grande City. The only explanation why is that a German-born priest, The Rev. Gustav Gollbach immigrated to Texas soon after his ordination in 1906. He loved the statue when he saw it in France. Gollbach built much of the mountain himself.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.