Here are a few photographs from our trip to Texas. Keep in mind most of the bird phots are taken by holding my camera up to my binoculars or spotting scope (hence why they are not very good!)
Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, 1/25/06:

The view from the Hawk Watching Tower.

The scrubby vegatation typical of much of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Collard Peccary (or Javelina).

Jeannette works on our Mexico list from our trip's first view of the Rio Grande.

Anzalduas County Park:

It might not look like much, but it's a major birding hotspot.

The DeWind's feeders in Salineno are a happening place!

Altamira Oriole - as orange as anything I've ever seen in nature!

Another lousy shot by me, but here are two Brown Jays, the headliners of the show at the DeWind's.

Green Jay - the colors look simply ludicrous, but it's amazing how well they can blend in with foliage.

Great Kiskadee. Colorful, loud, and animated.

This Kiskadee got tangled in a House Sparrow detterrent line and Jeannette and I had to spring to its rescue. The bird was fine, but we were provided with a unique opportunity to see it up close and personal. Check out the rarely seen golden central crown stripe.

Our next stop was at a RV park in Chapeno where Brown Jays can be seen as well. This sign shows how many businesses have capitalized on the popularity of birding in the area.

Falcon Dam from Falcon Dam State Park:

Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary in Brownsville protects the last stand of old growth Sabal Palms in the country:

Turkey Vultures roosting.

A sunning Neotropic Cormorant

No birding trip is complete without a trip to a landfill!

Just a few birds were around there . . .

Although banded, and therefore not "countable" we were still thrilled to see an Endangered Aplomado Falcon along the road to Boca Chica Beach.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge:

This stately Crested Caracara posed nicely atop a flowering Yucca.

Laguna Atascosa hosts 80-95% of North America's wintering population of Redheads. Today, that included Jeannette!

Oh, yeah, the other Redheads:

And a few more:

The Laguna Atascosa:

I finally tracked down my life Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at City Lake in Harlingen.

We spent much of our last full day at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge:

Spanish Moss draping trees.

This is one tree you DON'T want to hug!

Black-necked Stilts:

Golden-fronted Woodpecker:

Plain Chacalaca: