Along the Banks of the Rio Grande

Last Friday, I was given a warm send off by the pharmacy where I have worked part time this winter. My last day was spent going over lastminute things with their new bookkeeper and enjoying the lunch and cake they brought in. There wasn’t much work involved in my last workday. The owners gave me a very nice gift and we took pictures. Even before my last day was complete, I was making plans to do things I have missed out on this winter.

From the left RD, Rubin and Rosemary (owners) Kristy, me, Jessica, Terry, Anita and Melanie

My first excursion was with Judy and Marlin Cook yesterday. Via the network that is travelling, we were introduced through Face Book to Judy and Marlin, by our friends Chuck and Julie, who we met and became friends with, in Florida last winter. The two couples have lived across the road from each other in Maine for decades.  We met in person on Christmas Day when we visited the National Butterfly Center and agreed to see each other again to do some birding.

They took me to Salineno about 100 miles west of our winter digs to a beautiful natural area along the banks of the Rio Grande River. The birding by their standards was mediocre, only confirming 29 species.  To me it was a successful day. I saw three species I had never seen and took some nice photographs. I saw a Crested Cara Cara in flight for the first time and marveled at the magnificent raptor. I got so caught up watching him, I didn’t get a photograph. I have to remind myself from time to time that experience can get lost in trying to get the photograph. There are situations when it is more satisfying to stay ‘in the moment’ and let the memory live in your head.  That was one of those times. I also got to see Blue Winged Teals flying away from us several times and realized how they got their name. I saw my first Altimara Oriole nest. An amazing feat of engineering. At about 3 times the size of a Baltimore Oriole nest, the huge structure hung from the end of a small branch in a tree near the river bank and we all wondered how the weight didn’t break the branch or how it withstood the wind.  I watched a Belted Kingfisher kite above the river in the morning sunlight and saw my first Gray Hawk.

Altimera Oriole nest about 3feet long and 8-10 Inches wide

Black Crested Titmouse a new bird for me

From left Marlin Cook Terri Smelcer, Judy Cook and me. Mexico in the background at Salineno

Bees polinating an Aloe Vera plant in bloom

Red Winged Blackbird Pair 

Green Jay

Great Kiskadee

Mostly I was enchanted by the beautiful river. The Rio Grande is in the news so much now and all we think about are illegal immigrants wading across. Not the case where we were. I shut the news stories out of my thoughts and took in the natural beauty of the area. Having always been drawn to water, I am particularly intrigued with rivers. I stood on the bank and looked across into Mexico. The animals didn’t know there was a political boundary as they hunted and perched and went about their existence. I wondered, why can’t human beings do that? The Osprey that I watched pluck a fish out of river flew to our side with his lunch and perched on top of a utility pole while his head and shoulders dried. Then he took his lunch into Mexico to eat it. All without a passport or customs agent questioning where he got his fish. I was envious for a moment at the freedom of wild animals. The thought of a steel wall standing in the way of being able to experience the river the way I did yesterday makes me sad.

Osprey with his lunch

We stopped in Roma, Texas and walked through the gardens in the historic town established in 1765, then went to see the Rio Grande from the bluffs on the edge of town. Quite a different experience at the river side here compared to the refuge were we spent the morning, but still far removed from the stereotype portrayed on the evening news. Roma is across the river from Miguel-Alaman. There is an international bridge that connects our countries and a wealth of cultural and commerce history between the two cities. I sat on the bluff and watched the town. There was a small city park at the rivers’ edge. I saw a young family enjoying the park and through my binoculars I could watch a little girl swinging on a swingset in her back yard. I watched a woman hanging laundry out to dry on the beautiful sunny 85-degree day and a man a few houses down working on someone’s deck. Not unlike a suburban area in the United States. Again, I wondered why we work so hard to be afraid of each other and create boundaries rather than connections.

Family at the park across the river

Looking West from Roma

Bridge crossing at Roma/ Miguel Alaman

After about 10 hours together we parted ways late in the afternoon with plans to meet again next Wednesday for a guided tour through Estero Llano Grande State Park next door. Our next three weeks pre-flight calendar is filling quickly with people to see and things to do. The pressure is not as bad this time around since we are returning next winter to the same place. Plenty to look forward to.

Until next time….