January 14 Anzulduas and Hildago

After a busy weekend leading bird tours we had Tuesday off from the refuge and decided to go birding...

One of our favorite places in the Valley is Anzalduas, a county park located on the Rio Grande in Hidalgo County and one spot in Texas where you can actually look north into Mexico.

We were barely out of the car before finding the mixed flock. Luckily some of the very tall trees are sparsely vegetated this time of year, so the birds were pretty visible. The first bird spotted was Yellow-throated Warbler (YTWA) followed quickly by Black-throated Grey Warbler (BTGW). American Goldfinch  (AMGO) in various stages of gold punctuated the tops of the trees while Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (BGGN) buzzed the lower branches. Also present were Yellow-rumped (YRWA) and Orange-crowned Warbler (OCWA), along with a very drab Pine Warbler (PIWA) that had me scratching my head for several minutes. A later PIWA had more typical coloration. We could hear Northern-beardless Tyranulet (NBTY) calling loudly from 2 directions at once and finally one decided to join the flock. Beautiful Blue-headed Vireo (BHVI), an unexpected Yellow-throated Vireo (YTVI), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (RCKI) and Black-crested Titmouse (BCTI) rounded out the small passerines. Both Golden-Fronted (GFWO) and Ladder-backed Woodpecker (LBWO) along with 3 or more Mockingbirds (NOMO) added additional flavor to the morning. I had my camera on my shoulder, but the birding was too fast and too furious to even consider removing the lens cover. Soaring birds were Turkey and Black Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. A lone Brown Pelican dozed on the remains of the Mexican boat ramp in the center of the river. The Mexican park received major damage in the flood of July 2010 when the river channel moved several hundred feet. 

I found this great photo essay about Anzalduas and learned so much about the park. We had wondered for years about the strange little corner fenced off with its strange "Do Not Molest" signs posted. 

Seems that water moving very fast over metal, the dam is metal, generates a large amount of electricity which is then taken from the dam to this area. Pretty ingenious. 

If you're interested in a complete tour of the park, check out this link. 

http://www.thedauphins.net/id103.html

The granola bars and snack crackers were wearing pretty thin by that time, so we located Delia's, the ultimate tamale source. Being used to only finding tamales around Christmas and New Year's way out in West Texas, imagine the joy of unlimited tamales 365 days a year. 

We ordered 1/2 dozen spicy pork to eat there, along with salad (lettuce, tomato, lime, and salsa) and 1/2 dozen chicken and cheese cooked in green sauce to take home. The tamales are steamed fresh all day long and the take home tamales were too hot to touch when delivered to the table. Delia started making tamales in her home 29 years ago and delivered them door-to-door. In 1998 she opened the first location in McAllen and now has 6 locations across the region. They are soooo good, and they even ship nation wide. 

After that satisfying lunch, we found the Old Hidalgo Pump House and World Birding Center. The birding center is no charge but the museum has a small entrance fee. Totally worth the price for a short video for background and a self-guided tour of the facility. 

Before water was made available for irrigation, most of the valley was only fit for cattle ranching. With the advent of the pumphouse and the irrigation system, the "Magic Valley" was created. A 365 day growing season and abundant water changed the economics of the entire region. 

These enormous pipes extended 40' underwater to feed the enormous steam driven pumps. 

The hurricane of 1933 and resulting flood rerouted the river half a mile away, necessitating a canal to supply the pumphouse with water. 

On the lower level of the museum is a wonderful model train exhibit to make any model train enthusiast green with envy. 

The central patio of the birding center is a map of downtown Hidalgo with the railroad down the center. 

The water feature along the edge is a model of the river. 

This Teleus Longtail was very active on the blooms in the sunlight. I also found a small yellow b'fly I think was a Statira Sulphur. Sadly, all my photos were blurry, a combination of wind and very bright sunlight and a very plain yellow lep. 

The border fence has closed access to some of the walking trails near the river. A Border Patrol car was parked behind the center bush near the gate. 

On the drive back home, we discovered the Valley Gun Club with its very unmistakable sign. No language barrier here.