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Chris, et al: I've just returned from a too-short--3-day--visit to the RGV (short- hand for Rio Grande Valley). For the past decade Jerry and I have spent the last week of December/ first week of January in the RGV. I've made additional quick trips down to see several "ABA firsts"--amazing first-time visitors from Mexico. Note: We love southeast Arizona, San Diego Co. California, south Florida and many other places, but the RGV is #1, especially for birders fairly new to the obsession (uh, I mean, avocation). We've been to various parts of Texas on many occasions--Hill Country (Black-capped Vireo/Golden-cheeked Warbler), High Island (hoping for a fall-out, but pleased with what we found), Galveston/Bolivar Flats (shorebirds & a Kelp Gull), Big Bend and vicinity (Montezuma Quail, Colima Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler), Lake Balmorhea (Clark's Grebe, etc.), San Bernard NWR, Christmas Bay, Quintana jetty (Seaside Sparrows, Horned Grebe, Purple Sandpiper etc.), Hagerman NWR (Buff- breasted Sandpipers, geese, ducks, Harris's Sparrow), Baffin Bay (Groove-billed Anis, Sandhill Cranes, etc.). Obviously, we have a long-standing love affair with Texas birding, developed en route to a Texas species list of more than 400 as those special birds were sought for their beauty and novelty in the ABA area. All that said, there is no place in the US for birders like the Rio Grande Valley: Working west from South Padre Island (SPI), to the mouth of the Rio Grande at Boca Chica, Laguna Atascosa NWR, Sabal Palm Grove, UT Brownsville campus, Frontera Nature Center, Santa Ana NWR, Quinta Matzatlan, Anzalduas County Park, Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, Roma, Salineno, Falcon State Park and Falcon County Park (and several other sites along the way). This is BIRD CANDYLAND. One of the greatest pleasures I get in birding is watching birders on their first visit to the RGV! When to go: November through March. What you'll see: Minimum 30 lifers--probably 50 plus. Species unique for the US in RGV or at least not typically found in MO (incomplete list): Least Grebe, Northern Gannet, Anhinga, Magnificant Frigatebird, Reddish Egret, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Mottled Duck, Masked Duck, Hook-billed Kite, White- tailed Kite, Gray Hawk, Common Black-hawk, Harris's Hawk, White- tailed Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Plain Chachalaca, Clapper Rail, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Red-billed Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Inca Dove, Common Ground Dove, White- tipped Dove, Green Parakeet, Red-crowned Parrot, Groove-billed Ani, Ferruginous Pygmy-owl, Common Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Northern Beardless-Trannulet, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Couch's Kingbird, Tropical Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Green Jay, Cave Swallow, Black-crested Titmouse, Cactus Wren, Rock Wren, Bewick's Wren, Clay-colored Thrush (formerly Clay-colored Robin), Long-billed Thrasher, Curve-billed Thrasher, Sprague's Pipit, Phainopepla, Tropical Parula, White- collared Seedeater, Olive Sparrow, Cassin's Sparrow, Botteri's Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Blue Bunting, Hooded Oriole, Altamira Oriole, Audubon's Oriole, Lesser Goldfinch. Drooling? Well, any trip might luck into one of these rarities: Northern Jacana, Roadside Hawk, Green Mango, Elegant Trogon, Social Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, Brown Jay, Tamaulipas Crow, Black- headed Nightengale-Thrush, Blue Mockingbird, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Golden-crowned Warbler, Crimson-collared Grosbeak Of course, not all of even the "regularly occurring" species will be seen on any one trip (that's one reason RGV birding becomes addictive). I have a lengthy site description/directions/comments list for most of the RGV sites, and suggestions for eateries and accommodations. I'll email it to anyone on request. Edge Wade Columbia, MO [log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------------------------ The Audubon Society of Missouri's Wild Bird Discussion Forum List archives: https://po.missouri.edu/archives/mobirds-l.html