OVERLOOKING NATURE
By Jim Foster
Never being one to shy away from an oversight I was introduced to another birding location I had driven by many times. To correct the problem I try to visit there as often as I am in the area.
The area of which I am referring is The South Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a project of the Valley Land Fund (VLF). After competing one year, and winning a first place, I am happy to see the usage of the funds being used in this way.
The Valley Land Fund protects wildlife by preserving their natural habitats with conservation easements. Conservation easements can assist landowners in protecting their land with a legal agreement that ensures a property will be managed according to the landowners' wishes for years into the future. Valley Land Fund holds several conservation easements to help private landowners protect the special qualities of their property.
South Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary consists of six residential lots on the island in 1999 for the feeding and resting of neotropicals. In addition to offering habitat protection for migrants, these lots have become a showplace to educate Island residents and visitors in techniques for making their privately owned land "bird friendly" by using native plants and water to attract wildlife.
The photos with this article were all taken on April 8, 2008. I stopped for a short visit and ended up spending several hours watching and photographing the resident birds. I must add that using my Alpen 10x50 binoculars helped greatly in spotting the birds in the thick brush near the water features. After spotting the bird I can move or focus my camera on the bird.
I should mention that although I didn’t get their names I met a lovely couple from Missouri who were visiting for the first time and enjoying watching the birds and adding several to their life lists.
Get out and enjoy some of South Texas’ quality birding. I will be heading back to Salmon, Idaho after a bit of fishing with my old friends, The Fishing Coyotes.
If you have comments or news for Jim Foster please email him at: jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com
