Guadalupe Mountains National Park Celebrates Anniversary
September 6, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, a desert mountain environment with more than half of its 86,000-plus acres designated as wilderness. Authorized on 1966 and established by Congress September 30, 1972, the national park lies along the northern limits of the state’s “boot heel” and shares a border with New [...]
Birding Hotspot: Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, NM
September 1, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
UFO sightings may have put Roswell, New Mexico, on the map, but at nearby Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, strange creatures are more than visitors. They inhabit odd sinkholes, playa lakes, seeps, and gypsum springs fed by an underground river. Straddling the Pecos River the Refuge consists of an assortment of water habitats. Numerous seeps and [...]
Land of the Standing-up Rocks: Chiricahua National Monument
May 14, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Filled with extraordinary rock formations, the Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is a wonder to behold. The word “Chiricahua” may be derived from the Opata Indian word for turkey—wild turkeys are common in the area. Chiricahua Mountains is designated by the American Bird Conservancy as a Globally Important Bird Area. With 12,000 acres of [...]
IMAGINE YOURSELF HERE – Relaxing along Florida’s “Forgotten Coast.”
March 9, 2012 by Professor95 · 5 Comments
My Mom always said I was part fish. You see, I love the water. It can be a lake, pond, or ocean – it really doesn’t make any difference as long as I can get out on or in it. After aimlessly wandering around Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, we found ourselves skirting the Gulf Coast [...]
Rio South Texas: Nature’s Wonders
February 29, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
The Rio Grande Valley nature scene is filled with many wildlife hot spots. We’ll continue our tour of the top nature hot spots in the Rio Grande Valley with a visit to the World Birding Center. The World Birding Center (WBC) The World Birding Center (WBC) is a network of nine unique birding sites in [...]
Magic along the Rio Grande
February 19, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Few can dispute the importance of nature tourism in Texas, especially within the Rio Grande Valley. According to a study conducted by Mathis and Matisoff (2004), Texas is the number one birdwatching state/province in North America, and The Valley is considered the number two birding destination in North America. Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico [...]
Join the Christmas Bird Count
December 17, 2011 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
With their binoculars, scopes, and gazes turned to the skies, birdwatchers are often far easier to spot than the feathered friends they search for. Birds have a unique ability to inspire and delight us. They connect us with nature, with the passage of seasons, and with each other. Birding is one of the most popular [...]
Birding Hotspot: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
October 28, 2011 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
As the sun reddens the sky, thousands of snow geese scattered on a big pond begin to waken and disrupt the quiet air with loud honks. Visitors perched on embankments, observation decks, or inside parked vehicles see and hear the communication that eventually gets the flock into the air and headed north to fields where [...]
Texas Coastal Bend Readies for Winter Texans
September 25, 2011 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
With most of the U.S. and Canada ending their summer vacations as families get ready to head back to school many snowbirds have started planning and gearing up for another winter in the U.S. Sunbelt. Warm weather hubs such as Ol’ Airy Zonie, Southern California, Florida, and Texas are top destinations for their predictable warm [...]
Are You Ready for the Road?
May 24, 2011 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Memorial Day weekend kicks off those lazy, hazy days of summer. The long weekend is perfect for a camping getaway to enjoy biking, boating, fishing, golfing, hiking, paddling, photography, or bird watching. More than 30 million people nationwide will travel more than 50 miles during Memorial Day weekend, defined as the period from Thursday, May [...]
