DAY 5: Roma Bluffs, Salineno and Laredo

"On Wednesday, we headed toward The Streets of Laredo (luckily, no one sang the song)." 

ROMA BLUFFS

E-bird List for Roma Bluffs
"At Roma Bluffs we didn’t add any Texas specialties, but we did have some excitement in this little town that time forgot."

Border Crossing at Roma Bluffs

The ever-present Border Patrol cars.  …not that they are doing much good.

The crumbling town had a museum commemorating the glory days of the town.

The town across the river in Mexico.

"We spotted four young men paddling boats across to Mexico, where they hurriedly pulled their conveyances to the shore, nervously waving as we watched. The townspeople came down to the river, grabbed the rafts and ran away disappearing into the town. I’m sure they were just practicing their paddling skills!"

We watched in disbelief as three rafts paddled as quickly a they could across to Mexico just under the bluff
where we stood.

People appeared from the villages to help.

As they arrived on the other side the townspeople ran out to grab the rafts and ran as quickly
as they could into the village and out of sight.

…and away they went.

More beautiful bougainvilleas

Mexican town across from Roma Bluffs.  A pony grazes there.

The lovely mission church at Roma Bluffs.

SALINENO, TX

E-bird List: Salineño (LTC 080), Starr County, TX

"The feeders at Salineno produced Jake the Wonder Dog, but not the hoped for Audubon’s Oriole, although a Hooded Oriole made an appearance."

Queen - Danaus gilippus

Black-crested Titmouse eating suet

Great Kiskadee

Great Kiskadee

A bowl full of White-winged Doves

Fork-tailed Dragonfly

FALCON STATE PARK

Falcon State Park was very chilly and windy as a cold from pushed through keeping birds at bay.  A Roadrunner along the roadside was a great sign of things to come as we approached the park but birds were "hunkered down" and hard to find.  The desert scrub of Falcon State Park offered a pair of Pyrrhuloxia, our first of the trip.

Old Glory and the Lone Star

We actually got good looks at the Pyrrhuluxia but they stayed tucked into the desert scrub for the most part.

ZAPATA LIBRARY/CITY PARK

E-bird List: Zapata Library / City Park (LTC 085), Zapata Co. TX
"The famed White-collared Seedeater at the Zapata City Library was AWOL, but one would be found the next day." 

Vermillion Flycatcher

LAREDO, TEXAS

Dusk was upon us as we arrived at our hotel in Laredo.  The feeling of this city is more of Mexico than any other city we visited.

hotel view

View of a neighborhood from hotel.

The food was delicious authentic Mexican at this restaurant where the sign on the door read, "We speak English here."