Birding in South Texas: How we see them matters

from SOCIALIFE MAGAZINE | JUNE 2023

Mother Nature Can Get Pretty Loud

By Taylor Zavala, Environmental Education Specialist at Quinta Mazatlan

If you’ve experienced it before, you know the unrelenting heat of a South Texas Summer. On a hot day, we may find ourselves looking for shade or a tall glass of lemonade. However, access to refreshments or shade does not always come as easily to our aviary friends. At Quinta Mazatlán, we prioritize the restoration and care of the Tamaulipan Thorn Forest, one benefit being that it secures harmony with the species around us, providing habitat in a world commonly masked by concrete and urban chatter. In the early morning, though, when you are eased into a soft wake by bird songs, are you familiar with the being singing? Are you ever curious why they sing? Consider stepping outside to glimpse who may be sitting in the trees or atop the power lines.

In these hurried times, we are encouraged to look to nature to nurture our minds, bodies, and souls. We should also consider how we might reciprocate the gifts shared through the green spaces we hold dear. When we know the birds common and close to us, we welcome the opportunity to expand our community and enrich our culture and the quality of our lives.

While the subtropic humidity slows down birding activity, spring visitors, such as Couch’s Kingbird, Altamira Oriole, and Hooded Oriole, make the south their home while breeding. Among them are regular vagrants such as Green Jay, Whiteeyed Vireo, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker!

Bring your curiosity over to Quinta Mazatlán’s Amphitheater, where native avifauna help themselves to seeds, fresh fruits, and water under the shade of Mesquite, Anaqua, and Texas Ebony trees. Expand your curiosities at home and support birds this summer by providing water in a shallow container or natural foods like oranges, apples, and grapefruits, which nectar takers especially love.

As you meet the rising sun to witness the bright orange Hooded Oriole or the soft green underbelly of a White-eyed vireo, note that the gesture finds prominence in the motives carried behind the adventure sought out. Whether to identify as many species as one can, to be close to nature, or through a genuine interest in the ecologies we neighbor, being mindful of the intent of our practices and life habits gives us greater agency over the relationships we build with our natural world, for today and generations to come.