Stephen Ingraham (who?)

the unofficial site for birders and digiscopers using Zeiss equipment.

Rio Grande Valley Birding and Nature Festival

Always one of my personal favorite festivals. This year, for me, and, I suspect, for many, will be remembered as the year of the butterflies. Sunday morning found no less than a dozen of the top birders in the US gathered at the North American Butterfly Association Gardens in Mission, all happily chasing down butterflies. And there were some stunning butterflies to chase: from the common Pipevine and Giant Swallowtails to Silver and Tawny Emperors, from Guava Skippers to Two-barred Flashers.

Of course, I made pilgrimages to my two favorite digiscoping spots in the valley: Edinberg Wetlands and Estero Llana Grande World Birding Centers. No trip to the valley would be complete without several hours at each. Though my time was limited to non-expo hours, I made it to Bensten WBC and Frontera Audubon's Westlaco Thicket as well.

By all reports, the festival was a success again this year. See you there in 2008?

To view my flickr sets with images from this year's festival: