The stars had finally aligned and the time had come to tackle the 5 state parks that border Mexico. Since 3 of them are day use parks only and the other 2 are small and near cities, we opted for the whirlwind of hitting them all in 3 days. Even with Texas’ record breaking heat this year, now seemed like the perfect opportunity to check them off the list.

Starting off in Brownsville on Friday, Resaca de la Palma was one of two day use parks certified as a World Birding Centers that we would be visiting that day. In efforts to maintain a peaceful habit for birds, vehicle traffic within the park is limited to electric golf carts serving as trams. So, we parked in the lot outside the gates and proceeded to check in at the headquarters where they issued the adults wristbands. After that, we were free to roam any of the trails by foot or rented bicycle as the trams only run on weekends during the summer. The area around the headquarters was beautifully landscaped with numerous bird/pollinator habits and blinds for safe viewing.

We set off down the main paved road loop that crosses the resaca a number of times and links to other gravel trail hikes throughout the park. Resaca is the regions given name for the channels or oxbow lakes created by the Rio Grande. The main resaca in this park was dry at the time, but a ranger said it would fill again once the rain returns. Keeping aware of the pavement temperature and increasing lack of shade, we made it as far as the first crossing on the resaca and decided we had seen enough.

Once back at headquarters, Ashlyn and I wanted to do the quick trail that would take us out on the decks we saw from the main trail, but Sally was pretty worn out already. We hadn’t taken her out on the road much this summer and we could tell she was feeling out of shape. The guys stayed in the shade with her while Ashlyn and I zipped down the very cool and easy trail. We kept seeing scatterings of feathers along the trail and concluded that the birds must enjoy roosting and possibly dust bathing in that area. Ashlyn collected a few vibrant colored feathers and the signs at the end of the trail were quite helpful for identification.

We met back up with the guys and loaded up for the 30minute drive to our next park. And just like that, we marked #59 off! Apparently these southern most parks really come alive in the winter with both wild life and visitors. Not being birding enthusiasts ourselves, we’re just here to view and appreciate what TPWD continues to do for nature and wildlife conservation while giving humans a way to witness it.

-Lindsay