DECEMBER 13, 2023 www.wintertexantimes.com 18 WINTER TEXAN TIMES www.WinterTexanTimes.com When you follow us on Facebook AND Subscribe to our FREE e-Edition newsletter You will be eligible to win great prizes from our advertisers through our drawings held throughout the season 956.580.7800 1217 N CONWAY, MISSION Follow us on Facebook.com/ wintertexantimes BRING US ALONG, & THERE’S ALWAYS MORE TO SEE, MORE TO DO IN PRINT, ONLINE ON ANY DEVICE YOU WILL WANT TO TAKE IT WITH YOU WHEREVERYOUGO December 30, Harlingen, hgtxcbc@gmail.com December 31, 2023, Falcon Dam and State Park, idratherbebirding@ gmail.com January 1, Weslaco, john.yochum@tpwd.texas.gov January 3, 2023, Brownsville, karl.berg@utrgv.edu The Coastal Tip area encompasses Laguna Vista, Laguna Heights, Port Isabel, South Padre Island and south to the Rio Grande River. McAllen, Hidalgo, Sharyland, Pharr, San Juan and Alamo are within the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge Circle. Individuals can count birds in their own yard if it is within one of the designated areas. Contact a team to find if your yard is within a designated area. A list of birds and information will be sent upon request. If you have a yard full of birds in a count area, invite a team; they may be able to visit on count day. For a quick check to see the area of a count, go to the map at the following site and expand and drag the map to bring up the area within the specific circle. https://audubon. maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index. html?appid=ac275eeb01434cedb1c5dcd0fd3fc7b4 Alternately, go to this link and click on the highlighted link for the map view: https://www.audubon. org/conservation/join-christmasbird-count Novice birdwatchers are encouraged to join a team. Extra eyes help spot birds for the experienced birders to identify; the more novice birders get valuable experience in bird identification and habits. In its 124th year, the bird count tradition dates to when officers in the then newly established Audubon Society proposed to take a census of birds rather than hunt them for sport. Globally, the Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count includes destinations and countries from as far north as the Artic Bay, east from St. Jon’s and Ferryland in Newfoundland, west to Southern Guam, and from the northern most area of Alaska, south through Canada, the U.S., Mexico, South America and down to Drake Passage in the South Atlantic Ocean. The annual count is a citizen science survey where volunteer bird watchers provide the census data. The event is conducted by the National Audubon Society, an environmental organization devoted to the conservation of birds. For more information visit https:// www.audubon.org/conservation/ join-christmas-bird-count AUDUBON From pg. 5 The parade with more than 100 floats, music and, of course, Santa was themed as a “Merry Movie Event” with dozens of Christmas movie-themed floats. Prior to the Christmas parade was the Santa Dash, with hundreds of runners/ walkers and stroller pushers competing, many wearing festive garb and some even taking it extreme dressing entirely as Santa themselves. Craig and Dana Daves, of Rapid City, Iowa took some time away from dances, golfing, and the wide range of activities they usually attend (and they run the dances) to enjoy the annual event. They haven’t missed a parade since moving here in 2018. “We were Winter Texans for three years then bought a place in 2018, right across from Panther Stadium and we love it, we go to some football games there too,” Craig said. They both golf and agreed that after living 10 years on North Padre Island, they needed to find a place with more golf courses. “I love the courses down here,” Craig said. “There are so many more courses down here. Corpus has just two with 350,000 people. When the Winter Texans would hit, it would take forever to get a tee time.” And what about Iowa with so many Iowans now in the Valley? “Last person who leaves turns out the lights,” Dana said. WESLACO From pg. 2
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