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Published: Wednesday, 04 November 2020 05:00
Make the most of the fall bird migration by joining Quinta Mazatlán’s Center for Urban Ecology for a journey into the world of migratory birds on Saturday morning, November 7. The presentation will deepen your understanding of bird migration and elucidate what we can do to help birds on their journey. You will leave the presentation empowered to make a difference for our bird community and with a deeper appreciation for these winged wonders. You can also purchase bird-friendly plants from Heep’s Native Plant Nursery at Quinta Mazatlán to jumpstart your bird habitat from 9 a.m. to noon.
Read more: Bird Migration Morning, Native Plant Sale at Quinta Mazatlán
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Published: Wednesday, 04 November 2020 00:00
Nestled on a 15-acre tract of land near downtown Weslaco, Frontera Audubon is a city escape for the birds, butterflies and other wildlife that make it their home. Filled with rich vegetation, it’s hard to imagine that just a few feet away heavy traffic runs up and down Texas Blvd. It has become a birding hotspot for Weslaco. At one time, this place was an abandoned grapefruit orchard and thicket of Guinea grass and Mesquite – an area the city had wanted cleared in 1989.
Read more: Frontera Audubon trails are ready for walking
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Published: Wednesday, 04 November 2020 00:00
We received this adorable photo from Sara Young this past weekend and thought we would share it and her message. “For Halloween this year, we truly missed our trip visiting Mission Bell for trick or treating! I’ve been going since I was a little girl, and now have been taking my little family. Although we missed it this year, our babies decided to pay tribute to their wonderful Winter Texan friends dressing up as...well... Winter Texans! Here is Noah Young (three years old) and Grace Young (six months old). Little Grace missed her first year visiting Mission Bell, but we are hopeful to take her next year!” Parents are Sara and Caleb Young.
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Published: Friday, 30 October 2020 12:50
The annual celebration of Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead is not as spooky as it sounds; it is a celebration of life begging on the eve of October 31 until its culmination on November 2. It is a vibrant and colorful celebration; it is not about fear or sadness, but the return of the souls of friends and family. Where the dead are welcomed with colorful costumes, food, drinks, and celebration.
Read more: Monarchs Return for the Day of the Dead
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Published: Monday, 26 October 2020 00:00
While social distancing is still being practiced in many activities, several of our local festivals have had to change the way they do things this year. Some have been cancelled and have next years dates on their website – so please look for those and prepare for next year.
Read more: Birding, Butterfly, Festivals take on new look
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Published: Friday, 23 October 2020 11:00
Operation Christmas, Samaritan’s Purse, is in full swing for this upcoming Christmas season. Boxes were delivered recently to several locations so participants could get started on building boxes for those less fortunate in other countries. This year, because of social distancing, there are additional ways to participate and there will be a no touch collection at Baptist Temple in McAllen.
Read more: Operation Christmas in full swing
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Published: Friday, 23 October 2020 00:00
By Quinta Mazatlán World Birding Center
Learning about the vast world of birds is like a treasure hunt. There are many paths that we can take to help us find these beautiful gems in nature. Books are a great way to start learning about birds. Bird field guides help us grasp the physical attributes of different birds’ appearances, as well as providing us with a feel of where the birds can be found, and what their vocalizations can sound like.
Read more: Birding treasure hunt in the Valley
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Published: Thursday, 22 October 2020 00:00
The Rio Grande Valley Transportation Museum recently reopened with a big event that featured a live presentation by the pilots, including flyovers in that museum’s vintage Ryan PT-22 aircraft. The Ryan PT-22 is just one of the several World War II era planes that museum has to view – and they are all in working condition. The museum is located within the historically significant Port Isabel Cameron County Airport, on Veterans Drive, two miles north of FM 510, and off of Buena Vista Blvd.
The museum houses World War II exhibits and artifacts that have been donated by local families. Display cabinets have been arranged to display significant events leading to and experienced during the war. Among the exhibits is a display of Flying Tiger artifacts, an enlarged photo of the first bomb dropped on Pearl Harbor, a display of the Women of the Army Air Force who flew every aircraft in the US military arsenal, as well as a Home Front display.
Read more: RGV Transportation Museum reopens for the season
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Published: Wednesday, 21 October 2020 13:30
We are ready for you here in the Valley. Our parks are ready. And our Wintertainers™ are ready to entertain.
The general feeling is we will see a great season this year. I don’t want to say, ‘despite the circumstances,’ but, we have to be upfront here and say that we know what the situation is, and we know you have a decision to make.
Activity Directors, Wintertainers™, and Stakeholders have had two meetings that Teresa Stoffel, creator of Winter Texan Times Activities Group on Facebook, has organized. In both meetings, everyone has had a positive attitude that we will see smiling faces soon – or we will assume you are smiling behind your mask.
Read more: Mr. DeMille, parks are ready for their … to stay 6 feet apart
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Published: Wednesday, 21 October 2020 10:24
South Padre Island is beautiful this time of year – and the temperatures just keep getting nicer as we get closer to December. I had the chance to take a short trip to the island recently and I did not want to leave. The temperatures were in the 80s and there was a pretty good breeze the day I went. I, unfortunately, had to get back to the office, and home, to tend to other things and could not stay as long as I wanted to.
This short trip was to see a perfect outdoor activity for this type of weather – the Sea Turtle Trail. The Winter Texan Times had received a news release from SPI’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau about a recent installment to the trail and decided it was something we needed to go out and see for ourselves. This is a trail that you can walk or cycle if you have the time. The locations are spread out on the island – furthest point south is Beach Park at Isla Blanca, and northern point is SPI Convention Center. They are nearly five miles apart from each other. I was able to visit all but two turtles while there and was quite impressed with the beauty of them.
So, what are these turtles I speak of?
Read more: Beautiful weather for a trip to SPI
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Published: Friday, 11 September 2020 11:53
What a surprise! Say hello to the Gladys Porter Zoo’s new miracle baby…a baby gorilla! Penney, a 33-year-old female gorilla, to everyone's surprise, gave birth to a healthy baby on Thursday, August 20.
Night keepers at the Zoo were astonished to find Penney cradling a newborn in her arms as they were making their usual rounds on Thursday evening. Not only were the night keepers shocked but so was the entire Zoo staff, especially the Zoo’s medical team. This was totally unexpected.
“Years ago, when evaluating Penney for her lack of reproductive success, it was discovered that she had a tumor on her pituitary gland that, in turn, raised her prolactin levels, making it difficult for her to conceive. Thanks to a 45-day, targeted treatment, she was able to reproduce once after the tumor diagnosis was made,” said Gladys Porter Zoo Director, Dr. Patrick Burchfield.
Read more: Miracle Baby Born at Gladys Porter Zoo!
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Published: Friday, 11 September 2020 09:46
Written by Susan Himes, Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced registration is open for the 2021 Birding the Border event.
The event will take place April 29 -May 2, starting with a kickoff social the evening of April 29 at Val Verde Winery.
Del Rio will host the event, which will feature birding trips to a mix of private, restricted-access and public lands in Kinney and Val Verde counties.
The cost of registration is $50 and includes seminars, which will be held April 30-May 1 at the Del Rio Civic Center and feature AgriLife Extension experts. There are also spouse-of-birder passes available to allow participants to bring a plus one to the seminars and social events. If you prefer to register by phone, call Teri Gaston at 830-278-9151 ext. 283.
Read more: Four-day birding event features photography-focused, beginner options
The Winter Texan Times has been preparing for the 2020-2021 season and we are excited to see our Winter Texans returning. Our first issue will be published on October 21, and the deadline to submit items for this issue is Wednesday, October 14. 
