Page 52 Rio Grande Valley Visitors Guide 2024-2025 ular option as well. A two-story observation tower gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of the canopy and there are over seven miles of trails with bird feeding stations (November through March), two enclosed bird blinds, and water features offering a variety of opportunities to encounter birds and other wildlife. Fun informative programs for all ages are scheduled weekly and are free with park admission. Check the online calendar of events for a full program list and join in the fun! Some programs require pre-registration. The park is located at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Dr. in Mission and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, groups of 10+ people are $3 each, and children ages 12 and under are free. For more info call (956) 584-9156 or visit the Texas State parks website, www.tpwd.texas.gov. Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, located at 714 S. Raul Longoria Rd., is a 40-acre oasis in the midst of an urban area that offers observable wildlife year-round. Here you can experience a butterfly habitat that attracts millions of butterflies during their migrations, walking trails, and viewing docks. You can also enjoy picnic areas, a gift shop, and interpretive exhibits. Edinburg Scenic Wetlands is known for water birds such as the Kingfisher and a variety of ducks. There are plenty of opportunities to catch sightings of these birds and more at various water features throughout the Wetlands. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors 55 and over and students, and free for children ages five and under. The hours are Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call (956) 381-9922 or visit www.edinburgwbc.org for more information. Water is the magic ingredient for attracting wildlife, and Estero Llano Grande State Park, located at 3301 S. International Blvd. (FM 1015) in Weslaco, has the largest wetland environment of the World Birding Center network in the Rio Grande Valley. This 235-acre refuge attracts an array of South Texas specialty birds and butterflies. 345 species of birds, 182 species of butterflies, and 61 of the 110 Valley species of dragonflies have been recorded at Estero Llano Grande since its opening in June 2006. This park is a great place to find Least Grebes, roosting Common Pauraque, and three species of Kingfishers as well as the Mexican Bluewing butterfly. Other notable rare bird highlights of the park have been the Northern Jacana, Rose-throated Becard, Grey-crowned Yellowthroat, and the first U.S. record for the Red-legged Honeycreeper. For butterfly watchers, the park has the first U.S. records for the White-spotted Satyr, the Bromeliad Scrub-Hairstreak, and the Perching Saliana. Exploring the park’s many trails, boardwalks, pavilions, and observation decks you might also find Coyotes, Bobcats, and the American Alligator. Be sure to bring your camera and binoculars. The park also offers Camp Thicket, a camp and conference facility for group rentals. The park is open daily, and admission is $5 for adults, children 12 and under are free. Many special programs and events are planned throughout the year. Check the park’s website, www.tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/estero-llano-grande, follow on Facebook, or call (956) 5653919 for more information. The Harlingen Arroyo Colorado at Hugh Ramsey Nature Park is located near the Valley International Airport on Loop 499, 3/10s mile south of Hwy. 106. The 55-acre park is a welcome center for birders who fly into Harlingen. A former landfill, the park has been reforested with native trees, plants, grasses, and cactus and returned to Texas Ebony Woodland. It is a home for Valley specialty birds such as the Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Chachalaca, Olive Sparrow, Altamira Oriole and both the Long-billed and the Curve-billed Thrasher. The ponds on the north end of the park are host to Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Least Grebes, and various Herons. If you wish a guided tour of this park, please email arroyocoloradoaudubon@gmail.com. A guide from the Arroyo Colorado Audubon Society will be happy to meet you and your group to identify native plants along with birds and wildlife on the tour. There is no entry fee for the park. The Magic Valley’s early 20th Century transition into an agricultural powerhouse is retold at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, which also embraces nature conservation as a wing of the World Birding Center with hike and bike trails. Visitors to the museum on the Rio Grande can learn about the steam driven irrigation pumps that transformed the Valley into a year-round farming phenomenon. Visitors can wander the museum’s grounds for free, where hummingbird and butterfly gardens are filled with native plants, and where many of the Valley’s amazing bird, butterfly, and dragonfly species are regular visitors as well. The Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center is located at 902 S. 2nd St. in Hidalgo. It is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission for the museum tour is $3. You can also schedule a historical trolley tour; the trolley fee is $5 per person. Bike rentals are available for $6 per day. For $40, you can obtain a photography permit and use the luscious green landscaping as a unique setting for picture taking. For more information call (956) 843-8686, visit www.cityofhidalgo.net, or check out the Facebook page.
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