Richard Moore Outdoor Report: Awe-Inspiring Journey

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Slipping in for a tentative sip of fresh water on South Padre Island, this tiny Tennessee warbler has just flown some 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico…and its perilous journey is just beginning. 

The diminutive warbler, less than five inches long and weighing no more than 10 grams, approximately equivalent to two nickels, is thirsty and hungry after its nonstop cross-Gulf flight. 

The warbler has been wintering in Central and South America. It is lingering briefly on South Padre Island to rest and refuel before winging on to its breeding ground in the coniferous forests of Canada and Alaska.

Joining the intrepid traveler amidst remnants of wooded lots on the island is a plethora of colorful songbirds from bright red summer tanagers to vibrant indigo buntings.  

Most of these Neotropical migrants, birds that nest in the United States and Canada and winter in tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America, fly directly across the Gulf of Mexico, particularly during their spring migration as they rush to secure prime nesting territory in their northern realms. 

Launching themselves at dusk from the Yucatan peninsula, they fly some 20 hours through the night and into the next day before practically falling out of the sky with exhaustion on the first available stretch of land.

It is a daunting journey at best, and if a late-season norther hits, many will perish at sea, unable to resist the powerful wind.

The few wooded lots remaining on South Padre Island are crucial to their survival as here the exhausted birds are able to rest, water and refuel before continuing their migratory journey. 

As the little Tennessee warbler washes off saltwater, it is joined by a migrating catbird, and the two fellow travelers enthusiastically bathe before the warbler continues its awe-inspiring journey northward.