Richard Moore Outdoor Report: Halfway Mark 2024

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The year began with wintering White pelicans soaking up the sun on Rio Grande Valley resacas, leisurely paddling tranquil water, and savoring an occasional South Texas siesta.

It’s never too early to get tipsy if you are a teal and as the January sun barely cleared the horizon, this group of Green-winged teal were already spending considerable time going bottoms up as they foraged for their aquatic breakfast.

As the first full moon of the year waned, battered bucks bearing scars of battle from winter bouts for does and dominance nursed painful injuries and broken antlers.

Spring comes early to southernmost Texas, and yuccas heralded in the season with prolific February blooms, while lethal Diamondback rattlesnakes slithered from winter dormancy.

By mid-March, the sun began to set on peak yucca flowering, as Monarch butterflies arrived on their migratory journey from distant wintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico.

After nectaring on Valley milkweed, eggs were laid and soon caterpillars began munching leaves, then forming a chrysalis. In April, a new generation of monarchs emerged to continue their remarkable migratory journey northward.

While wintering White pelicans and ducks departed for northern breeding grounds, native birds like Carolina wrens raised young in familiar backyard haunts.

Annual spring migration of colorful songbirds peaked in late April and early May, as remnant wooded lots on South Padre Island teemed with vibrant Summer tanagers, Indigo buntings, Yellow-breasted chats, and Baltimore orioles.

While there was sufficient water and adequate nourishment for migratory birds and native wildlife during the first half of the year, persistent drought and soaring temperatures presented challenging conditions throughout the parched South Texas wildlands.

Water is the magic elixir sustaining wildlife, and the second half of 2024 welcomes much-needed rainfall for the cycle of life to flourish in southernmost Texas.