The northeastern states are colored with beautiful Autumn foliage during September and October. Trees in some parts of the Lone Star State change to different shades of red, orange, and green too but the colors we get in the valley are of the avian kind.
Millions of birds migrate through the Lower Rio Grande Valley each Fall season and they brighten the trees, bushes, fields, and marshes with an amazing palette of natural paints.
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are common migrants during Fall in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don’t sport anything brighter than a shade of green but the flowers they feed from are like brilliant flags on a dun-colored landscape.
One bird species, though outshines most flowers in the valley. The Painted Bunting can be seen throughout the year at a number of sites and is one of the most colorful birds in the area if not the entire country.
The male Painted Bunting truly looks as if it was painted by someone with a penchant for bright colors!
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers might not be as colorful as the bunting but they touch up the landscape with subtle grays and a hint of salmon.
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are a common, striking bird species in much of Texas.
Even the Crested Caracara adds a touch of Fall color in the form of yellow legs and a bright orange face. These raptors are a fairly common sight when birding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The full crop on this Crested Caracara shows as a bulbous yellowish lump on its breast.
The combination of black, white, and pink on Black-necked Stilts make for a striking combination any time of the year. The yellow of the setting sun reflected on the water gives this image an Autumn look.
Black-necked Stilts are incredibly thin!
That same sunset painted the surroundings with such a beautiful yellow sky that it more than made up for the lack of colors showing in this image of a Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron in a lower Rio Grande Valley sunset.
What a beautiful way to end a bird-filled Fall day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.