Birders find parrots roosting in downtown Harlingen

HARLINGEN — The chase was on Saturday as birders rode in a bus around Harlingen to catch a glimpse of parrots and parakeets.

The field trip, Parrots of the Area, was part of the 14th Annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival.

“We’ve gone on a field trip each day and to a speaker presentation each day,” said birder Bill Clark, of Pennsylvania. “We’ve been trying to do two per day plus look around a bit on our own.”

Jay Packer, a field trip leader for the festival, said the best times to see parrots is in the evenings or early morning because they gather to roost for the night.

“They usually roost in the same spot,” Packer said. “So we’re trying to catch them as they’re coming in for the night.”

After looking for birds on P Street in Harlingen, the group saw a yellow-throated warbler perched on a palm tree behind the movie theater.

The birders used their binoculars and some had bird scopes to get a closer look at the bird before it flew away.

Some of the birders who went on the field trip were from as far away as California and New England, Packer said.

“People come to the Valley because there are probably 30 to 40 species of birds coming out of Mexico that literally don’t go any farther north than South Texas,” Packer said. “That’s the attraction.”

Packer received a call on his cellular phone that parrots had been spotted in a residential area in Harlingen, and the group rushed back to board the bus and head toward C Street near Washington Avenue.

As they exited the bus, the sound of squawking could be heard and a large group of red-crowned parrots were perched on an electrical wire and a nearby tree.

Most of them got a good look before the group of parrots flew away from the area.

Satisfied, they boarded the bus once again to return to their original location to find parakeets.

“The things I’ve enjoyed the most are the common, ordinary birds from around here,” Packer said. “The green jay, the kiskadee — in terms of birds, those are the ones I’ve enjoyed most.”

Packer and his wife, Nancy, have been serious birders for about 20 years.

“It’s our excuse to travel,” Packer said. “If we don’t see a particular bird we don’t get excited about it.”

“The climate is nice, too,” Nancy Clark said.

Bill Packer said he’s enjoyed the assemblage of birds in the area, including the parrots.

The last time they were in the Rio Grande Valley was 15 years ago when they drove through briefly, he said.

“If it hadn’t been for the festival, we probably wouldn’t have been back,” Bill Packer said.

He said the volunteers and guides during the festival were great.

“We sure appreciate the work they’ve done,” Bill Packer said. “It’s very well organized.”