With a Little Help (Part VI of our Florida Trip, Apr 8, 2009)

We'll get by with a little help from our friends...

And so it had to come to an end. We felt that we have barely scratched the surface of Florida birding. The question now is, do we plan to return and have another go at it? Only time (and of course, finances) will tell. Cynthia fell in love with Florida and the thought of retiring there even crossed her mind. She simply adored the wide open spaces and the abundance of greenery and water (there were ponds and lakes everywhere we went). And of course, the hospitality of the people. Which now please allow me to acknowledge them here.

First of all, a shout-out to friend, fellow birder and blogger Felicia Lee for going out of her way in providing us information on birding places in Jacksonville. Too bad our schedules didn't jive and we were not able to meet her and her husband, Glenn.

At Jacksonville, our deepest thanks to May Galang and her Mom, Nena, who accommodated us to their home for two nights. May the Lord grant you your hearts desires! Our thanks also go to Francis and Elsie Ong, for showing us their lovely mansion and taking us to a sumptuous dinner at Mandalouns. To the very kind and helpful Ranger at St. George, Roger Clark, for helping us add numerous lifers to our list and for letting us hang-out on his veranda. More power to you! To the Rangers and other birders at Ft Caroline who made it easy for these out-of-town birders to enjoy the local birdlife, thank you all!

At Orlando, our sincerest gratitude to the Magpantay family: Joel, Jennie and their three sons, John, Josef and Matthew for letting us stay with them and for the super delicious meals they shared with us. God bless you and may the Lord prosper you in many ways!



Bill and Shirley Hills for inviting us to their yard to watch the colorful birds that come to their feeders and for pointing out the birds to us at Turkey Creek Park, thank you very much! That goes to their birding pal, Howard, too! A shout out to Ranger Cindy at Moss Park for taking the time to chat with us and making us feel welcomed.

Now for the numbers: We added 10 lifers on this trip which brought my lifelist to 469. My year list for 2009 is now standing at 233 species seen.

Texas Trip Part VI - 01/28/08 Epilogue

The plane trip back home was as uneventful as the first. The whole trip as a whole was quite a success for us - picking up 30 lifers despite the bleak weather.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley is an excellent place for birding - as a matter of fact it is one the top tourist attractions in the area. We would certainly like to come back, hopefully when the weather is more cooperative for photography.
The staff at the Visitors Centers of the various birding hotspots were all very kind and helpful. In particular, we would like to thank Robert Archer at the Hugh Ramsey Park, Ben Luna and Linda Luft at the Estero Llano Grande and Jerry and Carol at Bentsen-Rio Grande for their assistance in showing us where to find the birds. To the friendly Winter Texans (birders from out of state who stay in Texas for the winter) whom we encountered on the field, thank you for your advice and suggestions.

The staff of the Best Western Hotel in Brownsville were all very nice and accomodating.

Thanks to "Eartha" - our GPS unit. We would literally be lost without it.

My special thanks to my wife Cynthia, who endured rain, freezing winds and sloshing though thick mud, being stared at at restaurants, and most important of all - not insisting on going to the Outlet/Wal-mart/Target/Ross just so we could have time to see the next "lifer". That's why I love her so. Yes, even more than all the lifers we saw in Texas.