Out on the Open Water

A new canoe trip aims to give birding enthusiasts a chance to see rare specimens without spending an entire day in the wilderness.

The Friends of the Wildlife Corridor started offering the trip this month. It runs between Falcon Lake, which spans between Starr and Zapata counties and the Roma Bluffs World Birding Center.

For $10, participants can take a guided voyage between Chapeño and Salineño. The fee includes all necessary equipment, a shuttle to and from the birding center and instruction.

Inexperienced birders might not recognize Chapeño or Salineño, but some wildlife Web sites praise the areas for providing access to rare birds. Both locations sit near Falcon Dam.

Christine Donald, the outdoor recreation planner for the Roma Bluffs World Birding Center, said the canoe trip between the two areas takes about an hour and a half, and it doesn’t require a whole day on the river. Participants leave at 8:15 a.m. and return before noon. Hopefully, Donald said, they will also spot and photograph some birds they’ve never seen before.

“The Rio Grande is so beautiful along this stretch and you can see birds here that you can’t see anywhere else in the country, like the red-billed pigeon and the Audubon’s oriole,” Donald said. “It’s an easy paddle that makes for a fun day on a beautiful river.”

Donald and other organizers continue to work toward offering a longer trip for more seasoned canoe paddlers. The longer trip would not offer more birding opportunities, but it would give canoe enthusiast a bigger challenge. This proposed paddle would run from just below Falcon Dam to Roma, that’s more than 10 miles of river.

But for now, Donald encourages everyone to enjoy the shorter route, which she estimates is more than 4 miles. She said it is appropriate for those 12 and older. She encourages interested parties to bring snacks, water, sunscreen, hats, binoculars and shoes they don’t mind getting wet.

All proceeds from the trip go toward education and conservation projects for the Santa Ana and Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges.

For more information, call the birding center’s offices at (956) 849-4930.

Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.