SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Birds can feel your vibes you know.
At least that’s what Scarlet Colley says.
As Colley maneuvered the small boat out of the bay and toward Colley’s “Private” Island, she called to her babies, the dolphins.
The seasoned birder is also known as the dolphin whisperer here in the RGV.
Game of Thrones fans would refer to her as the “mother of dolphins.”
But, yesterday, during the first morning of the 23rd annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, it was all about the waterfowl.
Birders from all over the country were up before dawn and many were taking part in the numerous birding trips that will run through Sunday.
Even though the sun hadn’t peaked over the horizon yet, Colley reminded all who boarded her boat to stay positive.
She asked for good vibes the whole trip.
That way, she said, birds and the surrounding nature would respond with equal positivity.
Soon, those vibes paid off.
At one point, more than 300 Franklin Gulls flew overhead eliciting a joyous “thank you” their way from Scarlet as she looked to the sky.
Scarlet, along with her husband, George, have been leading advocates for Gulf Coast Conservation.
The island, she said, was once bare but is now full of mangroves where coincidently it is home to the group’s target bird, the Mangrove Warbler.
North America has more than 50 species of warblers, but few combine brilliant color and easy viewing quite like the Yellow Warbler, also known as the Mangrove Warbler.
In summer, the buttery yellow males sing their sweet whistled song from willows, wet thickets, and roadsides across almost all of North America.
The females and young aren’t as bright, and lack the male’s rich chestnut streaking, but their overall warm yellow tones, unmarked faces, and prominent black eyes help pick them out.
While maneuvering the boats toward the Mangroves, one birder saw the small bright yellow bird.
It stayed very well hidden. Too hidden to sometimes see or take photos.
However, the small yellow bird could be seen clearly through binoculars, an item all birders are encouraged to have.
Some birders, like team leader Dudley Edmondson, had never seen one before.
I’ve only ever seen them in art work and pictures, so this is exciting, said the Minnesota native.
Edmondson has been a birder since high school.
During his time as a professional freelance nature photographer, Dudley birded as he worked, traveling the nation gathering images for numerous flora and fauna field guides.
Today, most of his birding is done during the time he spends in the outdoors cycling, kayaking or fly-fishing.
He’s been birding in the Rio Grande Valley as a guide for more than five years now.
On the other hand, you have your birders who have definitely seen the Mangrove Warbler.
Like Bob McPherson, who has seen the bird in Costa Rica.
“That would be the only bird I really want to see,” he said.
The first time McPherson birded in Texas, he had 75 lifers, meaning he identified 75 different species of bird.
“It’s the nice thing about birding, when you are starting out, you get these big numbers,” he said. “This is my first big festival and I try to do a big trip once a year.”
