Nature
The Land
Long before humans arrived, the Rio Grande was shaping Resaca de la Palma.
Flooding of the Rio Grande formed the resaca, or dry riverbed. These abandoned coils of riverbed attracted wildlife in wet seasons. Today, we maintain water levels in the resaca year-round, when possible. The resaca supports a variety of habitats that are vital for the survival of wildlife.
Along the natural levees of the resaca are dense stands of banco woodlands and marsh vegetation. Away from the resaca, you’ll find drier Taumaulipan thorn woodlands with mesquite, ebony and anacua trees.
The park has three main habitats:
- 60 acres of wetland
- 420 acres of mature woodland dominated by ebony trees
- 720 acres of woodland and savannah habitats dominated by mesquite.
These habitats support diverse plants and animals, including several endangered species and species occurring nowhere else in the United States.
Throughout these habitats, you will find birds.
The Birds
- Summer Tanager
- Green Jay
Resaca de la Palma is an especially rich birding environment. We often see colorful migrating birds here — like the Summer Tanager, American Redstart and Yellow-breasted Chat.
White-tipped Doves and Green Jays call from within the hackberry forest and migrating warblers forage for insects on the hackberry’s leaves.
In the ebony forest, a Groove-billed Ani quietly watches people. White-eyed Vireos and Long-billed Thrashers nest in the dense vegetation.
- Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
Olive Sparrows and Northern Mockingbirds sing as they forage through the thorn-scrub.
In the grasslands, White-tailed Kites, Harris Hawks and other raptors search for prey. Northern Bobwhites call from the grass, where they nest and raise young.
In the resaca itself, Least Grebes, Green Herons, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and other water birds forage through the water and mud.
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