South Texas Wildlife Part 1

The dry desert like country in deep South Texas along the Rio Grande River is a very unforgiving land. Everything there will either poke, sting or bite you if you are not careful. But for those who grew up in that kind of environment, there is no other place like it. What looks to be a very inhospitable place has a huge variety of plant and wildlife. Birds from the tropics migrate north into deep South Texas in the winter. Some are not found anywhere else in the U.S. The photos in this gallery were all taken in their natural environment on a large ranch that is used for hunting and raising livestock. All photography was taken in the wild, that is, this is open ranch land as opposed to a state or national park. The animals are hunted and are wild and do not tolerate humans. Photos were taken without a tripod, usually in a makeshift blind and using what ever rest was available. Majority of shots were taken very early or very late. Some were taken in rainy, overcast conditions which is rare in a desert area.