I know that a number of list members have visited the lower Rio Grande
Valley area in TX for birding. I still monitor the TX list, and
there's a recent thread on the habitat destruction potential of the
"border fence" as enacted into law by Congress. Those of you that are
interested in this area may want to look at the TX postings
(birdingonthe.net http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/TEXS.html) and
consider contacting your own elected officials on the matter. The
ultra-short version would be: the nominal map would install something
like a 150-foot wide double fence area from Falcon Dam downstream,
with complete clearance of native habitat - this affects Santa Ana
NWR, Bentsen RGV, Chapeno, Salineno, Roma etc. If you know these areas
you are aware of the impact. But you should do your own reading on
this because it's not clear exactly how final the final plan is.

You will also be aware that I broke my own list guidelines posting
this, but I think you might understand why. Feel free to flame me
over private email.

I'll close with a more positive note: local birder Richard Guthrie
recently posted on NYSBirds about his experience of actually seeing an
Ivory-billed Woodpecker (obviously not in the RGV). Given the level
of skepticism that has come along with the initial report - and I was
an agnostic up until his posting - this is no small news in and of
itself. You can still find the flurry of IBWO postings on the
NYSBirds list at http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html .
(NYSBirds itself still has no list archive, unlike this list).

Thanks for your time,
Phil Jeffrey