LAGUNA SECA RANCH South Texas Bird Photography

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Painted Bunting
Rio Grande Valley

Laguna Seca Ranch is a 700-acre photography ranch, located north of Edinburg, Texas in the
Rio Grande Valley. The ranch has been preserved with all-native plants and animals. Here you can find a unique set of birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies, and plants that can only be found in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. We have equipped the ranch with one very large pond that has several photography blinds and three smaller, private ponds. Each location has been hand-crafted, and they all provide outstanding birding and photographing opportunities. A local lodge is nearby for those interested (see the "Lodging & Dining" page). Laguna Seca Ranch offers a unique South Texas birding and photography adventure!

We're on Facebook!

Hello 21st century, we've created a Facebook page! Like us on our page, and we'll keep you updated with everything that's happening at Laguna Seca Ranch. You can like us at www.facebook.com/LagunaSecaRanch, or click on the Facebook icon below to access our page.

Earl Orf Spots 3 New Bird Species at Laguna Seca

Earl Orf, a native of Minnesota, recently photographed at the ranch. During his shooting sessions, he identified three species of birds that we had never been identified before, bringing the ranch's total to 76 species. He shared with us his photos, and they are great! We've posted them on our Facebook page (see link above) as well as on our Picasa photo album. They are also on his website, www.earlorfphotos.com. The birds he identified are the Vesper Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, and White-tipped Dove. Here they are, respectively:

Local News

Shelly Goldstein entered this striking owl photo, taken at Laguna Seca Ranch, in the 2012 NANPA Showcase competition. The image was a Tier II category winner. This category includes the best 100 out of approximately 2,400 images entered in the competition. Mr. Goldstein has had a number of prior NANPA Showcase awards, including a Tier I winner (top 10 images) in 2010.

Shelly is a serious nature and landscape photographer as an avocation. When not photographing, he is a lawyer and lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. Visit his website at http://shellysphotoart.com.

Ty Hume snapped this impressive shot at Laguna Seca Ranch over the summer. Competing for a position on the Valley Fund Youth Photo Contest's 2012 calendar, he claimed top prize and cover of the calendar with this action photo. 133 in the age group of 6 to 18 years old entered the contest.

Ty (shown here) is 14 years old and lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is active in photo-graphy and loves nature. Every summer Ty visits his grand-mother and volunteers at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, Texas.

Location

Laguna Seca Ranch is located just 20 minutes north of Edinburg, Texas and 45 minutes from the McAllen-Miller International Airport. Click on the map below to open an interactive Google map in a new window.

History

Laguna Seca Ranch and the surrounding land has been handed down within the Vela family since 1867. One of the first families to settle in the Rio Grande Valley, the Velas planted the first orange trees of the Rio Grande Valley. Sincere efforts have been and are continuing to be made throughout to maintain the pristine nature of the Vela land. Since the present landowner acquired the 700-acre plot in 2003, preservation of the native wildlife and plantlife takes top priority. Maintenance and improvement projects are constantly in progress. More information is available on the "Ranch History" page.

Photo Tours

Tour leaders from around the world visit South Texas to conduct photography tours and workshops. Laguna Seca Ranch can set up a personalized photo tour or workshop for an individual or group that will meet the needs of all levels of birders and photographers at a lower price due to little to no overhead. Our knowledge of the local area and habits of native and migratory wildlife will enable you to get shots that might otherwise be impossible. Your itinerary will be based on your photography desires. You have the option to shoot alone, with a friend, or a guide can shoot alongside you. Whatever your choice, the ranch is extremely safe and has good cell phone coverage, so a guide will never be far away. We can also take you to other South Texas photo hot-spots that only the local photographers know. What is so great about designing your own trip is the fact that information is available from other visitors on where the birds are and what was seen yesterday. You have the flexibility to do what is enjoyable without being part of a predetermined agenda. Contact us and allow us to plan a once-in-a-lifetime visit to South Texas to photograph in one of the most rewarding birding areas in the world!

Projects

Improving the genetics of the native whitetail deer is a high priority. Several does have been
purchased and bred to spectacular stags, including the buck shown here (to the right). These efforts, to be continued for years to come, are sure to augment the genetics of the deer on the ranch.

The blind at Longhorn Pond (picture on the lower right) became the second below-ground blind in early 2011. Our combination of below- and above-ground blinds offers photographers and birders the best variety in the area.

Another project completed in July 2010 was
the construction of bat boxes to provide roosts for native and migratory bats. The Valley's
natives are Mexican Free-tailed, Evening, and Eastern Pipistrelle bats. They can do wonders for the local ecosystem: one bat eats at least half its weight in insects each night. These two boxes have a total capacity of approximately 1,000 bats. We hope they will provide some unique photographic opportunities.

Climate

The Rio Grande Valley experiences a fair range of temperatures throughout the year. In summer, it can get quite hot, with temperatures up to 110 degrees on rare occasions. Because of the ranch's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf breeze usually makes the heat tolerable. During the winter, a light snow is even possible. Check the ranch's weather forecast by clicking on the weather link below.