> I just returned from the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen, > Texas. It was superbly organized, friendly (150 local volunteers), I also went to the birding festival. The staff and volunteers were extremely friendly and even went out of their way on my first day to give me a ride back to my hotel. Highlights of the trip were the Clay-colored Robin staying out in the open for 10 minutes giving all excellent looks, 7 Hook-billed Kites (with 1 dark morph) circling overhead for at least 15 minutes, and 2 Aplomado Falcons sitting on a fence post about 50 yards away in perfect lighting. If you decide to go, make sure your hotel is on the same side of the tracks as the convention center. Harlingen has a switching station right in town and it is not uncommon to be stuck for 10 minutes waiting for the tracks to clear. Daryl Olson Ashton, Md. darylo@erols.com