Store and Community Nature Events

Scroll for the list of local tours, talks, and other events sponsored by us or organizations we collaborate with. 

Sharing the joy of birds and nature is at the core of Wild Birds Unlimited. Here at your locally owned WBU McAllen store, we're committed to helping our fellow Rio Grande Valley residents and visitors connect with the unique ecology and wildlife the Valley has to offer. 

 

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NATIVE PLANT SALES

Multiple Dates 

 

Don't miss our popular NATIVE PLANT SALES! Sales typically start right after the day's free nature talk (see below) unless otherwise specified, and supplies are limited. (Supplies vary and may differ from the plants shown in photo.)

Upcoming SATURDAY plant sales:

   • Nov. 22 at 3–6 p.m.

   • Dec. 6, 13, and 20 at 3–6 p.m.

Why plant natives? Because it's good for local wildlife AND for you! Win-win! Texas-native plants:

• Provide essential food and shelter for resident and migratory birds, butterflies, and other pollinators

• Beautify your yard

• Typically require less water and are better at withstanding the RGV's climate and native pests

 

   

   

BIRDING

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Free* Guided Bird Walk  | Mission, TX | 9–11:00 a.m.

 

 

We have another great day of bird spotting and learning lined up for you!

In the morning, we'll be meeting at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, where park staff will be leading us on a free guided bird walk. (Small park fee applies.) This park is one of the Valley's top birding and wildlife hotspots, with over 350 birding species having been spotted there. 

• PARK FEE: The guided walk itself is free, but there is a small park admission fee you must pay. See the park's website for fees.

• Meet at the visitor center.

• Some parts of the trail may be unpaved—wear suitable footwear.

• Bring water, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant, etc.

• Don't forget your binoculars! If you're looking to buy or upgrade your binoculars, we carry some fantastic options for birders. Stop in to check them out! The park may also have some for rent.

• Location: Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive (FM 2062), Mission, TX 78572

Then in the afternoon, the park superintendent, Thomas Forwood, will be joining us back in our store for a FREE nature talk—see flyer below.

 

 

     

NATURE TALK

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Life After Migration: What Do Our Birds Do When They Aren't Here?  | In-Store  |  2–3:00 p.m.

 

 

Our afternoon in-store talk caps off another great day of bird spotting and learning, after the morning's guided bird walk (details above).

The Rio Grande Valley is deservedly famous for birding. Along with our amazing year-round resident birds, we're lucky to get so many fantastic overwintering birds, too. Have you ever thought about what the rest of the year is like for those birds that just winter in the Valley? Several species end up in extremely different locales living a very different life during the long days of summer. Join us as we learn more!

PLUS, stay after for a NATIVE PLANT SALE! Details above. 

 

ABOUT OUR EXPERT SPEAKER

Thomas Forwood is Superintendent at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, one of the Valley's top birding and wildlife hotspots. Originally from Pennsylvania, Tom fell in love with birds while working as an interpretive park ranger with Montana State Parks, and continues to serve as an eBird reviewer for that area. He's been with Texas State Parks for the past several years, first in Big Bend and now here in the Valley, where he spends most of his free time birding and enjoying other naturalist pursuits, as well as also traveling for birding.

 

     

 

BIRDING

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Free* Guided Bird Walk & Coffee Tasting  | Weslaco, TX | 9–11:00 a.m.

 

 

Kick off your weekend with our free guided bird walk and coffee tasting in Weslaco!

In the morning, come meet your fellow local bird lovers and WBU enthusiasts as we explore the Valley's oldest nature center together and sample some great coffee. 

• PARK FEE: The guided walk itself is free, but you must pay a small fee to enter the park. See their website for fees.

• Meet at the visitor center.

• 9–9:30 a.m.: We'll be sampling the delicious ABA Save the Songbirds coffee, a certified Bird Friendly® coffee that the American Birding Association (ABA) has created in partnership with Thanksgiving Coffee Company. A portion of the proceeds from each package benefits the mission, programs, and conservation efforts of the ABA.

• 9:30–11:00 a.m.: Our WBU McAllen team member Laura will lead a guided bird walk in the park.

• Wear suitable footwear for gravel and dirt paths.

• Bring water, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, etc.

• Don't forget your binoculars! If you're looking to buy or upgrade your binoculars, we carry some fantastic options for birders. Stop in to check them out!

• Location: Valley Nature Center, 301 South Border Ave., Weslaco, TX 

 Then in the afternoon, come in to the store for a great free talk—see below.

 

ABOUT OUR GUIDE

Laura Brush is a Rio Grande Valley native and bird enthusiast. Along with sharing her love of birds and nature with the community through her work at Wild Birds Unlimited in McAllen, Laura has over seven years of experience in environmental education and also currently serves as an educator at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center. 

 

 

     

NATURE TALK

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Robert Runyon & the Valley's Native Plants | In-Store | 2–3:00 p.m.

 

 

Don't miss this chance to hear one local legend tell us about another! Mike Heep will be talking about Robert Runyon (1881–1968), one of the earliest plant collectors and naturalists here in the RGV, with several native plants named in his honor. Runyon was also a renowned photographer of the Valley—its plants and its people—and his photos are archived at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

We're asking folks who plan to attend to please REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE or scanning the QR code.

• This event is held in collaboration with Girl Scout Lola Mejia's "Go Out and Get Native" Gold Award Project. A Gold Award is the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting.

• By registering, you can help Lola keep an accurate record of attendees for credit toward her project.

Afterward, we'll be having another of our popular NATIVE PLANT SALES! Details above. 

 

ABOUT OUR EXPERT SPEAKER

Mike Heep has been at the heart of native plant conservation in the Valley for decades. The owner of Heep's Native Plant Nursery in Harlingen, Mike and his family have been raising native plants in their nursery since the 1980s. The number of people around the Valley who have turned to him and his encyclopedic knowledge to get more natives into their yards cannot be overstated! Mike is a humorous and insightful speaker with a formal background studying Botany, Horticulture, and Chemistry. 

 

     

 

BIRDING

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Free* Guided Bird Walk  | Alamo, TX | 8:30–10:30 a.m.

 

 

Another banner day for all our WBU "bird nerds"!

In the morning, we'll be meeting at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, one of the Valley's birding hotspots, for a guided bird walk. The refuge is right along an east-west and north-south juncture of two major migratory routes, which makes it a "jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System." Come explore and do some bird spotting with the refuge's dedicated volunteers and your fellow bird and WBU enthusiasts!

• PARK FEE: The guided walk itself is free, but there is a small park admission fee you must pay. See the park's website for fees.

• Meet at the visitor center.

• Trails vary, but most are packed dirt. Please wear suitable footwear.

• Bring water, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant, etc.

• Don't forget your binoculars! If you're looking to buy or upgrade your binoculars, we carry some fantastic options for birders. Stop in to check them out!

• Location: Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, 3325 Green Jay Road Alamo, TX 78516

Then in the afternoon, join us back in our McAllen store for a fascinating FREE talk—details below.

 

 

     

NATURE TALK

Saturday, December 13, 2025

What AI and Bioacoustics Reveal About Bird Migration  | In-Store  |  2–3:00 p.m.

 

 

Calling all "bird nerds"! Come hear about an exciting new way that cutting-edge tech is being used to monitor and study bird migration and vocal behavior here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley—and how you may be able to get involved! 

Nocturnal bird migration in the RGV is a critical part of North American bird conservation, yet it remains poorly documented. So Dr. Contina and his team developed and deployed the Southern Ornithology Network for Applied Research (SONAR). SONAR uses a network of acoustic recording nodes along with AI to monitor and make sense of bird calls by both day and night. Dr. Contina will share some of what he's learned so far and about expansion plans for the network, which depends on finding more collaborators to host the SONAR nodes.

PLUS, stay after for a NATIVE PLANT SALE! Details above. 

 

ABOUT OUR EXPERT SPEAKER

Dr. Andrea Contina is Principal Investigator at the Contina Lab, which conducts research in the School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), where he is an Assistant Professor. He studies avian communities and their movements across North and Central America using advanced technologies, to help inform conservation plans and increase wildlife protection, sustainable resource management, and opportunities for interdisciplinary education in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

 

 

     

 

NATURE TALK

Saturday, December 20, 2025

How to Prevent Window Strikes  | In-Store  |  2–3:00 p.m.

 

 

Window strikes are a huge problem: annually, up to 1 billion birds are killed after colliding with windows, and that's just in the U.S. About 1/2 of these collisions are with home windows. With some thoughtful changes, we can all help make our windows safer for our feathered friends.

Please join us for this FREE talk where we'll learn about window strikes:

• Efforts to rehab birds that have collided with windows

• Options for preventing these strikes

• A campus-wide initiative on the UT Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas to prevent bird strikes

PLUS, stay after for a NATIVE PLANT SALE! Details above. 

 

ABOUT OUR EXPERT SPEAKERS

• Andrew Orgill has worked for the Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) since 2009 and is the ARK Staff Supervisor. The ARK is a wildlife rehabilitation facility that specializes in sea turtle and bird rehabilitation on the Texas coast. Andrew is also a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and Licensed Vet Tech in Texas.

• Tess Kelly is a research technician with the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve and the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas. Tess completed a Master’s in Marine Science in May from UTMSI, during which she worked with the student led Green Team to implement a window strike mitigation project across the campus.

 

 

     

 

Native Plant Tours

• Run by ethnobotanist Benito Treviño (featured by American Forests) and wife Toni.

• 621 W La Sagunada Rd., Rio Grande City, TX 78582
• Rancho Lomitas Native Plant Nursery website

 

 

Birding Tours and Retreats

• Nature Ninja Birding Tours offers exceptional guided tours and all-inclusive birding retreats in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.

• Led by local birding whiz Tiffany Kersten, featured in Texas Monthly magazine.

• Nature Ninja website

 

 

Free Admission to Edinburg Scenic Wetlands

• Last Saturday and Sunday of each month

• A 40-acre wetlands oasis in the heart of Edinburg where you can spot birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.
• Part of the World Birding Center network. 
• 714 Raul Longoria Rd, Edinburg, TX 78542
• Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center website

 

 

King Ranch Nature Tours

• Recognized as an Internationally Important Bird Area, the King Ranch offers guided bird watching and wildlife tours through their diverse South Texas habitats where nearly 400 species of birds have been recorded.

• Home to the U.S.' largest known population of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls.

• Locations vary by tour.
• King Ranch Nature Tours website

 

 

 

 

 

 

For older events, please see our Past Events page.