DOWNTOWN BROWNTOWN IS FOR THE BIRDS

By Juan Montoya
Unlike most downtown districts, the center of the City of Brownsville is notable for the number of birds flying around town.
Flocks of red-headed parrots are everywhere, chattering high overhead as they fly from one feeding area to another. We must give credit to former mayor Pat Ahumada for taking the initiative to make this tropical bird the city's official bird.
Right across from the Palm Lounge on Elizabeth Street, a large flock congregates on the fronds of tall Washingtonian (or are they Sonoran?) palm trees. Aside from the occasional egrets and large aquatic birds (herons?) making their way from resaca to resaca in search of water and food, numerous species live with us here. A large number of pelicans used to congregate on the resaca next to the Gladys Porter Pavilion but have since moved to another unknown locale. And on the resaca next the Treviño Funeral Home, large flocks of ducks waddle by the parking lot and and egrets dot the trees protruding from the water like white Christmas ornaments at dusk.
We were laughing  at a local downtown denizen the other day as we made our way from the Adrian Foncerrada's El Dedo del Fraile and walking toward Adams and Ben Neece's Crescent Moon who was shouting at the parrots as they jabbered overhead by the old Whitman's Store. Apparently, he had had enough of the the birds' constant chatter. The fact that he looked a little hung over probably didn't help.
At the water fountain between the cantinas and the Community Development offices in the Aziz building, a congregation of blackbirds, mockingbirds and pigeons take turns bathing in the water. On the sidewalk nearby two pigeons work out a complex mating ritual and consume the act in a flurry of feathers and coos.
I have been in a lot of cities where the prevalent sound is just the traffic and the scurrying of people to and fro. In Brownsville, the city is enlivened by the numerous species of birds that dwell in the trees and buildings downtown. If you are lucky enough to find a shady spot to sit when you're downtown, it is only a matter of time before you will notice the numerous avian population that calls Browntown home.