Trip
Information
Date: April
1 -12, 2007
Duration: 12 days
Tour Leaders: Richard Knapton
Price: $2575
USD, $3075 CDN, Single supplement $360 USD, $465 CDN
From: Tours starts
in Corpus Christi and ends in San Antonio
Highlights
• Wonderful,
often easy, birding!
• Boat
trip for Whooping Cranes
• Lots
of Mexican specialties that are located nowhere else in the United States
or Canada
• Excellent
reserves and birding areas, and the Hill Country is just simply a
truly delightful place to be!
Featured Birds:
• Whooping
Crane
• Least
Grebe
• Plain
Chachalaca
• Ringed
Kingfisher
• Golden-fronted
Woodpecker
• Great
Kiskadee
• Green
Jay
• Long-billed
Thrasher
• Altamira
Oriole
• Golden-cheeked
Warbler
• Black-capped
Vireo
Trip Summary
• East
to moderate walking. Terrain is quite flat!
• Good,
comfortable accommodation; Neal's Lodges are simple wooden chalets with
private
facilities set
along the Frio River
• 4 to
8 participants with one leader, 9 – 12
with two leaders
• 15-passenger
van(s)
• Includes
all breakfasts and lunches
• A
couple of long but scenic drives
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Spring
is a wonderful time to be in south Texas. Migrants are pouring through
the region from wintering grounds in central and South America, resident
species are well into nesting, and some choice species are still here
before setting off for the north. Raptor migration will be underway,
as Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks and Mississippi Kites fly
round the Gulf of Mexico and head off to nesting grounds in North America.
Passerines will be coming in – warblers, grosbeaks, orioles, vireos,
carrying with them possible Mexican vagrants. Shorebirds will be in huge
numbers with such species as Buff-breasted, Baird’s and Stilt Sandpipers
and Long-billed Curlews possible. Wading birds along the coastal lagoons
will include a few lingering Whooping Cranes alongside stunning Roseate
Spoonbills and Reddish Egrets. Finally, there are the southern Texas
specialties – Ferruginous Pygmy-owl, Tropical Parula, Green Jay,
Altamira and Audubon’s Orioles, Buff-bellied Hummingbird and Hook-billed
Kite. Our route will take us from Corpus Christi to Rockport, then down
the coast to the Rio Grande Valley and the superb Santa Ana NWR and Bentsen
State Park, on to Falcon Dam, then into the Edward’s Plateau for
two specialties of the Texas Hill Country, Golden-cheeked Warbler and
Black-capped Vireo. Additionally, April is wildflower season in Texas
and the countryside will be ablaze in blues, reds and yellows.
See detailed itinerary
and 'what to expect' below.
Click
here to download a registration form
Click here to download
a list of birds seen on our 2005 Texas tour.
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Itinerary
Day
1 – Arrival
The tour begins after dinner in the hotel lobby at 7:00 p.m. (participants
arriving early can enjoy a walk down the beach). Night in Corpus Christi.
Day 2 – North to Rockport
After breakfast, we bird our way north towards Rockport, making a couple
of stops along the way for raptors, ducks, shorebirds and wading birds.
Both Goose Island State Park and the peninsula on the north side of Copano
Bay have a wide diversity of habitats in close proximity, making possible
an impressive array of species. We make an effort to locate grassland
and marsh sparrows such as Seaside, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed and Le
Conte’s, and we will have our first introduction to shorebirds
such as American Oystercatcher. Goose Island is also the home of a huge
live oak known simply as “the Big Tree.” After lunch we head
for the famed Aransas NWR, a fantastic place to bird - we spend the rest
of the day here driving the wildlife loop and making stops at designated
areas to look for birds and other flora and fauna. Our tally at day’s
end will be impressive. Night in Rockport/Fulton.
Day 3 – Boat Trip on Intercoastal Waterway
After breakfast we head for the docks in Rockport where we take
a boat trip along the shallow Intracoastal Waterway, encountering a wealth
of coastal species, from Brown and White Pelicans and Black Skimmers
to Roseate Spoonbills, herons and egrets including Tricolored Heron,
Little Blue Heron and Reddish Egret. Although most Whooping Cranes leave
during the first week of April, there should be several family groups
present, and we will take our time admiring this impressive bird. After
lunch we visit several birding locations around Rockport. Night in Rockport/Fulton.
Day 4 – Rockport to Kingsville
Today we leave Rockport and after take the ferry across to Port Aransas.
There are several excellent birding spots in Port Aransas; Paradise Pond,
Port Aransas Bird Center and Wetland Park. These freshwater ponds support
a diversity of birds, including Soras, Least and American Bitterns, Least
Grebe, and many shorebirds including Black-necked Stilts and American
Avocets and waterfowl that may include Fulvous Whistling-duck, and we
should be encountering southern Texas specialties such as Great Kiskadee
and Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Heading down Mustang Island we make stops
to look for Snowy, Semipalmated and Piping Plovers, Least and Sandwich
Terns and whatever else may be on the beach. We pass through Corpus Christi,
perhaps stopping at a couple of parks on our way to Kingsville. Night
in Kingsville area.
Day 5 – El Canelo
and Brownsville
El Canelo Ranch has a very impressive list of species, and we spend considerable
time looking for specialties here. There will be many raptors, from Harris's
and White-tailed Hawks to Crested Caracaras. Flycatchers include Couch's
Kingbird, Vermilion Flycatcher and Brown-crested Flycatcher. The superb
Green Jay is a resident here, as is Curve-billed Thrasher, Hooded Oriole,
Pyrrhuloxia and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, but the star of the ranch is
a resident pair of the much-sought-after Ferruginous Pygmy-owl! Walking
trails on the ranch will likely turn up Long-billed Thrasher and Olive
Sparrow. We then set off for Brownsville arriving in time to visit night-time
roosts for several species of parrots, including Red-crowned Parrots
and Green Parakeets, both AOU "countables". Night in Brownsville.
Days 6 and 7 – The Lower
Rio Grande River
We spend two days in the Lower Rio Grande valley, visiting a wealth of
superb wildlife sites. Sabal Palm Sanctuary, the southernmost point in
Texas, is a unique sanctuary in that it is a mere remnant of the last
standing Sabal Palm forest. Here we have a good chance for Buff-bellied
Hummingbird, some interesting waterfowl, grebes including Least, and
possible rarities such as Gray-crowned Yellowthroat. Laguna Atascosa
holds many interesting species, including nesting Aplomado Falcons and
White-tailed Kites. Santa Ana NWR with its unique blend of habitats always
lends itself to some exceptional birding. Altamira Oriole and Tropical
Parula can usually be found, Ringed and Green Kingfishers are possible,
many waterbirds and ducks inhabit Willow Lake, and there is a good chance
of Hook-billed Kite or some even rarer species. This will probably be
our best chance for seeing Buff-bellied Hummingbird. Raptors will be
migrating at this time, and we should find Mississippi Kite, Swainson’s
and Broad-winged Hawks. The famed Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park is an
excellent location to see Plain Chachalaca, White-tipped Dove, Altamira
Oriole and many other Rio Grande specialties. Bentsen is well known for
the occurrence of rarities like Blue Bunting, Clay-colored Robin and
Gray Hawk, and a night-time visit should turn up Common Pauraque, Elf
Owl and Western Screech-Owl among others. Should we hear of any rare “South
Texas Specialties” in the area, then we will adjust our itinerary
accordingly. Anzalduas County Park is another good spot and over the
last few years reliably produced Tropical Parula and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet.
We have an option of visiting the Brownsville dump to look for Tamaulipas
Crow, should there be reports that the crows are still present, and sewage
lagoons if shorebirds are gathering there. Nights in McAllen/Mission.
Day 8 – Salineno,
Chapeno and Falcon Dam
We leave the Mission area and head straight
for Salineno, where we have an excellent chance at Audubon’s Oriole
and Ringed and Green Kingfishers, and then on to Chapeno for an attempt
to find Brown Jay, becoming increasingly uncommon in its restricted U.S.
range, along with the elusive Red-billed Pigeon, which could dart along
the river at any time, and Muscovy Duck. Thereafter we visit Falcon Dam.
The dry brushy areas around the camping areas are home to a distinct
avifauna including Greater Roadrunner, Black-throated and Cassin's Sparrows,
Sage and Curve-billed Thrasher, and Cactus Wren. We will also keep an
eye to the sky for Hook-billed Kite. Night in Zapata/Rio Grande Village.
Days 9 and 10 – Concan and the Frio River area
A small population of White-collared Seedeaters occurs in the small town
of San Ygnacio, and we'll make an effort to find this special little
bird. We leave the Rio Grande valley early today and begin the long drive
into the beautiful Hill Country of the Edwards Plateau. The roadside
scenery changes, from arid and bushy to much greener and lush, and wildflowers,
especially the state flower of Texas, the Blue Bonnet, adorn the road
edges We head for a delightful location, Neal's Lodges in Concan, where
we spend the next two nights. We have two target species to find here,
Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, and we have a good chance
of finding both, at Lost Maples State Park and the Kerr Wildlife Management
Area. The area around Neal’s Lodges is a very "birdy" area;
there is a large number of choice species present. Feeders attract Black-chinned
Hummingbirds, the trails around the lodge host Western Scrub-Jay, Yellow-throated
Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Black and Eastern Phoebes, Verdin, Bushtit,
and Spotted Towhees among many breeding species, and the limestone valleys
of Lost Maples support Eastern Bluebirds, Canyon and Rock Wrens and Scott's
Oriole. Raptors overhead might include Zone-tailed Hawk. The bat caves
are an amazing spectacle, where millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats
emerge in the evening to forage for the night; while we are awaiting
the spectacle, we could see Rock Wren and Ringtails. Nights at Neal's
Lodges.
Day 11 – Concan and San
Antonio
We spend the morning searching for species that we haven't located
yet. Then after lunch we will head for San Antonio, arriving in late
afternoon.
Night in San Antonio.
Day 12 – Departure
The tour concludes in San Antonio after breakfast.
What to expect
Our daily travel schedule
varies. Most days will involve a full day of birding, usually with
a picnic lunch in a prime birding
spot. Driving distances
vary from
short on some days to moderate on others, and we make frequent stops during
each day’s travel. You can expect some early morning walks. This
tour involves only easy walking and hiking; the most walking to be done
would likely be at
Santa Ana NWR where we could walk 3 miles. Other birding locations will involve
short forays away from the van.
Our tour includes
one half-day boat trip in a shallow bay and Intracoastal Waterway.
Conditions are almost always
calm. It may be quite cool on the water,
so clothing
to layer underneath a waterproof windbreaker would be desirable. Boat trips
are rarely cancelled due to weather, however, if this occurs, we will bird
alternative
locations. Most days we return in late afternoon to our accommodations, and
in the evening we arrange to go to a local restaurant selected for its good
food
and comfortable atmosphere. After-dinner activities are optional. The climate
of this region is generally mild to seasonably warm with average annual temperatures
ranging from 66 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures will vary on this
trip; the desert country can be very hot and the Hill Country can be
quite cool.
There is generally little rain at this time of year but carrying a light
rain jacket
is recommended. The sun can be intense, so sunscreen and a brimmed hat are
advised. The list of birds and other wildlife seen will be reviewed each
evening, and
plans for the next day will be discussed. Those plans could change slightly
if reports of vagrant or accidental species, within reasonable driving distance,
are received.
Spotting scopes will
be useful on this trip, especially at coastal locations; the leader
will have a scope for the group to share. |
