A stunning Altamira Oriole peers out of the South Texas. Photo: Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua
At a time when much of the country is firmly embraced by the cold, South Texas typically offers a delightfully mild climate along with an amazing abundance and diversity of both wintering and resident birds. Most of the world’s wild Whooping Cranes winter along a small stretch of the Texas coast and we’ll begin by taking a boat trip to view these splendid birds. Farther south, in the lower Rio Grande Valley, remnant bits of mesquite and riparian woodland harbor an array of species much sought-after by North American birdwatchers. Visiting the Brownsville area, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and the riverside below Falcon Dam, we’ll look in particular for birds whose range in the United States is restricted to South Texas. Winter is also a time when wanderers from Mexico appear and the tour’s flexible schedule will allow us to pursue any that are present.
Day 1: The tour begins at 6 p.m. in Corpus Christi. Night in Corpus Christi.
Day 2: Our first morning will be spent on a boat exploring the back bays near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Whooping Crane is the main attraction here and usually we see it very well. Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret and American Oystercatcher also occur so we’ll keep an eye out for them along the way. In the afternoon we’ll visit Port Aransas and Mustang Island where raptors are numerous and Sedge Wrens and Le Conte’s Sparrows lurk in the weeds. A peek at the Gulf of Mexico at Port Aransas may produce a Northern Gannet or an unusual gull. We’ll end the day at a wonderful little marsh in Corpus Christi where thousands of gulls, shorebirds and ducks gather for the night. Night in Corpus Christi.
Day 3: This morning we’ll depart Corpus Christi, passing through the vast King and Kenedy Ranches on our way to the lower Rio Grande Valley. We’ll stop frequently in oak woodland and mesquite grassland where we’ll get our first look at South Texas specialties including Great Kiskadee, Green Jay and Long-billed Thrasher. Raptors should be common on the roadsides and we’ll look especially for White-tailed, Harris’s and Ferruginous Hawks and Crested Caracara. In the afternoon we’ll continue to McAllen. Night in McAllen.
Days 4-5: Based in McAllen, we’ll travel east to Brownsville and National Audubon’s Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary and also visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and other small reserves such as Weslaco’s increasingly famous Frontera Audubon Society grounds. We’ll look particularly for specialties such as Hook-billed Kite, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Couch’s Kingbird, Clay-colored Robin, Tropical Parula and Altamira Oriole but we’ll also scrutinize the ever-present winter passerine flocks which may contain Blue-headed Vireo and warblers including Nashville, Black-throated Gray and Yellow-throated. We may visit the Brownsville city landfill to look for Tamaulipas Crow, although it has not been present there in recent years. Our schedule will be flexible to accommodate our needs and if rarities are present we’ll search for them. We’ll spend at least one evening at Bentsen in the hopes of seeing Common Pauraque, Eastern Screech-Owl and possibly Barn Owl. Nights in McAllen.
Days 6-7: After a final morning at either Bentsen or Santa Ana we’ll head west to the more arid section of the Rio Grande Valley including Chapeño, Salineño and San Ignacio. The first Brown Jays in the United States were discovered in this area and they have since become uncommon residents. We’ll focus most of our efforts right along the river where Green and Ringed Kingfishers and Audubon’s Orioles occur along with the much rarer Muscovy Duck, Gray Hawk, Red-billed Pigeon and White-collared Seedeater. At Falcon State Park we may see Scaled Quail, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrow and Lark Bunting among many other species. We’ll also explore Falcon Lake where waterfowl can be abundant and Sprague’s Pipit sometimes hides in the grassy border. Nights in Zapata.
Day 8: Our final day will be a flexible one, the itinerary depending entirely upon the ornithological possibilities. Night in Harlingen.
Day 9: The tour concludes this morning in Harlingen.
Updated: 23 March 2007
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Notes
Maximum one leader group size reduced from eight to seven in 2008. Maximum two leader group size remains 14.