This tour offers one of the ultimate winter birding experiences in North America, as you witness the majestic Whooping Crane in its winter home on the Central Texas Coast, combined with the incredible diversity and abundance of wintering  waterbirds transforming the area into a must visit destination.

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A boat trip through the coastal marshes in and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge provide up close views of Whooping Cranes and resident species including Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Brown Pelican, and American Oystercatcher, among others. ​Further down the coast on Mustang Island, we encounter Aplomado Falcons along with many species of shorebirds and wintering passerines. Visits to inland birding sites allow us to observe South Texas specialty birds including Great Kiskadee, Olive Sparrow, Long-billed Thrasher, Harris’s Hawk, White-tailed Hawk and White-tipped Dove.

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We also take a full-day local tour on the King Ranch, Norias Division – searching the extensive mesquite brushlands and oak mottes for the elusive Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Formerly more widespread in areas of the Rio Grande Valley, this species is now restricted to private lands on the northern end of their range. From the diminutive Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl to the majestic Whooping Crane, this tour including the Central Texas Coast and the historic King Ranch, offers a birding adventure unlike any other.