Day 1: Arrive at Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP) before 2 pm. After meeting everyone at our meeting point, we head north to Rockport to check in to our hotel. If time allows, we try to get in a few hours of birding at local sites before the evening orientation session and welcome dinner. Overnight: Hampton Inn & Suites, Rockport-Fulton.
Day 2: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. This morning, we take a boat trip to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to see the Whooping Cranes and a variety of other wading, shore, and water birds. We have the opportunity to get close looks at family groups of Whooping Cranes as we cruise through these marshes that are brimming with bird activity. We are likely to see a large variety of waterfowl including Brown and American White Pelicans, White Ibis, Tricolored Heron and wintering ducks. After the boat trip, we spend the remainder of the day birding in the Rockport area and Mustang Island where we will search for Aplomado Falcon. The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center is a great location with boardwalks going through coastal marshes where we will see a large variety of bird species including Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret as well as a variety of wintering ducks, shorebirds and passerines. The pastures and agricultural fields in the area provide opportunities to see groups of Sandhill Cranes and wintering sparrows. Overnight: Hampton Inn and Suites, Rockport-Fulton.
Day 3: Drive to Rio Grande Valley and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. We depart the Central Texas Coast this morning and start our journey southward to the Rio Grande Valley which will be our base for the next six days of the tour. We briefly stop just outside of Corpus Christi to scan agricultural fields for Mountain Plovers and resume our journey. After passing Kingsville, we enter the vast King Ranch which encompasses 825,000 acres between Kingsville and Raymondville. As we drive through the King Ranch, we will likely make several stops to look at the large number of raptors including Harris’s Hawk, Crested Caracara, Red-tailed Hawk, and White-tailed Hawk. Upon arriving in the Rio Grande Valley, we venture to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. We drive the tour loop to see the large numbers of waterfowl that spend the winter in this part of the country. Species of interest we may see include Mottled Duck and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. The feeding station at Laguna Atascosa provides an opportunity to see many species up close such as Green Jay, Olive Sparrow, and Long-billed Thrasher. The driving loops in the refuge go through varied habitats comprising of coastal prairies, resacas (oxbow lakes), and mudflats. The nearby Laguna Vista Nature Trail offers bird blinds and a walking trail through coastal thorn scrub habitat where we may see a variety of species such as Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin, and Inca Dove among others. Overnight: Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites, Harlingen.
Day 4: South Padre Island, Coastal Plains, and Brownsville. Today we depart for South Padre Island to visit the Convention Center Boardwalk as well as the Valley Land Fund Migratory Bird Sanctuary lots which provide habitat for neotropical migrants and overwintering species. The coastal marshes and mudflats are brimming with birds including Wilson’s Plover, Snowy Plover, Reddish Egret, Brown Pelican among others. We also spend time along the Gulf beach looking for any ducks, shorebirds or pelagic species. The island can be full of avian surprises as there have been a number of rare visitors including Great Black-Hawk, Yellow-billed Loon, Slate-throated Redstart, and Flame-colored Tanager. In the afternoon we bird the coastal prairies located between Brownsville and Port Isabel. Our main target in this location will be the Aplomado Falcon, which has re-established a small population in this area after disappearing in the 1930s. Other birds we may see in the coastal prairies include White-tailed Hawk, Chihuahuan Raven and a variety of shorebirds and sparrows. We end our day in Brownsville visiting Oliveira Park to witness the nightly flight of Amazons coming into the park to roost. Here we can observe Red-crowned, Red-lored, Yellow-headed, and White-fronted Amazons in addition to Green Parakeet. Overnight: Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites, Harlingen.
Day 5: Estero Llano Grande State Park and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We focus our efforts on the mid-valley visiting Estero Llano Grande State Park and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Estero Llano Grande State Park is a small park offering a variety of habitats and with that a large array of bird species. We can find Common Pauraque and Plain Chachalaca in the wooded areas as well as White-tailed Kite, Least Grebe, and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in the open fields and wetlands. We continue west to the iconic Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has a long history of being one of the top birding spots in the country and has hosted such rarities as Crane Hawk and Bat Falcon. We spend a few hours exploring the subtropical woodlands and ponds in the refuge where we may see Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Green Kingfisher. The refuge has a hawk watch tower which we visit to get a bird’s eye view of the park’s canopy and open skies. Overnight: Home2 Suites, McAllen.
Day 6: Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and Other Mid- Valley Locations. Today we start the day at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, which has hosted many rarities in the past including Masked Tityra, Stygian Owl and Collared Forest-Falcon. Here we have a chance to see an extensive list of Valley specialties including White-tipped Dove, Green Jay, Olive Sparrow, Altamira Oriole, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet and more. Like Santa Ana, Bentsen has a hawk watch tower which is an excellent place to scan the treetops and sky above the park for both Hook-billed Kite and Gray Hawk. We spend the afternoon visiting local sites including Frontera Audubon Nature Preserve in Weslaco and Quinta Mazatlán in McAllen. Although both sites are in residential areas, these locations offer a surprising variety of bird species with vagrants like Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Mexican Violetear reported in recent years. We end the day in McAllen visiting a local Green Parakeet roosting location. In addition to seeing a number of these tropical parakeets, we may also see a few Bronzed Cowbirds amongst the hundreds of Great-tailed Grackles. Overnight: Home2 Suites, McAllen.
Day 7: Falcon State Park, Starr County Park, and Fronton. We head upriver to the western end of the Rio Grande Valley to bird the arid thorn scrub and riparian areas along the Rio Grande River. Our first stop is Falcon State Park, which sits on the shores of Falcon Lake. We explore the location in search of Black-throated Sparrow, Cactus Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, Greater Roadrunner and other desert birds. The lake can also be a good place to see American White Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant and a variety of wintering ducks. The nearby Starr County Park offers many of the same bird species as Falcon State Park but provides us a second chance to pick up species we may have not seen at Falcon including Vermilion Flycatcher and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Later in the day we visit Fronton, which is located along the Rio Grande River below Falcon Dam. The extensive river cane and brush in this location provide a great habitat for the highly localized Morelet’s Seedeater. We drive some of the back roads in the area where we may add Scaled Quail, Rock Wren, and Lark Bunting. If time allows, we may spend some late afternoon time at Salineño to scan the Rio Grande River for Muscovy Duck, Mexican Duck and kingfishers. Overnight: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Rio Grande City.
Day 8: Santa Margarita Ranch and Salineño. We return to the Upper Valley to pick up where we left off. Our first stop is Santa Margarita Ranch, which is a private ranch located downriver from Falcon Dam. This location offers a unique birding experience as you stand on high bluffs overlooking the Rio Grande River and the riparian woodlands of the property. Currently, the ranch is the only location in the United States where Brown Jay is a possibility. In addition to the jays, we have a good chance to see Muscovy Duck, Red-billed Pigeon, Hook-billed Kite, Ringed Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher and a large number of wintering ducks in the river below. In recent years, several rare bird species have been observed on the ranch, including Crane Hawk, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Rose-throated Becard, and Mottled Owl. Depending on what we saw yesterday and this morning, we may either spend time at Salineño or drive northwest to Zapata if we still need to locate Morelet’s Seedeater to finish our day. Overnight: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Rio Grande City.
Day 9: Tour Conclusion and Departures. Today we leave Rio Grande City and make the drive to McAllen. We will arrive at the airport by no later than 11 am. Participants may arrange departing flights from McAllen International Airport (MFE) after 2 pm.
