Birding Tour USA: Texas Spring — Rio Grande, Hill Country and Whooping Cranes

Texas Spring: Rio Grande, Hill Country, and Whooping Cranes
March 2026/2027

Due to its proximity to the humid tropics of Mexico, the subtropical woodlands of the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas boast over two dozen neotropical bird species that just barely spill across the border into the US. Here, the colorful Great Kiskadee and the personable Green Jay mingle with temperate species from further north. These tropical species occur nowhere else in the United States making for an incredible bird watching experience to a must-visit region for ABA area listers and international travelers alike. Along the gulf coast, muddy lagoons and shallow wetlands throng with thousands of shorebirds, herons, waterfowl, terns and cranes, including the magnificent, sadly Endangered (IUCN) Whooping Crane. Further inland, a rolling, arid plain covered in thorn-scrub harbors a collection of species more typical of the American Southwest, such as Cactus Wren and Pyrrhuloxia. As we move north, the Hill Country stretches along the eastern flank of the Edwards Plateau, a land characterized by wooded hills, sunny slopes, and sparkling streams. In the spring, the forests of the Hill Country ring with the song of Golden-cheeked Warbler, a Texas breeding endemic. Together, these widely disparate habitats give southern Texas one of the richest and most unique bird faunas in the United States. We time this tour just before the Whooping Cranes depart to their Canadian breeding grounds but late enough in the spring for summer breeders and passage migrants to arrive.

The tour begins in the city of Corpus Christi, where coastal wetlands and mudflats are home to an abundance of waterbirds such as the spectacular Long-billed Curlew and the stately American White Pelican. However, the true star of this coastal avifauna is the Whooping Crane, and we will make a special effort to see this rare species. Continuing south, King Ranch preserves tall-grass savanna, dotted with live oak groves (mottes), which are the US strongholds for Tropical Parula and Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. From here, we focus our attention on a long list of exciting tropical specials found in the riparian woodlands of the lower Rio Grande Valley, such as Altamira Oriole, Long-billed Thrasher and Pauraque.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird is one of the many Texan specials we will target on this tour.

In the scenic Hill Country, the range-restricted Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler are our primary targets, but we also visit a site near Concan to witness the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of Mexican Free-tailed Bats swirling out of Frio Cave in the evening. The coastal areas of Texas host some of the continent’s most spectacular spring movements of raptors, shorebirds and passerines, and so we head back to Corpus Christi for a day in the hope of experiencing this phenomenon. This should be a fantastic way to round off this exciting itinerary and by the end of the trip, you will surely have a list full of great Texas birds and amazing memories!

This Birding Tour USA excursion can be combined with our Colorado: Lekking Grouse, Rocky Mountains and Open Plains which immediately follows this tour, or even our Alabama – Dauphin Island tour after this and finally our Florida Peninsula – Southern Specials and the Keys tour.

Please also note that we can very easily arrange trips to the remote Big Bend National Park, the only place in the United States where you can see Colima Warbler, an otherwise Mexican species. We may be able to put a group together or you may want us to arrange this Colima Warbler/Big Bend tour as a private extension. Big Bend is over six hours’ drive from San Antonio (and over eight from Corpus Christi) and to find Colima Warbler we have to hike 4.5 miles (just over 7 km) up the mountain to see it. But we love looking for this species (and we love the other wildlife and scenery of this great park!), so we’d be delighted to take you on this adventure if you ask us to arrange it!

The beautiful Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

Itinerary (12 days/11 nights)

Day 1. Corpus Christi

After arrival at Corpus Christi International Airport, participants should plan on transferring to our hotel, where a room will be reserved in their name. We will gather in the hotel lobby at 5:30 p.m. to meet each other and have dinner.

Overnight: Corpus Christi

Day 2. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge for Whooping Crane

Although it remains one of the most endangered birds in North America, Whooping Crane populations have steadily increased from a low of 15 birds in the early twentieth century to a current population of over 300 individuals. Nonetheless, despite ongoing conservation efforts to establish new populations, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge hosts the wintering grounds of the only remaining self-sustaining population. On our first morning in Texas we will take a boat trip out on Aransas Bay to observe these special birds, as well as a wide variety of coastal species such as Reddish Egret and the magnificently colorful Roseate Spoonbill.

After our boat trip, we will visit the nearby Goose Island State Park in search of wintering sparrows and migrant warblers. This site may also provide us with our first taste of Texas specials like Black-crested Titmouse, Buff-bellied Hummingbird and Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

Coastal sites along the way to Kingsville offer opportunities to catch up with any water, shore or wading birds we may have missed earlier in the day.

Overnight: Kingsville

Day 3. King Ranch

After an early breakfast, we drive to the Norias Division of the privately owned King Ranch. The habitat here features a subtropical savanna interspersed with live oak groves, favored by two of the rarest breeding species found north of the border: Tropical Parula and Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. This site also offers the trip’s best chances of observing the declining Audubon’s Oriole and the beautiful White-tailed Hawk.

In the afternoon, we continue our journey south to the lower Rio Grande Valley to seek out flocks of Green Parakeet and Red-crowned Amazon heading back to roost at urban sites in the valley. These feral species are countable for your ABA area list.

Overnight: McAllen

Days 4 – 5. Lower Rio Grande Valley

We spend two full days birding in the lower Rio Grande Valley, where an amazing diversity of birds flourish in the region’s wildlife sanctuaries, state parks, preserves and other amazing birding locations. Superb birding locales, such as Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Estero Llano Grande State Park and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, abound in the area, and our exact itinerary will depend mostly on the presence of any rarities (which your guide will watch for on eBird). Although no particular species is especially likely, the possibility of a Mexican stray such as a Crimson-collared Grosbeak or a Blue Bunting adds excitement to the birding experience here. Regardless, a long list of neotropical specials awaits us, including the brilliant Altamira Oriole, the noisy Plain Chachalaca and the impressive Ringed Kingfisher. Clay-colored Thrush, once a rarity, is now a regularly breeding species that we hope to encounter. We also spend one evening at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park to look for Elf Owl and Pauraque. During our time in the valley we can also explore nearby sod farms for migrating shorebirds such as Upland Sandpiper and American Golden Plover.

Overnight: McAllen

Long-billed Thrasher is one of many South Texas specials we hope to see.

Day 6. Lower Rio Grande Valley to the Falcon Dam area

Our schedule today depends on which targets we may still be missing from the valley. At some point after lunch, we will head about an hour north to the area around Falcon Dam and Falcon State Park. Here, the lush riparian woodlands, so typical of the lower Rio Grande Valley, grow only along the immediate riverbank. Several species here hold onto a tenuous presence in the United States, found only within this thin strip of habitat, including Muscovy Duck and Red-billed Pigeon.

Overnight: Zapata

Day 7. Falcon Dam area

We will spend the morning at either the town of Zapata or San Ygnacio, depending on recent reports of the increasingly rare (for the US) Morelet’s Seedeater. Due to an extensive taxonomic overhaul, this tiny bird is the only remaining member of the tanager family (Thraupidae) occurring in the United States. Away from the river, the landscape becomes an increasingly arid, hilly brushland and the birdlife becomes similar to that of the American Southwest. Species we will look for in this dry habitat include the dapper Scaled Quail, the boldly marked Black-throated Sparrow and the unique, tiny Verdin.

Overnight: Zapata

The dapper-looking Green Jay should hopefully be seen on this tour.

Day 8. Zapata to the Hill Country

We have an extra morning to try for Morelet’s Seedeater or any of the arid brushland species around Falcon Dam. Afterwards we continue to the scenic eastern portion of the Edwards Plateau, more popularly known as the Hill Country of Texas. Due to its Cretaceous limestone composition, this rolling landscape of modest elevation (980-2,460 feet / 300-750 meters), features a karst topography of rugged hills, caves and deeply cut valleys. Although it covers a relatively small area of Texas, it forms an overlap region, where the eastern and western bird faunas of the United States meet. In these wooded hills, Louisiana Waterthrush shares gurgling forest streams with Black Phoebe, while Carolina Wren sings from the same valleys as Canyon Wren and Carolina Chickadee feeds in the same trees and shrubs as Black-chinned Hummingbird.

We spend the afternoon exploring the vicinity of the Frio River and the surrounding area, which includes a range of habitats from dry hillside covered in thorny vegetation, to wetter forests dominated by oak and bald cypress. Our first walk through the Hill Country can produce species common on the plateau such as Field Sparrow, Canyon Wren, Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. By evening we will visit a nearby sinkhole to witness the emergence of hundreds of thousands of Mexican Free-tailed Bats in one of the largest mammalian congregations on the planet.

Overnight: Uvalde

The noisy and colorful Great Kiskadee is always a treat.

Day 9. Hill Country

As the state’s only breeding endemic, the Endangered (IUCN) Golden-cheeked Warbler is a flagship species of the Texas Hill Country. Found exclusively in mixed juniper and oak woodland, this warbler depends on the presence of Ashe Juniper for nesting material. Birds use small strips of bark from mature juniper trees to construct their nests. Due to the clearing of habitat for agriculture and development, this species suffers from an increasingly fragmented distribution.

Lost Maples State Natural Area, famous for its relict population of Bigtooth Maples, protects one of the largest remaining populations of Golden-cheeked Warbler. We have the entire day to explore the trails of this lovely wilderness, in search of this warbler and other species. Black-capped Vireo, the other key species of this region, inhabits shrubby oaks on the sunny hillsides. Zone-tailed Hawk patrols these same hillsides, while Black-and-white Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo sing incessantly from wetter forested areas. With so many species in full song, it will really feel like spring!

Overnight: Kerrville

Day 10. Hill Country to Corpus Christi

Kerr Wildlife Management Area hosts a thriving population of Black-capped Vireo, thanks to aggressive land management practices to create the suitable habitat of live oak thickets with a low, dense understory. We have the entire morning to obtain views of this striking passerine, before driving back to Corpus Christi for the afternoon. Depending on the weather and time of our arrival, we can begin exploring birding sites near to the city.

Overnight: Corpus Christi

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for the amazingly camouflaged Pauraque.

Day 11. Spring Migration at Corpus Christi

Holding the title of “America’s Birdiest City” for more than a decade, Corpus Christi in April offers some of the most exciting birding in the country. Few places in the United States can boast such large and diverse spring movements of birds. If the weather is in our favor today, coastal migrant traps such as Paradise Pond and Packery Channel Park can be literally dripping with warblers. Although it will be a bit early in the season to expect large concentrations of songbirds, early migrants such as Hooded, Prothonotary, Worm-eating and Black-throated Green Warbler are still a distinct possibility. Considering the high diversity of resident species and migrating shorebirds in the area, today we will potentially tally our highest day list of the entire trip.

Overnight: Corpus Christi

Day 12. Transfer to Corpus Christi International Airport

After some morning birding at nearby migrant traps to see if anything has dropped in overnight, we will transfer back to Corpus Christi International Airport, where the tour concludes. Be sure to check out our Colorado: Lekking Grouse, Rocky Mountains and Open Plains tour immediately following this one, as well as Alabama – Dauphin Island and Florida Peninsula – Southern Specials and the Keys for more fun-filled birding adventures!

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling. 

USA – Texas Spring: Set Departure Trip Report, March 2025

25 MARCH – 05 APRIL 2025

By Jacob Roalef

Stellar, close-up views of this Whooping Crane was a top highlight of the tour!

Overview

This birding tour of south Texas began in Corpus Christi, Texas on the 25^th of March, and concluded back there on the 5^th of April after making a large loop through this massive state. The trip visited a wide variety of fantastic birding sites, such as Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, King Ranch, Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Resaca de la Palma State Park, Estero Llano Grande State Park, National Butterfly Center, South Padre Island, Santa Margarita Ranch, Frio Bat Cave, Lost Maples State Park and so much more. With so many great locations, the tour birded many different habitats like coastal marshes, riparian forests, dry desert scrubland, and oak-maple forest of the Texas hill country.

The tour connected with all of the south Texas valley specials plus a solid assortment of migrants, so when it was all said and done, we left with an impressive list for our 12 days in Texas. Avian highlights included Whooping Crane, Altamira and Audubon’s Orioles, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Green Jay, Gull-billed Tern, Least Grebe, White-tailed Hawk, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Cassin’s Sparrow, Red-billed Pigeon, and Morelet’s Seedeater. There were also several rarities spotted like Brown Jay, Hook-billed Kite, Rose-throated Becard, and American Flamingo.

A total of 236 bird species were seen, a fantastic number for any USA trip. In addition to birds, we enjoyed several mammal highlights such as millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats, close sightings of Collared Peccary (Javelina), Common Bottlenose Dolphin, and more. Full mammal and bird lists can be found at the end of the report and be sure to check out our eBird Trip Report for more details on specific lists and birding locations.

This colorful Altamira Oriole foraged from these gorgeous white flowers.

Detailed Report

Day 1, 25^th March 2025. Arrival and Corpus Christi birding

While the first day of a tour is typically meant for arrival and introductions, everyone arrived early enough to allow for some afternoon birding. We enjoyed some lunch near the water in Corpus Christi and then headed off to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. This coastal estuary habitat features an impressive boardwalk that allows visitors to get close to many species of waterbirds. We spent several hours here and really racked up the species count with birds like Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, American Avocet, Long-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Osprey. In front of the center are some small willows which typically host some variety of migrant species and today was no different as we spotted Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Lincoln’s Sparrow here. We were off to a fantastic start with over 50 species on our first afternoon of birding! We caught the ferry back to the mainland, along with some Double-crested Cormorants, checked into our hotel, and enjoyed our first dinner together on the bay.

Northern Shoveler was one of several waterfowl species we saw up close on our first day.

Day 2, 26^th March 2025. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge boat trip

Today was full of excitement as we had a private boat trip on Aransas Bay planned for the entire morning. We ate breakfast and headed off for the docks in Rockport where we met up with the captain a little after sunrise. It was a beautiful morning to be out on the water, and we began to tally species right away at the docks. Species like Laughing Gull, Brown Pelican, Sandwich Tern, and Black-bellied Whistling Duck were all spotted before we set sail. Our first stop once we departed was the break wall area and nearby mudflats. This area was teeming with birds, and the species count really started to pile up with things like Wilson’s Plover, Willet, Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Black Skimmer, Royal Tern, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Northern Pintail, Mottled Duck, and Franklin’s Gull. Eventually, we made the turn and entered into the estuary areas of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge where we began to search for our main target. Thankfully, the massive size and bright white body made it easy to spot a Whooping Crane, even from a great distance. Of course, we kept cruising along and added even more species out over the estuaries like Northern Harrier, Merlin, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, Neotropic Cormorant, and American White Pelican. We managed to spot several Whooping Cranes and even got onto a pair that were foraging close to the water’s edge where we were in the open canal. We positioned the boat and waited. These impressive birds walked right by us for an unreal experience! A sneaky Seaside Sparrow was singing as we waited, but with the right patience, we all managed to see this great bird too. At the end of our journey, we scanned through a large group of birds on a rock jetty and added several great species like Gull-billed Tern, Hudsonian Whimbrel, and Ruddy Turnstone. We turned around and headed back to the channel where we spotted a cute Belted Kingfisher and a whole family of Collared Peccaries digging in the sand, how strange! We made it to the docks and back to dry land after an incredible time tallying 60 species from the boat!

With a little patience, we all managed to get nice views of this Seaside Sparrow.

After lunch, we headed out for some late afternoon birding around the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area. We stopped and scanned a few areas before really finding a sweet spot that was loaded with birds. As we scoped through everything, we saw a storm quickly approaching. We knew this would be our final birding for the day, so we made it count with a full search right until we felt drops and saw lightning. Our efforts were successful as we added Fulvous Whistling Duck, Virginia Rail, American Wigeon, Common Gallinule, American Golden-Plover, Caspian Tern, Pied-billed Grebe, Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill, White-tailed Hawk, and more! The storm came in fast and strong, so we hung around the hotel until dinner. After we ate, a few Black-crowned Herons flew over the car as we drove back to the hotel, final bird of the day.

Day 3, 27^th March 2025. Corpus Christi area birding and transfer to Kingsville

The forecast for today was a bit dicey at best, but things were OK after we ate, so we headed off to do some birding in the Rockport area. First up was a check of some coastal marshlands. We enjoyed the classic wetland species like Reddish Egret, Little Blue Heron, Seaside Sparrow, Forester’s Tern, and more. It began to drizzle a little bit, but we toughed it out and headed for an inland reservoir which hosted loads of birds. We added many new trip birds like Lesser Scaup, Eared Grebe, Bronzed Cowbird, Loggerhead Shrike, American Kestrel, and Western Cattle Egret. After this, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage and began our transfer south towards Kingsville. However, since the weather was still cooperating for the most part, we headed to Sunset Lake, a small strip of habitat underneath a large bridge crossing. We made our way through the park with frequent stops to scan and check for shorebirds. Our efforts yielded Long-billed Curlew, Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers, and American Avocet. It was just about lunch time, and the rain was coming fast, so we loaded up, and headed off. By now, it was storming and the rain poured down. There were no real chances for birding. We made the several-hour drive to Kingsville. When we arrived, it felt almost like a hurricane with heavy rain and intense winds! Nothing to do but call it a day and wait for dinner. Even by dinner, the weather had not let up but we braved the conditions to enjoy a tasty meal together and rest before an early start to tomorrow.

Everyone loves the alien-like Roseate Spoonbill.

Day 4, 28^th March 2025. King Ranch and transfer south

It was an early morning with a quick breakfast at the hotel before departure in the dark. We rolled into the meeting place at the King Ranch headquarters about 30 minutes before sunrise and got checked in for a full day exploring the Norias division of their property. As we waited for the rest of our group to arrive, we heard and then spotted a few Pauraque as they got their last activity in before bed. We loaded up and made the 45-minute transfer to the Norias division. Thankfully the storms from the previous day had subsided and it looked like a beautiful day to bird King Ranch. Right away we were greeted by Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Brewer’s Blackbird, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker. As we approached the restrooms, a Greater Roadrunner shot across the road and a pair of Hooded Orioles were nestbuilding in their usual palm tree. We notched several other nice species here like Couch’s Kingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Lark Sparrow, Wild Turkey, and Western Meadowlark. Once everyone was set, we headed off to our first stop in an old growth oak forest. It was a bit quiet here, but eventually we came across a small mixed flock of Northern-Beardless Tyrannulet, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-crested Titmouse, and Audubon’s Oriole. Along the road we managed to get into a nice group of sparrows which contained Grasshopper, Lark, Vesper, and Savannah Sparrows, not to mention the many Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in the background and a stunning Pyrrhuloxia along the fence row. As we pulled into the lunch site, we spotted a few new trip species like Summer Tanager and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, before we enjoyed a tasty lunch provided by the King Ranch staff.

Pyrrhuloxia is a real desert scrub specialist.

As we finished up lunch, we heard some nice activity nearby, so we got up and sorted through a great mixed flock. In it were Black-and-white and Hooded Warblers, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, and the top highlight of the trip, Tropical Parula. King Ranch is one of the only places in the US to reliably see Tropical Parula and we had to work a bit to get a look at this one, but we all managed to with some patience. It was time to make the long drive back out of the Norias division as we had ventured deep into the property. On our way out, we enjoyed a real show as a male Bronzed Cowbird was giving his best efforts to impress a nearby female. The puffed-up collar and bright red eye didn’t do the trick and sadly the female flew off unimpressed, but the rest of us were quite impressed. We said our goodbyes to the group and left King Ranch behind and made the several-hour drive to McAllen and into the Lower Rio Grande Valley. We got to the hotel, checked in, took a little break, and then headed for dinner. Of course, when in the valley the birding is never over. After dinner we checked the nearby neighborhoods before sunset and enjoyed finding Clay-colored Thrush, Plain Chachalaca, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-Herons in the front yards. Eventually we heard our main target, a large group of Red-crowned Amazons. We managed to get in the car and track them to some nearby power lines where the group gathered and became 120+ individuals. What a way to cap off a long and amazing day of birding!

Day 5, 29^th March 2025. Lower Rio Grande Valley birding

This morning, we slept a little bit after a long day yesterday, ate breakfast, and headed off for our first full day birding the LRGV! Our first stop was a small area near the University of Texas RGV. It was humid and hazy this morning and the storm from the previous day really had a major impact on the valley. As we drove along, we noticed a tremendous amount of flooding, and it even washed out some roads. However, it didn’t slow down our birding efforts, and we began the day with a valley special, Green Parakeet! A perfect way to start off the day as we checked off the second member of the parrot family. We then headed off to Resaca de la Palma State Park for our first real taste of birding in the area and the incredible state parks in south Texas. Sadly, the usual feeding stations in the parking lot were flooded out, but we still ventured around the building and began to check off targets like Green Jay, White-tipped Dove, Olive Sparrow, Tropical Kingbird, and Long-billed Thrasher. Once we got our fill here, we headed off to a special viewing area near Laguna Atascosa. As soon as we pulled in, an Aplomado Falcon flew right by and over our heads! That was easy. We waited a little bit to see if we could get another good view but to no avail. We continued along the highway, crossed the bridge, and enjoyed lunch on South Padre Island.

The South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center is a great place to look for migrants as well as walk some boardwalk trails through estuary habitat, so we headed there after lunch for a few hours. Migration was a bit slow in front near the water feature, but we still enjoyed Myrtle and Hooded Warblers, Orchard Oriole, and White-eyed Vireo. We decided to hit the boardwalks and enjoyed the plethora of waterbirds like Green, Little Blue, and Tricolored Herons, Snowy Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Common and Purple Gallinules, Sora, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and Neotropic Cormorant. By now, we were hot and needed to cool off, so we headed to the nearby store for some cold drinks and a drive in the nice air conditioning of our car as we made our way to Estero Llano Grande State Park. This was our final birding stop for the day, one of the best places to bird in all the valley. We made our way down to the pond area first and scanned from there. We noted Least Grebe, Least Bittern, Blue-winged Teal, and Great Kiskadee. The nearby feeders hosted Buff-bellied and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and Plain Chachalaca. From here, we went off to explore the tropical zone of Estero. We took a short loop hike and explored around the camper area where we noted Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Altamira Oriole, Black-crested Titmouse, and Clay-colored Thrush. The water drip feature was buzzing with activity, so we decided to park ourselves on the bench nearby and wait to see what dropped in for a drink and a bath. Several nice migrants were utilizing this feature like Worm-eating and Nashville Warblers, Ovenbird, and even a lingering Winter Wren made a visit. We were tired and hungry by now, so we packed our things and headed for dinner and the hotel to call it a day.

The colorful Green Jay was a fan favorite and a special species of South Texas.

Day 6, 30^th March 2025. More LRGV birding

It was a beautiful morning today, so we ate breakfast and headed off for the National Butterfly Center to explore the grounds and trails. We started off strong, adding Ladder-backed Woodpecker, which somehow eluded us all day yesterday, to our list. As we continued along, we were treated to some excellent views of Audubon’s, Altamira, and Hooded Orioles, a great show for these color species! It was a good day for raptor migration as well and we noted many Broad-winged Hawks circling overhead. Eventually we arrived at the back where some bird feeders were set up but empty. The birds didn’t know this though and still tried to visit the area, so we sat down and enjoyed Plain Chachalaca, Long-billed Thrasher, Inca Dove, and Green Jay. After a solid morning, we ventured back towards the river section of the park and made it only as far as the canal as the recent flooding prevented us from going further to the actual Rio Grande River. That was OK though as we picked up Cave Swallow and Eastern Phoebe here. We left the butterfly center and headed off to Anzalduas Park, located right on the Rio Grande. We made several stops throughout the park and scanned the river, peered over into Mexico, and noted a few nice species like Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Lesser Scaup, Black-necked Stilt, and Long-billed Dowitcher. The highlight though was when a pair of Muscovy Ducks flew down river just long enough for us to catch a glimpse! It was getting hot, and we were getting hungry, so it was time for lunch and some air conditioning.

For the afternoon, we made the journey over to the Edinburgh Scenic Wetlands, an enjoyable little park with some larger bodies of water to check. We had a pleasant couple of hours birding here and noted Indigo Bunting, Least Grebe, Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, and a rare female Lazuli Bunting. It was hot and humid at this point, and we all needed a break, so we headed back to the hotel to rest and then enjoyed a tasty dinner together.

This Plain Chachalaca became territorial when another male was nearby.

Day 7, 31^st March 2025. Bentsen and Falcon Dam State Parks

On our final morning in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, we only had two real targets left, both kingfishers. That was our goal, so we loaded up the vehicle and headed back to the Edinburgh Scenic Wetlands. This morning, we fared better than yesterday afternoon and, after a little searching, managed to find a Green Kingfisher as it flew around some water edges. Of course, we enjoyed the other species on offer here, like Long-billed Thrasher, Olive Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Least Grebe. With one target down, we headed off for Bentsen State Park to spend the rest of the morning. It was such a nice morning that we decided to walk the beginning portion of the park and took the road towards the water overlook. We spotted several great birds along the way like Altamira Oriole, Harris’s Hawk, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Green Jay, and Clay-colored Thrush. When we made it to the water, we set up the scope and scanned to see what was perched around and what might fly by. Across the water was a stunning Grey Hawk, a new species for the trip, as well as Osprey, Anhinga, and Belted Kingfisher. Finally, we heard a loud rattle call, and a pair of Ringed Kingfishers flew by! We managed to get one into the scope for some better views of its massive bill. With the kingfishers in the bag and a bonus hawk, we flagged down the tram here and enjoyed a ride back to the visitor’s center and our car. It was getting late and hot, so we took a break for a quick lunch and some fuel for our drive towards Zapata.

After a few hours, we pulled into Falcon Dam State Park for a short break and squeezed some more birding in. It was toasty outside so our birding efforts, hiking around, didn’t last too long. We managed to pick up some new species for the trip like Black-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, Northern Bobwhite, and Bullock’s Oriole. The rest of our time we spent birding from the vehicle and the cool air conditioning. We checked out the water here and found Northern Mockingbird, Greater Roadrunner, and Pyrrhuloxia. After this, we made the rest of the journey to Zapata, checked into our hotel, and then headed off for dinner and a rest before our long day of birding tomorrow.

The adorable Least Grebe is a South Texas specialty and was great to see.

Day 8, 1^st April 2025. Santa Margarita Ranch

Today was a real treat for us as we had special access to bird on Santa Margarita Ranch, a private piece of land on the Rio Grande River, full of spectacular birding! There were many potential targets for us here, including some rarities for the US. We grabbed an early and quick breakfast and then hit the road to arrive at the ranch just before sunrise to meet up with our local guide who would be escorting us today. He entered the security code and we crossed the huge boarder wall to get closer to the Rio Grande River. We spent the first few morning hours scanning from up on the bluffs. Our efforts proved fruitful, with some nice birds like Red-billed Pigeon, Muscovy Duck, Lesser Scaup, Least Sandpiper, Caspian Tern, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, and a low flying Zone-tailed Hawk. Throughout the morning, we noticed the many migrating Swainson’s Hawks and a few of us managed to get onto a very distant Hook-billed Kite mixed into the raptor movement. As we packed up to head out to the next spot, we spotted a few Chihuahuan Ravens, another new species for us, goofing around on the boarder wall.

We loaded up in the car and headed down into the riparian zone to search for our main target. Luckily, we didn’t have to search for them, as this now famous family of Brown Jays were waiting for us, asking if we had brought them any food. We set up the feeders, sat down for our own lunch, and enjoyed eating with some excellent birds. Brown and Green Jays, Audubon’s and Altamira Orioles, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and Olive Sparrow all made visits to the feeder area. After everyone was satisfied, we moved deeper into the riparian habitat. Here we connected with another rare bird nesting in this area, Rose-throated Becard. Both the male and female made some quick appearances, and we managed some solid views despite them being up high and in the tangles. As we made our way out, we noticed a few stunning red birds, Summer Tanager and Vermillion Flycatcher, just amazing! We still had a little time left to explore the desert scrub habitat away from the river. Ryan took us to some good spots, and we picked up several new species for our trip list, like Scaled Quail, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Bewick’s Wren, and Cassin’s Sparrow. We said goodbye to Ryan and thanked him for our tour through Santa Margarita Ranch! Just before we hit the highway, we heard the loud calls of a Cactus Wren. We quickly hopped out and enjoyed this charismatic bird, a great cap to the ranch.

Our birding efforts for the day weren’t yet complete . We took a short break because of the heat and then met up again for a little evening pre-dinner birding around Zapata. Down by the river we managed to pick up Black Phoebe and Gadwall. We had one final target for the day and one more place to check. We pulled into the local park in Zapata and amazingly our target appeared right away in the reeds by the water, Morelet’s Seedeater! This was another difficult species and specialty of this region. Time to celebrate with dinner and some sleep, after a long, hot day of productive birding with a total of nearly 100 species for the day!

This family of Brown Jays has taken a liking to Santa Margarita Ranch recently.

Day 9, 2^nd April 2025. Transfer to hill country and bat viewing

After such a long day of birding yesterday, we all enjoyed a much more leisurely morning today, with breakfast at the hotel. The plan for today was a long transfer out of the valley and into the Texas hill country, with one or two birding stops along the way. We loaded our luggage and set off. Our first stop was a local park in Loredo along the US/Mexico border. There was a large Cliff Swallow colony under the international bridge. After explaining to border patrol what we were looking at, we moved on to another area of the park and found Clay-colored Sparrow, Grey Hawk, Mexican Duck, and Couch’s Kingbird. We kept moving and checked out another local park on the north side of Loredo. It was a lovely place, and we picked up several new species including Bell’s Vireo, Black-chinned Hummingbird, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. We also scored our best views yet of Ringed Kingfisher, we all got kicks out of this, considering the effort we had put in for this species only a few days prior. Time for lunch and then a few hours in the car before arriving in Uvalde, where we checked in to our hotel and had a short break.

This evening we had some big plans with a few bats, but first was a little more birding. We made our way over to Garner State Park. It was a pleasant evening, and we drove around exploring this large park as quickly as we could. We made several stops when we heard or saw something, and we managed to pick up Eastern Bluebird, House Finch, and Ash-throated Flycatcher. We found a nice patch of maple habitat, so we got out to explore and managed to find a Golden-cheeked Warbler rather quickly! It was great to have some incredible views and get this huge hill country target under our belt. We moved on to the Concan Frio bat cave for the real show of the evening. We waited patiently by the cave entrance and, just around sunset, millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats began to pour out of the cave! It is the second largest mammal congregation in the world. Several raptors like Merlin and Red-tailed Hawk were waiting around to snag some tasty bats before bed. This was truly a spectacle and one of the top highlights.

It was great to catch up with a Golden-cheeked Warbler while in the Texas hill country.

Day 10, 3^rd April 2025. Lost Maples and more hill country

Today was fully dedicated to exploring the Texas hill country and all this new habitat and region had to offer us. There were several new targets for us, including one major one. We began at Lost Maples State Park, and we knew it would be a great day when we spotted a Golden-cheeked Warbler from the entrance parking lot. We gathered some intel from the visitor center and headed off towards one of the trails for a short hike, but we didn’t get far. A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was perched near the road and allowed for some great views, along with a Yellow-throated Vireo nearby. At the trailhead we noted Chipping Sparrow and Hutton’s Vireo. It was a great morning for a hike, so we ventured on and ticked White-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, and Rufous-crowned Sparrow along the way. We eventually came to some nice scrub habitat where we could search for our main target, Black-capped Vireo. Thankfully, this time of year these birds are noisy. It wasn’t long before we heard one and then spotted it. We spent some time with this Black-capped Vireo, really taking in the sharp contrast of its white and black, before heading back to the vehicle. On our way out we heard the unmistakable call of a Canyon Wren echoing throughout the valley. We managed to track it down and got some views of it singing from the rocks.

The rest of our time at Lost Maples was spent at a small bird feeder blind. Several nice species came in while we watched, such as Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Lesser Goldfinch, Scott’s Oriole, and Black-chinned Hummingbird. Just outside of the blind, we found a few Eastern Phoebes nesting under the nearby structures. After a fantastic morning of birding, it was time for lunch. The remainder of the afternoon was spent at South Llano River State Park. By now it was getting hot, and the bird activity had dropped off, so we spent our time going to various feeder stations. We managed to find a few new trip birds like Brown Thrasher and Spotted Towhee, plus several other nice species like Orange-crowned Warbler, Bewick’s Wren, and Black-throated Sparrow. From here we headed off to Kerrville for dinner, and our hotel for the night.

Black-capped Vireo has quite a striking contrast between head and body.

Day 11, 4^th April 2025. Fredericksburg and back to Corpus Christi

At this point we were extremely thin on potential targets for new trip species. We cleaned up along the coast, in the valley, and in the hill country. After some digging for targets, we hatched a plan for the day and set off to a nearby local park in Kerrville. Here we managed to find both Blue Jay and Carolina Chickadee, adding two more species to our list. We had a little spare time today, so we ventured over to Fredericksburg to allow those who wanted to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War a chance to do so. The rest of us went birding around the area and managed to find two more new trip birds, Downy Woodpecker and American Robin, as well as a Red Fox at the nearby cemetery. It was time to start making the long drive back to Corpus Christi with a few stops around the San Antonio area after lunch. Woodlawn Lake netted us a lingering Greater White-fronted Goose plus Egyptian Goose, an established species here. One final stop at some city powerlines had us on another established exotic, Monk Parakeet. These birds like to nest in the power grids of the city and form colonies. This was our final new species for the day; we made the rest of the few hours’ drive from San Antonio to Corpus Christi for our final dinner together.

This Golden-fronted Woodpecker has a subtle beauty that is to be admired.

Day 12, 5^th April 2025. Final birding and transfer to airport

On our final morning, we all had late afternoon flights, leaving the morning for birding. The forecast was a little spotty, so we tried to dodge the rain a bit. We also seriously lacked targets for new trip birds and we were scraping the bottom of the barrel after a very successful trip. We checked a few tidal spots at Mustang Island and managed a few Marbled Godwits out on the flats, new for the trip! As we cruised along the road we spotted a nighthawk, strangely flying mid-morning over the fields. We tracked it down and managed some distant views of this Lesser Nighthawk, another new one! The migrant traps were slow, so we decided to finish the trip at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, where we had started the trip. Thus, we could tie a nice bow on everything and come full circle. As we walked out on the boardwalk we spotted a tall pink bird out in the water, but this one wasn’t a spoonbill, it was an American Flamingo, incredible! The usual suspects were also present, but it was hard to get over this amazing bird as our final new trip bird. What a way to cap things off! We headed to the Corpus Christi airport to say goodbye, after what was certainly an incredible tour of south Texas!

This rare American Flamingo was quite a surprise on our final day of birding!

Bird List – Following IOC (15.1)

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: CE = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near Threatened.

Mammal List

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