Welcome to Birdquest
TEXAS
Birdquest's Texas birding tour explores a classic North American birding destination. Our Texas tour features the most comprehensive itinerary available and produces an extraordinary bird list and numerous specialities.
Monday 8th April -
Tuesday 23rd April 2013
(16 days)
Leader:
to be confirmed
Group Size Limit: 9
Tour Category: Easy (apart from one optional fairly Demanding hike)
A visit to Texas in the spring provides the opportunity to find some wonderful specialities, such as this Black-capped Vireo, with the chance of witnessing some fantastic migration spectacles (Pete Morris)
From its eastern to its western extremities Texas spans more than 800 miles (about 1300km), with a land surface area of over 268,000 square miles (over 696,000 square kms) making it by far the largest of the Lower 48 states in the USA and larger than many European countries.
Ornithologically this famous state boasts a diversity which is second to none in North America. Here, in spring, one can see a very large number of species, both eastern and western, in a relatively short period of time. Our itinerary is carefully crafted to concentrate on Texan specialities including the last of the wintering Whooping Cranes.
We will begin our springtime transect of Texas in the southernmost part of the state. At the huge Aransas refuge we will see the magnificent Whooping Crane as well as many other waterbirds. After crossing the vast King Ranch with its many raptors, we shall reach the lower Rio Grande Valley, one of Texas’s most exciting birding areas with a rich avifauna including a number of ‘Mexican’ specialities and a wide range of habitats from coastal wetlands to riverine woodland and semi-desert. Here we can look for Green Parakeet , Black-crested Titmouse and long-billed Thrasher (three species endemic to southeast Texas and northeast Mexico), as well as many other exciting birds including the noisy Plain Chachalaca, the miniscule Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed and Green Kingfishers, Brown and Green Jays, and Audubon’s and Altamira Orioles.
Next we will explore the eastern part of the state. The pine forests of eastern Texas hold such specialities as Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Bachman’s Sparrow, while along the coast Fish Crows reach the limit of their distribution.
The marshes and mud flats of the Upper Texas Coast teem with a wide variety of shorebirds in the spring as well as large numbers of herons, ibises and egrets, pelicans and cormorants, gulls, terns and skimmers and a sprinkling of lingering ducks. However, it is for the number and variety of it’s migrant land birds that this area is justly famous. The woods at High Island attract an extraordinary variety of migrant passerines ever spring, making them one of the premier migration hot spots anywhere on the continent. Here, thrushes, vireos, tanagers, orioles and grosbeaks compete for one’s attention with an amazing array of American wood-warblers, all resplendent in their dazzling breeding plumage. Shy cuckoos skulk in the bushes, raptors migrate overhead and several similar species of tyrant-flycatchers test our identification skills.
From this flat landscape we will travel to the elevated expanse of limestone west of San Antonio known as the Edward’s Plateau, or Texas Hill Country. Here the display of roadside flowers in the spring can be breathtaking and the area is noted for its charming scenery. Our main avian targets on the plateau are the Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler, both of which are classified as threatened, with very restricted ranges. The plateau has many other ornithological attractions from the Cave Swallows and Green Kingfishers which breed along crystal clear rivers to the Yellow-throated Warblers, Northern Parulas and Summer Tanagers which nest in the impressive cedars along their banks. Male Painted Buntings flaunt their dazzling colours and Vermilion Flycatchers engage in aerial display flights. Spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are common and easily seen here. As well as a fair sprinkling of migrant landbirds we should also see several wintering species including Clay-colored Sparrow.
Moving still further west, we will spend several days in the awe-inspiring scenery of Big Bend National Park where the Rio Grande dips southwards towards Mexico, encompassing the Chisos Mountains. Here a number of avian specialities can be found, including. the very localized Colima Warbler, found here at it’s only breeding site north of the Mexican border. If we are reasonably fortunate we will also see Lucifer Hummingbirds relatively close to our lodge. Several other hummingbird species can be found in Big Bend including Black-chinned, Broad-tailed and the spectacular Blue-throated. Among the other specialities of this area are Gray, Common Black and Zone-tailed Hawks, Mexican Jay, Crissal Thrasher, Lucy’s Warbler and Black-chinned Sparrow. Numerous desert species occur in the park, ranging from Scaled Quail and Greater Roadrunner to Varied Bunting and Pyrrhuloxia.
All in all there is nothing in North America to compare with the sheer avian diversity of ‘The lone Star State’. Texas really is bigger and better!
Birdquest has operated tours to Texas since 1982.
(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/motels are of normal Birdquest standard throughout. Road transport is by minibus/passenger van.
Walking: The walking effort is easy almost throughout, but there will be one optional fairly strenuous hike in Big Bend.
Climate: It will vary between relatively cool and cloudy to fairly hot (or even hot) and sunny in the Texas coast region and on the Edward’s Plateau, with the possibility of some light rain. Big Bend National Park is usually hot and dry.
Bird Photography: Opportunities are quite good.
Tour Price: (provisional): $4310 Houston/San Antonio. Price includes all transportation, all accommodations, all meals, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.
Single Room Supplement: (provisional): $851.
Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.
The gorgeous Golden-cheeked Warbler is another Texas special (Herbert Stärker)
Attractive migrants such as Wood Thrush add to the variety of species (Herbert Stärker)
Wetland species include striking Roseate Spoonbills (Herbert Stärker)
... and a good variety of shorebirds, which include smart American Avocets (Herbert Stärker)
In drier country, the charismatic Greater Roadrunner is always a favourite (Herbert Stärker)
... and we'll find noisy Cactus Wrens (Herbert Stärker)
A variety of migrants include White-eyed Vireo (Herbert Stärker)
... and a superb variety of American Wood Warblers including Chestnut-sided Warbler (Herbert Stärker)
... the striking American Redstart (Herbert Stärker)
... the subtle Ovenbird (Herbert Stärker)
... Hooded Warbler (Herbert Stärker)
... Kentucky Warbler (Herbert Stärker)
... Common Yellowthroat (Herbert Stärker)
... and the stripey Worm-eating Warbler (Herbert Stärker)
Vivid colour is provided by the tanagers, which include Scarlet Tanager (Herbert Stärker)
... the almost flourescent Summer Tanager (Herbert Stärker)
... and the brilliant Western Tanager (Herbert Stärker)
More widespread North American species such as Blue Jay are also present (Herbert Stärker)
Gorgeous Painted Buntings (Herbert Stärker)
... and Varied Buntings always cause quite a stir! (Herbert Stärker)
The air holidays shown are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 2937.
ATOL protection covers those booking a tour with us that includes a flight from London or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, regardless of where in the world you live.
Birdquest Ltd is Registered in England, Company No. 01568270. The address of our registered office is Two Jays, Kemple End, Stonyhurst, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9QY
top of pageWebsite crafted by the Accent Design Group.
|
|
|
|