Spring in South Texas

Bluebonnets © Barry Zimmer

Experience the best of the Lone Star State with migrants and Whooping Cranes along the coast, a King Ranch visit, Rio Grande Valley specialties, and a Hill Country Extension with birds, bats, and wildflower displays!

Nowhere else in the United States can the pulse and excitement of spring migration be felt more keenly than in South Texas! Birds funneling up from the Tropics to their summer breeding grounds pass through coastal South Texas in numbers and varieties that stagger the imagination. Boiling kettles of Broad-winged Hawks, on occasion numbering into the tens of thousands, nearly darken the sky as the first thermals rise. Ethereal flocks of hundreds of American White Pelicans swirl effortlessly into the clouds on massive nine-foot wingspans. Several dozen Swainson’s Hawks patrol a freshly plowed field in search of prey. Shorebirds, up to 30 species, cover the coastal estuaries and flooded fields. More than 40% of the breeding species of North America pass through this area in April, resulting in trip lists that usually exceed 230 species! In addition, early April also marks the peak of wildflower season in Texas with fields and roadsides often blanketed with bluebonnets, phlox, paintbrush, and Gaillardia.

Along the coast near Rockport we will target specialties such as Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbills, majestic Whooping Cranes, up to 30 species of shorebirds, 8 species of terns, and Seaside Sparrow. Under certain weather conditions, this area can host sizable fallouts of migrant land birds as well, though this is a more common sight further up the coast. From Rockport we will head south through the famous King Ranch in search of the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Tropical Parula. In addition, we will likely find White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers by the dozens, and possibly Audubon’s Oriole!

The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, with its numerous refuges, state parks, and birding centers, harbors most of the Valley specialties including Plain Chachalaca, Hook-billed Kite (declining; no longer annual), White-tipped Dove, Common Pauraque, Ringed and Green kingfishers, Aplomado Falcon, Green Parakeet, Red-crowned Amazon, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Long-billed Thrasher, Olive Sparrow, and Altamira Oriole. Other possibilities include the likes of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Gray Hawk, and a variety of typically Chihuahuan desert species. Additionally, many accidentals have appeared over the years here as well. In the vicinity of Falcon Dam, we will seek out Red-billed Pigeon and Audubon’s Oriole, and look for the tiny Morelet's Seedeater along the banks of the Rio Grande. In the last year, very small numbers of the impressive Brown Jay have returned to their former haunts, and are a possibility as well. Over the years, numbers of Mexican rarities have made appearances in the Valley as well, with species such as Masked Duck, Northern Jacana, White-throated Thrush, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Flame-colored Tanager, and Blue Bunting all having been recorded on a past tour. While none of these species are at all likely on a given trip, the mere possibility of their occurrence only adds to the excitement.

The tour will conclude with an extension in the Texas Hill Country where our main targets will be the skulking Black-capped Vireo and the stunning Golden-cheeked Warbler. Displaying Vermilion Flycatchers, Cave Swallows by the hundreds, Yellow-throated Warbler, Tropical Parula (uncommon), and a bat flight that must be seen to be believed round out the itinerary.

Good accommodations; easy to moderate terrain; short hikes combined with roadside birding; one half-day boat trip; mild to warm climate.

Plain Chachalaca © Barry Zimmer