Green Heron | Photo Credit: Sue Milks
National bird
Northern Mockingbird
Where
South Texas – Harlingen, Brownsville, South Padre Island, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Falcon Dam
When
11th – 17th January 2024
Number of participants
Maximum of 8, plus one Roadrunner guide.
Cost
$2,500 USD.
Description
Our guided tour departs from Harlingen and ends at the Harlingen airport and will visit some of South Texas’ best birding locations, including Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, South Padre Island, a number of locations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Falcon Dam.
South Texas has a number of specialties and we will be targeting these species in particular.
What species can be spotted?
To name a few: Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Aplomado Falcon, Harris’ Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Roseate Spoonbill, Least Bittern and an attempt for the increasingly rare Hook-billed Kite.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Day
Meet and greet at dinner. Night in Harlingen.
Day 2: Harlingen and Surroundings
We will begin our efforts searching for the more difficult species of the region, which includes the stunning Aplomado Falcon. Brownsville is home to a large parrot roost that we will check out in the evening. Night in Harlingen.
Days 3 and 4: Lower Rio Grande Valley.
We will shift slightly west to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which is filled with a number of wildlife refuges and we will get to experience many of the specialties of the region by exploring these locations. Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Altamira Oriole and Plain Chachalaca are a few of the targets. Nights in Mission.
Days 5 and 6: Falcon Dam and Surroundings.
We will continue further west this morning towards Falcon Dam. This region sees many western species like the Cactus Wren and Scaled Quail make their appearances and it is also home to other species that don’t venture all the way down to the Lower Rio Grande like the Audubon’s Oriole. Nights in Zapata.
Day 7: Departure Day
We will depart early this morning heading back to Harlingen with birding along the way to pick up any species we may have missed to this stage. Departing flights at any time after lunch.