Texas Hill Country wildflowers— Photo: Greg Lasley

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 250 species! In addition, early April also marks the peak of wildflower season in Texas with fields and roadsides blanketed with bluebonnets, phlox, paintbrush, and gaillardia.

Along the coast near Rockport we will target specialties such as Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbills, and majestic Whooping Cranes. 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, and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers by the dozens! The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, with Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and Bentsen State Park, harbors most of the Valley specialties including Plain Chachalaca, Hook-billed Kite, Ringed and Green kingfishers, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, and Altamira Oriole. 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. 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 thousands, 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; mild to warm climate.