Montezuma Quail, male— Photo: Kevin Zimmer

The lush Texas Hill Country is home to two of the most highly sought birds in North America, the Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. We will seek out these specialties while enjoying other gems such as Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Crested Caracara, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cave Swallow, Long-billed Thrasher, Yellow-throated Warbler, Olive Sparrow, and Painted Bunting among others. In addition, we will visit a nearby bat cave where over ten million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge at dusk to hunt. This is a natural history spectacle not likely to be forgotten.

From the Hill Country we head westward to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas and Big Bend National Park. The scenery alone would justify the trip to the park, but birds abound here. In fact, more species have been found in Big Bend than in any other national park. The prime target is the Colima Warbler, which can be found nowhere else in the United States. Other species of interest include the tiny Elf Owl, Western Screech-Owl, the stunning Lucifer Hummingbird, Blue-throated Hummingbird, the localized Gray Vireo, plum-colored Varied Buntings, and the uncommon Black-chinned Sparrow.

A day in the Davis Mountains to the north offers chances for the unique and highly-prized Montezuma Quail, as well as Common Black-Hawk and Hepatic Tanager, while the El Paso area may harbor Gambel's Quail and Crissal Thrasher.

Good accommodations; easy to moderate terrain; two lengthy hikes with elevational gains, warm to potentially hot climate.