Texas Bird Tour 2022 in Winter: with High Lonesome

South Texas Bird Tour in Winter 2022: Whooping Cranes and The Lower Rio Grande

February 12 - 20, 2022

Tour Length: 9 days Est. Spaces Left: Available

South Texas is a birder’s paradise at any time of the year, but especially during late winter when the spectacular array of resident birds in South Texas are joined by an abundance of wintering shorebirds and waterfowl. This eight night tour begins and ends in Corpus Christi with a leisurely swing through the birding hot spots of the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Photo: Green Jay Laguna Atascosa NWR By: John Hoyt

TOUR OVERVIEW

Extensions:

No Tour Extensions Listed.

Future Departures:

February 23, 2023

Tour Leaders:

Kip Miller

Max # Birders:

7 with 1 High Lonesome leader, up to 14 with additional HLT leader

Focus:

Birds; Photography; Butterflies/Moths;

Pace:

Easy ; short hikes

Double Accommodation:

$ 2700
[per person]

Single Supplement:

+ $ 500

Deposit:

$350 [per person]

Photo opportunities will abound on this tour. Comfort is, as always a prime concern on our tours. We will stay in the two or three-start motels and eat in the best restaurants in each area.

Our days will begin anywhere from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM, depending upon the destination. On early days, we will have a continental breakfast. The following schedule may be modified to take advantage of rare bird sightings or other conditions that could affect the birding.

Photo: Green Jay Laguna Atascosa NWR By: John Hoyt

MORE TRIP INFORMATION

Download Itinerary

DOWNLOAD PDF
Trip Itinerary

Meeting Location

Corpus Christi Airport at 4:00 PM

Accomodations

Very comfortable hotels & excellent Texas restaurants.

Included

From Corpus Christi, includes eight nights lodging, all meals, transportation, entry fees, guides, taxes, tips.

Excluded

Alcohol, phone calls, laundry, other personal expenses.

Top Birds

Whooping Crane; Roseate Spoonbill; Mottled Duck, Masked Duck (rare); Plain Chachalaca; Least Grebe; White-tipped Dove;Buff-bellied Hummingbird; Ringed & Green Kingfisher; Hook-billed Kite; Gray & Harris’s Hawk; Great Kiskadee; Tropical & Couch’s Kingbird; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Green & Brown Jay; Clay-colored Thrush; Long-billed Thrasher, Olive Sparrow; Altamira & Audubon’s Oriole, many others including rare vagrants in the winter.

Top Mammals

Ocelot, Javelina

Habitats Covered

Sub-tropical; seaside, pelagic; desert

Expected Climate

Moderate to hot, 60 – 95 degrees fahrenheit

Other Attractions
Suggested Clothing & Gear
- Credit cards / cash
- Binoculars
- Scope and tripod (optional)
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses
- Water bottle
- Small umbrella
- Small day pack / fanny pack
- Small flashlight
- Mosquito/insect repellant (DEET 25% or greater)
- Itch relief cream
- Lip screen/balm
- Prescription drugs - carry in original packaging to avoid customs problems
- OTC medicines (antibiotics, cold/sinus, cough drops, eye drops, analgesic (Motrin, aspirin), anti-diarrheal)
- Toiletries
- Hair Dryer
- Small alarm clock
- Field guides
- Hiking Boots/Shoes
- Lightweight shoes/sneakers/sandals
- Light-weight long pants
- Light-weight long-sleeved shirts
- Hat with brim/visor
- Safari (e.g., Tilly) hat
- Rain jacket/wind breaker
- Shorts
- T-shirts
- Swimsuit
- PJs or shorts for lounging/sleeping
- Wool socks (various weights) and liners.
Recommended Reading
- The Sibley Guide to Birds
  David A. Sibley (2000)
  Knopf
- Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th Edition
  Jon Dunn, et al. (2011)
  National Geographic Society
- A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors
  Brian Wheeler & William Clark
- Birds of Texas: A Field Guide
  J. H. Rapploe & G. W. Blackhole