Saturday, December 7:

Arrive at SAT by 12pm; Gabriel will meet the group with the van; after lunch in San Antonio we will head south towards Corpus Christi. Along the way (a 2.5 hour drive), we will stop to check agricultural fields for wintering Mountain Plover, Western and Eastern Meadowlark, Sprague's Pipit, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Lark Sparrow and other open country specialties.

We will check into the Best Western Padre Island, which is surrounded by productive marshland, and scan the marshes for shorebirds, egrets, herons, and ducks. Time permitting we may go further afield in Corpus Christi to one of the local parks. Dinner in Corpus Christi.

Sunday, December 8:

We will check out and gather at 6am to find coffee and then visit Hazel Bazemore Park, a wonderful local park with a hawkwatch platform and bird feeders. Arriving just before dawn, we will look and listen for Pauraques that sit in the dirt roads of the park, as well as owls.

As the sun rises birds will begin to visit the feeders, including south Texas specialties such as Great Kiskadee, Clay-colored Thrush, Green Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Black-crested Titmouse, White-tipped Dove, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

The wetlands in the park are home to rails, Sandhill Cranes, herons, egrets and shorebirds. As the sun warms the landscape, hawks, vultures, and caracaras may begin to soar overhead.

We will leave by 8am to arrive at the 9am Whooping Crane 'boat safari' in Rockport. This 3-hour tour will bring us through the amazing wetlands of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, home to the largest wintering population of the endangered Whooping Crane, the tallest bird in North America. Once reduced to just 18 birds, their population has now rebounded to a still fragile 800+ individuals. The majority of these birds winter on the coast of Texas; we could see 20-30 Whooping Cranes on this trip - more than the entire population at one time! We will also look for Roseate Spoonbill, Brown Pelican, Seaside Sparrow, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Long-billed Curlew, Whimbrel, Osprey, and other wetland birds.

After lunch nearby, we will drive down to Padre Island to visit the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, which has a lovely marsh boardwalk and viewing platforms where we will look for rails, pelicans, waterfowl, and American Alligators. Padre Island is also home to a pair of endangered Aplomado Falcons which we may find if we're lucky.

Dinner and night at the Alamo Inn BnB, a 3-hour drive to the south in Alamo, Texas.

Monday, December 9:

Please note, this will be a long day of birding, and the group will not be returning to the hotel prior to dinner.

• 6:00am Breakfast at B&B.

• 6:30am Depart Alamo Inn to first birding stop. 

• 7:00am Bentsen-RGV State Park & World Birding Center in Mission, Texas. Park Store, bird feeding stations, lakeside birding, hawk-watch tower. 

• Target Species: Plain Chachalaca, Green Jay, Altamira Oriole, Great Kiskadee, & Gray Hawk. 

• Lots of target birds with tropical affiliations can be spotted easily at feeder stations next to temperate birds in basic (winter) plumage. 

• 12:00pm, Lunch nearby at Ranch House Burgers or other location TBD.

• After lunch, 30 minute drive to Anzalduas County Park & Granjeno for Kingfishers (Green, Ringed, and Belted) & possible Sprague’s Pipit. Then, a short drive over to Madero Pond for Least Grebe & waders. 

• We end the day with a final 30 minute drive up to north McAllen for the Green Parakeet Roosting Spectacle. Then, dinner in McAllen. 

• Option: order box lunch preference for next day trip. 

• Night at Alamo Inn.

Tuesday, December 10:

Possible box lunch for this trip – lots of road time

• 6:00am Breakfast at the hotel 

• 6:30am Depart Alamo Inn to first birding stop

  • Travel time: 1 hour, 30 mins to Salineño

• ~ 8am, Salineño riverside, Dump Road, Starr County Park & Falcon State Park. 

• Geographically, this is part of the Bordas Escarpment and distinctly dissimilar from the flat terrain of the delta (Valley). There are rolling limestone hills and arid climate verging on Chihuahuan Desert. The landscapes and birds have a more western character than the LRGV.

• Here we seek (countable & wild) Muscovy Duck, Zone-tailed Hawk, Scaled Quail, Red-billed Pigeon, Black Phoebe, Black-throated, Lark, and Cassin's Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Audubon's, Bullock's, and Hooded Orioles. 

• 12:00pm box lunch at Falcon State Park. Birding at Falcon.

• 3:00pm back on the road. Possible 2 hr trip back to B&B.

• 5:00pm Back at Alamo Inn

• 6:30pm Gather in the lobby for dinner

• Night at Alamo Inn

Wednesday, December 11:

Please note, this will be a long day of birding, and the group will not be returning to the hotel prior to dinner.

• 6:00 AM Breakfast at the hotel 

• 6:30 AM Depart Alamo Inn.

• 7:15 AM - Brownsville -Navigation District, coastal prairie & Oliveira Park. 

• South Texas scrub thickets, Resacas, coastal prairie, mudflats & urban birding. 

• We start our day looking for reintroduced & endangered Aplomado Falcon as well as Chihuahuan Raven & raptors. Quick stop at salt mudflats before lunch.

• Lunch in Port Isabel at Pirate’s Landing. 

• Travel 30 minutes to Brownsville for Sparrow hunt at Palo Alto Battlefield National Park. Search for Cassin’s & Botteri’s Sparrows, White-tailed Hawk, Horned Lark, and other open country birds. 

• 3:30 PM travel into the city for evening Parrots at Oliveira Park next to Pace High School. 

• 5:30 PM travel 30 minutes to Harlingen for dinner & drinks at Coletti’s.

• Back to Alamo Inn B&B.

Thursday, December 12:

• 6:00am Breakfast at B&B.

• 6:30am Depart Alamo Inn.

• 7:00am - Estero Llano Grande State Park & WBC in Mercedes.

• The “Valley” is an alluvial flood plain with over 90% of the old forest now agricultural fields and urban spaces. Remnant habitats hold some of the most sought-after "Valley Specialties" such as Plain Chachalaca, Great Kiskadee, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Couch's and Tropical Kingbirds, Common Pauraque, Clay-colored Thrush, Long-billed Thrasher and Altamira Oriole.

• ~11:30 TENTATIVE: Lunch at Nana’s Taqueria.

• 1:00pm: Grain Silo murmuration & Santa Ana NWR in Alamo. 3,000 acres along the critically imperiled Wildlife Corridor.

• Expect a 1.5-2 mile walk, some unpaved, while exploring wetland & riparian forest habitat.

• 5:00pm - Back to Alamo Inn. 

Friday, December 13:

• 6:00am Breakfast at the hotel, check out 

• 7:30am Depart Alamo Inn

• Options: Rarity Chase, Quinta Mazatlan WBC or Edinburg Scenic Wetlands WBC. 

• Lunch

• Travel to San Antonio, with possible birding stops along the way if there's any rarities or species we missed

• Dinner in San Antonio, night at Hotel Havana Riverwalk

Saturday, December 14:

For our final day of the trip, we will explore San Antonio or just have breakfast and head to the airport, depending on flight timing.

The historic Alamo is about a ten-minute walk from our hotel; the beautiful Riverwalk is outside the steps of the hotel, and is a beautiful way to see the city, offering myriad opportunities for exploration.

Head to the airport at whatever time is convenient for your flight home, or if you would like to explore Texas further, you could spend additional night(s) and extend your trip from here.