Experience Spring Migration in South Texas with Nemesis Bird Tours - April 16-24, 2016 by Alex Lamoreaux

Altamira Oriole (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Looking to spice up your spring migration experience? Never been to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas? Join Nemesis Bird Nature Tours for a guided trip to southern Texas during the 3rd week of April 2016! This trip is planned to coincide with peak songbird migration along the southern coast of Texas, and also serve as an introduction to the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s local specialties. There is simply no better place to be during late-April, and this trip is sure to be a good one! Spring migration will be in full swing, and ‘The Valley’ should be loaded with newly-arriving migrants heading back north to their breeding grounds – and that’s not to mention the large number of local species that call this area home.

The Birds:

Our goal will be to observe the incredible songbird migration along the coast and southern valley, and also provide amble time to see many of the region’s specialty birds and rarities such as Whooping Crane, Aplomado Falcon, White-tailed Hawk, Green Jay, White-tipped Dove, Olive Sparrow, Altamira Oriole, Least Grebe, Hook-billed Kite, Tropical Parula, Common Pauraque, Red-billed Pigeon, Clay-colored Thrush, and more! There is potential to see 200-300 species during this time-frame including 35 species of warblers, 6 species of vireos, 4 species of kite, 15+ species of waterfowl, and 35 species of shorebirds! We will be exploring a vast array of habitats on this trip, from sandy beaches and lagoons to subtropical woodlands and savannas. We will be spending full days in the field – most mornings we will try to be in the field by dawn in search of songbirds at migrant hotspots, and then after lunch we will spend the afternoons at some of the region’s top inland birding locations in search of local specialties. We will be closely tracking the weather in order to make sure we can take full advantage of ideal migrant-finding weather conditions along the coast. Your guide for this trip, Alex Lamoreaux, will already be on-site scouting for the entire week leading up your arrival in order to plan out the best possible itinerary to maximize our birding success.

The Details:

We are looking for at least 6-8 birders. The smaller number of participants means that we can provide better guiding, and a better chance at everyone seeing as many species as possible! We are offering the trip for approximately $1300 per person (subject to vary depending on total number of participants that sign up). Included in this excellent price are rental van and gas, lodging, birding fees, and guide fee. NOT include are meals and airfare to and from Corpus Christi. Pick-up and drop-off at the airport can be arranged – we would prefer you plan to arrive no earlier than 5pm on April 15th, and depart no earlier than 3pm on April 24th. If you are interested in going on this trip, please email Alex Lamoreaux at aslamoreaux@gmail.com or call 717-943-7086. Once participants are signed up, we will be sending out a detailed email concerning trip logistics, food and lodging accomodations, air travel logistics, suggested clothing and gear to bring along, a species list of expected birds and other animals, etc.