BIRDING ACROSS TEXAS
The best places to go, and what to see there.
By Jesse Huth WHO AM I?
Longtime Texas Birder: 20+ years
Professional Bird Guide
Well traveled around Texas and the world
Always on the lookout for interesting birds
Poultry Scientist WHY BIRD IN TEXAS?
One of the most diverse states in the country
650 recognized species in the state
669 total reported
Many migrants, residents, and specialty birds
Frequent vagrants from further south
It’s close, and you never know what you might find! HOW TO BIRD TEXAS
Far too large to bird in a single easy trip
Break down into simpler birding regions
Routes that can be birded in a week or less
Maximize species numbers
Determine what birds you want to see
Determine the time of year to go MAIN BIRDING REGIONS IN TEXAS
Hill Country
South Texas / Rio Grande Valley
Gulf Coast Upper, Central, and Lower
North Texas/Panhandle BIRDING SEASONS IN TEXAS
Spring: Migration time, birds singing
March-May
Fall: Southern migration, wintering birds arriving
Late Aug-November
Winter: Wintering birds in place
November-March
Summer: Hot.
Purple Martins gather in July BIRDING IN THE HILL COUNTRY
Best time: Spring
Target birds: Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, Painted Bunting South Llano River State Park GCWA/BCVI, Scott’s Oriole, YB Chat, Black- throated Sparrow, Bell’s Vireo Pedernales Falls State Park GCWA, Eastern Screech-Owl, Black-crested Titmouse, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Warbler Woods-Year Round Private property. Hornsby Bend-Winter/Spring Wintering waterfowl, migrants, parakeets BIRDING IN THE HILL COUNTRY-STRATEGY
Day trips ideal, many areas well scouted
Base out of San Antonio
Warbler Woods, Freidrich Wilderness Park
Base out of Austin
Hornsby Bend, Pedernales Falls SP, Balcones Canyonlands
Spend a night in Junction, bird SLR SP all day.
Usually plenty of time to get all specialties
Good jumping off point for South or West Texas trips BIRDING IN SOUTH TEXAS
Best time: Spring/Fall, Winter
Target birds: Green Jay, Chachalaca, Kiskadee, WT Dove, Aplomado Falcon, Altamira Oriole, Morelet’s Seedeater, Audubon’s Oriole, RC Parrot, Green Parakeet Estero Llano Grande SP Altamira Oriole, Pauraque, Kingfishers, Waterfowl, EASO, WT Dove, Olive Sparrow Main deck, Alligator Lake, Tropical Zone Laguna Atascosa NWR-Year round Aplomado Falcon, Botteri's Sparrow, GB Ani, Harris’s Hawk, Chihuahuan Raven Brave the heat for Botteri’s Sparow South Padre Island Migrants, vagrants, “Mangrove” Warbler Brownsville Area Tamaulipas Crow, White-tailed Hawk, Parrot roost, Gulls Dump, Oliveira Park, Old Port Isabel Rd and Palo Alto Battlefield BIRDING IN SOUTH TEXAS- CONTINUED
Best time: Spring/Fall, Winter
Bentsen, McAllen area
Black Phoebe, Elf Owl, Hook-billed Kite, Kingfishers, Pipits, Vermillion Flycatcher, Northern-beardless Tyrannulet, Gray Hawk
State park, berm, and Anzalduas. Santa Ana.
Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, EASO & rarities
Salineno-Feeders open Nov-March
Morelet’s Seedeater, Red-billed Pigeon, Muscovy Duck, Audubon’s Oriole, Olive Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Arrive at or before sunrise
Dump road for BTGN, PYRR, & Cactus Wren
San Ygnacio for more seedeaters BIRDING IN SOUTH TEXAS: STRATEGY
I like a single base of operations
Alamo Inn or Harlingen
First or last day in Zapata (Salineno)
Can opt to “migrate” as well
Plan daily routes around rarities and wanted birds
Eg. One day go to SPI and Laguna Atascosa, one day do Estero and Brownsville
5-8 days ideal, but can do weekend trips.
Single day trips only for rarities
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival BIRDING ALONG THE GULF COAST
Best time: Spring
Target birds: Migrants of all kinds, Whooping Crane, Shorebirds, Roseate Spoonbill, Rails High Island
Boy Scout Woods, Hooks Woods, Smith Oaks Migrants unpredictable, watch the weather Bolivar Peninsula-Spring/Fall
Shorebirds! Rollover Pass, Yacht Basin, Tuna Drive, Bolivar Flats and Jetty, Frenchtown Rd. Anahuac NWR
Rails, Purple Gallinule, GB Ani, BT Grackle, Alligator Aransas NWR-Late Fall- Early Spring
Whooping Cranes, migrants Mustang Island/Corpus Christi-Spring/Fall
Migrants, Fall Hazel Bazemore Hawkwatch COASTAL MIGRANT BIRDING NOTE
Very unpredictable birding, watch weather
Front from north combined with favorable south winds on Yucatan ideal
Strong south winds= birds overshoot the coast
Birds need good weather to depart Yucatan
East wind can bring in rarer birds
Morning is good, so is late afternoon as the second wave of noctournal migrants arrive
Dawn birding best along roads, better light and birds wake up earlier.
Birding by radar, BirdCast BIRDING ALONG THE GULF COAST: STRATEGY
Whooping Cranes any time in the winter until early April, can be done in a day or do a morning boat trip.
Spring migration April-May, days highly variable
For unplanned trips, watch the weather for fallout conditions (north wind/storms, clear in Yucatan)
Upper coast: Base out of Winnie.
The longer you stay, the better chance for a great day.
Corpus Christi fun short trip for fall hawkwatch
Plenty of good areas between mentioned ones BIRDING IN EAST TEXAS
Best time: Spring
Target birds: Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman’s Sparrow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Prairie Warbler, Fish Crow, Swallow-tailed Kite
Angelina NF/ Boykin Springs
Sunrise RCWO emergence, sparrows, night birds
Martin Dies Jr SP
Tall trees, warblers/migrants, kites
PRAW on CR 151 behind park
Big Thicket NP
Woodpeckers, flycatchers, Gore Store Rd PRAW
Tyrrell Park
Fish Crow, Bald Eagle, Wood Duck, Purple Martin, Waterfowl, Shorebirds BIRDING IN EAST TEXAS: STRATEGY
Often makes sense to combine with a High Island trip
Spend a night in Jasper then get to Boykin Springs early.
Bird your way south through Martin Dies Jr SP and Big Thicket, end up in Winnie
Any river crossing between Houston and Jasper, watch for Swallow-tailed Kite BIRDING IN WEST TEXAS
Best time: Early Spring, Fall
Target birds: Colima Warbler, Black-chinned Sparrow, Lucifer Hummingbird, Varied Bunting, Mexican Jay, Crissal Thrasher, Gray Vireo, Phainopepla, Montezuma Quail, Hepatic Tanager Big Bend NP Pinnacles Trail hike for Colima, Chisos Basin Dugout wells, Cottonwood Campground Christmas Mountains Oasis (Carolyn Ohl) Private Property, LUHU, VABU, BTGN Davis Mountains State Park MOQU and PHAI, good blind TX-118 near McDonald Obs BCSP and HETA Lake Balmorhea- Grebes, PYRR, CAKI Guadalupe Mountains NP Remote, TX list birds, Spotted Owls BIRDING IN WEST TEXAS: STRATEGY
Long drive, possibly spend a night in Junction or Balmorhea
Avoid holidays, can get crowded
Minimum of 2 nights around Big Bend
Colima Warbler hike several miles, bring water
Can camp, stay at lodge, or hotel in Terlingua
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Visit Christmas Mountain Oasis on way in/out
At least 1 night in Fort Davis
Guad. Mountains NP optional, but great for adding to your Texas bird list.
Van Horn good waypoint BIRDING IN NORTH TEXAS
Best time: Winter
Target birds: Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Short-eared Owl, Longspurs, Northern Vagrants (Eg. Northern Shrike, Tundra Swan, Snowy Owl)
Lubbock
FEHA, RLHA, good central area
Amarillo
Palo Duro Canyon, Lake Meredith, halfway stop
Hagerman NWR-year round
338 species, great biodiversity, easy access
North of Dallas, weekly tours and surveys
Granger Lake
North of Austin, southmost wintering range of many birds
Pipits, longspurs, Short-eared Owl, WHCR BIRDING IN NORTH TEXAS: STRATEGY
Very large area with relatively low bird density
Go when something interesting shows up
Species you need, or a rare bird like Snowy Owl, Tundra Swan, or Northern Shrike.
Good to combine with out of state road trips
Lodging usually inexpensive, so spend a few days to search out other species you may need WHERE TO GET MORE INFO
Great Texas Wildlife Trail Maps
Free maps online
Ebird: Free, nearly live sighting reports
Great for scientists as well
Use with caution, not all reports reliable
Texbirds, email group and facebook
Me! HuthAvian.com and PIBird.com