Big Bend National Park & the Texas Hill Country

Montezuma Quail © Kevin Zimmer

Combines two of the richest regions of Texas: the lush Hill Country, and scenic and remote Big Bend National Park. Spring is the prime season for visiting these areas, when bird diversity and song are at their peaks. Montezuma Quail, Lucifer Hummingbird, Black-capped Vireo, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Colima Warbler, and more!

The lush Texas Hill Country is home to two of the most highly sought after 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, Green Kingfisher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Couch's Kingbird, 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 Del Rio to seek out the tiny Morelet's Seedeater making its last stand in the United States in localized patches along the Rio Grande. Ringed and Green kingfishers can also be found here, as well as a slim chance of Clay-colored Thrush. From Del Rio, we venture to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas and Big Bend National Park. The scenery alone would justify a 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 Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, the tiny Elf Owl, Western Screech-Owl, the stunning Lucifer Hummingbird, Blue-throated Mountain-gem, the localized Gray Vireo, Crissal Thrasher, Varied Bunting, 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, Gray Flycatcher, Hepatic Tanager, and Grace's Warbler.

Good accommodations; easy to moderate terrain; mostly easy walks and roadside birding, but with two lengthy, strenuous hikes with substantial elevational gains in Big Bend; warm to potentially hot climate.

Santa Elena Canyon © Brad McKinney