West Texas and the Guadalupe Mountains for Fall Migration
September 14 -21, 2024 Bradford/Percival
Four Participants Only (Three spots remain open)
Fall migration in Arizona and West Texas occurs during the rainy season which tends to be a bit cooler than spring and summer temperatures in the desert southwest. I have decided to revisit the Guadalupe Mountains after taking a five or six year break. The area that is now the Guadalupe Mountains and the Permian Basin, known for its large oil and gas deposits, was once a vast inland sea. During this time coral reefs grew in the warm shallow waters creating what are now the Guadalupe Mountains. The highest peak in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, stands at 8,752 feet above sea level and can be seen from US 62/180 on the approach to the national park from El Paso. However, it is El Capitan that forms the shear face that is so spectacular, while Guadalupe Peak is set further back and not as impressive as El Capitan.
The range is rugged and desolate with few visitors, but a lot to the offer the intrepid visitor. Guadalupe Mountain National Park is very different from Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains in that there are no roads meandering through the Guadalupes allowing the visitor scenic drive by vistas. However, there are two areas that allow easy foot exploration in the park. On the south side of the park is the trail that leads into McKittrick Canyon, a relatively shaded canyon. However, the first mile or so is rather exposed but offers nice looks at desert birds. On the walk leading to the canyon and in the canyon we hope to find Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladder-backed and Acorn Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Gray Flycatcher, Gray Vireo and Plumbeous Vireo, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Canyon, and Bewick’s Wren, Black-chinned and Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon and Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Scott’s Oriole, Black-throated Gray, Wilson’s and Townsend’s Warblers, Hepatic and Western Tanagers, and Black-headed and Blue Grosbeaks. A visit to the park headquarters is a must and can be quite birdy while a stop at Frijole Ranch can produce nice birds as well.
To reach Dog Canyon, on the north side of the range, one must pass through New Mexico and then make the southward trip back into Texas and into Dig Canyon Campground at an elevation of 6,300 feet. From the campground we might hike a very short distance up slope into the canyon. This is a lovely place for a picnic style sack lunch. In the campground proper and along the mountain trail for about 0.25 mile we hope to find Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Olive-sided, Hammond’s and Western Flycatchers, Say’s Phoebe, Cassin’s Kingbird, Lesser Goldfinch, Clay-colored and Brewer’s Sparrow, and a few of the same birds from McKittrick Canyon.
A stop at Rattlesnake Springs near White’s City is a must and could produce Scaled Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gray Hawk, Swainson’s, and Zone-tailed Hawks, Willow and Least Flycatchers, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, Warbling Vireo, Verdin, House and Marsh Wrens, Lark Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Orchard and Bullock’s Oriole, Virginia’s, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Wilson’s, and McGillivray’s Warblers, Western Tanager, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli, Indigo, and Painted Buntings.
However, before arriving in White’s City, NM, the gateway to the Guadalupe Mountains, we will spend three nights in the very birdy city of El Paso. I know this sounds like a strange place to spend three nights while in West Texas in September, but El Paso continues to produce large numbers of birds and a nice variety of birds at all times of the year. We will visit city parks, wetlands, a sewage pond, wooded areas, the tree lined El Paso Country Club area, marshes, and the desert, all within El Paso County, one of my favorite birding locales. In the marshes, wetlands, and sewage ponds we hope to find Blue-winged, Green-winged, and Cinnamon Teal, Mexican Duck, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed and Eared Grebe, Common Gallinule, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalaropes, Spotted, Baird’s and Solitary Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and herons and egrets. In the desert we hope to find Gambel’s Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Black-chinned, Calliope, and Rufous Hummingbirds, Swainson’s Hawk, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say’s Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Rock and Cactus Wrens, Crissal and Curve-billed Thrashers, Phainopepla, Clay-colored, Black-throated, Lark, Vesper, Lincon’s Sparrow, and Lark Bunting. In the mountains we hope to see White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Hammond’s and Western Flycatcher, Cassin’s and Warbling Vireos, Orange-crowned Warbler, Western Tanager, and Black-headed Grosbeak. El Paso continues to be an extremely birdy city with several improved wetland habitats and parks.
Fee: The cost of the tour for double occupancy is $2,100 and includes most meals. Single occupancy is an additional $500 per person. The cost of the tour covers most meals, though meals are no longer a major production, but a more relaxed and casual affair.
Deposit: A deposit of $500 is needed to hold a spot on this tour. Deposit checks can be mailed to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr. Houston, TX. 77084 281 744 6486 leave message or text.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS
11/11/2024 - 11/18/2024 | David Bradford & Brandon Percival
Four Participants Only (Four spots remain open)
With Thanksgiving so late in November that opens up an opportunity to sneak in one more Rio Grande Valley of Texas Tour before the end of the year. Each year there are a few rarities present in the Valley, though nothing like we experienced in late 2023. This tour will include many of the traditional Valley hotspots and a scheduled trip to the private Santa Margarita Ranch, the birding gem of Starr County which is often loaded with great birds. We will use Harlingen as our base of operations, though spending two nights in Rio Grande City will allow us the opportunity to explore the Upper Valley with relatively short drives.
This tour is designed to provide an introduction to the many exceptional birds of the Rio Grande Valley, not just chasing rarities. But while seeking out the Valley specialties we will attempt to track any rarities. Birding stops while in the Valley might include Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP, Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, Resaca de las Palma SP, Estero Llano Grande SP, Frontera Audubon, Oliveira Park, Santa Ana NWR, and Quinta Mazatlan. And there will be a planned visit to Santa Margarita Ranch. Bird distribution will determine which of these marvelous birding locales we will visit. Our efforts will be focused on finding Valley specialties like Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, Red-billed Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Harris’s and Gray Hawk, Common Pauraque, Ringed and Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Aplomado Falcon, Black-crested Titmouse, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Green Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Clay-colored Thrush, Olive Sparrow, Bronzed Cowbird, Audubon’s and Altamira Oriole, Morelet’s Seedeater. There are usually a few flocks of wintering warblers present and we will try to track those down as we look for Valley specialties.
A trip to South Padre can produce numerous ducks, shorebirds, waders like the charming Reddish Egret and more.
Our first Valley tour was four nights, the second five nights, and our third was seven nights. With so many locations and good birds in the Valley I have made this a seven night tour allowing us to visit Coastal areas on South Padre Island and birds of the Upper Valley at Salineno and Santa Margarita Ranch and the many locations in between. If you want find Valley birds with the possibility of finding some rarities this will provide that opportunity.
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Fee: The cost of the tour for double occupancy is $2,250 and includes most meals. Single occupancy is an additional $550 per person. Meals are no longer a major production, but more relaxed casual affairs.
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Deposit: A deposit of $500 is needed to hold a spot on this tour. Deposit checks can be mailed to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr. Houston, TX. 77084 281 744 6486 leave message or text.
SE ARIZONA IN THE WINTER
January 6-13, 2025 David Bradford/Brandon Percival
Four Participants Only (Four spots remain open)
We have led bird tours to SE Arizona numerous times in the Spring/Summer/Fall, and last year we did our first winter tour and found out that winter is a wonderful time to bird this extremely birdy region. This year we will use Sierra Vista as our main base of operations, instead of Tucson, allowing us to make short forays to many of the traditional SE Arizona hotspots. I am leaving out Phoenix this year as the LeConte’s Thrasher habitat in Phoenix is being turned into a solar farm, hence no LeConte’s Thrasher present, but I am making this tour one day longer since there are so many locations to visit south and east of Tucson.
Spending our first two nights in Tucson allows us quick and easy access to Sweetwater Wetlands, Madera Canyon, Desert Meadows Park, and a few other birdy areas. Sweetwater Wetlands should allow a very close study of numerous ducks, Anna’s Hummingbird, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Greater Roadrunner, Belted Kingfisher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Phainopepla, Lesser Goldfinch, Pyrrhuloxia, and possibly some wintering warbler. A quick trip south to Madera Canyon and its many feeders should produce Wild Turkey, White-throated Swift, Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker. Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, Hepatic Tanager, and both Dark-eyed and Yellow-eyed Junco. In the grasslands lower in Madera Canyon and Desert Meadows Park we hope to find Costa’s and Broad-billed Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Verdin, and Rufous-winged Sparrow. We will also spend time birding the grasslands to the south and east of Tucson as well as other “water holes” within the Sonoran Desert. In the grasslands we will look for raptors including Northern Harrier, Harris’s, Red-tailed, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, and Prairie Falcon. We plan to visit some bodies of water within easy striking distance of Sierra Vista looking shorebirds and numerous ducks.
A visit to world renowned Paton Center for Hummingbirds should produce our only Violet-crowned Hummingbird along with Broad-billed and possibly Anna’s. As we sit quietly or walk a few of the very short trails at the center we hope to see Gambel’s Quail, Inca and Common Ground Dove, Arizona Woodpecker, Say’s Phoebe, Bewick’s Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Abert’s, Canyon, and Green-tailed Towhee.
Since we are staying in Sierra Vista this year a quick trip to Portal is probable and here, we hope to find Rivoli’s and Blue-throated Mountain-gem, Red-naped Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus Wren, Townsend’s Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Pine Siskin, Black-throated Sparrow, and Pyrrhuloxia. There is no telling what might appear at Willow Tank, Stateline Road or the small birdy town of Rodeo, NM.
If you are looking for a bird filled tour with hopefully mild temps this is the tour for you. We will be staying in Tucson and Sierra Vista and driving to the nearby necessary bird locations.
The cost of this four person, seven night tour, is $2,150 for double occupancy with an additional $550 for single occupancy. The cost of the tour covers most meals, though meals are no longer a major production, but a more relaxed and casual affair.
We will fly in and out of Tucson.
A deposit of $500 is needed to hold your spot on this winter tour. Please mail your check to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr., Houston, TX. 77084
RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS
2/6/2025 - 2/13/2025 | Bradford & Brandon Percival
Four Participants Only (Four spots remain open)
As winter maintains a firm and icy grip on most of the US, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas can be pleasant and loaded with not only resident and winter birds, but possibly a handful of vagrants slipping across the border. While in the Valley we will use Harlingen as our base of operations, staying in just one hotel and making bird excursions to the east and west. We will focus on the lower and middle Valley, not the upper Valley. But here’s the twist, before reaching the Valley we will spend two nights in the Corpus Christi/Rockport area taking a boat trip out to see Whooping Cranes and the many other birds along the Central Texas Coast.
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This is an extension to our usual Rio Grande Valley tours that focus just on the Lower and Middle Valley. The two nights before the Valley will allow us time to take a boat trip out of Rockport in search of the winter Whooping Cranes that make Aransas NWR their winter home. Along with cranes we hope to find ducks, American Oystercatcher, Willet, gulls, terns, herons including Reddish, Roseate Spoonbill, Osprey, and Belted Kingfisher. After our boat trip we might visit the usually birdy Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center looking for more ducks up close and personal form the boardwalk, Sora, Common Gallinule, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Little Blue Heron and Reddish Egret, sparrows and much more. This can be a lovely way to explore the Central Coast.
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After our two nights along the Central Coast, we will work our way to the Valley spending five nights in Harlingen and going east and west from there. This tour allows us to focus on areas in a rather close geographical area that might include Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP, Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, Resaca de las Palma SP, Estero Llano Grande SP, Frontera Audubon, Oliveira Park, Santa Ana NWR, and Quinta Mazatlan. Bird distribution will determine which of these marvelous birding locales we will visit. Our efforts will be focused on finding Valley specialties like Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, White-tipped Dove, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Harris’s Hawk, Ringed and Green kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Black-crested Titmouse, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Green Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Clay-colored Thrush, Olive Sparrow, and Altimira Oriole. There are always a few wintering warblers, and usually a vagrant or two present like Rose-throated Becard, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Golden-crowned Warbler or Blue Bunting. However, the appearance of these rarities varies from year to year and there is no telling which, if any, will be present while we are in the Valley. As we look for Valley specialties, we will also be looking for rarities. If you look at a bird list on my website from last year’s Valley tours you see an unprecedented number of rarities where in the Valley last year, we can only hope for a year like last year.
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This trip does not include the upper Valley, Santa Margarita Ranch, or Salineno. We will keep our travel distances reasonable and spend a lot of time in the field birding.
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Fee: The cost of the tour for double occupancy is $2,250 and includes most meals. Single occupancy is an additional $550 per person. See my website for a list of birds seen previously. The cost of the tour covers most meals, though meals are no longer a major production, but a more relaxed and casual affair.
People might choose to fly into Houston and ride to Corpus Christi/Rockport area with me and Brandon or fly into Corpus Christi. We can sort that out once I know where birders are coming from.
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Deposit: A deposit of $500 is needed to hold a spot on this tour. Deposit checks can be mailed to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr. Houston, TX. 77084 281 744 6486 leave message or text.
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THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
April 6-12, 2024 Bradford/Percival
Four Participants Only (Four spots remain open)
Recently Brandon and I were trying to figure out where we could lead a tour in March or early April and could not come up with a good location, however, the 2024 solar eclipse solved our problem. For the eclipse I spent three nights at Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, TX. The lodging is nothing special in the renovated fort, but the birding is close by and rather good. I went to see the eclipse with my wife and birding friends from Colorado, so the emphasis of this trip was not birding. While on the fort we managed to see about 80 species including ducks, Lesser Nighthawk, Wilson’s Phalarope, Harris’s Hawk, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Couch’s, and Western Kingbird, Black and Say’s Phoebe, Yellow-throated Vireo, Black-crested Titmouse, Cactus Wren, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Orchard and Hooded Oriole, Nashville and Wilson’s Warbler, and Summer Tanager. These and many others should be present on the fort when we plan to be there.
After Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, we will shift our base of operations to Uvalde, TX. and bird some of the more traditional Hill Country locations like Neal’s Lodge, Lost Maples SNA, Garner State Park, Cook’s Slough, Chalk Bluff Park, and other locations. We will also stay in a hotel. I decided to skip Neal’s Lodge where I stayed in the 1990s and early 2000s while doing Hill Country tours. Our target species will be Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. While looking for these two specialties we hope to find Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Crested Caracara, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Vermilion Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, Cave Swallow, Long-billed Thrasher, Bronzed Cowbird, Yellow-throated Warbler, Scott’s Oriole, Pyrrhuloxia and others.
Fee: The cost of the tour for double occupancy is $1,950 and includes most meals. Single occupancy is an additional $450 per person. Meals are no longer a major production, but more relaxed casual affairs.
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Deposit: A deposit of $500 is needed to hold a spot on this tour. Deposit checks can be mailed to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr. Houston, TX. 77084 281 744 6486 leave message or text.
Lodging at Fort Clark Springs is nothing fancy, we will be staying in the old army barracks where I stayed in April of 2024 for three nights for the eclipse. The rooms are adequate, nothing more. However, we will be in prime bird habitat within a gated community.
Michigan and the Kirtland’s Warbler
May 16-20, 2025 / Bradford/Percival
Four Participants Only (Three Spots Remain)
The Kirtland’s Warbler is a handsome, rather large warbler that has a restricted breeding range in North America. Most nesting takes place in Michigan, though the warbler had recently expanded its range into Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada. However, the bulk of breeding birds are found in five to fifteen year-old Jack Pines in Michigan. And it is in Michigan where we plan to see this range restricted warbler. In the early 1970s the number of singing males had dropped 167 and were one of the first species of birds placed on the endangered species list. By 2015, after extensive habitat restoration and cowbird management, their numbers had rebounded to over 2,300 singing males. We will take advantage of the US Forest Services warbler management program and their tours as we look for Kirtland’s Warbler. This will be our third tour to Michigan for Kirtland’s Warbler.
The emphasis of this tour is to see Kirtland’s Warbler and experience spring migration in Michigan, especially at Tawas Point along the coast of Lake Huron.
We will fly into the Tri Cites area of Michigan (MBS) that includes Midland, Saginaw, and Bay City, putting us close to Tawas Point and Mio, where will strike out to locate the Kirtland’s Warbler. Tawas Point is one of Michigan's prime migrant traps and mid May is an ideal time to catch migration along the coast of Lake Huron. But like other migrant traps, the presence of big numbers of birds depends on the weather. The good news is, even if migration is slow there are plenty of birds to see at Tawas Point State Park and the surrounding area.
The Mio Motel that we used in the past is a relatively simple, no frills motel that is clean and comfortable and we will use that as our base of operations while in Mio as we seek the Kirtland’s Warbler and migrants
Fee: The cost of the tour for double occupancy is $1,750 and includes most meals. Single occupancy is an additional $500 per person. Meals are no longer a major production, but more relaxed casual affairs.
Deposit: A deposit of $500 is needed to hold a spot on this tour. Deposit checks can be mailed to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr. Houston, TX. 77084 281 744 6486 leave message or text.
Atlantic Puffins/Razorbills/Black Guillemots/Common Murres/Maine
June 5-11, 2025 (Dates Are Presently Tentative)
Bradford/Percival
Four Participants Only (Three Spots Remain with two tentatives)
Each spring and summer Atlantic Puffins gather in great numbers to breed on Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine. The plan is to go out with Bold Coast Charter and make a landing on the island to view Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common Murre, Black Guillemots and Arctic Terns up close and personal. On the last three trips to Maine, we were able to land on the island and sit in blinds enjoying the sights and sounds of a nesting seabird colony. An island landing is not guaranteed, weather and sea conditions determine if we land or remain on the boat and circle the island observing birds from the boat.
Before and after our boat trip we will spend time looking for land birds. Early June is a great time to be in Maine as many migrants have recently arrived and are singing to establish territories. A few birds we hope to see include Common Eider, Black Scoter, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Yellow-bellied and Alder Flycatchers, Winter Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Ovenbird, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, and Black-throated Green Warblers. We will spend time in Bar Harbor, take the drive up Cadillac Mountain, and bird Acadia National Park.
If you want to see Atlantic Puffins and other alcids, this is the tour for you. Keep in mind, when not seeking puffins there will be plenty of other birds to see.
We plan to fly in and out of Bangor, Maine birding woodlands, the coast, and the ocean on the way to and from the island.
Looking at previous past bird lists and written summaries from past tours will not give a good idea on birds to expect on this tour, Previous tours not only covered Maine, but also MA, NH, and VT. This is a condensed tour focusing on Maine and Machias Seal Island for Atlantic Puffin and other species.
Since Bold Coast Charters are the only company that has a license to land on Machias Seal Island, making reservations is difficult. In the past there were two other companies that could land on the island, but that is in the past making getting a particular date in 2025 difficult. Once I have secured our six spots on the boat, I will confirm tour dates. I will know for sure that exact tour dates once Bold Coast Charters opens reservations for the 2025 season.
Fee: The cost of the tour for double occupancy is $2,950 and includes most meals. Single occupancy is an additional $650 per person. Meals are no longer a major production, but more relaxed casual affairs.
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Deposit: A deposit of $500 is needed to hold a spot on this tour. Deposit checks can be mailed to David Bradford 18046 Green Hazel Dr. Houston, TX. 77084 281 744 6486 leave message or text.