BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//jEvents 2.0 for Joomla//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:d824e4e3e2788f4caa1f6116a52ddbc3 CATEGORIES:North America CREATED:20170801T163102 SUMMARY:South Texas: Lower Rio Grande Valley & Whooping Crane extension DESCRIPTION:\nWith over 40 specialties, South Texas represents the northernmost strongh old of an essentially tropical bird community. Species like Least Grebe, Ho ok-billed Kite, Plain Chachalaca, Red-billed Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Com mon Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Long-billed Thrasher, Oli ve Sparrow, and Altamira Oriole are, within the U.S., essentially confined to South Texas. This winter’s tour to the Lower Río Grande Valley is design ed to survey this amazing array of colorful birdlife. Beginning at the 26th parallel, we explore such famous locations as the Santa Ana Wildlife Refug e, Bentsen State Park, South Padre Island, and the McAllen parrot roosts, s avoring the subtropical avian riches endemic to the mottes of Tamaulipan pl ant associations still remaining in the delta. Also present, at least spora dically, are such rarities as Short-tailed Hawk, Tropical Parula, and Crims on-collared Grosbeak. New species for United States have almost become an a nnual phenomenon. Moving west, we’ll visit the Chapeño area and the small v illage of Salineño. This is a transition zone leading into the Chihuahuan D esert and we expect to find Chihuahuan Raven, Cactus Wren, and Pyrrhuloxia— species emblematic of the arid Southwest. Elusive, but also resident along this stretch of the river, are wild Muscovy Duck, White-collared Seedeater, and the melodic Audubon’s Oriole. Finally, for those unable to resist the majesty of an imperial white 5-foot-tall bird with a 7-foot wingspread, onc e almost lost to humanity, the extension will conclude with two nights on t he Central Coast of Texas. Here we will embark upon a half-day boating excu rsion to get up close and personal with wintering Whooping Crane families, an adult pair and their colt from the previous spring. The captain of our b oat makes regular, cautious but close viewings of this endangered species a nd is a Whooper expert in his own right. Our land-based birding time will b e devoted to exploring nearby hotspots like Goose Island State Park or Aran sas National Wildlife Refuge. King Rail, Nelson’s Sparrow and Le Conte’s Sp arrow are among the many Gulf Coast specialties. For sheer spectacle and di versity of birdlife, South Texas has no equal in the United States.\nLeader :  John Yerger (index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29:joh n-yerger&catid=18:leaders-and-staff&Itemid=155)\n (information-form s/tour-leaders/23-rick-taylor.html)\nCost of South Texas: Lower Rio Grande Valley (Nov. 3-10, 2018) includes guide service, transportation, lodging, m eals, and entrances beginning and ending in McAllen, Texas—$2395.\nCost of  South Texas: Lower Rio Grande Valley with Whooping Crane extension (Nov. 3- 12, 2018) includes guide service, transportation, lodging, meals, and entra nces beginning in McAllen, Texas and ending in Corpus Christi—$3095.\nTO RE GISTER: Print out a PDF Registration Form (images/borderland/borderland_tou rs_reg_v4.pdf), call us at (520) 558-2351 or This email address is being pr otected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document .getElementById('cloakbe903362f6d642bb00ff52df396d8ec8').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef ' + '='; var addybe903362f6d642bb00ff52df396d8ec8 = 'info' + '@'; addybe903362f6d642bb00ff52df396d8ec8 = addybe903362f6d642bb00f f52df396d8ec8 + 'borderland-tours' + '.' + 'c&# 111;m?subject=Tour%20registratio ;n'; var addy_textbe903362f6d642bb00ff52df396d8ec8 = 'send us an email';document.getElementById('cloakbe903362f6d642bb 00ff52df396d8ec8').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbe903362f6d642bb00ff52df396 d8ec8+''; .\nPhoto: Common Pauraque\nPhoto by: Rick Taylor\n (index.php?o ption=com_joomgallery&view=category&catid=5&Itemid=197)\nView P hoto Gallery (index.php?option=com_joomgallery&view=category&catid= 5&Itemid=197) X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Common Pauraque . Photo by Rick Taylor. Copyright <strong>Borderland Tours</strong>. All ri ghts reserved.

With over 40 specialties, South Texas represents t he northernmost stronghold of an essentially tropical bird community. Speci es like Least Grebe, Hook-billed Kite, Plain Chachalaca, Red-billed Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Common Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed Kingf isher, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Lo ng-billed Thrasher, Olive Sparrow, and Altamira Oriole are, within the U.S. , essentially confined to South Texas. This winter’s tour to the Lower Río Grande Valley is designed to survey this amazing array of colorful birdlife . Beginning at the 26th parallel, we explore such famous locations as the S anta Ana Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen State Park, South Padre Island, and the M cAllen parrot roosts, savoring the subtropical avian riches endemic to the mottes of Tamaulipan plant associations still remaining in the delta. Also present, at least sporadically, are such rarities as Short-tailed Hawk, Tro pical Parula, and Crimson-collared Grosbeak. New species for United States have almost become an annual phenomenon. Moving west, we’ll visit the Chape ño area and the small village of Salineño. This is a transition zone leadin g into the Chihuahuan Desert and we expect to find Chihuahuan Raven, Cactus Wren, and Pyrrhuloxia—species emblematic of the arid Southwest. Elusive, b ut also resident along this stretch of the river, are wild Muscovy Duck, Wh ite-collared Seedeater, and the melodic Audubon’s Oriole. Finally, for thos e unable to resist the majesty of an imperial white 5-foot-tall bird with a 7-foot wingspread, once almost lost to humanity, the extension will conclu de with two nights on the Central Coast of Texas. Here we will embark upon a half-day boating excursion to get up close and personal with wintering Wh ooping Crane families, an adult pair and their colt from the previous sprin g. The captain of our boat makes regular, cautious but close viewings of th is endangered species and is a Whooper expert in his own right. Our land-ba sed birding time will be devoted to exploring nearby hotspots like Goose Is land State Park or Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. King Rail, Nelson’s Sp arrow and Le Conte’s Sparrow are among the many Gulf Coast specialties. For sheer spectacle and diversity of birdlife, South Texas has no equal in the United States.

Leader:  John Yer ger

Cost of South Texas: Lower Rio Grand e Valley (Nov. 3-10, 2018) includes guide service, transportation, lodg ing, meals, and entrances beginning and ending in McAllen, Texas—$2395.

Cost of South Texas: Lower Rio Grande Valley with Whooping C rane extension (Nov. 3-12, 2018) includes g uide service, transportation, lodging, meals, and entrances beginning in Mc Allen, Texas and ending in Corpus Christi—$3095.

TO REGISTER: Print out a PDF R egistration Form,< span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, s erif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"> call us at (520) 558-235 1 or This ema il address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Photo: Common P auraque
Photo by: Rick Taylor

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DTSTAMP:20260812T052743 DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix;VALUE=DATE:20181103 DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix;VALUE=DATE:20181111 SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR