USA & Mexico

South Texas is a birder’s paradise at any time of the year. Green Jays, Altamira Orioles and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds are among the wide array of colorful tropical species that are resident. In addition to these, a winter visit adds an incredible array of waterfowl, shorebirds, an increased probability of Mexican vagrants, and the spectacular Whooping Crane! Our Texas: Whooping Cranes & the Lower Rio Grande Valley tour visits a variety of habitats ranging from Chihuahan Desert scrub to sub­tropical woodlands, vast wetlands, beaches and even open ocean. Other targets include Roseate Spoonbill, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Tropical Parula, White-tailed Hawk, Red-crowned Parrot, Plain Chachalaca, Long-billed Thrasher and Olive Sparrow. Though Colorado is generally known as the Centennial or Colombine State, birders know it as “The Chicken State”! Our Colorado - The Prairie Chicken Tourtakes us through topography ranging from the expansive grasslands of southeast Colorado, up onto the high plains and into the deep forests and alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains in search of the state’s wildfowl. expected highlights include Greater and Lesser Prairie Chicken, Greater and Gunnison’s Sage-Grouse, Sharp-tailed and Dusky Grouse, Mountain Plover, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Rough-legged Hawk, Pinyon Jay and McCown’s Longspur, among many others!

In Mexico, our Yucatan Extension is offered in conjunction with our Cuba tours. During this week-long exploration we expect to notch up an impressive 250 bird species, including 14 endemics and another 8 near-endemics. Habitats we cover include the scrub and forest of Tulum, coastal estuaries and mangroves of Rio Lagartos, the endemic-rich island of Cozumel and the deep forests that envelope the Coba ruins. Some of our targets include the remarkable Ocellated Turkey, Yucatan Bobwhite, Yucatan Amazon, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Woodpecker, Orange Oriole, Yucatan Jay, Yucatan Wren, Black Catbird, Mexican Sheartail, Cozumel Emerald and Rose-throated Tanager. Aside from brilliant birds, our exploration also includes delicious food, fascinating Mayan architecture and beautiful, white sand beaches, all of which combine to create a very relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable birding experience.