Texas Rio Grande Valley
November 9-16, 2025
THIS TOUR IS FULL
Contact us today if you want to be added to the waiting list or if you are interested in a different tour!
Birding Tour in Texas
The Texas Rio Grande Valley is a legendary location for birders. For many bird species, this is the only place they are found in North America, and the opportunity to discover rarities from south of the border makes for exciting birding!
Our tour will begin in Laredo and conclude in Corpus Christi. We’ll explore the Santa Margarita Ranch, situated right on the Rio Grande. As we make our way south and then east, we’ll visit hotspots like Falcon State Park, Salineno, Bentsen Rio Grande Valley SP, Estero Llano Grande SP, Santa Ana NWR, Resaca de la Palma SP and more.
We’ll conclude with a full-day tour of the King Ranch where we should have great views of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls. And finally a private boat tour into the Aransas NWR, the wintering grounds for Whooping Cranes!
Texas Rio Grande Valley Tour
Dates: November 9-16, 2025 (eight days, seven nights)
Location: The tour begins in Laredo and concludes in Corpus Christi.
Cost: The total per person is $3,450 double occupancy. If you would like a private room, the single supplement is $500.
An $800 nonrefundable deposit will be charged to reserve your spot with the balance due on August 1, 2025.
Guide: Peter Burke
Highlights:
Santa Margarita Ranch - This is a private, working ranch right on the Rio Grande where Brown Jay, Rose-throated Becard, Hook-billed Kite, Red-billed Pigeon, Morelet's Seedeater, Audubon's Oriole are all possible.
King Ranch - The largest ranch in the U.S. at more than 875,000 acres is bigger than Rhode Island! We will have a full day in the Norias Section with a staff naturalist. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls nest on the ranch plus a ton of other Texas specialties.
Aransas NWR - We will have a private half-day boat tour of the reserve where Whooping Cranes winter accompanied by Captain Kevin who knows the birds and other wildlife.
Rocky Mountain Birding tours are small and fill quickly!
Book today! Please click on the button below and complete the simple form based on your birding interests. We will be in touch to walk you through your birding or wildlife adventure of your choosing!
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INCLUDED:
Guided birding for 8 days.
Lodging for 7 nights.
Transportation including airportpickups and drop-offs.
All meals from dinner on Nov. 9 to breakfast on Nov. 16.
Half day private tour on the Santa Margarita Ranch.
Full day private tour of the Norias Section of the King Ranch.
Half day private boat tour of the Aransas NWR.
Optics – I will have a Kowa 99mm scope available throughout the tour.
Entrance fees to all state parks.
NOT INCLUDED:
Flights to Laredo Int’ll Airport (LRD) and from Corpus Christi Int’ll Airport (CRP).
Lodging before or after the tour dates: Nov. 9-16.
Personal items such as alcohol with meals, laundry, etc.
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Sunday, Nov. 9 – Arrivals – night in Laredo.
After checking into our lodging for the night, we’ll have an early dinner.
Monday, Mon. 10 – Max A Mandel GC – night outside Rio Grande City.
We’ll visit the municipal golf course first thing in the morning, where both Red-tipped Pigeon and Morelet’s Seedeater are possible, then have a late breakfast before making our way south toward Rio Grande City. If we miss the seedeater, we can stop at Bravo Park in Zapata where they are often reported, otherwise a stop at Falcon Dam State Park will give us the chance to stretch our legs.
In the afternoon we’ll arrive at our lodging for the next two nights. It’s a fun spot, off the beaten path! The Rancho Lomitas Native Plant Nursery has a few casitas for rent, and they have active feeders on the property where Scaled Quail are often seen. There is often a Roadrunner around and other birds that prefer arid scrub.
Tuesday, Nov. 11 – Santa Margarita Ranch – night outside Rio Grande City.
Another early morning will find us at the amazing Santa Margarita Ranch. This will be a half-day tour with targets like Brown Jay, Hook-billed Kite, Rose-throated Becard, Audubon’s and Altamira Orioles. Anything can show up on the ranch, which is right on the Rio Grande. Last year a Bear-throated Tiger-Heron was present for several weeks!
After lunch we can have some downtime at the casitas, or if you prefer, we can head out for some local birding.
Wednesday, Nov. 12 – Estero Llano Rio Grande SP – night at the Hampton Inn Brownsville.
This fantastic state park just north of the Rio Grande has a bird list of nearly 350 species. We’ll start by looking for roosting Common Pauraque. The pond has Clapper Rails and Sora, plus a selection of ducks including both species of whistling-duck. Olive Sparrow, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Altamira Oriole, Clay-colored Thrush and many more are here. We’ll try to get a look at the local “McCall’s” subspecies of Easter Screech-Owl.
After lunch, we may visit Santa Ana NWR, Resaca de la Palma, or another destination in the Brownsville area, depending on what is being seen.
Thursday, Nov. 13 – RGV Birding – night at the Hampton Inn Brownsville.
We’ll keep this day open so we can decide where to go depending on what we’ve seen and what’s around. There are many terrific birding hotspots in and around Brownsville!
Friday, Nov. 14 – King Ranch – night at Hampton Inn Rockport.
We’ll spend the whole day birding the famous King Ranch! This is the most reliable place in the U.S to see Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, but there are many more possibilities including White-tailed Hawk, Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Tropical Parula, Harris’s Hawk, Audubon’s Oriole and more.
Saturday, Nov. 15 – Aransas NWR and farewell dinner – night at Hampton Inn Rockport.
This morning we’ll start the day with a guided boat trip through the Aransas NWR where the Whooping Cranes winter. We’ll likely see other waders, shorebirds, gulls and terns.
After lunch, we’ll visit the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center that can be fantastic for waterfowl, shorebirds, waders, terns and gulls. American Flamingo is possible, and 15+ species of warblers are possible in November! On the way, we can drive by the Mustang Island SP to look for Aplomado Falcon.
Sunday, Nov. 16 -- Departures. Book afternoon flights home, if possible, to give us time for local birding.
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