Texas: The Upper Coast

The upper Texas coast is well-known for spring migrants... (like this Northern Parula)
The upper Texas coast is well-known for spring migrants... (like this Northern Parula)
...where birds crossing the Gulf drop into coastal woodlands...
...where birds crossing the Gulf drop into coastal woodlands...
Sometimes the birds are bright like a Scarlet Tanager…
Sometimes the birds are bright like a Scarlet Tanager…
…or a Prothonotary Warbler…
…or a Prothonotary Warbler…
...or a Hooded Warbler.
...or a Hooded Warbler.
Other times they are subtle like a Worm-eating Warbler...
Other times they are subtle like a Worm-eating Warbler...
...or a posing Chuck-wills-widow.
...or a posing Chuck-wills-widow.
All are often visible from a trail or boardwalk. (Or, sometimes benches or bleachers!)
All are often visible from a trail or boardwalk. (Or, sometimes benches or bleachers!)
But, there’s more to southeast Texas, like bayou forest…
But, there’s more to southeast Texas, like bayou forest…
...and mountainous plates of Cajun food...
...and mountainous plates of Cajun food...
…and interior woodlands with the likes of snappy Red-headed Woodpeckers…
…and interior woodlands with the likes of snappy Red-headed Woodpeckers…
...or an endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker...
...or an endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker...
...or a low-perched, singing Bachman's Sparrow. (Photo: Allen Codding)
...or a low-perched, singing Bachman's Sparrow. (Photo: Allen Codding)
The coastal wetlands like Anahuac NWR are also happening places...
The coastal wetlands like Anahuac NWR are also happening places...
…holding many specialties like Fulvous Whistling-Ducks…
…holding many specialties like Fulvous Whistling-Ducks…
…and Purple Gallinules striding about…
…and Purple Gallinules striding about…
...or a normally skulky Least Bittern, seen here not skulking...
...or a normally skulky Least Bittern, seen here not skulking...
...and nesting colonies of Snowy Egrets... (Photo: John Hickok)
...and nesting colonies of Snowy Egrets... (Photo: John Hickok)
...and Roseate Spoonbills. (Photo: Allen Codding)
...and Roseate Spoonbills. (Photo: Allen Codding)
The immediate Gulf coast is also on our itinerary.
The immediate Gulf coast is also on our itinerary.
We'll look for gulls, and terns, and shorebirds... (Photo: Allen Codding)
We'll look for gulls, and terns, and shorebirds... (Photo: Allen Codding)
…like endangered Piping Plover…
…like endangered Piping Plover…
…or a colorful feeding phalanx of American Avocets.
…or a colorful feeding phalanx of American Avocets.
The coastal saltmarshes also harbor local residents like the subtle Seaside Sparrow.
The coastal saltmarshes also harbor local residents like the subtle Seaside Sparrow.
And, always, if we're lucky we might happen into a vagrant, like a Whooping Crane...
And, always, if we're lucky we might happen into a vagrant, like a Whooping Crane...
...or a Fork-tailed Flycatcher. (Photo: Allen Codding)
...or a Fork-tailed Flycatcher. (Photo: Allen Codding)
The closer we look, the more we'll see!
The closer we look, the more we'll see!
Photo credit: Allen Codding; John Hickok; Jon Feenstra
2025 Tour Price
$2,990
2025
Single Room Supplement $570
2026
Tour Price to be Determined
Maximum group size seven with one leader.
Tour balances paid by check/bank transfer may carry a 4% discount

There may be no better birdwatching in North America than what one may encounter on the northwestern shores of the Gulf of Mexico in spring.

Between mid-March and mid-May, masses of passerines wing north from their wintering grounds and a significant percentage of them pass through this corridor. Add to this both migrant and resident waterbirds including large numbers of herons and spoonbills, shorebirds of 30 or more species, and a profusion of gulls and terns, and it’s no wonder this area is as famous as it is.

Less predictable is what the weather can do to this migration pipeline. If the weather is fair or the winds blow from the south, the countless thousands of migrant thrushes, vireos, warblers and buntings that reach the coast after completing their lengthy trans-Gulf of Mexico migration move along and disperse among the more suitable forests in the interior. But, if they encounter rain or strong north winds before or as they reach the coast, large numbers may drop into the first isolated clumps of vegetation. Called a “fall out,” this phenomenon constitutes one of the great visible migration spectacles in North America and if it occurs during our stay, we’ll alter plans if necessary to bear witness.

Though the migrants alone would draw birdwatchers to this area, the area is rich in resident bird life, as well: nearby pine woods and cypress swamps are home to some of North America’s most sought-after breeding birds. Texas in April is simply full of birds.

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Maximum group size seven with one leader.

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