Upland Sandpiper Chuck-will’s Widow
Why bird east Texas in the spring ? One reason is High Island and its warbler migrant fallout is so much different than birding west Texas. High Island will be a focus as will be Houston area hot spots, Galveston Bay and the Upper Texas Coast, Big thicket National Preserve and Bolivar Flats. Up to 17 species of warblers can be seen on this field trip. Other possibilities will be Crested Caracara, Chuck-will-widow, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Great Crested Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Thrasher, Scarlet Tanager, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Piping Plover and Black-skimmers, plus many species of waders, terns and gulls. While birding the rice ponds we counted 450 Pectoral Sandpipers!
Contact Rich Cimino for registration and form. Cell:925-353-0266 or yellowbilledtours@gmail.com
YBT – Texas 2019 trip species list
I went on the Texas birding trip in April 2022. The birding happens mostly in the Houston/Galveston area. I would highly recommend this trip to anybody that has not experienced the warbler migration. It can be difficult to predict when the migrating birds will “touch down” and mass in the parks in the area. We had to wait several days before this event occurred but it was spectacular when it did happen. Richard has all the qualities that you want in a guide. He was patient, knowledgeable, and very familiar with the local birding areas. The birding locations varied from small woodlands to seashore parks. The walking and hiking were generally less than 3 miles per day. I had a great time and would recommend to any birder or non-birder. Thanks, Eric, Dublin, Ca.
Birding Southeastern Texas 2024:
Plan to arrive on Sunday April 14, 2024. The Texas field trip starts on Monday APRIL 15, 2024.
On Sunday April 14th, I’ll meet you in Houston, at George Bush International Airport to shuttle you to our hotel in Galveston. Do not use Hobby Airport (the Southwest hub) or Dallas Airport (The American Airlines Hub) as a connection.
Day 1 Monday April 15th in the morning we’ll bird the Galveston Bay area, bay side, city parks and Houston Audubon Properties. Our lodging is in Galveston.
Day 2 – Tuesday April 16, and Day 3 – Wednesday April 17 we use the ferry to cross into Bolivar Peninsula. We’ll bird The Bolivar Peninsula for shore birds, waders, gulls, turnstones, Piping Plovers and terns. We move along the coast the Sabine Pass and High Island hot spots watching for migrant Buntings, Warblers, Flycatchers, Vireos, Tanagers, Sparrows and water birds. Key bird is Chuck’s-will-widow. We bird this area for two days to maximize our birding opportunity (by less driving) to add species to our life list and Texas list. Our Lodging will in Winnie Area.
Day 4 Thursday April 18 – We’ll move along to bird The Big Thicket NWR which has a number of small preserves which we’ll bird and Tyrrell Park – Cattail Marsh – Rice ponds outside of Winnie & Beaumont Area. Seeking migrating shore birds. Later in the day we’ll drive to Houston for the evening positioning us for an early start to bird Jones State Park, Martin Dies Jr. State Pk. and key hot spots seeking the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Pine Warbler. Our lodging will be in Houston area.
Day 5 – Friday April 19th We will bird Jones State Park and its environs’, small city parks, then on to George Bush International Airport for our return flights home. Try to schedule a late afternoon or early evening flight if possible.
Field trip cost is $2750.00 – which includes your lodging, breakfast, ground transportation, fuel, entrance fees, guiding fees. Not included is your airfare, Sunday hotel (April14th stay), lunch and dinners.
Deposit is $1750.00. The balance of $1000.00 on March 17th, 2024.
Cancelation Policy: A $650 admin fee will be taken against your deposit if you cancel up to Feb. 25, 2024. If you cancel after March 17, 2024, there will no refund your payment unless a replacement is found.
Contact Rich Cimino at Yellowbilledtours@gmail.com or 925-353-0266 for registration form.
Send your deposit to:
Rich Cimino c/o Yellowbilled Tours
60 Elizabeth Circle
Larkspur, Cal. 94904
Cell: 925-353-0266
April 19, 2022, Thanks Richard. I haven’t had time to read through the field reports. I did enjoy the trip very much & appreciated your guiding skills. We observed 14 of the 16 expected warblers for the time period per the Houston Audubon migration warbler arrival matrix. Rebecca Ann Harbor, Mi
April 20, 2022 Absolutely a great trip! Still flying high from it! Hugs, Sally Sacramento, Ca.
Birder Testimonial 2019: “Birding Southeast Texas” in April 2019 was my third birding trip with Yellowbilled Tours, and just like the Nome, Alaska and Provence, France trips, was a wonderful experience with the opportunity to see several life birds. Rich and Janet are the best sort of guides – knowledgeable, experienced, knew where to find the birds, booked all the hotels, did all the driving, were sensitive to the interests of the members of the tour group, and took care of a myriad of other details so the birders could focus on enjoying the birds and their habitats. The pace was just right and we visited notable birding sites such as Sabine Woods, Bolivar Flats, and High Island. I was delighted to see birds I’d seen only in photos – among them were red-headed woodpecker, anhinga’s, scissor-tailed flycatchers, many new-to-me warblers 15 total wood warblers observed, wood storks, chuck-will’s-widow, and my dream bird the whooping crane. The moment we drove up to the green field, focused our binoculars, and saw the red crown on those big white birds was magical.
I had no idea the Texas coast had such a variety of birds during spring migration. Thanks, Rich and Janet, for another memorable birding experience. – Jane H., Vallejo, CA
