Previous Trips:
Hawk Extravaganza! Sept. 20-22, 2024
Colorado July 8-15, 2024
SE Arizona Hummingbird Extravaganza 1st trip: May 3-12 2nd trip: May 14-23 3rd trip: Aug 24-Sept 2, 2024
Upper Texas Coast 6 Day Spring Migration April 26 - May 1, 2024
Whooping Cranes, Rio Grande Valley & Hill Country Spectacular March 26- April 2, 2024
New Mexico Bosque del Apache and More - Feb. 12-17, 2024
Minnesota Owls & More - Feb. 5-9, 2024
Birding Granger Lake - Jan 18 & 19, 2024
Lower Rio Grande Valley - Santa Margarita Ranch Nov 14-16, 2023
Rio Grande Valley Nov. 1-6, 2023
Hawk Migration Oct 13-15, 2023 Hazel Bazemore PLUS Annular Solar Eclipse
Texas Pelagic #2 Sept 27-29, 2023 48 hours aboard the MV Fling from Freeport
Texas Pelagic #1 Sept 16, 2023 14 hr Port Aransas, TX
Ohio/Michigan: May 14-20, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/ohio-michigan
High Island: April 28-30, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/upper-texas-coast
Ecuador - Spring 2023 INFO
Whooping Cranes, RGV, Hill Country: March 28-April 4, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/texas-hillwhooprgv
New Mexico: Bosque del Apache & Sandia Crest - Feb 21 - 26, 2023 INFO
6 day Rio Grande Valley: Feb 13-18, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/texas-short-rio-grande
Minnesota - Owls & More - Feb 6 - 10, 2023 INFO
Texas Panhandle Jan 21-23 2023
New Mexico for Rosy-Finches Jan 18-20 2023
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival - Nov 2022 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122252747 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546314 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546301 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546304 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546307 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546310 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546311 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546560
Southeast Arizona - August 6-15, 2022 INFO
Colorado - July 6-13, 2022 INFO
Ohio/Michigan - May 17-23, 2022 INFO
SE Arizona - May 1- 10, 2022 INFO
High Island, TX - April 29 - May 1, 2022 $100/person; limit 8 people (WBS trip)
Rio Grande Valley to Big Bend, TX - April 20-27, 2022 INFO
High Island & Hill Country, TX - April 7-14, 2022 INFO
Whooping Cranes, Rio Grande Valley & TX Hill Country - March 20-27, 2022 INFO
Minnesota - Owls & More - Feb 15-19, 2022 INFO
New Mexico - Dec 4- 9, 2021
South Texas Birding - Nov 3 -8, 2021
Hawaii - Oct 21-29, 2021 Wimberley Birding Society
Bosque del Apache, NM - Feb 27 - Mar 4, 2021 https://www.pibird.com/new-mexico
Merritt Island, FL Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival January 19-27, 2020
Rio Grande Valley Winter Birding Break (post Festival birding) November 12-17, 2019
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival November 6-10, 2019
Louisiana Birding with Yellow Rail From Rice Fields to the Pineywoods October 29 - Nov 2, 2019
Cusco, Peru and the Amazon full month of September 2019
Birding Minnesota & North Dakota - June 9 - 16, 2019
Birding Magee Marsh and Grayling, MI - May 12-18, 2019
High Island, TX w/ Yellow Rail Walk - April 19-24, 2019
Rio Grande Valley - March 3-7, 2019
Rio Grande Valley - Feb 18-23, 2019
Cuba - January 9-19, 2019
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge - Nov 28-30, 2018
a winter home for waterfowl, where thousands of geese settle in for Fall and Winter. Species include the Greater White-fronted, Canada, Snow and Ross' geese. At times as many as 10,000 geese can be seen in one field.
Winter Texas Whooping Cranes and More - Nov 18 -21, 2018
Whooping Cranes, Seaside Sparrow, American oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Common Loon, Roseate Spoonbill, more shorebirds, rails, and wading birds, Aplomado Falcon or other raptors like White-tailed Hawk, rare gulls and seabirds, Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, White-tipped Dove, Olive Sparrow, Long-billed Thrasher, Curve-billed Thrasher, Northern Bobwhite, Audubon’s Oriole, Couch’s Kingbird, and Cinnamon Teal.
25th Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival - Nov. 7-11th
Guiding several tours. Working with Partnership for International Birding. Look us up at our booth or on a variety of walks or boat trips!
Hawk Watch trip - Oct 2018
Same itinerary as below but no Hawk Watch Festival, thus less crowds to deal with!
Oct 12: see above
Oct. 13: see above
Oct. 14: see above
20th Celebration of Flight (aka HawkWatch International Hawk Watch Festival) - Sept 2018
MN Boreal forests & ND Prairie Potholes June 2-9, 2018
Wood Duck, Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Prothonotary Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Cerulean Warbler, Common Terns, loons, ducks, gulls and shorebirds, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Goshawk, Spruce Grouse, Black-billed Cuckoo, Black-backed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Philadelphia Vireo, Boreal Chickadee, Cape May Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler. See pdf to the right for complete itinerary and bird list.
Portal and Southeast Arizona May 23-29, 2018
Key Birds: Mexican Chickadee, Gambel's Quail, Scaled Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rivoli's Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Blue-throated Hummingbird, Lucifer Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, and more.... see file to right. $1450 guide fee, split between participants... Maximum 10
SE Arizona March 31 - April 6, 2018
Hummingbirds Spectacular & More! Birds like the Elegant Trogon, Buff-collared Nightjar, Five-striped Sparrow, Mexican Chickadee, Red-faced Warbler, Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Thick-billed Kingbird are specialties of Arizona. With the Mexican border along our southern edge, the potential for Mexican rarities just adds to the excitement. Find details at http://www.pibird.com/southeast-arizona
Rio Grande Valley Feb 6 -9, 2018
Headed where it's warm! Target birds: Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Clay-colored Thrush, Red-crowned Parrot, Green Parakeet, Ringed Kingfisher, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Altimira Oriole, Hooded Oriole, Common Paraque, Northern Beardless-Tyrannuler, Tropical Parula, White-tipped Dove, Black Phoebe, Olive Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia and good views of the Tamaulipas Crow!
Birding Granger Lake Jan 19-20, 2018
Friendship Park had good views of the lake and we saw Whooping Cranes... our target birds: wintering grassland birds...Sparrows in abundance with Vesper, Savannah, Chipping, Song, Lincoln's, White-Crowned, White-throated, Lark & Field Sparrows. McCown's, Lapland & Chestnut-collared Longspurs along with American & Sprague's Pipits, Mountain Plover and Burrowing Owl.
Rio Grande Valley / Harlingen, Texas
Nov. 6-13, 2017
Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival - Target birds:
NW Ecuador / East Slope Andes
Sept. 29- Oct 22, 2017
Target birds: 40 species of hummingbird often seen including Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Sparkling Violetear, Gorgeted Sunangel, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Booted Racket-tail, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, and Violet-tailed Sylph. Others bird species include Collared Trogon, Choco Trogon, Broadbilled Motmot, White-whiskered Puffbird, Chocó Toucan, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Flamefaced Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Scarlet-and-white Tanager, Guira Tanager, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Chestnutfronted Macaw, Russet Antshrike, Common Potoo, Ash-breasted SierraFinch, Curve-billed Tinamou, Black-chested Eagle, Andean Condor, and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. Most birders add several hundred life birds. The group should see close to 400 bird species.
California Coast (private trip)
Aug 28-Sept 15
Shearwater Journeys Pelagic trip.... birding CA hotspots
Colorado Summer Birding (WBS/ PIB)
August 18-27, 2017
Target birds: White-tailed Ptarmigan, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Mountain Plover, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Prairie Falcon, Boreal Owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Gray Jay, Pinyon Jay, Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Violet-green Swallow, Juniper Titmouse, Pygmy Nuthatch, American Dipper, Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, American Pipit, Green-tailed Towhee, McCown’s Longspur, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Pine Grosbeak, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, and Red Crossbill. Possibility of additional owl sightings, including Western Screech-Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, and Flammulated Owl.
Other Wildlife: Black Bear, Pikas, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats, Elk, Beaver and more
Spring Migration in High Island (PIB trip)
Jun 9-14, 2017 (tentative)
High Island, Sabine Woods, Angelina National Forest, Bolivar Flats, and more.
Many migrating birds, shorebirds, and east Texas specialties.
Ohio, Michigan and Canada (WBS)
May 10-17, 2017
From Detroit, we headed to Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada, followed by Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Oak Harbor, OH. Next we headed to Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area in Pinconning, MI and the next day to Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, MI. Target birds were: Common Loon, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, American Woodcock, Black Tern, Black-billed Cuckoo, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, over 20 species of warblers, including Kirtland’s Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, Evening Grosbeak
Junction, TX (WBS)
May 4-5, 2017
Target birds were: Vermillion Flycatcher, Painted Bunting, Black-capped Vireos, Bell's Vireo, Cassin's Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Black-throated Sparrow, Scott's Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, Pyrrhuloxia, and Wilson's Phalarope.
High Island & Heart of Texas East
April 23-26, 2017
Key target species: same as April 6-8
High Island & Bolivar Penninsula, Texas (WBS trip)
April 6-8, 2017
Key target species: Blue-winged, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Worm-eating, Prothonotary and Kentucky Warblers. Roseate Spoonbill,White- tailed Kite, Clapper Rail, Purple Gallinule, Snowy Plover, Piping Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Red Knot, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff breasted Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope, Whimbrel, Black Skimmer, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Wood Thrush, Nelson's Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Bronzed Cowbird, carlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak, among numerous other migrants.
Attwater's Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Eagle Lake, TX
March 29-30
Successful in seeing leks and male birds demonstrating mating dance.
Costa Rica
Jan 10 - 31, 2017
West along the Lower Rio Grande Valley including Salineno and Falcon State Park with WBS
Nov 29- Dec 1, 2016
Salineno is a little piece of birding heaven, located about a mile south of Falcon Dam and just 150 yards from the Rio Grande River and Mexico. Birders from all over the world come here to sit in the lawn chairs and watch the incredible birds. Volunteers maintain the feeders and Altamira Orioles are usually common here. This trip we explored Salineno, Falcon State Park, and other interesting spots in the area. We birded the area with target birds: White-collared Seedeater, Altamira Oriole, Audubon's Oriole, Green Jays, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and Red-billed Pigeon, and Amazon Kingfisher!
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival:
Nov 2-9, 2016
Spectacular south Texas birding. Rare birds found due to large number of birders visiting the area.
I attended the festival, and was available for private guided trips during that time....favorite bird was an Amazon Kingfisher!
Peru birding adventure: private trip
September 2-10, 2016
Cool Summer Break: Pacific Northwest Birding (PIB trip)
Jun 4-11, 2016
Oregon Coast and Mountains & Washington's Puget Sound
$2,190.00 for 8 days and 7 nights. Price includes lodging, guides and ground transportation. Airfare not included. Single supplement $480.00.
Trip Full. Please request wait list as spots do sometimes become available.
Spring Migration: Texas Hill Country
May 6-7, 2016
Targets: Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo among others
Details soon......
Spring Migration: High Island
April 29- May 2, 2016
High Island, Anahuac NWR, Bolivar Peninsula
A great, fun trip with an amazing birding couple with whom I'm becoming joined at the hip! We did the Rail Walk at Anahuac and were treated to some great views of Virginia, Black and Yellow Rails. Also got Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Yellow, Black-throated Green, Black and White, Blackburnian and Tennessee Warblers, American Bittern, Philadelphia Vireo, Black-billed Cuckoo and Sedge Wren among others. Got 8 lifers for Nan!
Lost Maples State Natural Area - April 21-22, 2016 details soon
Spring Migration: Hill Country, Whooping Cranes & Rio Grande Valley, Texas
April 2-9, 2016
Hill Country, Rockport /Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley
Jesse Huth - Guide
All target birds were seen as well as many others. It was a pleasure to be able to celebrate my 25th birthday with this group....a pleasantly memorable trip! Comments following trip: "Thank you for making this a pleasurable & productive trip. You paced it well & we still ended up with an impressive trip list. Will certainly recommend you to any birding friends looking for a guide..." BG "You have a bright future ahead of you as a birding guide. You're absolutely amazing at spotting & identifying birds. It was a treat to spend the week with you. Thanks so much for introducing me to the birds of Texas." DK "Thanks a million, Jesse! You are the best guide ever! This was a trip I will remember forever!"...ET
Winter Birding: Costa Rica (Partnership for International Birding trip)
January 13th to 25th, 2016
Central Highlands, Valley and Quetzal National Park, Caribbean Lowlands, El Tigre Wetlands, La Selva Biological Reserve, Central Volcanic Mountain Range, Central Pacific Region, Carara National Park, Tarcoles River and Estuary, Punta Leona and Surrounding Sites
Alfredo Scott - Trip Leader and 1st Bird Guide Jesse Huth - 2nd Bird Guide
All target birds were sighted for an approximate total of 250 bird species.... in addition to poison dart frogs, alligators, the sloth and other native animals
Spring Migration in High Island and Surrounding Areas: 25 people..... Full trip
Experience spring migration at its height. The oak laden bird sanctuaries of High Island, Sabine Woods, Anahuac ,etc., are celebrated as premier hotspots on the Gulf Coast. In this area birders can dizzy themselves with well over 100 dazzling species. The birding is so fast-paced that you’ll be occupied with feasting your eyes on a kaleidoscope of colors. Over 2 dozen species of brilliantly clad warblers, a host of vireos, flycatchers and thrushes, and glittering buntings, tanagers, and grosbeaks descend upon the island in astonishing numbers in spring. We will see marsh and shorebirds, kites and hawks. The terrain and trails in these areas are easily walked and, in some areas, we can see exciting birds right from the car.
April 21 to 24, 2015 Guide: Jesse Huth
Tuesday – drive to Winnie (approximately 230 miles), check in at Days Inn (409 296-2866)
Day 1: April 22, Wednesday - Hot breakfast in Days Inn 6:00-9:30 a.m.
7:45AM Carpool to High Island. First stop Boy Scout Woods, with potential for many warblers, vireos, thrushes, orioles, and the ubiquitous Catbirds. After an hour or two here, we will head to Smith Oaks and the rookery to see nesting Roseate Spoonbills, Neotropic Cormorants, Great and Snowy Egrets, migrant songbirds, and more.
We will head to the Bolivar Peninsula at 11:00. First stop will be at Rollover Pass to check for shorebirds, gulls, Black Skimmers, and terns; then a drive down Yacht Basin road for Whimbrels, Long-billed Curlews, and Clapper Rails. A stop at Tuna and Bob road may yield Seaside and Nelson's Sparrow, after which we can look for ducks down Stingaree road and have lunch at the Stingaree restaurant.
After lunch we will head to Bolivar Flats and the 17th street jetty to see all manner of plovers, sandpipers, egrets, herons, gulls, terns, avocets and possible rarities. We may drive to Frenchtown road for the possibility of White-tailed Kites, Magnificent Frigatebirds, American Oystercatchers, and more. We will then return to High Island and bird until happy hour at 5:00 and dinner at a local restaurant at 6:00.
Day 2: Thursday, April 23 After breakfast, 7:30AM, we will carpool to Sabine Woods to look for more migrants. Sabine Woods did not suffer as much damage as High Island in the last few hurricanes, and usually attracts some birds different from High Island. The nearby Sea Rim State Park and McFaddin NWR are also possible places to visit, and may let us see a few more marsh birds. Leave the area by 11:30 to return to Winnie for lunch at Al Ts.
After lunch drive to Anahuac NWR. Stops will be made along the way at a flooded field to look for waterbirds, and a grassy field to look for American Golden plovers and Upland Sandpipers. A driving tour around the refuge usually yields many ducks, Purple Gallinules, Marsh Wrens, Harriers, Dickcissels, ibis, Bobolink, and more. Possible Yellow Rail walk, subject to refuge scheduling. If time permits, return to Boy Scout Woods.
At the end of the day we will return to Winnie for happy hour at the motel and dinner at Machos (Mexican).
Day 3: Friday, April 24th
Pack up, check out of motel, and leave Winnie. Optional birding at Anahuac NWR and White Memorial Park and/or Trinity National Recreation Area at Wallisville.
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge: Limited to 12 people .... Full trip
Friday, March 27, 2015 Guide: Jesse Huth
6:30 a.m. carpool to the Refuge. We took an early morning van tour to get a close look at the lek, or booming ground for the chickens. For males, a lek is their stage. Here, they perform each morning and evening from February through mid-May. Holding their tails erect and wings drooped, they inflate their air sacs, then drop their heads to deflate the sacs with a low sounding "whur-ru-rrr" while stomping their feet extremely fast. Jumps and charges at other males are interspersed throughout this booming activity. We toured these areas of the refuge that are not open to the general public. After the van tour we watched an informative film in the headquarters and had refreshments. Then we explored other areas of the refuge to see grassland birds on the trails of the refuge. We had lunch in Sealy at Tony's family restaurant. In the afternoon we explored the grasslands and marshes outside the refuge on some county roads through farmland. Some species spotted: blue-winged warbler, sedge wrens, Ross's geese, whimbrels, loggerhead shrike, scissor-tailed flycatcher, sparrows, meadowlarks and Northern bobwhite.
Hawk Extravaganza! Sept. 20-22, 2024
Colorado July 8-15, 2024
SE Arizona Hummingbird Extravaganza 1st trip: May 3-12 2nd trip: May 14-23 3rd trip: Aug 24-Sept 2, 2024
Upper Texas Coast 6 Day Spring Migration April 26 - May 1, 2024
Whooping Cranes, Rio Grande Valley & Hill Country Spectacular March 26- April 2, 2024
New Mexico Bosque del Apache and More - Feb. 12-17, 2024
Minnesota Owls & More - Feb. 5-9, 2024
Birding Granger Lake - Jan 18 & 19, 2024
Lower Rio Grande Valley - Santa Margarita Ranch Nov 14-16, 2023
Rio Grande Valley Nov. 1-6, 2023
Hawk Migration Oct 13-15, 2023 Hazel Bazemore PLUS Annular Solar Eclipse
Texas Pelagic #2 Sept 27-29, 2023 48 hours aboard the MV Fling from Freeport
Texas Pelagic #1 Sept 16, 2023 14 hr Port Aransas, TX
Ohio/Michigan: May 14-20, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/ohio-michigan
High Island: April 28-30, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/upper-texas-coast
Ecuador - Spring 2023 INFO
Whooping Cranes, RGV, Hill Country: March 28-April 4, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/texas-hillwhooprgv
New Mexico: Bosque del Apache & Sandia Crest - Feb 21 - 26, 2023 INFO
6 day Rio Grande Valley: Feb 13-18, 2023 https://www.pibird.com/texas-short-rio-grande
Minnesota - Owls & More - Feb 6 - 10, 2023 INFO
Texas Panhandle Jan 21-23 2023
New Mexico for Rosy-Finches Jan 18-20 2023
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival - Nov 2022 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122252747 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546314 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546301 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546304 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546307 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546310 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546311 https://ebird.org/checklist/S122546560
Southeast Arizona - August 6-15, 2022 INFO
Colorado - July 6-13, 2022 INFO
Ohio/Michigan - May 17-23, 2022 INFO
SE Arizona - May 1- 10, 2022 INFO
High Island, TX - April 29 - May 1, 2022 $100/person; limit 8 people (WBS trip)
Rio Grande Valley to Big Bend, TX - April 20-27, 2022 INFO
High Island & Hill Country, TX - April 7-14, 2022 INFO
Whooping Cranes, Rio Grande Valley & TX Hill Country - March 20-27, 2022 INFO
Minnesota - Owls & More - Feb 15-19, 2022 INFO
New Mexico - Dec 4- 9, 2021
South Texas Birding - Nov 3 -8, 2021
Hawaii - Oct 21-29, 2021 Wimberley Birding Society
Bosque del Apache, NM - Feb 27 - Mar 4, 2021 https://www.pibird.com/new-mexico
Merritt Island, FL Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival January 19-27, 2020
Rio Grande Valley Winter Birding Break (post Festival birding) November 12-17, 2019
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival November 6-10, 2019
Louisiana Birding with Yellow Rail From Rice Fields to the Pineywoods October 29 - Nov 2, 2019
Cusco, Peru and the Amazon full month of September 2019
Birding Minnesota & North Dakota - June 9 - 16, 2019
Birding Magee Marsh and Grayling, MI - May 12-18, 2019
High Island, TX w/ Yellow Rail Walk - April 19-24, 2019
Rio Grande Valley - March 3-7, 2019
Rio Grande Valley - Feb 18-23, 2019
Cuba - January 9-19, 2019
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge - Nov 28-30, 2018
a winter home for waterfowl, where thousands of geese settle in for Fall and Winter. Species include the Greater White-fronted, Canada, Snow and Ross' geese. At times as many as 10,000 geese can be seen in one field.
Winter Texas Whooping Cranes and More - Nov 18 -21, 2018
Whooping Cranes, Seaside Sparrow, American oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Common Loon, Roseate Spoonbill, more shorebirds, rails, and wading birds, Aplomado Falcon or other raptors like White-tailed Hawk, rare gulls and seabirds, Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, White-tipped Dove, Olive Sparrow, Long-billed Thrasher, Curve-billed Thrasher, Northern Bobwhite, Audubon’s Oriole, Couch’s Kingbird, and Cinnamon Teal.
25th Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival - Nov. 7-11th
Guiding several tours. Working with Partnership for International Birding. Look us up at our booth or on a variety of walks or boat trips!
Hawk Watch trip - Oct 2018
Same itinerary as below but no Hawk Watch Festival, thus less crowds to deal with!
Oct 12: see above
Oct. 13: see above
Oct. 14: see above
20th Celebration of Flight (aka HawkWatch International Hawk Watch Festival) - Sept 2018
MN Boreal forests & ND Prairie Potholes June 2-9, 2018
Wood Duck, Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Prothonotary Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Cerulean Warbler, Common Terns, loons, ducks, gulls and shorebirds, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Goshawk, Spruce Grouse, Black-billed Cuckoo, Black-backed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Philadelphia Vireo, Boreal Chickadee, Cape May Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler. See pdf to the right for complete itinerary and bird list.
Portal and Southeast Arizona May 23-29, 2018
Key Birds: Mexican Chickadee, Gambel's Quail, Scaled Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rivoli's Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Blue-throated Hummingbird, Lucifer Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, and more.... see file to right. $1450 guide fee, split between participants... Maximum 10
SE Arizona March 31 - April 6, 2018
Hummingbirds Spectacular & More! Birds like the Elegant Trogon, Buff-collared Nightjar, Five-striped Sparrow, Mexican Chickadee, Red-faced Warbler, Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Thick-billed Kingbird are specialties of Arizona. With the Mexican border along our southern edge, the potential for Mexican rarities just adds to the excitement. Find details at http://www.pibird.com/southeast-arizona
Rio Grande Valley Feb 6 -9, 2018
Headed where it's warm! Target birds: Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Clay-colored Thrush, Red-crowned Parrot, Green Parakeet, Ringed Kingfisher, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Altimira Oriole, Hooded Oriole, Common Paraque, Northern Beardless-Tyrannuler, Tropical Parula, White-tipped Dove, Black Phoebe, Olive Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia and good views of the Tamaulipas Crow!
Birding Granger Lake Jan 19-20, 2018
Friendship Park had good views of the lake and we saw Whooping Cranes... our target birds: wintering grassland birds...Sparrows in abundance with Vesper, Savannah, Chipping, Song, Lincoln's, White-Crowned, White-throated, Lark & Field Sparrows. McCown's, Lapland & Chestnut-collared Longspurs along with American & Sprague's Pipits, Mountain Plover and Burrowing Owl.
Rio Grande Valley / Harlingen, Texas
Nov. 6-13, 2017
Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival - Target birds:
NW Ecuador / East Slope Andes
Sept. 29- Oct 22, 2017
Target birds: 40 species of hummingbird often seen including Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Sparkling Violetear, Gorgeted Sunangel, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Booted Racket-tail, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, and Violet-tailed Sylph. Others bird species include Collared Trogon, Choco Trogon, Broadbilled Motmot, White-whiskered Puffbird, Chocó Toucan, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Flamefaced Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Scarlet-and-white Tanager, Guira Tanager, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Chestnutfronted Macaw, Russet Antshrike, Common Potoo, Ash-breasted SierraFinch, Curve-billed Tinamou, Black-chested Eagle, Andean Condor, and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. Most birders add several hundred life birds. The group should see close to 400 bird species.
California Coast (private trip)
Aug 28-Sept 15
Shearwater Journeys Pelagic trip.... birding CA hotspots
Colorado Summer Birding (WBS/ PIB)
August 18-27, 2017
Target birds: White-tailed Ptarmigan, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Mountain Plover, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Prairie Falcon, Boreal Owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Gray Jay, Pinyon Jay, Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Violet-green Swallow, Juniper Titmouse, Pygmy Nuthatch, American Dipper, Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, American Pipit, Green-tailed Towhee, McCown’s Longspur, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Pine Grosbeak, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, and Red Crossbill. Possibility of additional owl sightings, including Western Screech-Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, and Flammulated Owl.
Other Wildlife: Black Bear, Pikas, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats, Elk, Beaver and more
Spring Migration in High Island (PIB trip)
Jun 9-14, 2017 (tentative)
High Island, Sabine Woods, Angelina National Forest, Bolivar Flats, and more.
Many migrating birds, shorebirds, and east Texas specialties.
Ohio, Michigan and Canada (WBS)
May 10-17, 2017
From Detroit, we headed to Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada, followed by Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Oak Harbor, OH. Next we headed to Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area in Pinconning, MI and the next day to Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, MI. Target birds were: Common Loon, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, American Woodcock, Black Tern, Black-billed Cuckoo, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, over 20 species of warblers, including Kirtland’s Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, Evening Grosbeak
Junction, TX (WBS)
May 4-5, 2017
Target birds were: Vermillion Flycatcher, Painted Bunting, Black-capped Vireos, Bell's Vireo, Cassin's Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Black-throated Sparrow, Scott's Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, Pyrrhuloxia, and Wilson's Phalarope.
High Island & Heart of Texas East
April 23-26, 2017
Key target species: same as April 6-8
High Island & Bolivar Penninsula, Texas (WBS trip)
April 6-8, 2017
Key target species: Blue-winged, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Worm-eating, Prothonotary and Kentucky Warblers. Roseate Spoonbill,White- tailed Kite, Clapper Rail, Purple Gallinule, Snowy Plover, Piping Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Red Knot, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff breasted Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope, Whimbrel, Black Skimmer, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Wood Thrush, Nelson's Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Bronzed Cowbird, carlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak, among numerous other migrants.
Attwater's Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Eagle Lake, TX
March 29-30
Successful in seeing leks and male birds demonstrating mating dance.
Costa Rica
Jan 10 - 31, 2017
West along the Lower Rio Grande Valley including Salineno and Falcon State Park with WBS
Nov 29- Dec 1, 2016
Salineno is a little piece of birding heaven, located about a mile south of Falcon Dam and just 150 yards from the Rio Grande River and Mexico. Birders from all over the world come here to sit in the lawn chairs and watch the incredible birds. Volunteers maintain the feeders and Altamira Orioles are usually common here. This trip we explored Salineno, Falcon State Park, and other interesting spots in the area. We birded the area with target birds: White-collared Seedeater, Altamira Oriole, Audubon's Oriole, Green Jays, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and Red-billed Pigeon, and Amazon Kingfisher!
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival:
Nov 2-9, 2016
Spectacular south Texas birding. Rare birds found due to large number of birders visiting the area.
I attended the festival, and was available for private guided trips during that time....favorite bird was an Amazon Kingfisher!
Peru birding adventure: private trip
September 2-10, 2016
Cool Summer Break: Pacific Northwest Birding (PIB trip)
Jun 4-11, 2016
Oregon Coast and Mountains & Washington's Puget Sound
$2,190.00 for 8 days and 7 nights. Price includes lodging, guides and ground transportation. Airfare not included. Single supplement $480.00.
Trip Full. Please request wait list as spots do sometimes become available.
Spring Migration: Texas Hill Country
May 6-7, 2016
Targets: Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo among others
Details soon......
Spring Migration: High Island
April 29- May 2, 2016
High Island, Anahuac NWR, Bolivar Peninsula
A great, fun trip with an amazing birding couple with whom I'm becoming joined at the hip! We did the Rail Walk at Anahuac and were treated to some great views of Virginia, Black and Yellow Rails. Also got Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Yellow, Black-throated Green, Black and White, Blackburnian and Tennessee Warblers, American Bittern, Philadelphia Vireo, Black-billed Cuckoo and Sedge Wren among others. Got 8 lifers for Nan!
Lost Maples State Natural Area - April 21-22, 2016 details soon
Spring Migration: Hill Country, Whooping Cranes & Rio Grande Valley, Texas
April 2-9, 2016
Hill Country, Rockport /Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley
Jesse Huth - Guide
All target birds were seen as well as many others. It was a pleasure to be able to celebrate my 25th birthday with this group....a pleasantly memorable trip! Comments following trip: "Thank you for making this a pleasurable & productive trip. You paced it well & we still ended up with an impressive trip list. Will certainly recommend you to any birding friends looking for a guide..." BG "You have a bright future ahead of you as a birding guide. You're absolutely amazing at spotting & identifying birds. It was a treat to spend the week with you. Thanks so much for introducing me to the birds of Texas." DK "Thanks a million, Jesse! You are the best guide ever! This was a trip I will remember forever!"...ET
Winter Birding: Costa Rica (Partnership for International Birding trip)
January 13th to 25th, 2016
Central Highlands, Valley and Quetzal National Park, Caribbean Lowlands, El Tigre Wetlands, La Selva Biological Reserve, Central Volcanic Mountain Range, Central Pacific Region, Carara National Park, Tarcoles River and Estuary, Punta Leona and Surrounding Sites
Alfredo Scott - Trip Leader and 1st Bird Guide Jesse Huth - 2nd Bird Guide
All target birds were sighted for an approximate total of 250 bird species.... in addition to poison dart frogs, alligators, the sloth and other native animals
Spring Migration in High Island and Surrounding Areas: 25 people..... Full trip
Experience spring migration at its height. The oak laden bird sanctuaries of High Island, Sabine Woods, Anahuac ,etc., are celebrated as premier hotspots on the Gulf Coast. In this area birders can dizzy themselves with well over 100 dazzling species. The birding is so fast-paced that you’ll be occupied with feasting your eyes on a kaleidoscope of colors. Over 2 dozen species of brilliantly clad warblers, a host of vireos, flycatchers and thrushes, and glittering buntings, tanagers, and grosbeaks descend upon the island in astonishing numbers in spring. We will see marsh and shorebirds, kites and hawks. The terrain and trails in these areas are easily walked and, in some areas, we can see exciting birds right from the car.
April 21 to 24, 2015 Guide: Jesse Huth
Tuesday – drive to Winnie (approximately 230 miles), check in at Days Inn (409 296-2866)
Day 1: April 22, Wednesday - Hot breakfast in Days Inn 6:00-9:30 a.m.
7:45AM Carpool to High Island. First stop Boy Scout Woods, with potential for many warblers, vireos, thrushes, orioles, and the ubiquitous Catbirds. After an hour or two here, we will head to Smith Oaks and the rookery to see nesting Roseate Spoonbills, Neotropic Cormorants, Great and Snowy Egrets, migrant songbirds, and more.
We will head to the Bolivar Peninsula at 11:00. First stop will be at Rollover Pass to check for shorebirds, gulls, Black Skimmers, and terns; then a drive down Yacht Basin road for Whimbrels, Long-billed Curlews, and Clapper Rails. A stop at Tuna and Bob road may yield Seaside and Nelson's Sparrow, after which we can look for ducks down Stingaree road and have lunch at the Stingaree restaurant.
After lunch we will head to Bolivar Flats and the 17th street jetty to see all manner of plovers, sandpipers, egrets, herons, gulls, terns, avocets and possible rarities. We may drive to Frenchtown road for the possibility of White-tailed Kites, Magnificent Frigatebirds, American Oystercatchers, and more. We will then return to High Island and bird until happy hour at 5:00 and dinner at a local restaurant at 6:00.
Day 2: Thursday, April 23 After breakfast, 7:30AM, we will carpool to Sabine Woods to look for more migrants. Sabine Woods did not suffer as much damage as High Island in the last few hurricanes, and usually attracts some birds different from High Island. The nearby Sea Rim State Park and McFaddin NWR are also possible places to visit, and may let us see a few more marsh birds. Leave the area by 11:30 to return to Winnie for lunch at Al Ts.
After lunch drive to Anahuac NWR. Stops will be made along the way at a flooded field to look for waterbirds, and a grassy field to look for American Golden plovers and Upland Sandpipers. A driving tour around the refuge usually yields many ducks, Purple Gallinules, Marsh Wrens, Harriers, Dickcissels, ibis, Bobolink, and more. Possible Yellow Rail walk, subject to refuge scheduling. If time permits, return to Boy Scout Woods.
At the end of the day we will return to Winnie for happy hour at the motel and dinner at Machos (Mexican).
Day 3: Friday, April 24th
Pack up, check out of motel, and leave Winnie. Optional birding at Anahuac NWR and White Memorial Park and/or Trinity National Recreation Area at Wallisville.
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge: Limited to 12 people .... Full trip
Friday, March 27, 2015 Guide: Jesse Huth
6:30 a.m. carpool to the Refuge. We took an early morning van tour to get a close look at the lek, or booming ground for the chickens. For males, a lek is their stage. Here, they perform each morning and evening from February through mid-May. Holding their tails erect and wings drooped, they inflate their air sacs, then drop their heads to deflate the sacs with a low sounding "whur-ru-rrr" while stomping their feet extremely fast. Jumps and charges at other males are interspersed throughout this booming activity. We toured these areas of the refuge that are not open to the general public. After the van tour we watched an informative film in the headquarters and had refreshments. Then we explored other areas of the refuge to see grassland birds on the trails of the refuge. We had lunch in Sealy at Tony's family restaurant. In the afternoon we explored the grasslands and marshes outside the refuge on some county roads through farmland. Some species spotted: blue-winged warbler, sedge wrens, Ross's geese, whimbrels, loggerhead shrike, scissor-tailed flycatcher, sparrows, meadowlarks and Northern bobwhite.
