Rockport, Rio Grande Valley and Hill Country, Texas Venture:

March 27- April 5, 2004

Some Ventures stick in my memory for many reasons and this trip was one of those. The weather was good (for the most part), the camaraderie and group dynamics went very well, (although a little exhausting at times!) and the birding was terrific. Highlights were many, from the great views of Whooping Cranes in Rockport to singing White-collared Seedeaters in San Ygnacio, most birds were obvious and easy to see. There were still a few wintering ducks around, but unlike our last visit, many had already started to move north. They had been replaced by hundreds of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks that seemed to be on every small pond and lake throughout southern Texas. We also timed it perfectly for some excellent spring hawk migration and on most days while in the Lower Valley we could look up to see thermals of Broad-winged and Swainson's Hawks and Turkey Vultures - all streaming north. Because of the abundant spring rains, many ponds were full of water and Least Grebes were very common. Also both Ringed and Green Kingfishers were on most of the rivers. This winter was also good for Groove-billed Anis, which we had missed on several of our previous trips to the Valley and especially obvious was the group of 4 at Sabal Palm - one of the Valley's most attractive reserves. Bad weather hindered our visit to the Hill Country west of San Antonio, but we did manage to get outstanding views of several Golden-cheeked Warblers, one pair barely 100 meters from the visitor center. We finished the trip with a birdlist of just over 230 species - most of which were seen very well, always a challenge. This was certainly a great trip!