TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO Winter 13–28 January 2009 Leader: James P. Smith and Vaughan Ashby

This superb new tour combines some truly magical birding spectacles, including tens of thousands of wintering ducks, geese and cranes and a chance to see all three species of North American rosy-finch, with colourful Rio Grande specialities and winter vagrants including such mouth-watering possibilities as Roadside Hawk, Green-breasted Mango, White-throated Robin, Social Flycatcher, Grey-crowned Yellowthroat, Golden-crowned Warbler, Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Blue Bunting. This innovative tour can also be taken as a single week only in Texas or a single week only in New Mexico, starting and finishing in either Houston or Albuquerque respectively.

Day 1 Scheduled flight from London to Houston followed by a three-hour drive to Victoria for a two-night stay. En route we will see our first common species including Turkey and American Black Vultures, Great-tailed Grackle and Red-winged Blackbird.

Day 2 We’ll leave early for our morning boat cruise through Aransas Bay. Whooping Cranes will be the main target, and we should see more birds than on our spring Texas tour, but we will also see many other species, which should include Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill and possibly White-tailed Hawk. In the afternoon we will explore the Aransas refuge itself, which supports good numbers of ducks, geese, raptors and shorebirds in the winter. Species we hope to see here include Greater White-fronted Goose, Mottled Duck, Lesser Scaup, Blue-winged Teal, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Caracara, American Avocet, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Long-billed Curlew, Long-billed Dowitcher and both Western and Least Sandpipers. Skulkers such as Sedge Wren and Le Conte’s Sparrow may be hiding in the weedy areas and we will diligently search for them.

Days 3–5 We may have time for a little more local birding in the Victoria area before heading south into the Rio Grande Valley. The next four nights will be spent at a single base in Westlaco from which we’ll explore Brownsville dump, Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary, Santa Ana NWR, Anzalduas County Park, the World Birding Centre at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park and the tiny, but often very productive, Frontera Audubon Preserve in Weslaco, which produced Elegant Trogon and Crimson-collared Grosbeak in one afternoon in 2005! Many species can be expected in the valley, and we will especially be looking for Hook-billed Kite, White-tipped Dove, Red-crowned Parrot, Clay-coloured Robin, Tamaulipas Crow, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Green Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Plain Chachalaca, Olive Sparrow, Buff-bellied Hummingbird and Green Kingfisher, together with the range-restricted Black-crested Titmouse. However, the itinerary is designed to be flexible to accommodate the latest hotline bird news. Laguna Atascosa can be very good for geese in the winter, and we will look for Snow, Ross’s and Greater White-fronted Goose, together with the recently split Cackling Goose among the hordes of Canada Geese. Aplomado Falcons can also be found here, as well as at other sites like Boca Chica, and we will search through any small songbird flocks for over wintering warblers such as Black-throated Grey or Tropical Parula. One evening we will try for nocturnal species such as Eastern Screech-owl, Common Pauraque and Ferruginous Pygmy-owl.

Day 6 This morning we’ll leave early and head for Chapeño, where we have opportunities to see Muscovy Duck, Grey Hawk, Red-billed Pigeon, Brown Jay, Altamira and Audubon’s Orioles, Ringed and Green Kingfishers and Verdin. Falcon State Park and the areas around Falcon Dam are worthy of exploration in winter and may give us Cedar Waxwing, Scaled Quail and Black-throated Sparrow, together with large numbers of ducks on the lake itself. Away from the lush banks of the Rio Grande, the surrounding habitat is distinctly more desert-like, and this is reflected in the local avifauna: Greater Roadrunner, Cactus Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, Curve-billed Thrasher, and winter birds such as Sprague’s Pipit and Lark Bunting. Sparrow numbers fluctuate in winter, depending on the year, but Lark, White-crowned, Clay-coloured and Lincoln’s are possible. In the afternoon we will visit a site for White-collared Seedeater and if we have time after this, visit one of several local yards hosting feeders to which birders are, with typical Texan hospitality, always welcome.

Day 7 This morning we will have time to revisit any of the sites we’ve already birded. As we’re on the Rio Grande, surprises such as the Roadside Hawk that wintered in this area in 2005 should always be kept in mind. After lunch, we will begin the drive back east to Victoria keeping an eye open for raptors and other roadside species along the way. Night in Victoria.

Day 8 Today we head back towards Houston (birding en-route) to catch either or flight home or our internal flight to Albuquerque in New Mexico for the second part of the tour. For those starting in Albuquerque, we will meet at the airport. Night in Albuquerque.

Day 9 We begin our birding in this new state in spectacular fashion as we ascend Sandia Crest, a site above 10,000 feet where Black, Brown-capped and Grey-crowned Rosy-finches (two distinct subspecies of the latter) are all possible at feeding stations. Other montane species typical of the Rocky Mountains that we hope to see, are Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray and Steller’s Jays, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee and Pine Grosbeak. In the afternoon, if time allows, we will visit several sites (including the well-known Rio Grande Nature Centre) within the immediate vicinity of Albuquerque, giving us opportunities to see Wood Duck, Juniper Titmouse, Rock Wren, Crissal Thrasher and Townsend’s Solitaire. In the early evening we’ll drive south along the Rio Grande to Socorro for a two-night stay.

Day 10 We’ll need an early start to be out at Bosque del Apache before first light to catch the sheer spectacle of thousands of Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese and the less numerous Ross’s Geese departing from their roosting sites to feeding areas outside the refuge. Much of the day will be spent exploring the roads and birding trails within the refuge, which harbour more waterfowl, including Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead and Common Merganser; raptors, including Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks; and a selection of interesting sparrows, including the chance of Fox and Sage Sparrows. Marsh Wren, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Horned Lark, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, Western Meadowlark, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Northern Flicker, Gambel’s Quail, Greater Roadrunner and American Pipit are also possibilities here.

Day 11 This morning we head west into the Magdalena Mountains for a change of scenery and a fresh selection of birds. Possibilities will include Acorn Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Bushtit, Mountain Bluebird and Townsend’s Solitaire. By late morning we’ll be heading south to explore a couple of large reservoirs: Elephant Butte and Caballo Lake. The former is a great site for wintering gulls, possibly including California Gull, and both sites attract large numbers of water birds. We shall hunt through the rafts of Western Grebes and Common Mergansers looking for Clark’s Grebe, Hooded Merganser and Neotropic Cormorant, with Bald Eagle also possible in the area. The reservoirs also have a reputation for attracting some of the best rarities in the state, such as Yellow-billed Loon, Glaucous, Mew and Thayer’s Gulls, and we should certainly be alert to the possibility of some of these. The surrounding parks and riparian areas support Red-naped Sapsucker, Cactus and Bewick’s Wrens, Pyrrhuloxia, Say’s Phoebe, Phainopepla and masses of White-crowned Sparrows. We will also visit Las Animas Creek, the only drainage east of the continental divide with native Arizona Sycamores, home to Acorn Woodpeckers and Bridled Titmice. Night in Truth or Consequences.

Day 12 We head just a little further south this morning to Percha Dam State Park, a site with a big reputation for attracting rare and unusual species. Stands of original riparian growth still remain and provide a major attraction for birds and birders alike. Typical species include Gambel’s Quail, Phainopepla, Greater Roadrunner, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Verdin, wintering Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and there is a possibility of Great Horned Owl. Crissal Thrashers, normally aloof and mysterious, should be singing at this time of year, making them considerably easier to see. The fields in the immediate area provide more opportunities for geese, cranes and raptors, including a good chance of Prairie Falcon. In the late afternoon we head back to Bosque del Apache for the spectacular evening flights of ducks, Sandhill Cranes and Snow, Canada and Ross's Geese returning to the roosting ponds. Night in Socorro.

Day 13 We drive north towards Santa Fe, birding our way through the lowland foothills and prairie grassland habitats. Species of interest may include Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Merlin, Pinyon Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Sprague’s Pipit, Brewer’s Sparrow, Chestnut-collared Longspur and the lilianae form of Eastern Meadowlark. Night in Santa Fe.

Day 14 Much of the morning will be devoted to exploring the montane regions of the Santa Fe National Forest and the local ski valley. Dusky Grouse (rare), Northern Pygmy-owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker and Pine Grosbeak will be among our target species. Later we may head back to Sandia Crest if bad weather hampered our first attempt to see the rosy-finches earlier in the trip. Otherwise we’ll continue to bird at the lower elevations north of Albuquerque, including the possibility of searching for a few hotline birds. A Yellow Grosbeak wintered in a yard in Albuquerque early in 2006 and that would certainly be a treat not to be missed! Night in Albuquerque.

Day 15 There may be an opportunity for some early morning birding before we head back to the airport to catch our flight back to Houston where we will connect with our international flight back to London, arriving on Day 16.

General Information The climate can vary enormously on this trip, from mild and sunny in low-lying areas along the Rio Grande to much colder (possibly below freezing) in the mountainous regions. An appropriate mix of clothing including waterproof gear and walking boots is therefore recommended. The pace of the tour will generally be relaxed, most walks will be no longer than two or three miles on flat, easy terrain, although some of the walks in the mountainous areas may be on fairly steep gradients. There are no special medical requirements and biting insects are not expected to be a major problem at this time of year, although it may be worth bringing a good insect repellent as a precaution. Visas are not required for EU citizens. Accommodation standards are good with most motel rooms having two beds, TV, en-suite shower and WC. Food is relatively cheap and we will be taking breakfasts, lunches and evening meals together at restaurants chosen at the discretion of the leader. Allow about £20–25 per day for food depending on your requirements.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 9 with 1 leader, 16 with 2 leaders.

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