RGVBF Pre-festival Trip
Starr County Showcase!
Nov 3-5, 2024
This trip will spend 3 days & 2 nights birding the upriver portions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, primarily in scenic Starr County. This “upper” portion of the LRGV is not only more rural than areas closer to the coast but also adds has an arid desert component for unmatched habitat contrast and species diversity. We’ll split time our time between subtropical woodlands in remote stretches of the Rio Grande along with the polar opposite dry desert scrub of the uplands, highlighted by one of the best private properties for birding in the entire country recently – Santa Margarita Ranch.
Cost
$600 per person for double occupancy rooms
$800 Single Occupancy
$200 added supplement for single occupancy*
*Four total rooms are available. Three rooms have a queen bed and a quality pull-out full sofa bed; one room has a queen bed and a twin bed in separate bedrooms along with a pull-out sofa. If you choose double occupancy and are registering with a family member or friend, please let us know in registration to pair you together. If you choose double occupancy and do not have a roommate, we will attempt to pair you with another participant. If a roommate cannot be found, you will be charged the $200 supplement for single occupancy.
We may also be able to work with groups of 3. Please direct any questions regarding pricing by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
Target species
In the riverside woodlands along the Rio Grande we’ll be targeting Brown Jay, Morelet’s Seedeater, Red-billed Pigeon, Muscovy Duck, Audubon’s Oriole, Zone-tailed Hawk, Gray Hawk, and several other possible rarities along with our typical valley specialties. In the desert scrub, we’ll be watching for Scaled Quail, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Black-throated Sparrow, and Pyrrhuloxia among many others.
Lodging
The cost of lodging is included in your ticket for this trip. We will spend the nights of November 3 and 4 at the beautiful “Las Casitas at Rancho Lomitas” with ranch hosts and valley legends Benito and Toni Trevino. Benito and Toni are extremely knowledgeable about local flora and fauna and have a special appreciation for this landscape that they will be able to share with us. The casitas have fully furnished rooms and communal space including a kitchen. You can learn more by hitting the button right below.
Meals
All main meals and some snacks are included in your ticket for this trip. Breakfasts will include pre-bought pastries, yogurt, and fruit. Lunch will be quick stops for fast-food-style tacos and burgers, and our two dinners will be at local Tex-Mex restaurants with various meal options.
Meals per day include
Sunday: lunch, dinner (make sure to eat breakfast before you meet us for the morning)
Monday: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Tuesday: breakfast, lunch
Full Itinerary
Sunday, November 3
Meet your expert guide at the Harlingen Convention Center - RGVBF headquarters – at 8am. From there we’ll begin our drive west while stopping to bird along the way at the La Puerta tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. After dropping our bags off in our rooms at Rancho Lomitas, we’ll grab a quick lunch and continue heading west to bird on the Rio Grande at Chapeño and also Falcon State Park and Falcon County Park. We’ll return to Rio Grande City for dinner at Casa de Adobo.
Monday, November 4
We will leave early to spend all morning at the famous Santa Margarita Ranch – possibly the #1 birding location in all of Texas over the last couple years! Here we’ll spend a couple hours on the “bluffs” overlooking the Rio Grande watching for waterbirds, kingfishers, pigeons, hawks, and more before making our way below into the riverside woodlands in search of Brown Jays, orioles, and numerous other valley specialties. Note – the hike at Santa Margarita does have a couple short but steep hills and in total we will likely walk 3+ miles. This pre-festival trip is therefore not designed for those with severe mobility issues, though it is absolutely worth it for those that are physically able. We’ll leave Santa Margarita in the early afternoon and grab a quick lunch on the way back to Rancho Lomitas. We’ll rest our legs for a bit and do some birding on the ranch, including a plant and bird wagon ride tour with Benito, as well as try to get closeups of some local desert species like Scaled Quail at their well-stocked feeders. We will head back to Rio Grande City for dinner at Ranch Café.
Tuesday, November 5
This morning we will pack up our bags and head over to Salineño, a must-stop for any visit to the LRGV! Salineño is just upriver from Santa Margarita Ranch and share many of the same spectacular species to give us a second shot at some of the local rarities. The feeding station here also provides yet another great opportunity for photographers. When we’re done here, we’ll drive some backroads in the general area to search for some more desert species. By noon, we’ll start heading back to Harlingen and should complete the tour around 2-3pm Tuesday afternoon. Just in time for you to check in to your Harlingen hotel and come hang out at our festival kickoff reception at 5pm!
A video of the AVIAN ROCKSTARS at RANCHO LOMITAS during a RGVBF "scouting party". This location is wild!!! This is a Pre-trip you don't want to miss!
WARNING:THE MUSIC MIGHT BE A LITTLE LOUD for the first two minutes.