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2011 mid-Feb + March Recommendations please (1 Viewer)

Log cabin

New member
We will be visiting TX mid February and March 2011.
Please send recommendations on places to visit for birding at that time.
We would appreciate any assistance you can give us. We have never been to TX. We live in the northeast US. Thank You.
 
What part of Texas are you planning on visiting and how long will you be here?
Knowing that will help us help you!!
 
You should purchase the ABA birdfinding guide to the Texas coast if you haven't already.

I recommend a boat trip out of Rockport to look for Whooping Cranes. If you are heading further south, stops in Kleberg and Kenedy Counties as outlined in the ABA guide are also nice. Laguna Atascosa is a nice stop too.

If you want to go all the way to Harlingen and Brownsville, you should also buy the ABA birdfinding guide to the Rio Grande Valley. Beware of South Padre Island during March (spring break for universities).
 
Check these sites before you come and during your stay. They will have the most up to date info, especially on rarities that show up:

Texbirds: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/TEXS.html

NARBA: http://www.narba.org/(X(1)S(t2y5dy55pbflrqjtjkasdnut))/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. On the NARBA site, scroll down and click on the Texas Rare Bird Alert.

If you are going to be along the coast in the Corpus Christi area I recommend:
Port Aransas - go to Paradise Pond, check the beaches, the Leona Turnbelle Birding Center and a spot called Charlies Pasture which is actually behind the birding center, but you have to take some back roads to get to it. It has a very nice long boardwalk and often good things are found there. I will look up the directions & post them for you.

In Corpus Christi, you can try Blucher Park - an absolute favorite of mine in the spring; Tule Lake (which was a bit of trouble to actually find & has only a bit of a parking spot if you want to call it that!); there is a cemetary whose name I can't recall, but will post later; Polly Wog Ponds - can be good, but aren't well marked; Hans A. Suter Nature Park is a great spot for shorebirds, as well as passerines; there are other spots but I am not recalling them at the moment. Will post later. Also Hazel bazemore Park in CalAllen, just outside of Corpus Christi.

Feb is a bit tough on the upper & mid coast because spring migration hasnt usually begun yet...but here in Texas anything can happen! The valley is about 2 hrs south west of the middle Texas coast. If you have time to head to the valley - Sabal Palms Sanctuary is open again and it is a very pretty place, Santa Anna NWR. Estero Llano State Park, McAllen Cemetary, Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, Edinburg Wetlands, Laguna Atascosa, Valley nature Centure, Frontera Audubon, Sarita rest stop and more.

Here are the names of some books that helped me when I went down to those areas:

http://www.amazon.com/Birding-Corpu...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295229113&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Birding-Texas...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295229113&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Gre...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295229113&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Birds...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295229113&sr=1-4

These maps are great and worth the little bit they charge for them:

http://beta-www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wildlife/wildlife-trails/coastal/
 
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Book suggestions

Thanks for all the good suggestions.

Would anyone recommend one of these books over the other?
Finding Birds; Greater TX Coastal Bird Trail by Eubanks 2008
ABA Birders Guide to TX Coast by Cooksey 2006
 
I have the book by Eubanks and it is good. I haven't seen the other, but I do know that Mel Cooksey is a very respected birder here in Texas, based on that alone I would buy the book and feel good about the purchase. He just spotted an unusual flycatcher in the valley, so he is still active on the Texas birding scene.
 
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