Balcones Songbird Tour - Hill Country Birding Tour
Description
Hill Country Birding Tour with Byron Stone and Lee Kothmann
$100 Per Attendee
Balcones Songbird Tours offer expertly guided, intimate access to the refuge and serve as one of our largest annual fundraisers. All proceeds directly support refuge management and conservation efforts.
Join some of the top Texas birders for a special birding tour at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge!
This tour will take you along one of the quietest, birdiest country roads in western Travis County, offering a chance to observe some of the special Hill Country birds that nest on the refuge. The trip will include multiple stops at key birding hotspots, providing participants with the opportunity to see and hear many of the breeding and spring migrant birds of the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau.
Your experienced trip leaders are highly familiar with the local birds and their vocalizations and will strive to get scope views of most target species for all participants. While we don’t specifically target the Golden-cheeked Warbler, we do occasionally encounter them along this route — always a treat!
In addition to spring migrants like raptors, flycatchers, and other smaller birds, some of the species we hope to see include Wild Turkey, Cave Swallow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Painted Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Bell's Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo (often singing as they migrate), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, and Grasshopper Sparrow. We may also spot Vermilion Flycatcher, Canyon Towhee, and Black-throated Sparrow if luck is on our side!
If you love the idea of exploring quiet country roads, hearing a chorus of Hill Country birds, and getting scope views of some of Texas’s most vibrant species, this tour is for you! Space is limited, so register soon to secure your spot.
Time: 7:00AM - 12:00PM
Location: Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge - 24518 RM 1431, Marble Falls, TX 78654
Note: Specific meeting location will be shared with registered attendees 7-10 days before the tour date. Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge spans nearly 30,000 acres. Pre-tour scouting will inform the best spot(s) for this tour.