Travel Journals

On day 13 of our trip, it is January the first and the bird of the year (first bird seen/heard of the year) this year is a White-crowned Sparrow! We are heading back home today and we checked Petrified Forest NP in the morning as it is on the way and got good shots at

Day 12, we are spending a day in New Mexico’s biggest city: Albuquerque! Early in the morning, we departed from our hotel in Santa Rosa, and arrived at Sandia Crest of the Cibola NF. As soon as we approached the feeders, a group of Rosy-Finches flew in and landed on the tree top. There are

On day 11 of our trip, the only thing we did was make a quick visit to Cibolo Nature Center and drove the whole day. By the evening, we finally arrived in New Mexico, and are ready for tomorrow’s birding in Albuquerque! ebird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S291501970

After a crazy day at Santa Margarita, we are about to head back, but we still have a bird that we missed: the Clay-colored Thrush (which is also the National Bird of Costa Rica!).  After browsing eBird, we decided to try our luck at the National Butterfly Center after enjoying the feeders at Rancho Lomitas,

Day nine of our trip, we joined the day tour at Santa Margarita Ranch. The trip started at seven and we started to drive in the pitch dark night. When we arrive, the trip leader Simon and Zac are already waiting for everyone at the meeting spot by the border wall. The first surprise comes

On day eight, we arrived at Santa Ana NWR early in the morning, and soon after checking with a ranger for the location of the Gray Hawk, we were on the way to the East Lake.  On the way, a kingfisher zoomed across in front of us as Olive Sparrow called in the background. As

Day 7 of the trip, we spent the whole day in the Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island.  Early in the morning, we drove to a wetland on South Padre Island north of a place called KOA, where Mangrove Yellow Warblers have been seen.  Mangrove Yellow Warbler, just recently split from the Yellow Warbler,

Getting to day six, we are finally ready to go real south, to the Rio Grande Valley. But before we head down, we still have two important birds to find in Corpus Christi: The long-continuing Red-footed Booby, and a pair of Aplomado Falcons nesting at Mustang SP.  Early in the morning, we headed towards the

Day five of the trip, we are finally feeling some tropical warmth. At Kendall, we got our lifer Field Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, and Crested Caracara. Then we drove to Corpus Christi and got American Flemingo, Whooping Crane, and Seaside Sparrow. This is Texas! eBird Checklist: