Birding in Big Bend National Park April 21 28, 2010

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1 Birding in Big Bend National Park April 21 28, 2010 With Carol Decker and Scott Santino Big Bend by B. Speare Big Bend National Park, encompassing an area of more than 1,100 square miles, is a bold landscape of constantly changing views: the rugged Chisos Mountains, rolling hills, deep river canyons, and long desert vistas. Perhaps its greatest attraction is the tremendous diversity of plant and animal species, including some that are found nowhere else in the world. In March and April, the wildflowers bloom in profusion. Big Bend is one of the best birding localities in the United States and boasts some 425 species recorded to date, with new entries being made continually. Join us for this ever-popular trip! 208 South Great Road Lincoln, Massachusetts Phone: travel@massaudubon.org

2 Birding in Big Bend National Park: April 21 28, 2010 ABOUT OUR NATURALIST GUIDES Carol Decker is Director of the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest Mass Audubon sanctuary, located in Topsfield. She and her staff deal with a broad range of wildlife management challenges, and she is interested in bringing awareness of birds along with local flora and fauna to trip participants. She has over twenty years experience as a field naturalist and educator, teaches workshops on a broad range of topics, and enjoys connecting people to the natural world and its diverse bird life. She has led tours throughout the US, including New England, Alaska, Arizona, Texas, Hawaii, New Jersey s Brigantine and Cape May areas, as well as international tours to Arctic Norway, Atlantic Canada, the Caribbean, Panama and the Amazon. Scott Santino is a Teacher-Naturalist for Mass Audubon s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield, where he designs and leads nature programs for adults, families, and schools. Since 2001, he has coordinated Ipswich River s volunteer docent program which enriches adults who teach sanctuary programs and special events. Scott had led programs throughout New England covering a number of topics including amphibians, birds, reptiles, tracking and wildflowers. ACCOMMODATIONS INDIAN LODGE DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK Indian Lodge is a unique inn located northwest of Fort Davis within the bounds of Davis Mountains State Park. Built in the 1930s, it was opened to the public in It features the original interiors and furnishings. In 1967, a major construction project was completed, including renovation of the original structure, which has eighteen-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings of pine viga and latilla. It resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village. The lodge is a full-service hotel and a total non-smoking facility. There are thirty-nine guest rooms, a swimming pool for registered lodge guests, and the Texas State Park Store. The full-service restaurant is open year round. The rooms feature central heat/air-conditioning, color cable television, carpeting, a telephone, and full maid service. Pets are not allowed. There are foot-trails into the mountains and scenic trails to Fort Davis National Historic Site. The trails cross Davis Mountains State Park. CHISOS MOUNTAIN LODGE Big Bend National Park encompasses over 800,000 acres of breathtaking landscape. Located right in the middle of it all is Chisos Mountain Lodge, the only lodging in the park. Chisos Mountain Lodge is located at 5400 ft. elevation in the scenic Chisos Mountains and offers comfortable overnight lodging. A laid-back atmosphere allows guests to enjoy life at a slower pace while enjoying the beauty around them. BIG BEND RESORT TERLINGUA Big Bend Motor Inn is located only 3 miles from the west entrance of Big Bend National Park. They have 84 rooms, smoking or non-smoking, with satellite TV and telephone. A full service establishment with restaurant, convenience store, RV park, and laundromat. Big Bend Motor Inn is convenient to Big Bend National Park, local shopping, and dining. This is the perfect location for our exploration of the park! HOTEL LIMPIA - FORT DAVIS The Hotel Limpia is a historic, restored hotel built in 1912 located in the Davis Mountains of southwest Texas in mile-high Fort Davis. Guest rooms, each with private baths, provide a peaceful and comfortable hideaway from the busy outside world. The courtyard garden, fragrant with roses and herbs, the glassedin verandah with its flourishing plants, and the porches with their rocking chairs are favorite places for guests to relax and enjoy the tranquility of a by-gone era of Texas.

3 DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY April 21 HOME - EL PASO Arrive in El Paso, Texas. Drive through the scenic Davis Mountains, to settle in at our pueblostyle lodge. Indian Lodge is built high in Limpia Creek Valley and backed by the rugged foothills of Davis Mountains State Park. Since we will probably arrive late, we will have a picnic style dinner and possibly an optional evening walk to listen for the calls of Common Poorwills and owls. Indian Lodge, Fort Davis April 22 DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK Following an early breakfast, depart for Davis Mountains State Park for some morning birding. Here see typical western species such as Cassin s Kingbird, Scrub Jay, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say s Phoebe, and Rock Wren. This is one of the best places to see and hear Montezuma Quail. Lunch will be at the Madera Canyon picnic grounds, where we will search for Acorn Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Hepatic Tanager. This afternoon, we'll bird along Limpia Creek and look for Common Black-Hawk, which traditionally nests here. If time allows, we will stop at Fort Davis National Historical Site ( ) en route back to the lodge. While most remember Jefferson Davis as the President of the Confederacy, locally he is remembered for his prior post as U.S. Secretary of War when he established this fort and brought camels to West Texas. The museum has interesting artifacts, which dramatize the life of the frontier soldiers who in the 1880 s protected the routes of the Butterfield Overland Stage. Dinner at a local restaurant. Indian Lodge, Fort Davis (B, L, D) April 23 BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK This morning s destination is Big Bend National Park, established in 1944 and nearly three quarters of a million acres. We should see pronghorn on our drive along with beautiful desert vistas. We will picnic along the way, arriving at the park s Visitor Center for an orientation to the magnificent scenery and fascinating flora and fauna of the Chihuahua Desert. We will travel up through Green Gulch to the Basin, at 5,400 feet of elevation. A leisurely afternoon of birding should produce such species as Gray-breasted Jay, Canyon Towhee, Cactus Wren, Scott s Oriole, Black-chinned Hummingbird, and Rufouscrowned Sparrow. Following dinner at Chisos Mountain Lodge, we will listen for Western Screech Owl and watch the sun disappear through the window in the Chisos Basin. Chisos Mountain Lodge (B, L, D) April 24 BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK After an early breakfast, quickly depart for the Rio Grande for some morning birding, stopping at Dugout Wells along the way. At this little oasis, we will search for Bell s Vireo, and other migrants. At Rio Grande Village Campground, we enter a floodplain community where we will scan the tall cottonwoods and the shrubbery for Vermilion Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Goldenfronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Summer Tanager, Greater Roadrunner, along with Inca, White-winged, and Common Ground Doves. This is also a good area for nesters such as Yellowbreasted Chat, Bell s Vireo, along with Blue Bunting and Painted Bunting. We ll picnic here and keep an eye skyward for Zone-tailed Hawk. Following lunch we will visit nearby Boquillas Canyon, one of three canyons cut by the Rio Grande in what is now Big Bend National Park. This magnificent canyon is an excellent place to see and hear Canyon Wren and White-throated 208 South Great Road Lincoln, Massachusetts Phone: travel@massaudubon.org

4 Birding in Big Bend National Park: April 21 28, 2010 Swift, as well as to wonder at the forces that created this chasm. This evening we picnic at Dugout Wells, then search for Elf Owl and enjoy the night desert. We may see mammals such as coyote, gray fox, ringtail and collared peccaries. Chisos Mountain Lodge (B, L, D) April 25 BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK Today we explore Blue Creek, a beautiful canyon with red rock spires, which can be good for Lucifer s Hummingbird, Crissal s Thrasher and Varied Bunting. We will also look for desert plants in flower such as ocotillo and chollo. We will lunch at Cottonwood Campgrounds in the Santa Elena Canyon area and look for Gray Hawk which has nested here in the past. This evening enjoy a group dinner at the Starlight Theatre Restaurant in an area of Terlingua known as Ghost Town. Big Bend Resort, Terlingua. (B, L, D) April 26 BIG BEND Today hike up into the heart of the Chisos Mountains. We'll begin before dawn and have breakfast on the trail. Our destination is the cooler oak-maple environment in Boot Canyon, one of very few places in the United States where the Colima Warbler nests. (For those not wishing to make the entire 11-mile roundtrip hike, the warblers are often seen at the halfway point.) Boot Canyon, named after a boot shaped volcanic spire, is well-wooded and attracts many birds, including Acorn Woodpecker, Broad-tailed and Blue-throated Hummingbirds, Mexican Jay, Gray-breasted Jay, Hutton s Vireo, Painted Redstart, and Hepatic Tanager. Along the way, look for Ash-throated Flycatcher, Gray Vireo, and Black-chinned Sparrow. The vistas are spectacular and great opportunities for photographs. Dinner on your own in one of the local restaurants. Big Bend Resort, Terlingua. (B, L,) April 27 RIO GRANDE VALLEY / FORT DAVIS Today, following morning birding, we leave the Chisos Mountains and travel back to the cooler temps of the Davis Mountains. Our destination is Lake Balmorhea, a 500-acre impoundment and one of the best areas for shorebirds and waterbirds. Nesting species include Snowy Plover and Black-necked Stilt, while passerines are present during spring migration. Eared,Western and Clark s Grebe, Black-necked Stilt, Franklin s Gull, Neotropical Cormorant, White-faced Ibis may all be sighted here. Limpa Hotel, Fort Davis (B, L, D) We would breakfast at the café, get a box lunch and have a farewell dinner at the Limpia Hotel April 28 FORT DAVIS/EL PASO/HOME This morning drive to El Paso to catch individual flights home. April 28 flights home

5 TERMS & CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL Tour Price: $2,200 per person/double occupancy; Single supplement: $500 WHAT S INCLUDED: Services of 2 qualified Massachusetts Audubon Society naturalists. All scheduled land transport. All sightseeing and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary. All accommodations and meals as indicated in the itinerary (all meals but one dinner). All transfers with luggage handling at the hotels for those traveling with the group. All Tips. NOT INCLUDED: Round-trip travel to El Paso, Texas Items of a personal nature (alcoholic drinks, laundry, phone calls, etc.) Airport departure taxes, passport fees, or other fees not listed in program. GROUP SIZE: A minimum of 10 participants is required. approximately 14 people.. The group size will be limited to APPLICATIONS, RESERVATIONS, DEPOSITS: Early applications are strongly encouraged. Trip rosters usually must be finalized 4 months before departure! All applications must be accompanied by a completed reservation form and $500 deposit. Deposits can be by check or credit card (Visa or MasterCard). We reserve the right to decline your application. In the case of questionable health, we reserve the right to require a physician s certification to affirm you are capable of the activities. Final payment is due 95 days before the departure date. Final payment must be by check. RATES: All tour prices are based on double occupancy. If you would like us to find you a roommate, we will do our best, but cannot guarantee a share (except on certain cruises). If we cannot find a share, you will need to pay the single supplement. All forms and fares are accurate at the time of publication October 2009 but are subject to change at any time prior to departure. Rarely, a price increase may be called for if the group falls below the minimum of 8. The maximum number of participants is approximately 14 FLIGHTS: You the traveler are responsible for booking and paying for your own flights to and from El Paso, Texas. Once your deposit and reservation form have been sent to us, we will send you suggested flight information. Please be aware that most tickets are non-refundable, therefore you should not book your flight arrangements until you have checked with us to be sure the tour has the minimum number of participants for the trip to go. The Travel Station can be reached at CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS: If you need to change your booking, you must inform us immediate. All cancellations must be done in writing and are effective upon receipt in the Massachusetts Audubon Travel Office. Cancellations received up to 121 days prior to departure will be refunded deposits less a $300 per person fee. For cancellations between 120 and 90 days prior to departure, all deposits will not be refunded. There are no refunds for cancellations 90 days or less from departure. We strongly urge all travelers to purchase trip cancellation insurance. You will be sent information from the Massachusetts Audubon Society upon receipt of your deposit. 208 South Great Road Lincoln, Massachusetts Phone: travel@massaudubon.org

6 Birding in Big Bend National Park: April 21 28, 2010

7 Reservation Form Mr./Mrs./Ms. Passenger Name (1) as shown as passport Mr./Mrs./Ms. Passenger Name (2) as shown as passport Address City State Zip Phone: Day Evening address Please check: I/We are non-smoker(s) or I/we are smoker(s) but fully understand that smoking is limited to outdoors and non group spaces and not allowable at all at Indian Lodge The two of us above are sharing a room and would like a room with ONE or TWO beds I request single accommodations where available and will pay the single supplement. I would like to be assigned a roommate. If one is not available, I will pay the single supplement. I certify that I have not recently been treated for, nor am I aware of any physical or other conditions that would create a hazard to me of other members of this tour. Deposit: Please find my enclosed check or please charge my credit card for the deposit: ($500 per person) VISA MC Card # Exp. Checks should be made payable to Massachusetts Audubon Society Signature 208 South Great Road Lincoln, Massachusetts Phone: travel@massaudubon.org

8 Birding in Big Bend National Park: April 21 28, 2010 Your Responsibility: Although every precaution is taken to safeguard you and your belongings, group travel trips by their nature involve a certain amount of risk. Trip participants should understand that the domestic and international trips sponsored/operated by Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon Tours) - hereafter collectively M.A.S. - involve known and unknown risks. M.A.S. assumes no responsibility for injuries, death, financial losses or damage to clients property caused by or occurring during participation in any of the travel trips sponsored/operated by M.A.S. Trip participants must assume responsibility for having sufficient skill and fitness to participate in the trips and activities offered or sponsored by M.A.S. Trip participants must also certify that they have no medical, mental or physical conditions which could interfere with their abilities to participate in the activities and/or trips they are participating in and they must assume and bear the cost of all risks that may be created, directly or indirectly, by any such condition. It is the responsibility of trip participants to have in place adequate insurance to cover any injury, damage or emergency transportation costs related to their travel and/or participation in trip activities and/or to bear the costs of such injury, damage or emergency transportation costs. Because of the risks associated with the travel trips sponsored by M.A.S. we urge all trip participants to supplement their own insurance with travel or vacation or emergency response types of insurance. M.A.S. requires that all trip participants acknowledge and assume these risks by reading and signing an M.A.S. Release and Waiver and Assumption of Risk contract prior to departure. CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL: Travelers will be provided with an itinerary and trip preparation information. It is expected that travelers will read this information prior to trip departure. Travelers will be responsible for completing an application reservation form, a personal information form, and a release of liability form. Travelers will be expected to abide by the terms set for in the invoice. During the tour, travelers are asked to respect and follow the directions of their guide and leader.