birding in big bend national park april 21 28, 2010 · 2010. 1. 13. · birding in big bend...

208 South Great Road ▲ Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 Phone:800.289.9504 ▲ 781.259.2165 ▲ [email protected]

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!

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 1939. 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 glassed-

in 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.


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 pueblo-

style 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 (1854-91) 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 Rufous-

crowned 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)


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, Golden-

fronted 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 Yellow-

breasted 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


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)


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


TERMS & CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL

Tour Price: $2,200 per person/double occupancy; Single supplement: $500

WHAT’S INCLUDED: NOT INCLUDED:

• Services of 2 qualified Massachusetts Audubon

Society naturalists.

• Round-trip travel to El Paso, Texas

• All scheduled land transport.

• All sightseeing and entrance fees as outlined in the

itinerary.

• Items of a personal nature (alcoholic drinks, laundry,

phone calls, etc.)

• 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.

• Airport departure taxes, passport fees, or other fees not

listed in program.

.

GROUP SIZE: A minimum of 10 participants is required. The group size will be limited to

approximately 14 people.

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 781-259-1200.

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.


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

Email 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


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.

birding in big bend national park april 21 28, 2010 · 2010. 1. 13. · birding in big bend...

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