Balcones Songbird Festival

Birding the Plateaus and Springs

Tour Description:

Located in the northwestern portion of Balcones Canyonlands NWR, this tour offers a great chance to see and hear many wonderful bird species found in the dry, rocky upland savannas and shrublands of the Texas Hill Country. We will also visit a natural spring nestled within a beautiful lush woodland area which attracts an interesting variety of songbirds, as well as other animals.

In the woodlands, we will target the Federally Endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, Cooper's Hawk, and Black-and-white Warbler.

In the drier upland savannas and shrublands, we will target the Black-capped and Bell's Vireos, Crested Cascara, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo and Painted bunting, Scott's Oriole, Scissor-tailed and Vermilion Flycatchers, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Verdin, Common Ground-Dove and Canyon Towhee.

Guide(s): Lee Kothmann & Rob Hardway

Lee Kothmann is a naturalist and founder of Restore Texas, a land & wildlife company focused on native restoration. His lifelong love of the land developed early on a family ranch and camping across Texas. His first undergraduate class was ornithology, sparking an interest that continued into his career. Lee has conducted bird surveys for over 15 years for Plateau Wildlife, Audubon, Hill Country Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Concordia University, the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, and the National Park system.

Rob Hardway (bio pending)

Transportation:

Tour attendees will be transported via 15-passenger van. This tour will include birding from the van, as well as some walking, including areas of uneven, rocky roads and trails.