The winter migration season is upon us and Texas Birding members are ready to welcome birding enthusiasts from all over the country and abroad. The first member festival of the season is the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival kicking off this coming Wednesday, November the 6th and continuing through the weekend.
Birds from outside the area have been spotted in the Lower Rio Grande Valley like a Northern Jacana and a Green-breasted Mango creating lots of excitement among local birders. These two do not migrate here but in nearby Mexico. They are a thrill to watch.
The RGV BF has long been known for its low ratio of participants to guides and for the quality of its leaders. They have an outstanding group of talent this year to guide the field trips. VIP guides this year include authors and writers such as Rick Wright, Ted Floyd, Pete Dunne, Bill Clark, and several others.
While they have kept the classic field trips that define them, festival organizers added a few new locations and a few twists on old favorites.
To encourage residents of the RGV to attend, festival organizers decided to waive the registration fee of $25 when a proper ID is presented. The popular post-festival birding tour into Mexico sold out months ago. The Mexico tour is taking 26 people to El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in the mountains of the state of Tamaulipas less than six hours south of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
There is still some room left. Visit https://www.rgvbf.org/ for all the information about tours, seminars, workshops, and networking events.