Overview
On this tour, after our first night in San Antonio, we'll enjoy 4 consecutive nights at Neal's Lodges, located along the Rio Frio River in Concan, Texas. We'll use this at a base for enjoying a pleasant exploration of the Texas Hill Country, which is famous for its Golden-cheeked Warblers, Black-capped Vireos, and Cave Swallow colonies. While the focus will be on birds, we will also take in the scenery, and look at the butterflies, wildflowers, and other fauna and flora that capture our interest. On one evening, weather permitting, we'll plan to drive to a private ranch that hosts the Frio Bat Cave, home of 12,000,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats, where we'll witness the spectacle of the bats leaving the nursery cave as they go out to hunt for the night. 

Each day will have a major destination and some minor stops, as we visit birding sites in the area. There will be time allowed for stopping at any points of interest that catch your eye, and we'll be sure to stop as needed for food, and rest-stops. As usual, I will have a spotting scope, allowing for close views, whenever possible.

Logistics
This is a 6-day, 5-night tour in the Hill Country on April 8-13, with arrival and departure from San Antonio.  The tour is limited to 6 participants. Cost is $1,195.00 per person for 2-3 participants, which drops to $1095.00 per person if there are at least 4 participants, all based on double occupancy. Cost includes: full-sized car or van rental and all fuel and tolls (and I will do all the driving, including pick-up and drop-off at the airport), meals, lodging in cabins located along the Rio Frio River in Concan, and guiding for birds and natural history. We will be staying in San Antonio on our first night to allow flexibility for flight arrival times. The cost does not include your airfare. We will get packed lunches and have picnic lunches every day. Dinners could be at the lodge restaurant, or possibly en route back to the cabins from our day out.

Itinerary

Day 1. Arrival in San Antonio. You should plan to arrive in San Antonio anytime on April 8. Most flights arrive late afternoon.  Overnight in San Antonio.

Day 2. Drive to Neal's Lodges in Concan.  En route to Concan we will visit some birding hot spots such as the Sabinal Feedlot Road, where we'll look for Cactus Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, Hooded Oriole, Curve-billed Thrasher, Greater Roadrunner, and Common Ground Dove. At Neal's, we'll settle into our cabins and check to see if there are any rarities about before exploring the grounds and surrounding nature trails. This area can be quite productive, and possibilities include Bell's Vireo, Bushtit, Painted Bunting, Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon Towhee and Vermillion Flycatcher. The cabins are located next to the Rio Frio River, and here you can sometimes find Green Kingfisher, Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Canton Wren. In 2006 my tour-group saw a rare Rufous-capped Warbler coming to a bird-bath at one of the cabins!

Day 3. After some brief morning birding around the lodges and breakfast, we'll take an 80-mile long scenic drive north to the Kerr Wildlife Management Area to look for Black-capped Vireos. This has been one of the most reliable sites to see the vireos in recent years. Along the way, we'll keep an eye peeled for the scarce Zone-tailed Hawk, as well as other raptors such as Swainson's Hawk and Crested Caracara. On our return drive, we'll stop at Garner State Park. The clear, spring-fed Frio River runs through this 1419-acre state park with its six miles of hiking trails. Golden-cheeked Warblers can sometimes be found in the oak-juniper woodlands on the hillsides in the park. Garner State Park is also the home to many common nesters like Black Phoebe, Western Scrub-Jay, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Scott's Oriole. The streamside woodlands harbor the greatest variety of birdlife including Yellow-throated Vireo, Canyon Towhee, Green Kingfisher, and Hooded Oriole. Also possible are Wild Turkey, Zone-tailed Hawk, and Vermilion Flycatcher. Belted and Ringed Kingfishers have both been known to occur, making it possible to see three Kingfisher species in this one park! The park's natural community composition is strongly dominated by plants and animals found in northern Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas. This will be a long but enjoyable day. (Of course, if we see Black-capped Vireos before we reach the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, we won't need to drive all the way!)

Day 4. Lost Maples State Natural Area
The scenic beauty alone is worth a trip to Lost Maples. Located along the Sabinal River its trails are mostly shaded, making the hikes very comfortable. This area has long been known as one of the best spots to find Golden-cheeked Warbler. This elusive species is often found when it sits up high in a tree and sings. We may also find Verdin, Pyrrhuloxia, Bell's Vireo, Cactus Wren, Scott's Oriole, and Lesser Goldfinch (even Black-capped Vireo is possible). Nesting species include Zone-tailed Hawk, Green Kingfisher, Acadian Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Ash-throated and Great-crested Flycatchers, Western Scrub-Jay, Black-and-White and Yellow-throated Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Canyon Towhee, Painted Bunting, and Orchard Oriole. The bigtooth maples are not really lost, just hiding in this charming high limestone canyon, just as they do in several nearby Edwards Plateau canyons southeast of their mountain stronghold.

Day 5. Park Chalk Bluff
The Nueces River, lined with sycamores, pecan, and bald cypress and sheer limestone cliffs, provide the backdrop for Park Chalk Bluff. The park winds along nearly two miles of the river, and here we can listen for the trill of the Canyon Wren echoing down the sheer cliffs. We'll also look for Hooded Oriole, Lesser Goldfinch, and Vermilion Flycatcher. Year-round residents include Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Western Scrub-Jay, Carolina, Cactus, and Bewick's Wrens, Long-billed Thrasher, Olive and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and Pyrrhuloxia. Other less common species, are Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Ringed Kingfisher, Black-throated Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Indigo and Painted Buntings, Black Phoebe, and Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatchers. Zone-tailed Hawks nest in the area and are often seen in the vicinity. This is also a good place to observe butterflies on warm days.

Day 6. Departure from Neal's Lodges.
Transfer to San Antonio airport. You should plan on booking your flight for sometime after 2:00 p.m., which will allow plenty of time for breakfast, check-out, and car-return. We will have time for a little morning birding around the cabins before we leave.

Additional Natural History Information

Wildflowers
The Texas Hill Country has an abundance of wildflowers in April, which is the perfect time of year to see spring explode into a profusion of colors. From the well known Bluebonnet, Indian Blanket, and Mexican Hat to the exotically named Antelope Horns, Prairie Tea, or Old Plainsman the flowers come in a vast array of sizes, shapes, and colors. Some species blanket large fields while others may be a single plant that is much harder to find. There are over 300 species of wildflowers blooming in April around Uvalde County.

Butterflies
The Texas Hill Country is a melting pot of butterfly diversity. Its unique blend of environments from the north, south, east, and west bring together butterfly species normally found hundreds of miles apart. It is possible to find a predominately Mexican species like the Crimson Patch flying within a few miles of a northern butterfly like the Coral Hairstreak, or a western species like the California Sister flying with an eastern species like the Little Wood Satyr.

Information from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website
The Edwards Plateau region comprises an area of West Central Texas commonly known as the "hill country." Elevations range from slightly less than 100 feet to over 3,000 feet. Several river systems dissect the surface, creating a rough and well-drained landscape. Average annual rainfall increases from west to east, ranging from 15 to 33 inches. Seasonal rainfall patterns peak in May/June and in September. Soils of the Edwards Plateau are usually shallow with a variety of surface textures. They are underlain by limestone. Man-made lakes, ranches, and farms are scattered throughout the region.