Birding in the Davis Mountains & Big Bend

Join Davis Mountains Education Center on a birding tour of two of West Texas’ mountain ranges and the high canyons formed by the Rio Grande. Each habitat has distinct scenery and special birds, and the mountain showers of summer make the desert flowers bloom and the temperatures pleasant.

In the Davis Mountains, we will look for the Calliope, Black-chinned and Rufous Hummingbirds, Gray and Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Scrub Jays, Grace’s Warbler and Hepatic and Western Tanagers. We will also visit a spring-fed lake and state park surrounded by mountain vistas. Bring your swim suit for a dip in the spring-fed swimming hole, or sit back and enjoy the scenery.

In Big Bend National Park, we will enjoy the spectacular cliffs of Santa Elena Canyon and see what raptors, orioles and tanagers are in the nearby cottonwood trees. We will bird the highlands in search of Violet-Green Swallow, Mexican Jay and Colima Warbler. Elsewhere along the Rio Grande, we will look for Common Black Hawk, Vermilion Flycatcher, Black Phoebe and the stunning Painted Bunting.

Check back soon for detailed itineraries and dates, or to customize a birding program for your group, please contact our program specialists at 800.403.3484.

For more information about birds in the Davis Mountains and Big Bend, check out the Texas Parks & Wildlife Birds of Davis Mountains State Park and Vicinity and Big Bend National Park's Birds Web site.

Elderhostel Birding Trips

For more information about DMEC's Elderhostel birding program in West Texas and northern Mexico's Copper Canyon, go to the Elderhostel page.

© Davis Mountains Education Center | Updated: September 10, 2008