Snapshot:
From the road, you can bird through the fence and see wonderful birds at what locals call “The Duck Pond,” but we are excited to take you “behind the scenes” at Las Ciénegas! What many people do not know is that the property spans 280 acres of lush vegetation fed by Ciénegas Creek, which runs the length of the ranch and creates 5 stock tanks. The largest of these tanks is over 8 acres.
Trip Dates:
Friday, April 28
Saturday, April 29 (beginner track)
Sunday, April 30
Departure Time: 6:30 AM
Trip Fee: $125
Guide:
David Tønnessen (Friday, April 28) Bill Sain (Saturday, April 29 – beginner track)
Brandon Nooner (Sunday, April 30)
Birding Buddies: Terry Hibbitts (Friday, April 28) Connie Hoke (Saturday, April 29 – beginner track) Barbara Pankratz (Sunday, April 30)
Travel and Facilities:
Target Birds:
White-faced ibis, common gallinule, ringed kingfisher, long-billed thrasher, indigo bunting
Bryan’s Birdy Bulletin
The habitats maintained by the Lopez family at this property are bursting with diversity and the potential to find rare and interesting birds. A series of vegetated ponds are surrounded by pockets of dense, wet understory beneath towering hackberries, mulberries, and other large trees favored by many birds. Ciénegas Creek, which connects each pond, is also flanked by dense riparian tracts. This watery oasis provides for a very different set of birds than what you can expect to find in the Tamaulipan thornscrub that dominates the Del Rio area and surrounding Val Verde County.
Behind the Scenes at the Duck Pond is also part of the Beginner Track led by Bill Sain! The Beginner Track at Birding the Border is a unique opportunity for 10 beginner birders to learn from Bill and our amazing birding buddy Connie Hoke in a pre-planned schedule to bird in all 3 ecoregions and see a wide variety of birds at a special price! The Duck Pond represents the Del Rio area, which falls in the Southern Texas Plains ecoregion but is influenced strongly by the nearby Rio Grande and several springs.