Join Rick and Jason for an exclusive birding safari to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas

Our first-ever workshop was a trip to the Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2007. Since then, we’ve had the pleasure of leading more workshops and meeting more people, and the experience has been wonderful. We often get asked “when are you going back to Texas?” Well, we’ve managed to work out a first-class birding experience for four nights in the Rio Grande Valley, May 30- June 3, 2012.

The Texas Birding Experience is an exclusive photo workshop. As many of you know, you don’t just wander around with a 500mm lens looking for birds (although we’ve done that, too). If you want the best bird photos, you’ve got to get close. And by close, we’re talking less than 75′ in most cases. We’ve teamed up with the Dos Venadas Ranch in south Texas, where you can shoot from professionally designed photo blinds. There are numerous blinds on the property; some face West (for morning shooting) and others face East (for afternoons). Each blind faces an array of natural perches with clear lines of sight. Even better, most of the blinds also offer a small pond, which not only attracts the animals, but gives you even more creative shooting possibilities.

The other thing about great bird photography is diversity. You don’t want to sit around filling your memory card with shots of one or two species. The Rio Grande Valley excels here, too. Because it’s so far south, you can find birds here that you won’t see anywhere else in North America. Other birds, like the painted bunting, are very common. There’s also a raptor blind, where you’ll be able to photograph Crested Caracaras and Harris Hawks from up-close.

When we went to Texas in 2007, we had to drive back and forth from Rio Grande City each day, and scrounge around for whatever fast-food restaurant was open. This time, we’ve arranged first-class accommodations at a hunting lodge that’s only 3 miles from the main field site. Moreover, the lodge also has a set of blinds that we’ll be allowed to shoot from, so early mornings won’t be so painful! At the lodge, our participants will get air-conditioned double-occupancy rooms, and free WiFi Internet. There’s also a conference area so that we can review our images and work on post-processing as a group.

Also included in your stay is a full meal plan. No late-night runs to McDonalds on this trip! You’ll get three home-cooked meals every day, including a light breakfast, snacks for the blinds, full lunch and dinner, and a happy hour every evening. Beer and wine are included! Talk about a great way to unwind while you download your photos and enjoy the Texas sunset.

Because space is extremely limited, we’re only able to offer six (6) openings for this one of a kind workshop. Your tuition of $2899 covers:

  • Private Ranch Access and Blind Fees
  • Guide Fees
  • Field and classroom instruction sessions
  • Double-occupancy lodging
  • All meals and happy hour each evening
  • Ground Transportation, including airport pickup if needed (nearest airport is McAllen, TX (MFE))

The last time we went to Texas, we came back with thousands of images. And this was before we had our D3/D300′s! We recommend bringing a crop-sensor DSLR (D300s is perfect) with 300+ mm lens. The 200-400VR is perfect in most cases on this trip, but you could also use a 300mm f/4 with 1.4x converter and get great shots. If big lenses are something you’ve always wanted to try but just don’t have the budget for, you should consider a one-week lens rental. It would be worth the experience.

Register for this workshop by March 1, 2012 and save $200 off the tuition fee