A Day In The Life Of A Bird Guide
By Mary Beth Stowe
published February 2016
How would I describe a typical bird-guiding day
in the Lower Rio Grande Valley? Fabulous! Client
birders ... everyone is different, and everyone has
a unique list of target birds, whether it's their first
time to the Valley and everything is new, or it's a
seasoned hard-core birder who hops a plane to see
that one bird that will put them over 700 species for
North America ABA list area!
I work at Alamo Inn B&B, Gear & Tours.
When a guest coming to stay with us expresses
an interest in guiding services, the first thing
we ask them for is their target list, meaning
a list of the birds they wish to see. From there
we plan an itinerary that will hopefully enable
them to see as many of their targets as possible
within the time frame they'll be here. Some
targets include birds that show up very rarely
(like White-throated Thrush, Crimson-collared
Grosbeak, and Northern Jacana), and we have
to be honest with them about the unlikelihood
of seeing those birds, but when they do happen
to show up (e.g., all three of the aforementioned
vagrants are presently in the Valley), we
make a special effort to see those birds, and
pick up the more common birds in the process.
No matter where we go in the Valley, my own
schedule is always the same: a 7:00 pickup and
5:00 drop-off. There are three "routes" that I
do somewhat consistently based on the most
common bird requests:
Starr County
There are three Valley specialties that are
possible here and few other places, but many
visiting birders are also in need of desert specialties
that reach their easternmost range here
Hidalgo County
Close to the Inn, there are several hotspots
where a variety of Valley birds can be found,
and if some of these parks are hosting rarities
at the time of the guests' visit, we target those
places. These trips can yield between 70 and
100 species due to the variety of habitats visited.
Cameron County
This route is usually reserved for folks who
want to see the Aplomado Falcon and other
local raptors and grassland species. During
spring migration, a visit to South Padre Island
is not to be missed, and a day list of 90 to 100
species is not unusual!
I advise clients that for me visual cues are
weaker, but my ears are great: vocalizations
lured me into birding at a young age, and I
find birds by hearing them. Most clients love
that arrangement, as they tend to be good
at spotting things, but as others have said,
"Nothing beats local experience," and more
than one client has mentioned that my guiding
has saved them a lot of wandering!
We usually discuss meals ahead of time.
Most birders are perfectly happy to eat on the
fly, either bringing a sandwich or snacks with
them (which they can prepare
ahead of time at the
Inn), or picking up something
along the way. It's a
little trickier planning for
a sit-down meal during
the day, as we're often out
in the boonies, but for the
most part we're never far
from civilization.
I also usually ask if walking is a problem,
as some of the target birds may require a hike
of at least a mile. Thankfully the landscape
here is flat (for the most part). There are many
road-birding routes that can log a good number
of species without even getting out of the
car. During winter many parks stock feeders
where a birder with limited mobility can relax
on a bench and enjoy close looks at many of
the specialties. Sometimes a birder's visit and
the local weather don't go well together. I've
never had to cancel a trip due to the weather,
but we came close when the remnants of Hurricane
Patricia blasted through! It's during
those times when it pays to have a good sense
of humor!