Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival & Island Birding

  • Arrive at Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) by 1:00 PM
  • Meet at baggage claim
  • Drive to Galveston Island and drop luggage at Hampton Inn
  • Guests driving themselves may drop luggage at the hotel at 2:00 PM
  • Tour begins at 2:00 PM
  • West End Island – ibises, stilts, terns, plovers, swallow-tailed kites, and other abundant coastal birds
  • Welcome Dinner

Night 1: Hampton Inn Galveston


Day 2 – Shorebirds & Trans-Gulf Migrants

  • Breakfast at hotel or grab-and-go provided
  • Morning Birding:
    • Lafitte’s Landing
    • Galveston Island State Park
    • Sportsman’s Cove
  • Species include gulls, ducks, egrets, bitterns, herons, raptors, and more
  • Lunch: Restaurant overlooking a backwater lagoon
  • Afternoon Birding:
    • Stevenson Woods
    • 8-Mile Road
    • Prime locations for warblers and songbirds
  • Local guides will pre-scout for optimal conditions
  • Dinner: All-you-can-eat, family-owned buffet

Night 2: Hampton Inn Galveston


Day 3 – High Island & Smith Oaks Rookery

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Drive to Galveston Bay
  • Ferry to Bolivar Peninsula
    • Possible dolphin sightings
    • Pelicans and cormorants
  • En route stops at mudflats and migration hotspots
  • High Island:
    • Famous spring migration site
    • Warblers, tanagers, thrushes, buntings
  • High Island:
    • Water drip, grandstand, and blinds
  • Lunch: Texas BBQ
  • Smith Oaks Rookery – The American Galapagos
    • Massive nesting rookery
    • White Ibises, Tricolored Herons, Snowy & Great Egrets
    • Roseate Spoonbills and alligators
  • Farewell Dinner: Willie G’s

Night 3: Hampton Inn Galveston


Day 4 – Departure

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Drive to Hobby Houston Airport (HOU)
  • Final birding opportunities for raptors and pelicans
  • Please schedule departure flights after 11:00 AM from Hobby Houston Airport (HOU)