Colorful Birds & Perches
South Texas is known for colorful songbirds that fly up from Mexico and Central America. Many of these birds can only be seen in this part of the United States. Even common birds like the Northern Cardinal seem to be more vibrant in south Texas.
We started our workshop with three days at the Laguna Seca Ranch and then one day at the Santa Clara Ranch. Wild birds fly in and land on perches made of native plants and colorful flowers. We split our group into two blinds with 4 photographers plus either Tom or Cree in each blind.
Ground Level
Several of the blinds are at ground level. This is the perfect perspective for ground birds like the native Northern Bobwhite Quail. We photographed Bobwhite every day of the workshop. We also saw Greater Roadrunner during several sessions, some times as close as 6 feet away.
Rarities
April and May are the months for spring migration at the ranches. At any point a Yellow-breasted Chat, Great Kiskadee or migrating warblers can come through. They stop on their way north for a quick drink of water or to replenish calories for their long flights.
Raptor Photography
Our raptor shoot is the perfect opportunity to work on birds in flight. Raptors are slower than songbirds and easier for photographers to capture. This year we photographed Crested Caracara, Harris Hawk, Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture.
Pre-release and Pro-capture
Many new mirrorless cameras have a feature that allows us to shoot in a burst mode that goes back one second of buffering before you hit the shutter. This feature allows wildlife and sports photographers to capture split second action that wasn't possible before. Photographing a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in flight was a highlight for many. We gave hands on instruction for birds in flight techniques while in the blinds.
Other wildlife
Even though birds are our primary focus on this workshop we see several other species on the ranches. We photographed a Western Diamonback Snake, a Coachwhip Snake, Mexican Ground Squirrels and White-collared Peccary this year. Tom's favorite was an adult male gobbler in full display at Laguna Seca.
Thanks to the 15 photographers who joined us in Texas this year for Bird Camp! A big thank you to Gene Gwin at Laguna Seca Ranch and Hector Astorga at Santa Clara Ranch. Thanks to Joe Lam for a few of the behind the scenes photos fr the trip report!
Want to join us next year?
Just 2 Spaces Available - Texas Birds in Spring May 11-16, 2026
Space Available Texas Birds in Spring April 22-27, 2027
Credits:
Tom Bol Cree Bol