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CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Texas West of the Pecos: Birds, Butterflies, and Ecology

Texas West of the Pecos: Birds, Butterflies, and Ecology

May 19-26, 2007

The registration period for this program has passed.
Please contact us if you have any questions.

Overview

For some, Texas west of the Pecos River conjures up images of the Wild West, of Judge Roy Bean and Miss Lillie Langtry. But for bird and nature lovers the Trans-Pecos region—including the Chihuahuan Desert, the Davis Mountains, and Big Bend National Park along the Río Grande—offers marvelous opportunities for exploration and discovery.

Faculty

Led by CAU favorites, Cornell ecologist and ornithologist Charles R. ("Charlie" to us) Smith and Roland Wauer, former chief park naturalist at Big Bend and author of Naturalist's Big Bend, we'll head into this fabulous country for a week of exploration and good Texas fun.

Itinerary

We'll begin in the Davis Mountains (the Lone Star state's most extensive mountain range). Staying at Indian Lodge, we'll spend a day exploring the Texas Nature Conservancy's Davis Mountains Preserve. We'll then head south to the Río Grande Valley and Big Bend National Park. From our home base at Chisos Mountain Lodge, nestled in a high mountain basin, we'll seek out Mexican jay, gray vireo, black-capped vireo, and Crissal thrasher, along with an occasional family of collared peccary. We'll spend early mornings in the desert in search of the greater roadrunner, black-tailed gnatcatcher, and curve-billed thrasher. We'll take in and talk about how plants, birds, and other animals adapt to these splendid but demanding surroundings.

Program Cost and Travel Arrangements

The program fee (per-person, double-occupancy) of $1,995 includes all lodging, meals, ground transportation, site visits, entry fees, taxes, gratuities, escort services, and the full educational program. The supplement for single occupancy is $325. Participants will be responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from Midland/Odessa, Texas, where the group will assemble.

Physical Requirements

This is not a physically rigorous program, but we'll be walking extensively over sometimes rocky, uneven terrain. Come prepared with comfortable shoes and good sunscreen!