Welcome to the 2012 Laredo Birding Festival, where you never know what you are going to find. Local birding enthusiasts have come to describe Laredo as the only place in the U.S. to have boasted four species of Kingfisher, the Ringed, Belted, Green and Amazon.
Aside from those birds that are commonly heard and seen, as the Green Parakeet, there is the resident White-collared Seedeater, a local star all its own. Thanks to a relationship with the Images for Conservation Fund, Laredo now has the ability to show off some of its brush country beauties courtesy of its professional nature photographers and individual landowners that labored through the Pro Tour of Nature Photography Borderlands of Laredo Competition and brought into focus some of its most elusive celebrities.
A particular celebrity of note that caused quite a stir in January 2010 was a female Amazon Kingfisher, a real rare beauty and a first North American sighting. Her two-and-a-half week cameo appearance at Laredo’s Zacate Creek intersection with the Rio Grande attracted the paparazzi from all around the U.S. and beyond. The news of her presence spread fast and just as quickly so did the story of Laredo’s hospitality. Birders were greeted with coffee in the morning and cool refreshing water in the afternoon. Temporary bathroom facilities were installed at the main site area and a message of welcome was sent to all. Laredo wants to welcome you back to this event, another extraordinary opportunity to explore the Zacate Creek area at the Rio Grande and private ranchland that has, in some cases, never before been birded.
When
The Laredo Birding Festival will take place February 1-4, 2012.
In late January and early February, Laredo and Webb County, have a higher concentration of bird species, a potential list of almost 240 types of birds. The challenge will be to spot them all. To help with the task, the Monte Mucho Audubon Society will act as local field guides and together with individual wildlife biologists will be assigned to each individual trip to provide insight, in-depth and on target identification in the field.
Events
Opening night, Wednesday, February 1, will take place at our host hotel La Posada, an informal meet and greet with the local members of the Monte Mucho Audubon Society and special guests from the Texas Ornithological Society who will be promoting their respective organizations and the various birding field trips that they take throughout the year. Photo exhibit provided by local birder and wildlife photographer Butch Ramirez. This event is free and open to the public.
The 2012 Laredo Birding Festival will also feature keynote speakers and experts Pete Dunne, Gene Blacklock and Ro Wauer during the evening sessions. Wildlife Photography field trips sponsored by Images for Conservation Fund There will be two ranches set up with special blinds for wild life photography throughout the morning shoot session. Attendees will be paired with a local guide and an expert wildlife photographer from the 2010 Images for Conservation Pro Tour of Nature Photography Borderlands of Laredo Texas competition. Each participant will receive a complimentary copy of book three Borderlands of Laredo wildlife photography coffee table book.
A major collaborator in the Laredo Birding Festival is the Monte Mucho Audubon Society. It is the only bird-watching group in Laredo, Texas. The group was established to promote conservation and preservation of a healthy habitat in the South Texas Region, to encourage the appreciation of birds and other wildlife, and to provide educational programs to garner public support on environmental issues. See what they have been up to at their Meet Up site and view their 13 photo albums of activity.
