Trogon Photo Tours

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

June 4-8, 2021

April 18-22, 2022

Photo Workshop: This workshop features photography at 2 different Texas Hill Country ranches, 2 other water drips and a visit to one of the largest bat colonies in the US.  The highlights include both natural light and multi-flash hummingbird photography, Painted Buntings, a reasonable chance for scarce birds such as Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, mammals such as Gray Fox and White-tailed Deer and a visit to a huge Mexican Free-tailed Bat colony where raptors often hunt the bats. 

Leaders: Melody Lytle and Nate Chappell.  Melody is the main leader, she is a Hill Country native, retired biologist and fine wildlife photographer.  Nate Chappell will be there the first 2 days of the workshop and give a presentation on photographing birds in the wild the first evening. 



Cost and Logistics: The cost is $2,495 with a $400 single supplement, $1,500 for a nonphotographer spouse/companion.  The cost includes all lodging, local transportation, guiding, photo instruction and ranch fees.  It does not include meals or flights to arrive in Austin, Texas.  The arrival and departure city is Austin, Texas.  If you are flying in we will arrange transport from the airport to the first hotel. 2022 Cost: $2,695 with a $400 single supplement.

Number of Participants: Maximum of 4 photographers.

Itinerary:

June 4th - Meet at the hotel in Austin, TX around 2pm.  Then visit a local backyard where during dry years (not every year) Golden-cheeked Warblers visit water drips.  Other birds such as Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Cardinals etc visit the drips and feeding stations there.  Evening presentation on bird photography by Nate Chappell.  Hotel: Hampton Inn, Austin airport. 

June 5th - Morning check out and drive to Theile Ranch near Fredericksburg, TX.  Thiele Ranch has drips and feeders which attract small birds such as Painted Buntings, Eastern Bluebirds and Black-crested Titmouse.  Large numbers of Black-chinned Hummingbirds visit the hummingbird feeders allowing us to do both natural light and one morning of multi-flash hummingbird photography.  Wild Turkeys, Gray Fox and White-tailed Deer can be photographed from blinds on other parts of the ranch.  Melody will give a presentation on image processing one evening.  Hotel: A nice hotel in historic Fredericksburg. 

June 6th - We will spend the morning photographing at Thiele Ranch again, then check out and head south.  We will visit the Lost Maples Wildlife Management Area which gives us another chance for Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo.  Green Kingfisher can sometimes be found and photographed near the creek here.  Then in the evening we will head to a location where huge numbers of Mexican Free-tailed Bats exit a cave in the evening.  Cave Swallows can also be photographed here and raptors such as Red-tailed Hawk and Peregrine Falcon often join the spectacle to take a bat for dinner.  Then we will proceed to our hotel in Uvalde, Texas, the Hampton Inn.

June 7th - This morning we will visit another ranch near Bracketville where Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler are possible then we have lunch in Uvalde and in the afternoon visit a lodge which is good for some other birds including Bullock's Oriole and White-eyed Vireo. Hampton Inn, Uvalde

June 8th - One more morning photographing from the blinds at the ranch in Uvalde and then check out and return to Austin.