The Texas Hill Country is arguably the loveliest part of the state, especially in spring when its rugged hills are cloaked with verdure and a profusion of wildflowers. Technically known as the Edwards Plateau, this Cretaceous seabed is permeated nowadays by clear, rocky streams that rise from artesian springs fed by rainwater percolating through the porous limestone. The riverbanks and steep canyons are clad variously with sycamores, cypresses, pecans, live oaks, Spanish oaks, junipers--and plenty of birds!

The Hill Country is famous as the most reliable place to see two endangered species. The jewel-like Golden-cheeked Warbler nests in moist canyons of the Edwards Plateau and nowhere else. The red-eyed Black-capped Vireo, the snappiest of a subtly plumaged group, plays hide-and-seek in the scrubby thickets on dry slopes and rocky uplands. And if present trend continues, the southwestern corner of the Plateau may come to be known as the most reliable nesting locale in North America for Tropical Parula, a Neotropical species extremely scarce and local north of the border. Typically we encounter seven species of breeding vireos, including a handful of Grays, and often four species of buntings. We'll spend four full days in this lovely ecotone, dividing our time between two bird-rich sites.

Historic Neal's Lodges, perched above the cypress-lined Rio Frio in Uvalde County, will host us for the remainder of our tour. A handful of Golden-cheeked Warblers singing atop Ashe Junipers will complement several million bats emerging at dusk from the Frio Bat Cave for a Texan's version of the beautiful and the sublime.

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