Are you an avid bird watcher? Did you buy outdoor wicker furniture in Toronto just so you could sit outside and watch the birds flit back and forth between the feeders in your yard? Then a vacation to Brownsville, Texas should be next on your list. Brownsville may not be on the top of common tourism hot spots, but bird watchers know there's plenty to see. This article can help you plan your bird watching vacation by outlining the best places to go, the birds you might see, and tips for seeing them.

When to Go

Brownsville, Texas is a pretty sleepy place, normally, except during the fall, when thousands of birds migrate from Canada and the Northern States to wintering grounds in the southern states and Mexico, and in the spring, when they repeat the process in reverse. So if you're a lawyer in Burlington who likes to go bird watching, book your vacation time for October or November, or for April or May, depending on which birds you want to see while you're there, or time your visit to coincide with the Great Texas Birding Classic in April.

Where to Go

You won't see much if you hang out around the custom license plate frame factory. You need to go where the birds go. The whole Rio Grande Valley is part of the Texas Coastal Birding Trail and the US Fish and Wildlife department and the Texas Parks and Wildlife department have recently finished building a World Birding Center in Brownsville. The city landfill (aka Tamaulipas Crow Park) is a great place to see birds as is The Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary. The dunes and wetlands of the Boca Chica Beach are good birding grounds as well.

What You'll See

All year round you can see birds that are native to Texas, such as the mockingbird, mourning dove, eastern screech owl, red bellied woodpecker, blue jay, robin, cardinal, and Carolina wren, but many, many more birds that are usually seen off of Maine decks in the north come through in the migration season. These migratory visitors include the common loon, Canada goose, barn swallow, yellow-billed cockatoo, great egret, purple martin, and ruby throated hummingbird.

What to Bring

If you're coming to Texas with the aim of spotting some rare birds, you'll want to pack some special items you can't find at your usual greenhouse supplier. You may want camouflage clothing to hide your presence from rare birds. Your birding notebook, a camera with a nice long lens for taking snaps of your favorites, and of course a pair of binoculars. Hiking boots, rain gear, and a sun hat and a waterproof bag are all essential, and you'll probably also want to pick up a copy of a guide to local species.