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A large bird with long, stilted legs looks down in search of food as it wades through a wetland with dry vegetation.
Taking Flight The Nature Conservancy of Texas protected 2,162 acres of important bird habitat in partnership with a private ranch on the Texas Gulf Coast. © Kendal Larson

Legacy Journeys

Coastal Texas

Explore world-renowned bird-watching hot spots during the peak spring migration season for thousands of neotropical bird species.

April 22-27, 2026 

Join us for this bird-watcher’s dream getaway. Each year, springtime beckons more than 2 billion birds to embark on long flights from Central and South America to northern destinations, such as the Upper Texas Coast. During the first part of our journey, we search for red-cockaded woodpeckers, Bachman’s sparrows, fish crows, brown-headed nuthatches and other species at the Big Thicket, an area known for an impressive variety of dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies. Our adventures will also take us through the coastal woodlands of High Island and the rice fields, beaches and wetlands around Galveston Bay.

Highlights

  • Explore coastal mottes on the globally celebrated birding hot spot of High Island.
  • Learn from TNC experts about conservation work to enhance the Upper Texas Coast’s resiliency against storms and climate change through natural infrastructure like oyster reefs.
  • Take a ferry to Galveston Island and Bolivar Flats, where marbled godwits, red knots, long-billed dowitchers and other shorebirds feast on a nutrient-rich smorgasbord brought in by the tides.
Nash Prairie Preserve in Texas.
Nash Prairie Preserve (ALL INTERNAL RIGHTS, LIMITED EXTERNAL RIGHTS) Nash Prairie Preserve in Texas is a 400-acre tract and one of the last remaining segments of the Great Coastal Prairie. Nash is a pristine piece of prairieland, largely untouched encompassing over 300 species, including several rare species and at least one type of grass thought to be extinct in Texas since the 1800s. Photo credit: © Jerod Foster © Jerod Foster

Information & Reservations

Interested travelers should submit an online Trip Interest Form by Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. For questions, you can review the Journeys sign up process information or contact TNC’s Legacy Journeys travel manager, Erin Crowther, directly at LegacyJourneys@tnc.org or (317) 829-1873.

For more information about cancellation terms, review our Frequently Asked Questions.

Texas City Prairie Preserve Marshy grasses grow in still waters at sunrise, with a scattering of clouds in the distance. © R.J. Hinkle
Long-billed Curlew A medium-sized bird with stilted legs and a very long, thin and slightly curved beak wades through still waters. © Karine Aigner
Big Thicket National Preserve A two-track dirt road winds through dense, leafy greenery. © Rich Kostecke
Tricolored Heron and Oysters Oyster reefs at low tide provide excellent hunting for a tricolored heron looking for small fish. © Erika Nortemann/TNC

Explore All 2026 Legacy Journeys