Santa Margarita Ranch

02/02/2026

It's a great time to make reservations for spring break in March and April - trips are already filling during these top-tier months! Our local birds start breeding in March while April is prime migration time in Texas! Don't miss out! Get your reservations started by emailing us at [email protected] today

05/01/2026

January trips are open! Day and owl trips are available throughout the month.

Owl trips are filling quickly, with multiple trips already full - here's a list of currently open owl trip dates:
January 8th
January 10th
January 15th
January 20th
January 29th
January 31st

Day trips are available on demand! Let us know what trips you're interested in by emailing us at:

[email protected]

A recent Mottled Owl excursion ended in some epic views! Photos in this checklist, including the one below by Lisa Saffell -

Submitted by Simon Kiacz.

08/12/2025

The Mottled Owl is awaiting your visit! As long as she sticks around, we'll be offering trips for this once in a lifetime opportunity to add the species to your ABA list ✨🦉

We have trips throughout December - options include the evenings of the 11th, 13th, 18th, 28th, and 30th.

Cost of the trip is $100 per person - if you're interested in a December trip, or day or owl trips throughout May 2026, let us know by sending an email to [email protected]

Here's a recent eBird checklist from one of our owl trips, including some amazing photos from Lan Huang!

Submitted by Simon Kiacz.

19/10/2025

Some of our most wanted birds are ready for your visit!

Send us an email at [email protected] to reserve your trips today. Day trips and owl trips are currently open through May 2026 - trips through November are already filling quickly!

For November, we have open owl trips on Nov. 2nd, 11th, 15th, 20th, and 29th with more being added as demand dictates.

Day trips run throughout the week - email us with your ideal dates and we will let you know available trips!

This juvenile Brown Jay, our long-staying Mottled Owl, and a stunning female Hook-billed Kite were photographed by ranch guide Zach Johnson this weekend.

16/07/2025

🦉🌵 Bird Watching at Santa Margarita Ranch – A South Texas Gem! 🌵🦉

Looking for your next birding adventure? Come explore Santa Margarita Ranch, one of the top private birding hotspots in the LRGV!

From Brown Jays and Morelet’s Seedeaters to Hook-billed Kites and Red-billed Pigeons, this ranch offers exclusive access to some of the rarest birds in the U.S.

✅ Guided access only
✅ Over 320 bird species recorded
✅ Stunning Rio Grande riparian habitat

📅 Limited spots available — email us at [email protected] to learn more or to book your trip!

Varied Bunting - Simon Kiacz

25/11/2024

Fall has been amazing so far with great weather and great birds! Day temperatures are no longer in the 100's and nights are much cooler. Many of our year round and winter residents have been showing nicley on tours. These include Hook-billed Kite, Rose-throated Becard, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Muscovy Duck, the Kingfisher trifecta, Morelet's Seedeater, Mottled Owl and of course, we cant forget the Brown Jays, which are up to 7 individuals now! Zone-tailed Hawk, Audubon's Oriole, Gray Hawk and much more have been putting on a show lately too! Local rarities such as Limpkin, Song Sparrow, Red-breasted Merganser and Roseate Spoonbill have been hanging out with us during our morning bluff watch. We even had a very rare Canada Goose briefly visit the ranch last week!

Now is a great time to come out to the ranch! Email us at both [email protected] AND [email protected] (within the same email) to reserve your spot this fall/winter.

Photo credits: Brown Jay - Simon Kiacz, Dusky-capped Flycatcher and Rose-throated Becard - Ryan Rodriguez, Zone-tailed Hawk - Julio Mulero.

14/11/2024

The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival was last week which brought 5 days of trips here at the ranch. Birders saw Brown Jays, Hook-billed Kites, Morelet's Seedeaters, Rose-throated Becards, and a Mottled Owl in addition to over 100 other species of birds including most of the south Texas specialties. We're booking trips throughout the winter season now, so email us today at both [email protected] and [email protected] to book your trip for your opportunity to see these amazing birds at this special place!

16/10/2024

We’re scheduling two extra Mottled Owl trips for those of you coming to Texas for the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival! Since we won’t have an owl trip during the week of the festival, we’ll have pre- and post-festival owl trips instead! These trips will meet roughly an hour before sunset, giving us the chance for a Brown Jay sighting as well! The trip cost is $100 and usually lasts 3-4 hours.

Pre-festival owl trip – Monday November 4th
Post-festival owl trip – Monday November 11th

Our targets include Mottled Owl, Brown Jay, Barn Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl (McCalls subspecies), and other things that go bump in the night!

Here’s a recent eBird checklist from one of our owl hikes - https://ebird.org/checklist/S198648594

To reserve a spot, please email [email protected]

15/09/2024

First documented on November 18th of 2023, we are just over 2 months away from the 1 year anniversary of discovering the Mottled Owl in the ranch!

October/November 2024 Evening/Mottled Owl trips at Santa Margarita Ranch!

We are currently offering playback evening trips with the primary goal of hearing and/or seeing the Mottled Owl. These trips meet shortly before dusk (~1hr) they will use limited playback, enough light for viewing the bird, and will take place most Saturday nights in October and November. These trips will be the only trips using Mottled Owl playback in order to limit the disturbance to the owl. Additional nocturnal species we have heard on these trips include Common Pauraque, McCall’s Eastern Screech-Owl, Barn Owl, Common Poorwill, Great Horned Owl, Lesser Nighthawk and other things that go bump in the night.

Cost for this trip is $100 - half price for kids under 18!

There will be no Mottled Owl trip on November 9, 2024 due to the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival - but we will have owl trips on Saturday Nov. 2nd and Monday Nov. 4th (and depending on demand, a trip soon after the festival concludes).

To inquire for a Saturday Mottled Owl tour, please email [email protected]. If Saturday does not work for you, email us and we will try to work something out!

Photo: Mottled Owl, Santa Margarita Ranch by Jack Rogers

15/09/2024

It is that time everyone! Reserve your spot for a tour this October/November!

October/November 2024 Morning/Brown Jay Trips:

These trips begin at dawn and last until ~1-2pm more or less. We will spend the early morning on the bluffs overlooking the Rio Grande where we hope to pick up many of our species for the day including raptors, the kingfisher trifecta and anything else that may be flying up/down the river. Brown Jays occasionally can be heard and seen from the bluffs as they move up or down river. Later in the morning we will walk through the riparian corridor parallel to the river as we search for regular and uncommon woodland birds, often getting better looks at some point of the Brown Jays. November could be a good time for migrating birds as well! Other great birds that are possible on this trip include wild type Muscovy Ducks, Hook-billed Kites, Red-billed Pigeons, Rose-throated Becard and Zone-tailed Hawk! Not to mention the possibility of a rare vagrant to the region!

Prices for this trip are $140 for weekdays and $160 for weekends. Kids under 18 are half price!

To inquire or reserve a spot for ANY date please email BOTH [email protected] AND [email protected] . This will help aid to a timely response.

Photo: Rose-throated Becard by Ryan Rodriguez

24/07/2024

It’s almost that time of year! If you’re interested in big checklists, unique habitats, or rarities found no where else in the United States, then birding at Santa Margarita Ranch is the place to be! With increased access to the ranch over the last year, SMR has placed itself as one of the must-visit birding locations in the Rio Grande Valley. With species found nowhere else in the country, including Brown Jays and our long-staying Mottled Owl, there is no place like SMR! Regularly scheduled guided trips to Santa Margarita Ranch will begin mid-September as migrants and rarities are just starting to show up in the valley (and the temperature starts to become more bearable!). See the September schedule below for dates and contact information.

Until then, trips are being ran on-demand, including trips for our long-staying Mottled Owl. For trips in August, any owl trip, or dates not listed below, please email [email protected]

October and November dates will be posted soon!

September day trips -

September 18-22, Wednesday – Sunday: Open, guide Simon Kiacz and/or Zach Johnson – email both [email protected] and [email protected]

September 25-29, Wednesday – Sunday: Open, guide Simon Kiacz and/or Zach Johnson – email both [email protected] and [email protected]

02/05/2024

May 2024 Evening/Mottled Owl trips at Santa Margarita Ranch!
We are currently offering playback evening trips with the primary goal of hearing and/or seeing the Mottled Owl. These trips meet shortly after dusk (~1hr) they will use limited playback and enough light for viewing the bird, and will take place most Saturday nights in May. These trips will be the only trips using Mottled Owl playback in order to limit the disturbance to the owl. Additional nocturnal species we have heard on these trips include Common Pauraque, McCall’s Eastern Screech-Owl, Barn Owl, Common Poorwill, Great Horned Owl, Elf Owl, Lesser Nighthawk and other things that go bump in the night.
Upcoming night trips scheduled:

Saturday May 4: OPEN - email: [email protected]
Saturday May 11: OPEN - email: [email protected]
Saturday May 25: OPEN - email: [email protected]

Photo by Brooke Ross