Golden-fronted Woodpecker

The Weaver Ranch

South Texas Photo Trip Info

We have been going to the valley every spring since 2004. Here are some tips, suggestions, daily rate information and anything else that occurs to me.

General Information

The ranches are all privately owned and the facilities on those mentioned are excellent. With few exceptions, the blinds are roomy, clean and comfortable. At this writing daily fees range from $85.00 to $180.00 per day, per photographer. You can stay all day or take a break at mid day for lunch or a trip to town. The animal activity usually slows to a crawl from noon until about 4:00 pm but if you want to stay out all day, that’s fine. You can go as early as you want (within reason) and stay as late as you want (again, within reason).
Bathroom facilities range from the nearest bush to the owners home, depending on the property. Roads are extremely good on all the properties mentioned here. If it rains, the owners will warn you if it isn’t safe to travel with anything less than a 4 wheel drive. We have never had a problem with this however. Walking is minimal as you can drive very close to the blinds, unload your equipment and then park in a shady area away from the blind. The owners will accompany you to and from the blinds to avoid getting lost.

Camera Equipment

If you drive down, my motto is “bring everything, you never know”. If you fly, place your emphasis on your longest telephoto lens first, then add other equipment as space allows.
A 300mm f4 with teleconverters is a minimum. A 400, 500 or 600mm is even better. Fast zooms (f4 or better) are excellent choices. I am a Nikon shooter so I highly recommend any of the super telephotos or the 200-500mm. The 70-200 f2.8 is supposed to perform well with converters so this is also a viable possibility. On a personal note, I was in a blind with a good friend from Ohio in 2007 and was using an 80-400mm and having a tough time of it due to the lens autofocus “hunting” in the lower light areas. If that’s what you have, bring it but if you can buy, borrow or rent better glass, by all means, do so.
I cannot handhold a camera body with no lens attached so BRING YOUR TRIPOD!!!
As far as flash is concerned, I have shot with and without and I have come to the conclusion it isn’t necessary to use flash but that is a personal choice so bring it and your “Better Beamer” if you have room (I always do, even though I don’t always use it). It’s dusty down there so bring your lens cleaning equipment as well. Bring ALL of your CF or SD cards as you will be amazed at how fast they fill up. Laptops and external hard drives are also a must. Extra batteries and chargers are also essential. Another useful item to bring along is a plug strip as there never seems to be enough electrical outlets .

No Big Lenses? No Problem!

I have recently used an internet company called www.lensrentals.com and have found them to be honest, friendly, helpful and very reasonably priced. Check out their website and rent that dream lens you've always wanted. WARNING: You may end up buying whatever it is you rent! Don't say I didn't warn you. They rent camera bodies as well.

Miscellaneous Equipment

The two most important items I can think of are bottled water and a battery powered fan. Water you can haul or buy down there and the fans can be ordered on line. I have 2 of the O2Cool units that work like a champ. They will last for hours on a set of Duracells. A small cooler is also a good idea to take with you to the blinds.

The Properties

The Martin Refuge is now limited to the property known as the Javelina. Expect to see Cardinals, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Chachalacas, Great Kiskadees, Great-tailed Grackles, Long and Curve-billed Thrashers, Painted Buntings, and Yellow-breasted Chats, to name a few. All of these plus several species of dove, Blue and Bobwhite Quail, Javelina, Mexican Ground squirrel, Caracara, Rio Grande Turkey, Coyote and Bobcat await you at the Javelina. You may also see Indigo and Painted Bunting, Roadrunner, Olive and Lark Sparrow, plus migrant species. The property is fed 365 days a year and the birds know that when somebody is walking around the blinds, dinner will be served shortly.

The Martin's have added a raptor blind that is second to none. In 2011 we had as many as 20 Caracaras feeding at one time. Harris hawks and Roadrunners show up as well. There is no guarantee where nature is concerned but we have never been disappointed when visiting the Martins.

Santa Clara Ranch is located near McCook Texas and like the Martin Refuge, is totally dedicated to photography. It was built by and for photographers and offers a great experience to visitors. There are 2 morning and 2 evening blinds plus a raptor/predator blind. All are clean and well constructed. We saw a huge variety of wildlife there and had a great time. Guide service is optional at a reasonable price. Daily fees are $110.00 per photographer. One of the best features is the ranch house. Newly constructed, it features 4 bedrooms with 2 beds in each, full kitchen, washer/dryer, wireless internet, NO PHONE and NO TV!! Cost is beyond reasonable at $55.00 per person per day. There is a full porch that extends all the way around the house plus big picture windows in the sitting area with feeders right outside. A beautiful view and far better than any motel. Definitely a 5 star facility and a must see property if you are in the area.

In May of 2010 we visited El Rancho Tepeyak (also known as the Garza Ranch) located 19 miles north of Rio Grande City. We were very impressed with the property and the blinds as the owners have gone all out by installing 2 afternoon and 2 morning blinds plus a raptor blind. The blinds are solidly constructed and will hold up to 4 photographers each. They are all below ground so when sitting, your camera is just slightly above ground level. They all have stair steps leading in so anyone with physical problems will have no trouble getting in and out.

Mr. Isaac Garza Sr. was our host and he welcomed us like we were old friends. He is quite proud of the property and rightly so. They also have a small house for mid day breaks with full facilities and an air conditioner! You can bring food and drinks and store them in the refrigerator and save a trip into town if you like. They also have pretty good beds for a much needed nap after lunch. The roads and blinds are well maintained and easy to get to even with a city car.

We saw the usual suspects including Green Jay, Caracara, Olive Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Bullocks Oriole, Pyrrhuloxia, Greater Roadrunner, White-winged and White-tipped Dove. The ranch also has Rio Grande Turkey, Mexican Ground Squirrel and Bobcat as well as Whitetail Deer. All in all an extremely nice place that should be included on any south Texas photo tour. Another great thing is the daily fee is quite a bit less than the other ranches we have visited.

Laguna Seca 

Accommodations and Eateries

We have recently stayed in Misson, Texas at the Las Palmas Inn on Expressway 83 which features clean, comfortable rooms and puts us close to  the Javelina property and about a 30 minute drive to the ranches listed above.. As for food, bring your appetite. EXCELLENT Tex-Mex to be had at numerous places as well as fast food for breakfast and lunch. Las Palmas has a continental breakfast so you can save a buck or two.

Transportation

You can drive down or fly into the McAllen airport and rent a vehicle. I flew the first few times but driving allows us to take more gear and avoid the cavity search at the airport as well as the anxiety of checked baggage. If there are a number of people going together you can work something out where some fly while others drive and haul equipment. The airport is nice and small enough that you are off the plane and picking up your bags very quickly.
I hope this helps answer a few questions that you might have. Feel free to email me any time for any other info I can provide.

www.campbelld454@yahoo.com
Use the subject line - South Texas Photo

CONTACTS

                                                Me: campbelld454@yahoo.com

Martin Refuge: avocetpmr@aol.com (Patti)

Santa Clara: hector@hectorastorga.com (Hector)

El Ranch Tepeyac: info@ranchotepeyac.com (Isaac)