The annual Hummingbird Festival begins today at The High Frontier, a 380-acre private destination in the Davis Mountains, offering birdwatchers, photographers and nature enthusiasts four days of field trips, workshops and presentations.
The Aug. 14-17 event features guided excursions to some of Far West Texas’ best birding locations, from private mountain homes with active feeders to riparian preserves, ranches and wetlands. Trips focus on both hummingbirds and other regional species, with destinations including the Christmas Mountains Oasis, Alamito Creek Preserve, Balmorhea Lake, and The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve.
Participants can expect to see a variety of hummingbird species such as Lucifer, Ruby-throated, Black-chinned and Rufous, along with desert and mountain specialties including Montezuma Quail, Scott’s Oriole and Painted Bunting. Each trip is limited to a small group and priced at $45 or $55, depending on the program.
The festival also includes special presentations and workshops. Keynote speaker Kira Delmore, Ph.D., will discuss the courtship behaviors and hybridization between Black-chinned and Ruby-throated hummingbirds. Other programs will cover tropical hummingbirds, the impacts of light pollution on birds, and birding resources like eBird. There will also be a hummingbird photography workshop, an art demonstration, and a mindfulness session centered on birdwatching.
Located just outside Fort Davis, The High Frontier offers views of canyons and ranchland, starlit skies, and landscaped grounds, while still being within easy reach of Marfa’s contemporary arts scene, shopping and dining.
