The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is seeking expressions of interest in a nine-day birding trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas next spring.

The trip is tentatively scheduled for March 30 to April 7. It will be led by local birding expert Matt Orsie and include a special guided tour of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, which hosts the largest wild flock of Whooping Cranes.

Other stops will include the Laguna Atascosa and Kerr National Wildlife Refuges, the Sable Palm Bird Sanctuary, the Frontera Audubon Preserve and a variety of state and county parks that are birding hotspots.

Anyone with an interest is welcome to participate. A minimum of four people will be required to make the trip viable. The maximum number of participants will be seven.

The Society will charge no fees of its own but each participant will have to cover his or her own costs. The estimated basic cost per person will be $1,400. This will include all airline and hotel charges and fees for guides and entry to birding sites. Costs of meals, car rental and other possible expenses will be extra. Opting for double occupancy at hotels would reduce accommodation costs substantially.

Anyone interested in participating in the trip should contact Matt Orsie at wvbirder@comcast.net or 304-261-5602 by January 15.