Big Bend Part 4: Sam Nail Ranch & More Scouting

By Mary Beth Stowe

The next strategy for bagging the night birds was to stop at Lost Pine Trail again, as it’s the highest point on the road. On the way out I mistakenly started going the wrong way in the parking lot, but by doing that I got a Striped Skunk in the headlights! So we turned around and headed up to the trailhead parking area, and that plan hit pay dirt the minute I stepped out of the car – two Mexican Whippoorwills were going at it up on the hillside! I couldn’t help but jump up and down! I really don’t recall anything else that opened the dawn (although I know stuff did), but my “get going alarm” went off just about when a family pulled up and got ready to hike the trail (and it was still pretty much pitch)!

The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous, and stopped a couple of times to try and get pictures and video! Made it to Sam Nail Ranch in plenty of time, and there was still some beautiful sunrise patterns to photograph! Once sunrise officially happened, I again mounted the Powershot on the tripod and headed in, with lots of distant chats (those yellow breasts really stand out) and Turkey Vultures on the dilapidated windmill! I actually took several loops around the trail as the temperature was tolerable and the sunlight stupendous, so what I filmed when kind of all blended together, but highlights included a Cardinal and a Pyrrhuloxia who both wanted the windmill as a singing perch, a distant Varied Bunting for the trip, and an absolutely knock-out dead gorgeous Blue Grosbeak who posed close! Down in the oasis itself I sat for 15 with nothing to show for it (except our rival Bell’s Vireos from yesterday and the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher buzzing away). On the way out noticed another trail into the vegetation, so I took that, and gloriously both a chat and a Bell’s sat up on a dead tree for video (not for long, but useable)! On one of the later rounds what I thought was another Cardinal turned out to be a brilliant Summer Tanager, and a real Black-tailed Gnatcatcher hissed on the main trail, but he was right in the sun and didn’t want to come out once I had gotten into position. A Black-throated Sparrow was a little more cooperative, however, and on the last round a Scaled Quail called in the distance! Several tourists came by while I was there, including a guy from Tucson who was collecting insects (he said he had a permit).

Two vultures perched on a tree branch in a field

Pair of Turkey Vultures against the hillside

Three pictures of a bird sitting on a pole

A Cardinal (left) and Pyrrhuloxia (center and right)

A woodpecker and a blue bird are standing next to each other

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (left) and Blue Grosbeak (right)

Three birds are perched on a tree branch against a blue sky

Bell's Vireo (left and center) and Yellow-breasted Chat (right)

I had planned on leaving around 11:00, but it was already starting to get warm, so we called it a wrap and headed to Cottonwood Campground. The scenery on the way there was spectacular, and at one stop Ranger Cheryl happened to be in the car in front of me! Someone mentioned that the trees at Cottonwood were dying and that the park was removing them, but I wasn’t prepared for how devastated the place looked – it was heartbreaking! There were several nice cottonwoods still around, but even though it said the campground was “full”, there was no one there – it was a ghost town! (Later I would find out that it was simply closed for the summer…) So I took a quick walk around the camping loop, picking up more Bell’s Vireos (of course), a Western Kingbird chasing a Turkey Vulture, and a Vermilion Flycatcher pair (at least they’re still around; I remember thinking that if anyone had to see one or they were gonna die, I’d send them here! Not any more…). A warbler trill had me thinking, “No way is a Colima down here!” when I remembered that it would probably be a Lucy’s, and sure enough, that’s what it was! A real Phainopepla perched on top of a dead tree, and before long the pair flew overhead, showing their white wing patches very nicely, so if there was any doubt about that group that flew across the road early on, there was no doubt now! There was one little patch on the ground that was very attractive to House Finches, a Lark Sparrow, a Painted Bunting, and even another Blue Grosbeak, and on the way out a bird that looked suspiciously like a Varied Bunting darted across the road. If there was any access to the Rio Grande, I sure couldn’t find it (unless it was that side road I passed on the way in)! I almost scouted Santa Elena Canyon since it was only eight miles away, but it was getting warm and I wanted to try road-birding Green Gulch (and see if any of these specialty butters the book talked about showed up).

A dirt path leading to a mountain in the desert

Cerro Castellan

A dirt road with trees on both sides and a blue sky in the background.

Cottonwood Campground

A small red and black bird perched on a tree branch

Vermilion Flycatcher

Three pictures of a blue bird in the grass

A Blue Grosbeak munches down on grass when something spooks him at right!

On the way back stopped at all those scenic stops that I passed on the way in (good thing, too, as I got an e-mail from Keith asking me to do that 😊), then started stopping at all the pullouts along Green Gulch when I got there (didn’t realize the road was only six miles long!!). That was a great move, at least so far as the trip list went (not much was cooperative for video, except the scenery 😊): as we climbed in elevation added Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Acorn Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak, “Big Bend” Titmouse (they sound so unique!) and Mexican Jay to the day list, but the best bird was just before hitting the Basin: a Black-capped Vireo singing right next to the road (that didn’t wanna come out of course 😊)! Earlier I had heard a distant vireo that I really couldn’t pin down to Black-capped or Gray, so I’m very glad this guy came through!

A road in the desert with mountains in the background

Volcanic landscape along Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

A dirt road in the desert with mountains in the background

Scene along Green Gulch

After getting ice, water, and a trail map for the next day, I dropped off the dead Powershot battery to refuel and decided to take The Monster out around the Window Trail. Ran into a lot of families on that one, so didn’t get much video (I did take some distant scenic shots), but on the way back had a distant Hepatic Tanager, and the flowers along the dirt trails were still abuzz with bugs! That thistle patch was the best (heard the siskins again from that general direction), with gobs of Variegated Frits, a handful of Sleepy Oranges and Lyside Sulphurs, and at least singletons of Large Orange Sulphur, Pipevine Swallowtail, Southern Dogface, and Mournful Duskywing. A Checkered Skipper had been bouncing around that I thought might have been a Desert, but the pics confirmed it was just a White… A Black Swallowtail finally made it to a flower (he was being bullied by everyone, great and small)!

A view of a mountain valley with mountains in the background

Telescopic peek through The Window

A white and purple butterfly are sitting on a flower

Checkered White being bullied by a Reakirt’s Blue

Two butterflies are sitting on a flower and one is orange and the other is black.

Variegated Fritillary (left) and Black Swallowtail (right)

Called it quits after that to do post-field work!

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Two trees are standing in the middle of a grassy field.

Day 2: Brazos Bend State Park

By Mary Beth Stowe • September 28, 2024

Got ready to go the next morning a little earlier than planned, so went ahead and headed over to the park, thankful that the gate was open just like the guy said! I went straight to 40 Acre Lake and took the Powershot down to the pier, but didn’t stay long as I realized I really needed to be using The Monster (i.e. Sony with the Big Lens) in this situation (it was still kinda dusky, even after sunrise, and it handles low-light situations much better than the Powershot). I ended up spending over an hour there as it was quite active: tons of Little Blue Herons (including many transitioning birds, called “calicos”), Common Gallinules, a young Great Blue, and even a pair of Purple Gallinules taking a bath (but on the other side of the lake)! Some Anhingas were swimming with just their head and necks above the surface (hence the name “snake-bird”), so that was fun to shoot! A Pied-billed Grebe was new for the trip (as was a Tricolored Heron that kept hiding). Got some artsy shots of Great Egrets and spoonbills across the lake, and another Anhinga had landed on the railing to dry his wings, and he was pretty dilapidated! I didn’t wanna bother him (it was obvious he was agitated when I started getting closer), but a Plegadis ibis wheeled in that had a gray face and dark eye, and I would think that this time of year any Whiteface would have a red eye! Unfortunately so long as I didn’t have Internet access I couldn’t upload a picture to eBird, so documentation would have to wait until I got to the Holiday Inn (if I could get on their Wi-Fi…). [Update: I could, so I submitted the photos – more on that story later…] White Ibis were out the yin yang, and what I thought were a mom and kid Boat-tailed Grackle came by (as the male was singing somewhere), but they turned out to be Great-tails after I reviewed the video. A Mississippi Kite circled over the trees, but the best video op was a roaring Alligator! That was great! The Four-spotted Pennants (a type of dragonfly) on the way out were anti-climactic! Totally forgot to film the Barn Swallow nest on the way out, though… ☹ I did hear some chickadees on the way out, so I wheeled back in and tried to get some video out the car window!

A tree in a park with spanish moss hanging from it

Day 1: The Drive Up & Brazos Bend Scouting

By Mary Beth Stowe • September 21, 2024

As usual, woke up early so got going early after the morning routine; added Golden-fronted Woodpecker to the list while packing the car (among other things we’ll probably pick up later). Another “write-in” bird heading north on US 77 was a Harris’ Hawk! We stopped at the Sarita rest stop, picking up a Hooded Oriole for the trip, but boy, did it look nasty up ahead!! I wish I had been able to take a picture on the fly, because you talk about storm-chasing: once under it, it was black as night, with some terrific lightning displays! But then the rain started, and by Riviera it was zero visibility, so I just pulled into a Pizza Hut (or some such joint) parking lot to wait it out for a while. A Flood Warning came over the phone, and looking at the radar, we were right in the middle of a big red blob (I kept trying to capture a picture of the thing and was turning the phone off by mistake, so by the time I did get a picture the Red Blob had moved north a bit so the effect wasn’t the same)! Continued on after a few minutes, and while it let up, it didn’t really stop until the next stop at Refugio. We got a breakfast croissant at Burger King, then continued north. Filled up at El Campo (ended up going around the Very Long Block for that one), where a homeless guy opened the door for me! Headed on to Brazos Bend, where there was no hint of the threatened rain! Jumped out at the entrance to shoot the requisite sign, and had a Carolina Wren actually in view for a second while waiting to check in! I had some questions, so the ranger had me park and walk in where he gave me a map and showed me where the Limpkins usually show up; unfortunately it was as someone else had mentioned, and it was an almost three mile one-way hike along the Live Oak Trail to get to the habitat! He also suggested a couple of spots for Purple Gallinules, and said that the gate opens around 6:15, so that was perfect! Back at the car I remembered the other question I wanted to ask and went running back: do they have feeders? Nope – all natural here, she said!

A dirt road in the middle of a desert with mountains in the background

Day 6 - Kickapoo Cavern State Park

By Mary Beth Stowe • September 16, 2024

And what a final day! It was another cold but (thankfully) windless morning, and the drive to Brackettville in the dark was (again thankfully) uneventful. We made a potty stop there, picking up a singing Western Kingbird for the trip, and by that time it was getting light enough so that the last leg to Kickapoo Cavern on FM 674 was delightful – I’d love to be able to survey that road, as there was lots of good Edwards Plateau habitat and plenty of places to pull over. Did see a couple of ravens, but according to eBird both could occur, so I let them go. And am I thankful I downloaded the eBird checklist the night before, because there was no signal once I got to the park! (Although I had an initial shock when I ran the day list and only got four species – needed to change the date… 😊) After taking the obligatory entrance sign picture, we just crawled along, and were rewarded with a friendly Golden-cheeked Warbler, and later a Rufous-crowned Sparrow (he wasn’t friendly – just happened to be on my side of the road and was nice enough to stay put)! A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a wire sallied out and caught a big bug, and although the singing Canyon Wren wasn’t new for the trip, the singing Scott’s Oriole was! The normal songsters seemed to be just Cardinals, Bell’s Vireos, and Bewick’s Wrens.

A river runs through a lush green forest with mountains in the background.

Day 5 - South Llano River SP - The Trails

By Mary Beth Stowe • September 7, 2024

Headed out in the black, deciding to park at the walk-in camping lot to see in the dawn. And what a morning! It was freezing cold (around 37 degrees; Heppy – my Subaru – even warned me that the roads could be icy), but not a speck of wind, and the night sky was glorious! (There was a sign in the campground saying this was a Dark Sky Park or something like that…) Got to see a couple of meteors, and even a satellite (or the Space Station)! 😊 Once again, the Cardinals had to voice their dominance as the first birds up (even before it was lightening in the east), but nothing in the way of night birds vocalized. I did hear this weird barking that I suspected was one of the Axis Deer, so I thought I’d have some fun and see what Merlin said! Interestingly, he thought it was an Inca Dove (no way), but he also said he picked up a Poorwill! I did briefly hear something that sounded like one poor-will phrase, but since it didn’t keep going (as they usually do), I didn’t count it. Walked around the lot trying to keep warm, and in the twilight a Great Horned Owl glided low over my head (and it was light enough to see the details of his face without the bins 😊)! Also heard Turkeys gobbling in the distance, and as it got lighter a singing Yellow-breasted Chat (that Merlin didn’t recognize, interestingly) was new for the trip, and that weird whistling that I heard yesterday that sounded like a funky Black-capped Chickadee and wrote it off as an oddball Field Sparrow or something suddenly clicked: it was the reported White-throated Sparrow! He gave great recording ops but never came out for a view, either there or in the blind.

A small bird is standing next to a large rock.

Day 4 - South Llano River SP Blinds

By Keith Hackland • September 2, 2024

Packed up after the morning routine (funny how I’ve consistently woken up before the alarm goes off) and made it to Junction without clobbering any deer! 😊 (The wind was horrendous, though; I was concerned about all those big rigs zipping along at 70 MPH!) Siri sent me the back way, which I think was new, and was shocked to discover major road work going on in the park – I couldn’t even pull over on my favorite perch at the top of the hill! ☹ (Come to find out they were building a new Visitor’s Center…) So I pulled over as soon as I felt it was safe, and like the first morning at Kerr, I think the wind kept me from hearing much of anything (although, as normal, the Cardinals were the first ones to wake up). I did pick up a Black-capped Vireo at the first hard left, and heard a Golden-cheeked Warbler near Lora’s Blind (but I think that might have been after sunrise – it all blends together…). Crawled around the campground picking up several Bell’s Vireos and spooked three Axis Deer, and by the time I arrived at the big parking lot outside the campground my Sunrise Alarm went off, so decided to head back to Lora’s Blind first before the construction crew got going! That was a good plan, and my concerns about the blinds being packed with people were unfounded, as, out of all four blinds, only two other couples showed up the whole time (and I spent an hour in each one)! One couple remembered me from San Diego (and that’s always embarrassing when you don’t remember them ☹) and were now RVing all over the country, and the other couple were new birders from San Benito (another Lower Rio Grande Valley town)! (I put in a plug for Arroyo Colorado Audubon… 😊) Anyway, even before the food was put out, Lora’s Blind was hopping with activity: the main players were White-crowned Sparrows of all ages and in various degrees of molt (it was funny to see beat up birds next to immaculately fresh ones), and both species of towhees came in as well (although the Spotted was consistently shy). Titmice were very cooperative, and I was thrilled to see a Hermit Thrush come in to the water feature! Cardinals were all over the place, Lincoln’s Sparrows were plentiful, and one Lark Sparrow came in.

A dirt road going through a field with trees on both sides

Day 3 - Kerr WMA, Bobcat Trail

By Mary Beth Stowe • August 24, 2024

Didn’t wake up quite as early as the day before, but still got to Bobcat Meadows well before dawn. This time it was a lovely morning, with no wind, and at the second or third stop, sure enough, a Poorwill was singing in the distance! (Turkeys were gobbling as well…) Barbara texted me in the middle of all this with a question about the Harris’ Hawk (turns out I had forgotten to add the Swainson’s Hawk to the eBird list, and forgot to add that and the Harris’ to the trip list), so I got to tell her that I had just gotten the Poorwill! J The normal dawn chorus characters started tuning up as it got lighter, but nothing new for the trip. At sunrise I swung over to the main road just to make sure they really were having a turkey hunt, and therefore the place was closed (they were), so I headed back to Bobcat Meadows and carried out the following strategy: stop every tenth of a mile, drag The Monster out, and wait five minutes to see what shows! Worked fine until the second or third stop when two Black-capped Vireos were really going at it in this bush in front of me; you’d think they’d be visible, but no way! But I hung in there with them, and they eventually shot down to a leafless bush down the incline where they were clearly visible chasing each other around the bush, and it became apparent that there was a third bird (which turned out to be the female, which was the main bird I was able to shoot; her hubby was too busy chasing his rival J)! It wasn’t the greatest, mainly because of the distance and trying to keep the silly things in focus as they dashed in and out between the branches, but at least we got something!

A man walking down a road with trees in the background

Day 2: Kerr WMA with Barbara Pankratz

By Mary Beth Stowe • August 10, 2024

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning the next day, so I did the morning routine unhurriedly because I got up uber early, and got over to Bobcat Meadows well before dawn; the wind concerned me, but there were no night birds at all, and as the sky lightened we had the usual suspects, including the song-battling Black-capped Vireos. I rushed out of there in time to meet Barbara at the main gate, which was closed when I first checked, but open now! We had a great reunion, and she had quite the list while she was waiting for me (she, too, felt like a kid on Christmas morning and got there around seven, when the gate was open)! I had heard a chickadee coming in, and Inca Doves at the station, but for some reason she didn’t hear the Canyon Wren I heard (but she got it later). We piled into Heppy and started crawling, and it was good to catch up during the course of the day! It all blended together since we covered both roads; Barbara spotted Lark Sparrows right away on the main road, a Vermilion Flycatcher “butterflied” overhead, and a Swainson’s Hawk circled in the distance. We heard both the Goldencheeks and the Blackcaps right away, but the former was the only one to cooperate by sitting on the tippy top of a tree! (Barbara circled around a tree a Blackcap was singing in to try and “herd” him my way…) We found another Goldencheek pair chasing each other, and Barbara got terrific shots with her new Sony, but I really had a hard time getting mine on the bird and then in focus, so that made me decide to get a Powershot video first, and then drag out The Monster if the bird was still being cooperative! At that same spot we had a thooking Hermit Thrush, and we actually did have a lot of Blackcaps, but they would only allow fleeting glimpses as they shot from tree to tree.

A fence post in the middle of a field with trees in the background

Edwards Plateau, 3-9 April 2022 - the Drive Up

By Mary Beth Stowe • July 29, 2024

Headed out on time, but was greeted by fog heading up the 281 corridor! Once it cleared we added a few expected things: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Caracara, and Red-tailed Hawk were the nice ones (grackles and pigeons not so nice 😊). Stopped at the Subway in Jourdanton to get lunch for today and tomorrow, where the gals were pulling their hair out because someone suddenly wanted 32 sandwiches for which they had no bread, then caused Siri to pull out her “hair” because I insisted on going the back way to Kerrville instead of taking the freeway! (She finally got on board…) It’s a lovely drive, and ended up getting to the WMA about 1:30, but was surprised to see the main gate closed! (Maybe I shouldn’t have been if they were having a turkey hunt…) So I headed on over to Bobcat Road and just started crawling, and almost immediately I heard a Black-capped Vireo singing! I pulled out The Monster, and what else should start singing but a Golden-cheeked Warbler! I went back and forth between the two trying to nail them down, but neither wanted to come out. ☹ The whole road was like that, really: at one point I had two song-battling, and one of them sounded like he was right there in great light, but of course I either couldn’t spot him or he was singing from within the bush (which is probably more likely). Cardinals also sounded visible but weren’t, and a little pishing got Bewick’s Wrens, titmice, and a Spotted Towhee all excited, but none would come out (it was getting warm and breezy, so I don’t blame them).

A road going through a desert with mountains in the background

Big Bend Part 7: Chisos Basin & the Drive Home

By Mary Beth Stowe • July 20, 2024

Got all packed up in plenty of time the next morning, so dropped off the key and headed down to the amphitheater parking area to see in the dawn, planning on walking up the paved road and then coming back down that connector trail I did last time. I hemmed and hawed about that after coasting down the incline, however, and remembered that I was looking into the sun going up that trail last time, so decided to start at the top and come down after all. The predawn watch was glorious, with more stupendous stars (and I think I saw a satellite – one was moving pretty fast!), plus another Poorwill and a couple more Elf Owls! (That was my last chance at picking up Western Screech Owl, hence the vigil, but no banana…) Some songsters later came close enough for recordings, including a Canyon Towhee and Scott’s Oriole! I headed up a bit before actual sunrise to use the restroom, then got distracted by a pair of Canyon Towhees bouncing around near the picnic tables, only to be photobombed by a White-winged Dove! Then headed down what I thought was the trail I had taken up ten years ago, but discovered later that the trail I really wanted was the one that went to the group campground! But my mistake turned out to be a blessing (even though it was another dicey, rocky trail – I’ve definitely made up my mind to avoid those from now on!) as while I was filming an Acorn Woodpecker, I heard a Mexican Jay behind me, and turned to see him hopping on the trail coming my way!! Thankfully he stayed put (or I should say, didn’t flee) for video, calling the whole time! And on top of that, a Gray Fox zipped across the trail behind me! A Rufous-crowned Sparrow came in close to pishing, but he stayed inside the bush enough so that a video just wasn’t possible. From on high I spotted the singing tanager that sounded more like a Summer to me, and it indeed was, which surprised me up this high (although BirdsEye showed it as expected)! A Pine Siskin “cheered” overhead, and I was surprised to see it flagged later when the trio a few days ago were fine – must be on the cusp!

A river runs through a canyon with mountains in the background

Big Bend Part 6: Santa Elena Canyon & Cottonwood Campground

By Mary Beth Stowe • July 20, 2024

The next day was much more relaxing: headed out to Santa Elena Canyon in the pitch (stopped at the bottom of the grade to listen for owls – nada, but the stars were stupendous!), and again found myself playing “Dodge the Bunny” (actually spooked a Jackrabbit into the brush)! I have to say the early-morning desert smelled so good! It had been decades since I was last there, and they built a handicap-access trail since then, but you still had to hike the sand to the river. As per usual, Bell’s Vireos were out the yin yang, and a Lesser Goldfinch was at the top of a willow, but I had a hard time getting at an angle where I could film him. Both Blue Grosbeaks and Painted Buntings were at the river, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to make that climb up the canyon wall as in previous years (and probably wouldn’t have crossed anyway, as the trail across the creek was very muddy). But the scenery was just fabulous, and it was fun getting video with the early morning bird ambience! The only new bird was a Rock Wren singing waaay up there; no way could I spot ‘im! On the way out, a very cooperative Bell’s Vireo actually sat still for a video, only I noticed that his beak wasn’t moving to the song – I apparently was filming the guy’s mate!