Cameron County (Texas) Birdathon

By Mary Beth Stowe

Two green parrots are perched on a ledge against a blue sky.

4/30/21

Was a little concerned about getting rained out this day, but thankfully it was dry when I set out (driving in the dark with my eyesight is bad enough, but driving in the dark when it’s raining is terrifying)! As with the Hidalgo County Birdathon, I did things a little differently this time and focused on destinations that were reporting rare (and year) birds, and as it turned out I had to change the “standard” itinerary very little! The first destination is always Resaca de la Palma State Park an hour before dawn for the night birds, and as I turned onto New Carmen Drive logged a Killdeer for the first bird, followed closely by a beenting Common Nighthawk (2). Once parked in my “spot” just outside the main gate, added White-winged Doves (3) tuning up already, and Pauraques (4) in surround-sound! According to the radar, South Padre Island was getting clobbered with a big thunderstorm, and indeed I saw lightning and heard thunder in the distance, but it was nowhere near my location; just close enough to enjoy!

The distinctive brat of a flyover Dickcissel (5) was next, followed by a distant Cardinal (6) and the dawn song of a Brown-crested Flycatcher (7). A Black-bellied Whistling Duck (8) called overhead, and as it started getting lighter several Couch’s Kingbirds (9) joined the dawn chorus, followed by Mourning Dove (10), a singing Clay-colored Thrush (11), a raucous Kiskadee (12), a mellow White-tipped Dove (13), some complaining Green Jays (14), a bouncing-ball Olive Sparrow (15), and a Golden-fronted Woodpecker (16) pretty close to sunrise (not that you could tell; in fact, I got spit on enough to take up the vigil from inside the car)! By sunrise the dripping had let up, so I took a quick walk into the “real” parking area and behind the visitor’s center as an American Robin had been reported (and indeed they had several over the winter), but no sign of that bird, nor of the Turkeys that are often back there, but did add Black-crested Titmouse (17), Mockingbird (18), chuckling Chachalacas (19), and a Long-billed Thrasher (20) to the list. A Great-tailed Grackle (21) flew over just before I left, and on the way to the freeway added a Caracara (22) on a pole, an Eastern Meadowlark (23) and Red-winged Blackbird (24) in the fields along New Carmen, some Barn Swallows (25) swooping across Olmito Road, and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (26) on the wire.

The next destination (which was a departure from tradition) was the UTRGV campus in Brownsville, at which a Yellow-rumped Warbler was reported. Truthfully, I didn’t have high hopes of finding that one, either, but now that I had visited the area several times I felt more comfortable going there by myself, and it turned out to be a great substitution (as I had skipped Sabal Palm Sanctuary in favor of it)! A Starling (27) wasn’t all that exciting, but singing Carolina Wrens (28) were, and the place was lousy with feral Muscovies (29) flying all over! A Tropical Kingbird (30) tittered, and the resaca right there at the bookstore had a Green Heron (31), a Spotted Sandpiper (32), and Long-billed Dowitchers (33). Heading over to the “Black Hawk” resaca, a House Finch (34) sang (a good bird to pick up, as they’re rather rare in the Valley), as well as a Common Yellowthroat (35). A Yellow Warbler (36) chirped from one of the riparian trees there, making me wonder if he was a true migrant or one of the several birds that had overwintered there! But one of the most unexpected birds of the day went screeching over low: two Green Parakeets (37)! While looking for what I thought was another warbler that zipped into a tree, my bins landed on a Buff-bellied Hummingbird (38), and on the bridge picked up several Snowy Egrets (39), a couple of Roseate Spoonbills (40), a Little Blue Heron (41), a few Great Egrets (42), and a pair of Blue-winged Teal (43). On the way back a Painted Bunting (44) sang from the vegetation, and a Least Sandpiper (45) fed in the mud below the bridge. Back at the Bookstore Resaca a second look produced Solitary (46) and Stilt Sandpipers (47).

A black and white duck is sitting on a wooden fence.

Feral Muscovy Duck; although the domesticated variety comes in many patterns of black and white, this bird retains the plumage found in truly wild birds.

The Brownsville Dump was on the original itinerary, but in light of the rain there was no way I was going in there only to slip and slide up that hill (they may have closed it anyway), so I headed on to Old Port Isabel Road, one of the traditional Birdathon spots which is fully passable only when fully dry, which it obviously wouldn’t be, but the south half is a good caliche road and almost always in good shape. The first bird added to the list right near the new RV park was a Lark Sparrow (48), and with the overcast conditions I could actually see what was in Loma Alta Lake, the most obvious birds being Black-necked Stilts (49). A Blue Grosbeak (50) sang while I perused the lake: lots of Gull-billed Terns (51) were flying and calling, and a falcon-shaped bird got my juices going, but “camera-scoping” proved it to be a Peregrine (52), which isn’t too shabby this late in the season, either! With the bins I was able to pick out Shovelers (53), a prancing Reddish Egret (54), and a couple of Caspian Terns (55), but it took a little extra magnification with the Powershot to pick out Black Skimmer (56), Coots (57), and an American Wigeon pair (58 - I was surprised that one didn’t get flagged)!

Continuing on, the Willets (59) were making a fuss, and just past the canal I heard a peet! that sounded familiar but I couldn’t place; a scanning of the mud close by revealed a Wilson’s Plover (60)! Getting into the mesquite picked up White-eyed Vireo (61) and Bewick’s Wren (62), and three Purple Martins (63) sat on an overhead wire. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker (64) also called from the mesquite, and just past the gun range heard a Cassin’s Sparrow (65) sing in the distance (dipped on Botteri’s, although they’ve been reported). Laughing Gulls (66) called and flew overhead, and nailed down one of the many swallows as a Rough-winged (67). An Altamira Oriole (68) called and sang from somewhere, as did a Brown-headed Cowbird (69). The pond past the chicken coops was productive, adding Mottled Duck (70), a singing Cactus Wren (71), a few Ruddy Ducks (72), and several Wilson’s Phalaropes (73) to the list. The best bird along this route, however, was a presumably returning Ash-throated Flycatcher (74), as I had filmed one in practically the same spot last year! Thankfully he was calling up a storm and allowed for some video for confirmation! An Indigo Bunting (75) gave a brief appearance nearby, and shortly got to the point in the road where I had to turn around. Heading out added a pair of Harris’ Hawks (76) to the list, along with a fleeing Baltimore Oriole (77).

A small yellow and brown bird perched on a tree branch

Common Yellowthroat

On to the Island from there, but since I had to take SR 48 to get there, it would have been a crime not to make a brief stop at the famous Boat Ramp to see what could be added. This is traditionally a good place for the oystercatcher, but the tide was so high that there really wasn’t much around: a couple of Brown Pelicans (78) was good for the list, and a Sanderling (79) flew up to the shoreline at my feet! Least Terns (80) were flying around and screeching, while a Bank Swallow (81) gave its rapid-fire call. A Great Blue Heron (82) stood stoically out in the mangroves, while a small group of Avocets (83) way out there was a nice addition.

A flock of birds standing on top of a snow covered field.

American Avocets

On to the Island, where a flyover Tricolored Heron (84) got added, along with Rock Pigeons (85) and House Sparrows (86) in town. As mentioned, the tide was so high that I couldn’t drive out onto The Flats if I had wanted to (really didn’t want Heppy’s undercarriage to rust out any more than it already had), but there were only a handful of larids out there, with the only new one being some Royal Terns (87). Swung over to the Convention Centre, where my “favorite” parking spot at the head of the “Circular Area” was already taken (usually that’s the last place available ☺), but miraculously found a spot close to the center itself, which was probably just as well as I had a big bag of oranges to drop off! Collared Doves (88) were the first thing to be added here, but soon after a more appropriate Magnolia Warbler (89) showed himself! Things were definitely slower than everyone expected with the storm that just went through (plus the north wind), and what birds were there you had to work for! Thankfully there were lots of people around to help point out stuff: a Wood Thrush (90) was being sneaky at the water feature, while most of the tourists there were enthralled with the Ruby-throated Hummers (91) coming in to the feeder! A female American Redstart (92) popped in right when Peggy Rudman (the angel in charge of putting out oranges for the birds) walked up to say “hi”, and right after mentioning that a Gray-cheeked Thrush had been hanging around, guess what hopped into the water feature (93)! Poking along the “back yard” someone had found a snoozing nighthawk (the photos were inconclusive as to species), and added Tennessee Warbler (94), Orchard Oriole (95, along with many more Baltimores), Northern Parula (96), and a Black-throated Green Warbler (97). Checking the Back Flats added the Neotropic Cormorant (98) that’s always glued to the pilon out there ☺, and heard a couple of Clapper Rails (99) duetting as I poked back to the southwest corner (where the Cape May’s bottlebrush was). There’s a little opening into the “woods” that often hid skulky things like Kentucky Warbler, but this time it only held a few Bronzed Cowbirds, which got the “honor” of being Bird #100! While enjoying a Black-and-white Warbler (101), a young man (everyone's young to me ☺) who was leading a group at the time called us all back to look at an empid he had found and was calling a Willow; I shot off a bunch of pictures and reviewed them later, and while the all dark bill bothered me, everything else looked good for at least a “Traill’s” type, although it definitely showed an eyering (albeit a weak one), so I later settled on Alder Flycatcher (102). A Catbird (103) popped in during this whole episode, but he was almost ignored!

A black and orange bird perched on an orange slice

Male Baltimore Oriole

A small bird perched on a branch eating an orange

Female

A blue and yellow bird perched on a slice of orange

Northern Parula

A small bird is perched on a tree branch.

An empid that was initially ID'd as a Willow; I leaned towards Alder, but yet others believe it's an Acadian! Gotta love empids...

It was time to check out the boardwalk after that, where I added Common Gallinule (104) and a calling Least Bittern (105) and Sora (106). Five minutes at the Magic Mesquite only added a Wilson’s Warbler (107 – but the only one of the day, so it was worthwhile), and after mulling over whether or not to count the Olive-sided Flycatcher that Peggy called me over to see (as I had only gotten a look at its characteristic shape and not the field marks before it flew off, but everyone else there had seen it well enough to confirm it), I decided to go ahead and add it to the list (108). Although I didn’t add anything new by walking out to the pier, another birder got me on a Clapper Rail out in the open! On the way back I was told that the Purple Gallinule was showing well, so I went over to the other boardwalk, adding a Northern Waterthrush (109) that another gal was pointing out to her friend, and then finally got a butt-view of the Purple Gallinule (110) as it snuck into the reeds! Not new, but some Stilt Sandpipers were showing well close to the boardwalk for photos. I made one last swing around the grounds and added a squeaking Rose-breasted Grosbeak (111), and scouring the cowbird flock finally produced a female Yellow-headed Blackbird (112)! A handful of guys asked for my help in identifying a Lincoln’s Sparrow (113) in the brush, and back at the water feature a Veery (114) made a last minute appearance! On the way back to the car I heard someone say, “Scarlet Tanager,” and there he was on an orange, letting everyone get point-blank views (115)! The “dirty” young White Ibises (116) that had been hanging around for two weeks were still there as well! On the way out a Kiskadee was trying to impress a lady by flaring his crown, but the coveted photo was obscured by leaves!

A bird with a long beak is standing in the grass

Sunning Clapper Rail

A bird with a long beak is standing in the water

Stilt Sandpiper

A red and black bird perched on top of an orange slice.

Scarlet Tanager

Two birds perched on a tree branch with green leaves

Displaying Great Kiskadee (blast that frond!)

Both a Mourning and MacGillivray’s Warbler had been reported at the Birding and Nature Center next door, so the first thing I did after parking was peruse the parking lot area, where a Clay-colored Sparrow (117) was feeding in the grass. I joined the crowd by the leaky faucet as they waited for the Mourning to come back in (which he had about an hour earlier) and added a pretty Nashville Warbler (118) to the list, but not the rarities (someone got onto a Hooded Warbler that I missed). The Cape May had apparently moved on, as the oranges weren’t nearly as active as they had been (still lots of Tennessees, though), so I headed to the Songbird Alley overlook, hearing a Sandwich Tern (119) in the meantime. A 15-minute vigil didn’t produce anything new (not much of anything, really) but after running back out to the car to fetch the charger cord for my phone before it died and then returning, another birder cottoned me onto a Canada Warbler (120) he had seen earlier that had come back!

A small bird is sitting in the grass looking at the camera.

Clay-colored Sparrow

I was running a little behind schedule by then, so I hoofed it through the boardwalk, pausing to photograph the Green Heron and her babies! As mentioned, with the high tide there weren’t many shorebirds around, and the bay was devoid of water birds (was keeping an eye out for the reported frigatebirds, but nada). A Marsh Wren (121) was singing from the reeds in the fresh-water section, and several already-counted things gave photo ops, such as Blue-winged Teal, Tricolored Heron, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. The white morph Reddish Egret showed well, but I was surprised to see the Redhead (122) still hanging around in the “East Pond” (also visible from the Convention Centre)! A bunch of Cattle Egrets (123) were in the grass near the rear end of the boardwalk.

A bird is sitting in a nest with a baby bird

Green Heron and chicks

A bird with a long beak is standing next to a body of water.

Tricolored Heron

Two ducks are standing on a rock in the water.

Blue-winged Teal pair

Three ducks are standing on a railing with their wings outstretched

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

A duck with a long beak is standing in the water

Surprise Redhead; usually they've cleared out by now!

A white bird with a long beak is standing in the grass near a body of water.

White morph Reddish Egret; the all-dark bill marks this bird as an immature.

A white bird with a yellow beak is standing in the grass.

Cattle Egret

I was really hurting for shorebirds, so when I saw some in the little wetlands on the way to Sheepshead I quickly pulled over to assess them: a Lesser Yellowlegs (124) was in one pond with a bunch of stilts, and another little wetland had Ruddy Turnstones (125), Short-billed Dowitchers (126), and a calling Greater Yellowlegs (127). The Sheepshead lots were pretty slow as well, but a 15-minute watch on the “Sunny Side” produced a calling Eastern Wood Pewee (128), a female Summer Tanager (129) loafing on a bare tree branch, and eventually a Yellow-breasted Chat (130) that came in to check things out! A Yellow Warbler was very friendly, and as always the Tennessee Warblers were getting drunk on orange juice ☺! The “Dark Side” didn’t have much activity at all except for a Catbird that came in close, but the real excitement happened just before I left when a very hammy Chestnut-sided Warbler (131) gave everyone there a great show on the fence!

A small yellow bird perched on a tree branch.

Female Summer Tanager

A small yellow and brown bird is perched on a barbed wire fence.

Yellow-breasted Chat

A small yellow bird is perched on a tree branch.

Yellow Warbler

A small bird perched on a tree branch next to a yellow flower.

Tennessee Warbler

A small bird perched on top of a tree stump.

Gray Catbird

Female Chestnut-sided Warbler

Took the toll road back to I-69E, along which added Turkey Vulture (132 – was surprised I hadn’t seen one yet) and White-tailed Hawk (133). Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen was the next stop, as a Bell’s Vireo had been reported there, and it also had the potential for a few missed species. Chimney Swifts (134) in the parking lot were a good addition, but as it was getting later in the day the trails were pretty quiet. A thrasher was singing that I suspected was Curve-billed, but since I have trouble telling the two apart by song, I wanted to hear the distinctive call note just to be sure. Down at the arroyo overlook finally hit pay dirt when a Green Kingfisher (135) gave its splat call, and later its more typical “typewriter” ticking! It was really warming up on the way back, so decided to rest at the Hummingbird Trail feeders for five and to see if anything new would come in. Three Chachalacas were working on a suet block when I got there, but just before I left I heard the tell-tale whee-WHEET! of the Curve-billed Thrasher (136), so I could count him with a clear conscience!

A small bird standing on a rock next to a log

Plain Chachalaca

Two birds are flying over a grassy field.

Upland Sandpiper at the bottom, with a displaying Buff-breasted Sandpiper behind him.

A small brown and white bird is standing in the grass.

American Golden Plover coming into breeding plumage

A brown and white bird standing in the water

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Roseate Spoonbills

A pelican with a long beak is swimming in the water

American White Pelican

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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!