Hidalgo County (Texas) Birdathon

By Mary Beth Stowe

A green and blue bird with a blue head is perched on a rock.

4/24/21

Was hoping that my first bird would be the Lesser Nighthawks that nest on our roof, but that honor actually went to the singing Tropical Kingbird somewhere in the dark! On the way to the freeway, the noisy cacophony of the Great-tailed Grackles (2) and the chirping of the House Sparrows (2) were next.

As usual, the first bird to get added to the list after arriving at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park an hour before dawn (I actually got there earlier than that) was a singing White-winged Dove (4) and surprisingly a Collared Dove (5)! Heading in, the many Pauraques (6) were tuning up, as well as a Mockingbird (7). Eventually I heard a “McCall’s” Screech Owl (8) well enough to be convinced I wasn’t hearing a distant Cane Toad! ☺ I startled some Mourning Doves (9) as I made my way to the Eagle Pond bench to sit for a while, adding a Great Horned Owl (10), Cardinal (11), and flyover Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (12). After the Pauraques quit I decided to make my way to the resaca, and was disappointed that I had not only not heard any Elf Owls, but Chuck-will’s-widows as well, when I suddenly heard one singing in the distance (the Chuck, that is – 13)!

Down at the resaca the following players brought in the dawn: Brown-crested Flycatcher (14), Yellowthroat (15), Common Gallinule (16), Couch’s Kingbird (17), Pied-billed Grebe (18), and Olive Sparrow (19). Some Red-winged Blackbirds (20) flew over with some grackles, and several Coots (21) became visible on the water. A Kiskadee (22) yelled from somewhere, and was surprised to hear a Roadrunner (23) singing (although I shouldn’t be as they do occur there)! A Golden-fronted Woodpecker (24) announced the sunrise as did a Brown-headed Cowbird (25), and before I left I spotted an Anhinga (26) down a ways. On the way out I was serenaded by an Altamira Oriole (27), a couple of Yellow-billed Cuckoos (28 – always a delight to hear), a chirping Verdin (29), a flyover Dickcissel (30), a coke-bottle White-tipped Dove (31), and a guttural Long-billed Thrasher (32). A Gray Hawk (33) whistled back towards the resaca, and a Baltimore Oriole (34) chattered from a tree. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker (35) laughed, and some Chachalacas (36) got upset about something, but weren’t chorusing yet (that would happen once I got to the levee ☺). A Clay-colored Thrush (37) sang sadly and then did its querulous call, and at the canal the Cave Swallows (38) voiced their annoyance! Closer to the buildings the Inca Doves (39) were tuning up, as were the Green Jays (40), and a Green Heron (41) “scalped” unseen from somewhere.

Slowly cruised Old Military Highway on my way to Anzalduas to see what I could pick up along the back roads; Eastern Meadowlarks (42) were singing from the fields, and a Blue Grosbeak (43) sang from the National Butterfly Center property. Picked up Starlings (44) on the wires, as well as a chattering Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (45). Now that the levee is closed to traffic, I returned to the truly “old” Military Highway that’s a dirt road through the woods (but in great shape now), and picked up a singing House Wren (46), White-eyed Vireo (47), Black-crested Titmouse (48), and a “wheeping” Hooded Oriole (49). Once back onto the pavement I made a right on FM 494 towards Anzalduas and picked up a Lark Sparrow (50) on a wire, a flyover Caracara (51), a pair of Harris’ Hawks (52) on poles, and a single Rough-winged Swallow (53) on a wire near the Academy.

A Loggerhead Shrike (54) greeted me on the wire when I made the turn on the entrance road, while a pair of Mottled Ducks (55) flew over the road. A nice Swainson’s Hawk (56) posed on a dead tree, and spotted a couple of Killdeer (57) coming over the levee and driving over the spillway. Heard Laughing Gulls (58) out one window and a singing Marsh Wren (59) out the other! Once past the entrance office I noticed a mess of birds out in the river, so even though I suspected any Sprague’s Pipits were long gone, I parked and hiked across the field to get closer to the river birds; amongst them were a Great Blue Heron (60), a Great Egret (61), a couple of Shovelers (62), and even more surprising at this late date, a pair of Lesser Scaup (63)! (Ebird, liked them, though… ☺) Blue-winged Teal (64) were easy to pick out, whereas a pair of beat-up Gadwall (65) were a little harder to discern save for their tell-tale white speculum patch! Had side-by-side Double-crested (66) and Neotropic Cormorants (67), swooping Barn Swallows (68), and a complaining Forster’s Tern (69)! On the island was a subadult Black-crowned Night Heron (70) trying to hide, and as I walked back to the car, I couldn’t believe it: an American Pipit (71) called overhead with its distinctive, sweet pipit call! (EBird did not like that one! ☺) Continuing the loop in the car, a Tricolored Heron (72) flew by in the distance, and the resident Osprey (73) perched in a lonely tree in the picnic area. A sparse tree in front of me looked like it might have had waxwings in it (that turned out to be leaves), but even more surprising was a female Yellow-headed Blackbird (74)! Stopped at the dam to get the requisite nesting Cliff Swallows (75) and Rock Pigeons (76), and while pausing near the maintenance shack to eat half a steak sandwich, logged a Turkey Vulture (77), a Bronzed Cowbird (78) in a tree, a distant Beardless Tyrannulet (79) doing its dear dear dear song, and a fly-by feral Muscovy (80 – yeah, I know that’s pushing it…). On the way out logged a Curve-billed Thrasher (81) doing its whee-WHEET! call on the fly.

A brown and white bird perched on a tree branch

Swainson's Hawk

A brown and white duck is floating on top of a body of water.

Female Lesser Scaup

A duck with a yellow beak is swimming in the water.

Male - his head looks more rounded than normal, but he's getting ready to dive; note the slight "bump" on the back of the head.

Two birds are perched on a branch in the water.

Neotropic (left) and Double-crested Cormorants; Neotropic is smaller with an arrow-shaped gular pouch, while the Double-crested is best told by its orange lores.

A brown and yellow bird perched on a tree branch

Female Yellow-headed Blackbird

I planned this year’s itinerary a little differently in that I thought I’d include places that were reporting some rare birds for Hidalgo County in addition to most of the old standbys (which also had some rarities), so the next stop was Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, as an Ash-throated Flycatcher had been reported. On the way there a raptor on a pole turned out to be a Black Vulture (82), and I needn’t have worried about going out of my way to get the Monk Parakeets (83), as they’ve now started making their stick nests on the main drag in Hidalgo (and they were flying all over the park as well)! Before entering the park I heard some Western Kingbirds (84) making a fuss, and walking through their gardens some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (85) were fighting each other. The gate was locked, so I circled around the building to the channel; no kingfishers or Black Phoebe, so I headed down the trail next to the vegetation and the levee, as that’s where the flycatcher had been reported. I walked down as far as the overlook, and that turned out to be quite productive, with a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (86), a lagging Ruby-crowned Kinglet (87 – eBird liked that one, too, as I thought it was kinda late for them), a yowling Catbird (88), a creeping Black-and-white Warbler (89), and the best bird, a furtive Yellow-breasted Chat (90)! No Ash-throated Flycatchers, but there were plenty of Brown-cresteds around…

On to Quinta Mazatlan, where a Prothonotary Warbler had been reported. Right in the parking lot added Chimney Swifts (91) overhead, and the wooded trails had several migrants: Tennessee Warbler (92), a Great Crested Flycatcher (93), and plenty of Nashville Warblers (94) were to be had. I was going to skip the Ebony Trail but I ran into John Brush, the staff naturalist, who told me he had several thrushes back there where the Pacific-slope Flycatcher had been hanging out all winter, so that sent me back! The beginning of the trail was quite productive in itself, with a Black-throated Green Warbler (95) and a surprise Pyrrhuloxia (96) chattering (a surprise only in that they’re more expected in the brush country)! Back by the fence, two of John’s thrushes bounced around, but only one let me get a look – his Gray-cheeked (97)! On the way to the Discovery Center a Buff-bellied Hummingbird (98) chattered from somewhere, and a Purple Martin (99) gurgled overhead. I would have loved to report that the Prothonotary Warbler at Ruby Pond won the title of being Bird #100, but he never showed, so that honor went to a Northern Waterthrush (which is nothing to sneeze at, either)!

A small bird is perched on a tree branch

Great Crested Flycatcher - note the darker gray throat and pale base to the bill.

Edinburg Scenic Wetlands was next, where American Goldfinch and Mourning Warbler had been reported, and while I was still at Quinta, a report came over the Rare Bird Alert of a singing Bell’s Vireo there, so I was hopeful! Poking around the wooded trails (also a good migrant trap), no vireo sang for me, but a nice couple pointed out a Painted Bunting (101) they were enjoying in the old “Green Kingfisher Pond” that was being renovated! The North Pond had its usual cormorants, but Least Grebe (102), Snowy Egret (103), and Yellow-crowned Night Heron (104) were all good for the list. At the South Pond added Black-necked Stilt (105), and a female Ruddy Duck (106) hiding amongst more cormorants, but alas, no kingfishers of either flavor at either pond…

The La Sal del Rey Route was next, and even though a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was reported there, I knew I had no chance in ---- of seeing that, especially since it felt like ---- when I got there: I knew it was getting hot but I took a double take when Heppy’s (my Forrester) thermometer read 100 degrees!! Holy smokes! (What shocked me even more were all the cars parked at both trailheads to the actual La Sal del Rey and the people walking out and back to match!!) I had little hope of picking up much of anything along the route in that heat (much less the owl), but surprisingly some things were singing, and by stopping every mile and just listening for two minutes (and I opted to stay in the shade of the car rather than get out like I normally do) was able to add both Bewick’s (107) and Cactus Wrens (108) to the list! But the big jackpot was at the farm pond at the north end of Brushline, which was stuffed with Wilson’s Phalaropes (109)! Picked up a Bullock’s Oriole (110) chattering and singing from one of the willows, and as I made my first pass of the pond a Green-winged Teal (111) flushed and flew off. What was left included several Cattle Egrets (112) in lovely breeding plumage, Long-billed Dowitchers (113) probing for lunch, a pair of courting Gull-billed Terns (114), a bobbing Spotted Sandpiper (115), a young Roseate Spoonbill (116) keeping company with a Great Egret, and a Stilt Sandpiper (117). There were some other smaller things in there that I just couldn’t make out, so had to let them go… Had more Harris’ Hawks and Pyrrhuloxias along the road, and on Ken Baker Road I paused to check out some distant Turkey Vultures, but by doing so was able to catch sight of a lovely White-tailed Hawk (118, that I never would have caught with the naked eye)! By that time it was 103 out there; I dunno what those walkers were thinking!!

Bewick's Wren

Next on the route was Hargill Playa for the Reddish Egret (and whatever else we could pick up), but just before reaching Hargill a Common Nighthawk (119) batted by! Once parked near the gate I doused myself with water before even attempting to walk down the road to get a decent peek into the playa (I sure don’t remember all those mesquites blocking the view!). The angle of the sun wasn’t the best, but the first identifiable bird (or birds, really) were several American Golden Plovers (120), a nice surprise! Tons of Shovelers were out there as well as more phalaropes, but again, there were several smaller things in there that I just couldn’t ID; I did pick out a nice Semipalmated Plover (121), and the “lineup of larids” that always seems to be there was made up of lots and lots of pink Franklin’s Gulls (122)! And way across there was the (seems like) resident Reddish Egret (123), doing his dancing thing, also in the company of a Great Egret!

A blurry picture of a group of people standing in the water.

Bird mob at Hargill Playa - mostly Franklin's Gulls, but a couple of Avocets are also visible...

Made a quick stop at the “1015 Pond” as it was on the way to Estero Llano Grande State Park, but added nothing new (no kingfishers there, either). Estero is another standby, but this time had the added attraction of a late Redhead and the continuing female Elegant Trogon! I think it may have cooled down to 98 or something by the time I got there ☺, but it was still pretty sweltering, so I doused myself again and headed in. I remember the “Green Jay Trail Drip” being so wonderful last year, but now I saw that the thing had been “vandalized” (Ranger Javier told me later that a Chachalaca had gotten into it…), so although that was disappointing, the Wood Thrush (124) at my feet certainly was not!

Headed on to the deck where a quick perusal of Ibis Pond added Least Sandpiper (125), Lesser Yellowlegs (126), and a White-faced Ibis (127) sailing in! I thought I glimpsed a Sora along the boardwalk but just didn’t get a good enough look… Further along the boardwalk I heard a Great Crested Flycatcher give its distinctive wheep, and had a female Summer Tanager (128) in one of the mesquites. Closer to the Tropical Zone cutoff had a nice Yellow Warbler (129) and a snapping Lincoln’s Sparrow (130).

It was pretty quiet in the Zone; went straight to the drip behind Pauraque Hall and gave it 15 minutes, but the only things to come in were a pair of White-tipped Doves. A Black-throated Green Warbler chinked overhead, and several Nashvilles passed through, but nothing new to add to the list. That’s when I ran into Ranger Javier, along with Ranger John and Huck, all who were doing a Big Day for the Great Texas Birding Classic! I joined them for awhile in the Indigo Blind where only an Archilochus hummer came by (and John almost swiped my camera thinking it was his ☺), then we went our separate ways. They had an electric tram, so they caught up with me shortly where I had just heard a Least Flycatcher (131, which they had already gotten), but they got me on an Eastern Kingbird (132) perched on top of a tree! Nice spot! After a thorough search of the woods near the Green Jay area with nothing new to add (much less the trogon), I was bemoaning the fact that not even a Carolina Wren had peeped, when out in the parking lot one finally decided to sing (133)! Talk about the 11th hour!

Theoretically, I still had time to do Santa Ana, but with the heat I was fighting off a headache, so I just did a quick swing around the “Entrance Pond Trail” as several warblers were reported in that vicinity, but it was just too hot for anything to be moving (except gobs of Rough-winged Swallows swooping around), so I called it a day and headed home, making a swing around 7th Street to see if perchance our mixed Red-crowned/Lilac-crowned Parrot pair was near the nest hole! Nope, so I indulged in a DQ dipped cone and then headed to the apartment – where the Lilac-crowned half of the pair (134) was sitting on a pole! That was really the 11th hour! ☺

Lilac-crowned Parrot - the darker forehead and gray lores help separate it from the similar Red-crowned!

(And yet another surprise: while reviewing a video of those courting Gull-billed Terns at the Brushline pond, a heretofore undetected Greater Yellowlegs – 135 – went prancing across the screen! ☺)

Greater Yellowlegs photobombing a female Gull-billed Tern being courted..

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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!