Christmas Bird Count Season in West Texas

Beautiful scenery and interesting species diversity should make a CBC detour through West Texas worthwhile, more dates will be added as we hear about them:

19 December - Davis Mountains CBC
20 December - Balmorhea CBC

For more information, contact  Mark Lockwood mark.lockwood@tpwd.texas.gov

Guest Post/Photos from Ian and Ruth McGeorge

* Prior to their trip, the McGeorges had contacted us with some questions, which we were happy to answer, with the promise of a trip report in exchange. This is far more detail than anticipated, and a fantastic look at the region we call home (and seeing it through the eyes of other travelers will be more helpful, perhaps, than those of locals). All text and photos are courtesy of Ruth and Ian.

South West Texas/South East New Mexico 2013

Ian and Ruth McGeorge, England, UK.

This was a trip that Ruth and I had planned since last visiting Big Bend in 2003 (a long wait!).

Back then we had travelled from Manchester in England to Houston, then via Brownsville, all the way up the Rio Grande and as far west as Terlingua -  Big Bend was more than we had ever hoped for but we still missed out on one or two birds, which kept gnawing away at us in the intervening years.

So, the morning of 28^th April 2013 saw us blinking at the bright sunshine outside our window on the edge of El Paso International Airport (we had arrived the previous evening via Manchester/Philadelphia/Phoenix). The first day was a rest day, getting our bearings and finding that (despite making careful prior arrangements) our credit cards were almost immediately blocked by an incompetent UK banking system. House Finch, White-winged Dove and Red-tailed Hawk were little compensation but at least the birding had begun!

29^th April gave us our first “proper” birding excursion, into the Franklin Mountains State Park, looking quite stark and bare from a distance. The temperature crept into the 90’s that day, not something we experience much in England as a rule. I had strained a ligament in my back a few days before the trip, so this limited my mobility in the first week or so of the holiday. Some of the hikes that were planned had to be revised somewhat and birding was mainly around the picnic areas and slightly less-challenging trails. Still, as we eased ourselves in, we enjoyed birds such as Canyon Towhee, several Turkey Vultures, a perched Red-tailed Hawk, 3 low-flying White-throated Swifts, 6 Black-throated Sparrows (very dapper birds, albeit not new to us), a Brewer’s and a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Road-runner called nearby but didn’t show. Although we had seen such birds on previous trips to the States, they were none the less great to catch up with again. Two adult and one young Mule Deer were mammals we had not come across before, as were 2 Rock Squirrels close by.

We returned to the outskirts of El Paso and eventually found Arroyo Park (as with some other sites visited, we had used the quite-dated-but-still-useful Lane/ABA Birder’s Guide to the Rio Grande Valley to supplement information gleaned from various websites – mention should be made at this juncture of the very helpful and friendly tips and advice given to us by Heidi and also Steve Gross, we really appreciated their quick and informative responses to our e-mails).  It was late afternoon with not a great deal of bird activity but we were treated to our first ever Wood Pee-Wee – maybe not the most striking of birds but new to us and the first lifer of this trip. Other birds included 3 Swainson’s Hawks, a stunningly bright male Wilson’s Warbler, Western Kingbirds, a few Northern Rough-winged and Barn Swallows, a couple of Black-chinned Hummingbirds, some very friendly dog-walkers and an annoying kid on a mountain bike. 

Western Kingbird

We liked the feel of the Franklin Mountains SP, so returned the following day. Although I was still suffering from back pain (we birders are true heroes in the face of adversity…) it wasn’t going to spoil things and our first male Townsend’s and male Black-throated Gray Warbler, single birds feeding about three feet apart in the same small tree, made me forget my twinges. American warblers can be a sight for sore eyes when compared to our more uniform Eurasain phylloscopus warblers, so this duo was an exciting and unexpected find for us. Flipping through the various American field guides over the years, these two species were on my most-wanted list. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, a strange experience compared to birding back home. In addition to the same species as seen yesterday, we caught up with 2 Scaled Quail at the feeder station, several House Finch (we were to see plenty more over the next couple of weeks or so, but never tired of the crimson males), a Rock Wren and a fairly distant Cooper’s Hawk. 

We had wanted to see a little of New Mexico and the Guadalupe Mountains, so the next day saw us heading out of El Paso to spend the next couple of evenings at Roswell. As we left the outskirts of El Paso we found a colony of Cliff Swallows beneath a road bridge and enjoyed fairly close views without disturbing them (always a pre-requisite of birding anywhere in the world!).

We made a small number of stops on the way through New Mexico, spontaneous pull-ins at the roadside really, picking up several Ash-throated Flycatchers, male Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler, Chihuahuan Ravens and Swainson’s Hawks. Passing through Ruidoso, we popped in to The Museum of the American West, where a small flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds (3 males, 2 females) were present in some trees by the car park.

The temperature plummeted overnight, as predicted by the various TV weather forecasters, so we wrapped up as best we could in 40+ deg.F, dropping from the high 70’s the day before. Coming from the north west of England, cool and crappy weather is nothing new! After sampling the delights of the various “out-of-this-world” exhibits we drove to Roswell cemetery, which we understood could produce some good birding. Plenty of sparrows had dropped in, with dozens of Chipping and White-crowned, plus 6 Lark and one White-throated. A few Dark-eyed Juncos included both pink-sided and gray-headed. We never got tired of seeing Western Kingbirds and there were plenty around here, along with several hermit Thrushes, about 30 American Robins and a Spotted Towhee. All the features pointed to what we were pretty sure was our first Hammond’s Flycatcher but a more experienced eye for Empidonax-spotting would have clinched it one way or another. Another pair of Swainson’s Hawks was a welcome addition to the day’s list.

The next day saw us head out to Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge, a place that we had seen on the map whilst back home. It looked promising so we made our way there, picking up one of our only American Kestrels of the trip. We hadn’t planned to spend too long here but were more than pleased to take our time, even though we still didn’t do it justice. It’s clearly a great place for wintering cranes and wildfowl but there was still a wonderful array of birds to enjoy. Wildfowl that would draw crowds from miles around back in the UK was great to see without any jostling from competing birders, such as Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeon and Lesser Scaup. One of the bonuses was seeing our first Cinnamon Teal, 3 beautiful drakes and one duck. Seeing about 150 Ruddy Ducks was a reminder of days gone by seeing this bird in the UK before the Ruddy Duck cull took its toll – that was down to the theory that Ruddy Duck (an introduced/escaped species in the UK) was inter-breeding with the White-headed Duck, already an endangered bird in Europe. It’s a rare thing to find one back home nowadays.  A flock of about 20 White-faced Ibis was a pleasant surprise but even more surprising was the large number of Wilson’s Phalaropes passing through, perhaps 300 or more. The females were in full breeding plumage and were simply stunning. Again, this is a rarity in the UK, the last one we saw there being about 20 years before. Waders were much in evidence, with about 100 Black-necked Stilts, around 50 American Avocets, plus Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet and Snowy Plover, whilst Sandpipers included Spotted, Stilt, Least, Western and Semi-palmated.

Northern Harrier and 3 Red-tailed Hawks were the only raptors seen. A couple of Forster’s Terns patrolled the pools. Around 400 Cave Swallows were winging their way across the refuge. Other water birds included our first Western Grebe (ever since I saw this species in its amazing display on a TV nature programme many years ago I have wanted to see this bird, regrettably not displaying on this occasion), Pied-billed Grebe  and 2 White Pelicans (one with the breeding “crest” on its bill fully operational). The odd Yellow-rumped and Wilson’s Warbler were pleasing, as were a Spotted Towhee, 1  Brewer’s and  5 White-crowned Sparrows. Our visit here was rounded off with our first Western Meadowlark.

American Avocet

On then to stay at Carlsbad, from where we headed next day to Rattlesnake Springs and what was to be maybe the best birding of the whole holiday. The cold front that had come down across New Mexico and West Texas had brought a fall of migrants that also desposited a number of U.S. birders at the Springs. We met some fantastic, welcoming birders there, some of the nicest people you could hope to meet (aren’t all birders like that?), including two men who, we were told, were two of NM’s top birders. They certainly helped us with a couple of i.d. queries and, to boot, were Packers fans, just like Ruth! On the road in to the Springs we saw a pair of Scale Quail and then, after parking up, started tucking in to the feast before our eyes. In no time at all we saw our first rather raucous Cassin’s Kingbirds, followed immediately by eye-catching Black-headed Grosbeaks (2 males and 2 females - very much on our wanted list).

Our first dainty Lucy’s Warbler (only heard at first) wasn’t far behind, then on the same fenceline sat a Dusky Flycatcher (i.d. clinched by our Packers buddies). Tennesse Warbler surprised us, having been mistakenly identified initially on a very brief half-concealed view as Red-eyed Vireo. Another lifer!

All this was before we even got to the Springs proper, where we then caught up with probably my most wanted bird of the trip, Phainopepla  -a pair was present – we missed them in Big Bend back in 2003 and they were well worth the long wait! Red-eyes, crest, white wing flash, the lot! Also high on our most-wanted list was the amazing male Western Tanager, so when we suddenly caught sight of one of these beauties, the day couldn’t get much better, lifer number 7 for the day – so far….

The supporting cast included some birds that we had seen on previous trips but were nonetheless outstanding – plenty of Vermillion Flycatchers (the males shining like beacons from low-hanging branches and power lines). A couple of Bell’s and 1 Plumbeous Vireos played second fiddle to a stunning male Varied Bunting, 2 equally stunning male Painted and 1 also equally stunning male Indigo Bunting. Hanging around the Springs we also found Gray Catbird, Common Yellowthroat, 5 Yellow-breasted Chats (another personal favourite, very striking), a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, lifer no. 8 for the day in Northern Waterthrush, about a dozen or so Wilson’s Warblers, 2 bright male Yellow Warblers and plenty of Yellow-rumped. 3 Black and 1 Say’s Phoebe showed exceptionally well, as did Summer Tanagers, Western Scrub-Jay, 2 House Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ladder-backed Woodpecker and a superb but shy Green-tailed Towhee.

Other ground-feeders included both Chipping and White-crowned Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinch and a Gray-headed Dark eyed Junco. Rounding up the list for the Springs were 2 male Orchard Orioles, again a species that we have seen before but still a treat to the eyes.

One of the other visiting birders, Bob, told us about the Washington Ranch, literally round the corner and hosting an over-wintering Lewis’ Woodpecker! This seems too good to be true, even though it had been seen hours before. Once we had parked the car, our first Lewis’ Woodpecker flew across to the dead trees, right where Bob said it would be. Although the plumage can perhaps be quite subtle in certain light, this is truly a beautiful bird and never in our wildest dreams did we expect this. It’s one of those birds that you see over the years in a field guide and think it’s just never an option. Lifer No.10 almost immediately appeared above our heads in a tree, a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak feeding alongside a male Black-headed – wow! We strolled round the ranch, picking up more Vermillion Flycatchers, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Blue-winged and Ring-necked Ducks, another Common Yellowthroat, our second-ever-in-the-space-of-3 hours Northern Waterthrush, Black Phoebe and Wilson’s Warbler. Passing a tree, some movement caught my eye and a little patience gave up our first Blackpoll Warbler, a male. I had actually poorly seen a dingy autumn bird on the east coast of England many years before but this was something special, what a striking bird despite its black and white plumage. Lifer No.12 for the day came in the form of a flock of about a dozen Pine Siskins, streaky and a little on the unspectacular side - I have to say that the male Siskin back in the UK does win in the beauty stakes.  

                                                                                                          

And so on to the end of the birding day, almost… as we drove out across some open weed-strewn land to exit the ranch we stopped to scope a large flock of sparrows, many Chipping, with the odd Lark and White-crowned thrown in for good measure, plus about 20 Dark-eyed Juncos (all looked to be Gray-headed?). Then amongst the flock I caught a flash of blue and orange and there before our eyes was a male Lazuli Bunting – a staggering sight and, again, one of those field guide birds that I didn’t really think I would ever catch up with. Almost as soon as we landed upon it, it flew but fortunately went straight up into a bare tree and sat while we drank it all in. The male American buntings are an amazingly colourful bunch, this species being my favourite by a country mile. So, 13 lifers today, a day to savour for a long time to come.

Buntings were on the menu the next day, as we chanced upon a flock of 10 Lark Buntings, 5 males and 5 females, on the road to Dog Canyon in the Guadalupes, along with 3 pairs of Scaled Quail.      As we drove to higher elevations the weather became a little breezy and cool but our temperature soared with the sight of our first Scott’s Oriole, 2 males seen here, both coming to hummingbird feeders. The intended targets for these feeders were by no means absent, as we sat on a porch swing and whiled away a half hour watching our first Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, joined occasionally by a few Black-chinned. Flying across the mountainside and then low overhead were 3 Violet-green Swallows, the sunlight occasionally showing exactly why they bear that name. Other birds encountered were 2 Say’s Phoebes, plenty of Chipping Sparrows, a singing Plumbeous Vireo, more Dark-eyed Juncos and Wilson’s Warblers, a Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Canyon Towhee and another fabulous male Western Tanager. A Goshawk was a big surprise and we had brief but good views of this raptor.                                                                             

We stopped off on the way back down at Sitting Bull Falls and spotted our only Orange-crowned Warbler of the trip, feeding low down in the vegetation by the car park. 3 White-throated Swifts whizzed around above us and we both heard and saw 2 Canyon Wrens, another very dapper bird.

Slaughter Canyon was our first stop the next day and the temperature was back in the mid 80’s. We actually saw very little here, although still managed both male and female Western Tanager, a female Scott’s Oriole, Canyon Wren and Broad-tailed Hummer, so mustn’t complain.                            

We thought we would try our luck again at Rattlesnake Springs, having had such a monster day there already and having missed on that day both Painted Redstart and Kentucky Warbler, neither of which we had seen before. And we didn’t today, either! Although we again saw many of the species we had seen on our previous visit (and thoroughly enjoyed them all over again) we did in addition find one each of  both Rufous-crowned and Lincoln’s Sparrows, so well worth the second visit in our view. Off we then headed to Van Horn for the next leg of our journey.

Although Van Horn wasn’t quite what we had expected (don’t really know what we had expected), staying at the El Capitan hotel was an amazing experience, so atmospheric. The drive back to the Guadalupe Mountains provided an occasional Gambel’s Quail and Roadrunner across the highway as we made our way to the Pine Springs visitor centre, meeting some very welcoming and pleasant staff in the process. We were impressed with the Centre and even more so by the pair of Western Tanagers that were saw outside soon after. Western Scrub Jay, Summer Tanager, Yellow-rumped and Wilson’s Warblers, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Bewick’s Wren and Black-headed Grosbeak soon followed and I was especially pleased to find another Lincoln’s Sparrow feeding in the car park.     Bird of the day, though, was a male McGillivray’s Warbler, feeding within a few feet of us at the base of a bush. Within a minute we found a female of the same species. Although we had seen this beauty in Big Bend 10 years previously, these views were so much more lengthy and rewarding.            

The Frijole Ranch house had just been opened to a small party of visitors, so we tagged on and were glad we did, a very interesting little place. Occasionally, when people find that we are from the UK, they tell us how fascinating our history is but, believe me, Texas is rich in exciting and very unique history. Unfortunately the birds at Frijole were not that interesting or evident but the best find there was another major highlight of the trip – our first Texas Horned Lizard! Ruth just pulled me back from stepping on the poor blighter and we were then able to get some smashing pictures of it – never thought we would ever see one! The trip back to Van Horn late afternoon turned up a few Loggerhead Shrikes, before we took a diversion to Van Horn Cemetery, where Heidi had given us a tip for Gambel’s Quail – she wasn’t wrong! After a short, slow, respectful drive round, Ruth spotted a pair close to a gravestone – what a truly stunning bird, one of the most exciting views of any bird on the trip. We headed back to the hotel, past an active Say’s Phoebe and saw our only Common Nighthawk of the holiday right outside the hotel, at dusk.

The next morning at McKittrick Canyon was very windy and we saw little, other than Blue Gray Gnatcatchers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Plumbeous Vireo. Pine Springs yielded little in the way of new species, or any actually, so we headed back early to Van Horn. We stopped on the drive back to take a picture or two at the Figure 2 Ranch and, whilst there, heard a song that was unfamiliar to us. After scanning some open ground, we landed upon a singing Horned Lark, the only one of the trip.

9^th May saw us heading off to Balmorhea, where we had next planned to stay. Although we had seen some accommodation on the internet, it wasn’t (again) quite what we expected, a lovely place none the less (with several Wild Turkeys roaming around some of the back roads). We headed straight to Lake Balmorhea and had the time of our life! Waterbirds, waders, there was plenty to see. We very quickly found 3 American Pipits (a real rarity back in the UK), along with the only Savannah Sparrow to be found by us this time round. Other sparrows included Lark and White-crowned. 2 male Pyrrhuloxias, one constantly singing, were special – always reminding me of a washed-out Cardinal that has taken a punch on the nose. Red-tailed Hawk and Osprey were the only raptors present (apart from the ubiquitous Turkey Vultures). Almost the highlight of the day was a flock of about 30 Lark Buntings, some stunning male birds showing well. The actual highlight of the day was our first ever Clark’s Grebe. Sadly, no Western Grebes were here, which we had anticipated seeing rather than it’s cousin, though we did also find 6 Eared (Black-necked in the UK) and about a dozen Pied-billed Grebes. Aside from a few duck species, there was plenty to enjoy with both Snowy and Semi-palmated Plovers, Killdeer, Spotted and Least Sandpipers, a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers, plenty of leggy Black-necked Stilts  and American Avocet (a beautiful wader). Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs and a handful of Wilson’s Phalaropes pretty much completed the list here.                                                       

We had decided by now that we would head for Fort Davis for the evening, but stopped first at Balmorhea State Park. We had hoped to see more birds and less people here but none the less found females of Blue Grosbeak and Lesser Goldfinch and a Northern Rough-winged Swallow.        The habitat changed as we got nearer to the Davis Mountains, the landscape getting more interesting as we drove up to Buffalo Scout Camp Road – this was an attractive area and, although it was getting toward late afternoon, we were thrilled to catch sight of a pair of Zone-tailed Hawks drifting at mid-height across the road – worth the stop just to see them. Black-throated and Lark Sparrows were picked up here also. After finding accommodation for a couple of nights in Fort Davis we went for a stroll and the day was made complete by our first Acorn Woodpecker on the top of a telegraph pole in the middle of town (although we had committed the cardinal sin of not having a pair of bins with us) – all the same, a great end to a rewarding day.

After a wonderful breakfast in the Fort Davis Drugstore (what a fantastic place to eat!) we pottered around the Davis Mountains State Park for a while. We were both a little tired and the weather was cooler, with some rain later in the afternoon. We were heading up to the MacDonald Observatory for an evening of star gazing, so hoped that the cloud cover would disappear, which it partly did later on. We watched male Black-headed Grosbeak and Scott’s Oriole at the Interpretive Center bird blind/screen, whilst a couple of Black-chinned Hummingbirds entertained us. Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch (as everywhere) and “Black-crested” Titmouse also put in an appearance. Roadrunner scurried across one of the paths whilst we enjoyed the sight and sound of a Bewick’s Wren or two singing their hearts out. We spent part of the afternoon at the Fort Davis National Historic Site. As an Englishman brought up as a child on a diet of westerns and “cowboy and indian” films, the chance to visit a real cavalry fort was one I wasn’t going to miss. We really enjoyed it, the people have done a great job. Wandering by the various remains and restored buildings we saw 3 Rock Wrens, one of them in song, another Lark Sparrow (one of the most attractive to our eyes of the American sparrows), Canyon Towhees and heard but couldn’t see a Canyon Wren on the rocks at the back of the Fort. Back to the hotel then for a rest before the evening at the observatory.

The following day we headed out onto Highway 166. The weather was again a little cooler, with rain mid-afternoon but it wasn’t going to dampen our spirits. Swainson’s Hawk, Western Meadowlark and Cassin’s Kingbird were seen before we got to Point of Rock, where we had frustratingly brief views of Canyon and Cactus Wren, both singing (not us, the birds). A male Ladder-backed Woodpecker showed well, however, as did an Ash-throated Flycatcher, seemingly oblivious to our presence. Bloys Camp yielded our first Bushtit of the trip but little else of note. The main event of the day was hopefully going to be at Lawrence E. Woods picnic site, where we had been told it would be impossible to miss Acorn Woodpecker – and they were impossible to miss! Four birds flew back and forth constantly, calling and arguing between themselves, it seemed, all the time we were there. Eventually they separated into two pairs. I had waited 10 years to get a great ‘scope view of this species, ever since I had very briefly seen one in flight on the road to Alpine back in 2003, whilst I was driving at a rate of knots. To say it was worth the wait was a spectacular understatement. They may look a little clown-like facially but are a striking bird and, along with the Phainopepla, they made the whole trip worthwhile. I was now officially a happy bunny but was even happier when we suddenly spotted our first ever Western Bluebird, a male, sat on a low-hanging branch.

Western Meadowlark

We had checked out that morning and headed for the Indian Lodge in the State Park, where we had pre-booked 3 nights some months before. It was everything we hoped for, what a stunning location. The next morning I was out at dawn and greeted before long by several male and female Blue Grosbeaks, two females being very territorial over a patch of scrub. One of the very few Cardinals of the trip popped up, whilst two more Bushtits were very welcome (very similar in shape and habit to our Long-tailed Tit back home). It was nice to see another Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Cassin’s Kingbirds were certainly around! After breakfast we spent a little time around Lympia Creek but didn’t find much, other than a few Cave Swallows, Lark Sparrow and “ male and one female Brown-headed Cowbird, not seen previously on this trip. We returned to the State Park and had a wander around the various trails – Ladder-backed Woodpecker (male), Western Wood-Pewee, Bewick’s Wren (one carrying nesting material), male Summer Tanager drinking from a puddle, several male Black-headed Grosbeaks (1 in song), Blue Grosbeak, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, a singing male Black-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow and a Yellow Warbler were all eclipsed by a male Scott’s Oriole, we could never get tired of seeing them! We saw all the usual suspects at the interpretive Center, plus a small flock of Pine Siskins. As we left here, an Acorn Woodpecker landed on a telegraph pole close by – still felt like the first time we’d seen one! In the evening we found a Say’s Phoebe by the Lodge.

Another morning walk before breakfast was well worth the effort. As I started to walk, a Phainopepla appeared, briefly showing it to be a male before it took flight. What a cracker. Ash-throated Flycatcher and a few Cassin’s Kingbirds soon followed, before a flock of about 10 blackbirds flew low overhead, one of which was a fine male Yellow-headed. Brown-headed Cowbird and a singing Rufous-crowned Sparrow completed the pre-breakfast list. After chow, we stopped off at the Prude Ranch, where Ruth hoped to get in a spot of horse-riding; unfortunately they had nothing available due to a pre-booked party that day, but we did see another Acorn Woodpecker and an extremely close Cooper’s Hawk taking flight from a small tree.                                                                            

We had decided to go back to Lawrence E. Woods, as we also wanted to walk the Madera Canyon Trail for one or two birds that we had hoped to see, but had so far eluded us. We again found Acorn Woodpecker as we arrived (or, rather, they found us), 5 birds this time, still flying form tree to tree. A couple of Western Scrub Jays popped up and we found a pair of Western Bluebirds this time, the female looking like she was attending a probable nest site. A few more Pine Siskins were followed by our first White-breasted Nuthatch, which was frustratingly chased away almost immediately by an Acorn Woodpecker before we could take out time to enjoy it. We stocked up with cool drinks and headed off on the Madera Canyon Trail. Bushtit, Chipping Sparrow and a singing Lark Sparrow were the only birds seen for quite a while, until we chanced upon another of our “most-wanted” – a Black-chinned Sparrow, which was drinking from a small pool. Further along the trail we found another (?) singing from a tree top, giving great views. The highlight of the day for me, though, came in the shape of a fine male Hepatic Tanager – it was very confiding, landing on a low tree branch about 15 feet away before flying to join its mate close by. Great to see all the features close up which separate it from the Summer Tanager, although the female looked a little greener above and yellower below than shown in the Sibley Guide – could have just been the light. We did also chance upon an Empidonax flycatcher – with decent views the features leaned toward it being a Dusky. Back down at the car, we then promptly found a female Hepatic Tanager! I took an evening walk on the Montezuma Trail back at the State Park – no quails but it was great to be above the Turkey Vultures and look down on them as they went to roost in some trees below.

The next day we were leaving Indian Lodge and the Davis Mountains – and very sad to be doing so; we could certainly see what all the hype was about, a magnificent place. My pre-breakfast walk gave many of the same species as previous mornings, with the added bonus of a male Scott’s Oriole singing from the top of a pine almost outside our door.

Red-tailed and Swainson’s hawks featured on our drive down Highway 17 South and 90 West. On the rough farm roads to a rather dry McNary Reservoir we still found some waders, including Black-necked Stilts, Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer and a solitary Solitary Sandpiper. A flock of about 4 dozen Red-winged Blackbirds seemed to be moving through, we found another Roadrunner and then 3 pairs of Gambel’s Quail – what a sight. A storm was brewing and thunder and lightning was around. As the rainstorm threatened, we were briefly birding at Fort Hancock Reservoir, with American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, a beautiful female Wilson’s Phalarope and a Least Sandpiper. A pair of “Mexican” Mallard was tucked in a channel nearby. At Fabens we drove down to the border fence, just so we could say that we had almost made it to Mexico on this trip, and notched up another Roadrunner. We came across a smallish man-made lake/stretch of water somewhere between Acala and Tornillo, upon which sat about 60 Ruddy Ducks, a dozen or so Shoveler and 3 American Avocets, which seemed to be swimming out in the middle.

Wilson's Phalarope

After a day back in El Paso catching up on buying presents for family and friends and ourselves (we thought we deserved it), the 16^th May was singled out for another site that I had wanted to visit – Hueco Tanks. This turned into a hot day, so we just took our time mooching round. The Indian pictographs that we saw were amazing, although we were not booked to go elsewhere in the State Park, where those that had not been vandalised by graffiti could be found. Still, we enjoyed what we saw and frankly, we were also fascinated by some of the “graffiti” from the 1800’s, still a slice of history in our book. Bird-wise, which is mainly why we went of course, it was well worth the effort. We saw our only Verdins of the holiday, a beauty of a bird, including an adult feeding a fledged youngster. A couple of male Western Tanagers were, perhaps, out last chance to see them on this trip. A pair of both Black-throated and Brewer’s Sparrow were present and we touched lucky with another male Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Canyon Wrens were singing and we managed to get our best view of the trip here. We accidentally flushed a pair of Scaled Quail and picked up two Hairy Woodpeckers in flight. Our only Warbling Vireos of this trip were found with just a little patience, with Bell’s also showing up. A Says’ Phoebe flitted around and a male Wilson’s Warbler was eclipsed by another, closer, female McGillivray’s Warbler. The last lifer of this journey came in the form of a fine Cordilleran Flycatcher - it was surprisingly confiding and gave us ample opportunity to check out all the features in quite some detail, the i.d. confirmed by reference to Sibley’s and discussion with the warden back at the centre – a little gem of a bird.

Our final day was going to be somewhat laid-back, but we still made it back into the Franklin Mountains for another quick look round the picnic areas. As well as expected birds, such as Black-throated Sparrow, we found a Cactus Wren visiting its nest, our best views of this bird in the 3 weeks we had been birding. We finished at the bird feeding area, meeting a very friendly chap who put out the bird food and had helped to install the pump that kept this little oasis going. A White-throated Sparrow drank from the trickle, a pair of Scaled Quail pottered around and we finished off with what proved to be our last view of one of the most colourful birds we had seen on our holiday, a male Western Tanager coming down to quench its thirst.

And so came to a close 3 weeks of birding heaven, plenty of new species, some of which we did not really think we would catch up with, some we had hoped to catch up with and, with the Lewis’ Woodpecker, a bird we had never even contemplated seeing.

There couldn’t really be a down side with such a wonderful array of birds but, not managing to make it to Big Bend this time, just left us hungry for more. So, in the words of MacArthur…….

Belated Fort Davis

Backdating the post by almost a month for accuracy, but some images from the Fort Davis National Historic Site that are still seasonally relevant:

Sunset over the ruins.

View from Sleeping Lion Mountain, overlooking Fort Davis.

Mule deer, peeking over the top of the mountain.

No scat, no pellets, just a field tech midden.

The Fort, Sleeping Lion Mountain to the left.

Rumor has it that 18 PAIRS of Rock Wrens inhabit the ruins of the Fort. I can vouch for those numbers being quite realistic! They were certainly the most ubiquitous sound in the lower elevations on the property, and cooperated for several groups of birders that I bumped into as I was leaving. The mountains on the right had some heard-only Montezuma Quail (by my coworker) and trail maps available from the Visitors Center should help folks get closer. Rufous-crowned and Black-chinned Sparrow were at the higher elevations and Lark Sparrows were nearly as common as Rock Wrens down low. Excellent birding in the back canyon, a bit too windy for the flats by mid morning though.

West Texas Christmas Bird Counts

Better late than never!

Get out there and count: there's no such thing as a 'normal' year!

Please refer to the Houston Audubon 2013-2014 CBC website for additional details.

Alphabetically arranged:
Balmorhea (TXBA) 12/15
Big Bend NP (East) (TXBG) 12/29
Chisos Mountains (TXCM) 12/28
Comstock (TXCO) 12/28
Davis Mountains (TXDM) 12/14
Del Rio (TXDR) 12/29
El Paso (TXEP) 12/29 probable
Guadalupe Mountains (TXGM) 1/4

Chronologically arranged:
Davis Mountains (TXDM) 12/14
Balmorhea (TXBA) 12/15
Chisos Mountains (TXCM) 12/28
Comstock (TXCO) 12/28
Big Bend NP (East) (TXBG) 12/29
Del Rio (TXDR) 12/29
El Paso (TXEP) 12/29 probable
Guadalupe Mountains (TXGM) 1/4

Birding the Furlough

I was really hoping that I wouldn't need to post this, but...

National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges are AMAZING. They are essentially frozen in time right now due to the government shutdown. Except instead of time freezing with them, money has stopped flowing and it's a slow starvation.

Aside from the obvious travesty of political stupidity, it's also slowly squeezing the communities that depend on the National Parks and NWRs; all of the above has been squeezed since 2009 due to budget cuts and this shutdown is not helping.

A few folks who were planning on visiting Big Bend National Park have already been diverted - their options are surprising, all things considered.

*** all of these links exist in the side bar with additional information!


Balmorhea Lake - bring a scope, pay the $5/person fee and bird the edge of desert on the edge of water

Balmorhea State Park - small park, but promising large cottonwoods for fall migrants

* San Solomon Springs wetlands - not sure how they're doing this time of year, might be worth checking into

Big Bend Ranch State Park - west of the park, north of the border, an excellent option for river corridor access with plenty of scenery

CMO / Christmas Mountains Oasis - south county at its finest, but without the hikes!

CDRI / Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute - this is a must see; between the cactus gardens, hummingbird feeders, canyon trails and mixed elevation species, a small daily fee is entirely worthwhile

Davis Mountains State Park - closed for renovations until March 2014! Indian Lodge remains open, however, so living vicariously is still an option

Mountain Trails Lodge - hummingbird feeders and excellent desert grassland habitat are literally right outside the door!

L.E. Woods picnic area / Madera Canyon trail (TNC property) - near the observatory, always an excellent stop for Davis Mts birds and bugs

Post Park - 5 miles south of Marathon, Post Road can be quite productive as well

Prairie Dog Town - 10 miles north of Hwy 90 on Hwy 385, excellent spot for raptor viewing

* Marathon treatment ponds can be birded with prior arrangements; please email us before your trip!

Gray Fox, sitting in the shade, also waiting for the furlough to end.

CLOSURE: Davis Mts State Park Sept. 3 - March 1

Tip of the hat to Texas Mountain Trail Region for this announcement!

Important Announcement regarding Davis Mountains State Park:

FORT DAVIS, TEXAS – Beginning on September 3, 2013, Davis Mountains State Park will begin a temporary closure, which will last through March 1, 2014. Texas Parks & Wildlife staff will be performing major upgrades on the park’s utilities and systems during this time. Many of the park’s amenities, including the campgrounds, trails, and Interpretive Center, will be unavailable to visitors.

In addition to completing much needed utility projects, an extensive new trail system will be put into place in the Limpia Canyon Primitive Area. The current system, which consists of 6.5 miles of trail, will be improved and an additional 6 miles will be added to the existing route. The park’s new bird viewing area, which began construction in May of this year, will be completed, as well.

These improvements will add dimension to our park & provide additional opportunities for outdoor recreation for our park visitors. We are eager to unveil them when we reopen in the spring.

Please note that the Indian Lodge and Black Bear Restaurant are unaffected by this closure and will remain open during standard business hours. The Indian Lodge office is open 24 hours a day and can be reached at (432) 426-3254. The Black Bear Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7:00AM to 8:00PM, extending hours until 9:00PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Advanced reservations for the Indian Lodge can be made by calling (512) 389-8900.

Davis Mountains State Park and the Indian Lodge are located four miles north of Fort Davis on Hwy118N.

More from the Mountain Trails Lodge

The teaser bug from our last post? Rustic Sphinx (Manduca rustica). Simply wonderful. It was a new bug for both of us, an early arrival at the lights (a bit before 11 pm) and it stuck around long enough to play 'pass the bug' with pretty much all of the students in the morning!

These photos are from July 11th and 12th; an evening/morning blacklighting session at the Mountain Trails Lodge in Fort Davis, TX. The lodge is on the south side of Fort Davis, so not quite *in* the mountains, but at a high enough elevation to get most of the mountain goodies!

This Seraph Moth (Olceclostera seraphica) was not at our lights, but the kids found it on the window of one of their cabins; they're docile and cooperative and I think everyone was a good sport, especially the moth! One of the cabins even had a Northern Giant Flag Moth the day before, one of the kids took a photo of it and showed it to us; wish it stuck around!

Apotolype brevicrista, a bit darker above, a bit paler below...

Fuzzy, fuzzier... we do love our 'fuzzy yeti' or 'furry yeti' moths - it's a nickname that most folks can remember, and always a crowd pleaser!

 



 

The moth above is a Noctuid... further ID pending!

Check out how close the iPad was able to zoom in on the caterpillar... technology may be a love/hate relationship, but if it gets critters investigated, we're loving it! It was a bit hard to see the bugs with so many gadgets vying for front row photos, but it's long term, shareable experience.

 



 

...and a handoff...

 

Above is a plume moth (somewhere in the tribe Pterophorini) - great dry grass camo!

 

Five-spotted Hawkmoth handoff - Manduca quinquemaculata - is pretty much our most numerous hawkmoth, and frequently most cooperative. At least three were passed around with this group.

 



 

Students of the planet; a small section of the larger group. Wonderfully attentive, curious folks.

 



Mountain Trails Lodge, round two!

July has been a remarkably busy month for us: schedule changes, additional side projects (in a small town, you work while the working is good!) and plenty of distractions away from birds and bugs, unfortunately. But, as with most birding - when we have been in the field, the birds certainly have not disappointed. And we may have snuck a quick ~60 hour trip to New Mexico into the schedule to see the Rufous-necked Wood-Rail. That is another post for another blog, but it was amazing!


So, back to the Mountain Trails Lodge - we've posted about them briefly before (here and here), but this time we didn't get rained on while set up, nor rained out! We modified the setup from before (there's a sideways sandwich board along with three sheets) and added another set of lights - instead of four UV bulbs, we had four UV bulbs and added two normal CFLs. The difference was pretty dramatic. Waist-high setups are definitely my new favorite!


Twenty-two middle school aged (ish) students from San Antonio asked a ton of really excellent questions (unfortunately I have no idea how scorpions communicate with each other) and most of them even made it up at 6 am to see what all was lured to the lights -- it's hard to get adults up at 6 to watch bugs, so we were thrilled with the human turnout!

The moth turnout was spectacular. Big, cooperative, showy moths were around in single digits, but small, intricate, well camouflaged moths were quite abundant. Far too many to even reasonably cover in a blog post of this nature (plenty of fodder for future posts!) so we'll have to limit our coverage here...

As is true with many things in life, Forrest Gump nailed it with the 'box of chocolates' quote - blacklighting is like a box of chocolates; you NEVER know what you're going to get! Last time we set up at MTL, the evening started with a flight of termites and by morning we had an abundance of purslane moths. This time we started with gnats and ended with cucumber beetles.

The gorgeous beast to the left is Davis' Tussock Moth, Halysidota davisii. We are quite fond of these, having only seen a few prior. The colors are not quite accurate here - the turquoise stripes are buffered by tangerine edging, and those colors repeat in the stencil patterns down the wings. With the cream colored background and near translucence of the wings, every sighting involves a lot of photos and murmurs of appreciation. We'll gladly overlook the wear on the wings!




Turnout at the lights included, but certainly was NOT limited to:
Hubbard's Small Silkmoth (Sphingicampa hubbardi)
Purslane Moth (Euscirrhopterus gloveri)
Five-spotted Hawkmoth (Manduca quinquemaculata)
Clouded Crimson (Schinia gaurae)
Seraph (Olceclostera seraphica)
Apotolype brevicrista
Palpita quadristigmalis
Tripudia luxuriosa
Catabenoides vitrina
Melipotis spp. (multiple) 
Ponometia spp. (multiple)
 

Abundance award of the evening would have to go to the always sharp-looking Genista Broom Moth (Uresiphita reversalis).

And a quick teaser..... no, not the gnat on the antenna, the moth!

Next up: more photos!

Gearing up for National Moth Week!

We're one month away from National Moth Week! This year it is July 20-28, and, as was the case last year, we'll probably be out of town for the last few days of the event. Sadness. Then again, blacklights *do* travel well...

Folks who follow this blog know that we are no strangers to moths. Roughly a quarter of our blog posts tend to be about moths (click here for our moth tagged posts) - only birds outrank them because, well, sometimes we like to sleep.

In fact, this post would have been up a few days ago if we hadn't been chasing a bird back to back with returning a work vehicle, wrangling three jobs back to back and blacklighting in Fort Davis in the middle of it all! A post from the Mountain Trails Lodge (on the southern edge of Fort Davis, Jeff Davis Co -- here's their Facebook page) is in the works - in spite of rain, there was a good showing at the lights by 5 am. On some nights it's just better to go sleep and let the lights work their magic...

** Please note, we have been compensated for our blacklighting work with the Mountain Trails Lodge, but in the name of amazing food and clean, well organized, pet-friendly lodging on a bird and bug friendly property... yes. We should probably be paying them to let us blacklight there, but they're blacklighting friendly if you have your own rig!

Anyway, between July 20-25 we do anticipate doing some blacklighting - probably here in Marathon - in the name of National Moth Week; it may overlap with blacklighting options for this summer's Entomology class through Sul Ross State University and it may end up being partnered with either the Marathon Public Library, Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, or the Mountain Trails Lodge... but one way or another, there will be bugs!

To find an event in your area - or to create one - check out http://nationalmothweek.org!
Also, they're on Facebook as National Moth Week, and on Twitter, @Moth_Week.

Hope to see y'all at the blacklights!

Other updates

The Iron Mountain Fire seems to be an old memory; Marathon and Fort Davis and Alpine (and Marfa and Sanderson, for that matter) are all back in business with no road closures, no smoke and a burn ban that will cost you $500 if you don't have a permit for your welding, grilling, campfire, etc. Don't Even Think About It.

As for the Yellow-breasted Chat a few posts down:

"I am sorry to report that he did not make it. Very few cat caught birds ever do. I think it has to do with all the stress they go through, and they keep on fighting and their adrenalin stays up. Finally, at night they just give up. If they make it 48 hours, they usually survive. It is the first night that gets them. You cannot imagine how sick and tired I get of cat kills. ... I have seen hundreds, if not thousands over the past 23+ years." (from the wildlife rehabber)

West TX fires - how to help

From Marfa Public Radio:

Right now, the best way to help those devastated by the wildfires is sending donations via the Permian Basin Area Foundation Emergency Relief Fund and to the bank account set up by the Jeff Davis County Relief Fund. We are told that both funds feed the same source.

Jeff Davis County Relief Fund
c/o Permian Basin Area Foundation
200 N. Loraine, Suite 500
Midland, TX 79701

AND

Jeff Davis County Relief Fund
via Fort Davis State Bank
P.O. Box 1808
Fort Davis TX 79734

Account #321028 (needs to be included). If you’d like to donate specifically towards fencing labor and materials, indicate FENCING FUND on your donation.

You can also donate to local fire departments at the following addresses.

Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 811, Fort Davis, TX, 79734

Marfa Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 846, Marfa, TX, 79843

Alpine Fire and Rescue, 100 N. 13th St, Alpine, TX 79830