Big Bend
April 28-May 6, 2007 - Trip Report

Sat., April 28 El Paso arrival / Local Wetlands
The first bird of our 2007 journey was a Greater Roadrunner –fun! This year our first night was spent in El Paso, so this afternoon we had plenty of time to explore the wetlands of the Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant; quite an oasis in the midst of arid Chihuahuan Desert. Dennis helped us navigate the freeway and frontage road; all the while we admired the growing, rather billowing, clouds over the Franklin Mountains. There was actually very little water in the normally-productive outer ponds, but by slowly driving the berms around the watered areas we did pick up a lot of species. A pair of Northern Harrier were hunting diligently and kept appearing; one perched for really excellent views. Just two shorebirds worked the end of one outer pond; a Baird’s and a Dunlin, keeping company so far from a larger flock. At a smaller pond we found a dozen or more beautiful Black-necked Stilt, and in the quiet reaches of a pond surrounded by vegetation, we worked to get scope views of Solitary Sandpiper and a flock of about twenty Wilson’s Phalarope.

We saw American Coot and Common Moorhen, and Peg had a quick glimpse of a Sora, but one of our best finds was a very large Texas Horned Lizard – what a creature! It ran across the road, attracting our attention as a small mammal would. It then sat camouflaged against the desert stones; we studied and photographed it in detail. When two Greater Roadrunner came inquisitively trotting down the road, it sat without motion; luckily, they turned away to hunt elsewhere. As we drove back towards town, we admired several plantings of Ocotillo and Giant Dagger Yucca in vivid bloom, as well as lush roadside flowers of mixed Desert Verbena and Desert Marigold. We drove up to the pass of the Trans-Mountain road that crosses the Franklins for the view, but high winds were kicking up a lot of dust (and smog from Juarez and El Paso) so we looked at some of the oldest rocks in Texas instead and enjoyed this introduction to the concept of Texas’ Sky Islands.

Sun., April 29 Rio Grande River / Tornillo Lake / Balmorhea / Ft. Davis
We enjoyed a leisurely full breakfast and left at 8:30 for what turned out to be an extraordinary day. It had rained quite hard during the night, with powerful bursts of thunder and lightning, but skies were clear as we headed west. We cut south from the Interstate and, though Feather Lakes Refuge of the El Paso Audubon Society was closed, we had good luck at Tornillo Lakes, watching Clark’s and Western Grebe, a White Pelican and a good assortment of ducks. In the irrigated fields of pecan trees we found a Harris Hawk which stayed perched on a phone pole for excellent viewing. What a beauty! The behavior of two fat almost-fledgling Mourning doves tucked down in a large yucca as the wind gathered should have been a clue to us; just east of Van Horn we got into rain so hard that Peg had to pull over for safety and respite. We drove another thirty miles or so down the road when an even more intense storm cell hit us, pelting us with hail and sending most of the Interstate traffic to refuge on the road shoulder. We hunkered down long enough to dive into the trip library for distraction – the rain was coming down fast and furious! John suggested it was tornado weather; later that day at Balmorhea we learned that one had passed within about 7 miles of the State Park at about the time we were pulled off the highway. The hail piled up like winter snow; several inches of slush pooled at the van tires. Luckily it dissipated, not to return, but we encountered intermittent pouring rain for the rest of the afternoon. Dramatic clouds and light were one payoff, but our birding was pretty difficult! We did find Franklin’s, Ring-billed and California Gulls at Lake Balmorhea, as well as Lesser Scaup and some colorful Eared Grebe. At the State Park rain came down in buckets; the resident Great Horned Owl chick showed only the top of its head and an ear! As the downpour let up we had a good show of Scaled Quail, Bullock’s Oriole and a knock-out Painted Bunting. In a fruiting Texas Mulberry tree we found a Western Tanager, and a Green Heron was quite tame while hunting endangered Pecos Gambusia and Comanche Springs Pupfish at a small riffle. We walked over to the cienega for viewing fish and other wildlife; then headed on to Fort Davis and our lodgings. Our host Don had a big fire going in the fireplace; quite welcoming on this blustery day! Carol Edwards and John Gee of Fort Davis joined us for dinner. John, having just returned from a three week adventure from New Zealand to Japan, was full of tales, and Carol prepped us for our outing to the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountain Preserve the following day.

Mon., April 30 Davis Mountains Preserve
Carol Edwards joined us at dawn, and with the recent storms we decided to bring her 4WD vehicle along as well, to enable us to cross streams if necessary. We stopped for a few minutes at the Black Hawk nest site on Limpia Creek, but seeing no activity after several minutes we headed on. A Cooper’s Hawk carrying prey swooped low across the winding mountain highway; right at the entrance to the preserve we got our first looks at Acorn Woodpecker and Lark Sparrow. We paused here to admire views of stately Mt. Livermore, with its mosaic of lush grassland and oak-pine woodland below. This matrix of vegetation runs unbroken for miles – thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Texas’ efforts the preserve today has grown to 65,000 acres!

It was a clear morning after yesterday’s storm, and perhaps birds were celebrating just surviving – activity was high, and remained so for most of the morning. We passed Wild Turkey and Western Bluebird along the way, and at a spot Carol had mapped out we parked with hopes of finding Buff-breasted Flycatcher – the preserve hosting the state record for this species and the only breeding population. They were the first birds we heard just out of the car, and they favored us with their presence on and off for the next hour. We also had views of both Hutton’s and Plumbeous Vireo, each at a nest, and a tiny Broad-tailed Hummingbird incubating her eggs on a small lichen and spider web cup. We got scope views of that, and with Carol’s eye found two additional nests! Gray Flycatcher and Western Wood Pewee joined Ash-throated Flycatcher to give us a good representation of this family; Black-crested Titmouse and Mountain Chickadee came in for close inspection as well. John got some marvelous photos of several of these species, and somehow spotted four very quiet Red Crossbill at our next stop – at a location they had nested in the previous year. We found several endemic plants to the Davis Mountains, and Peg and Carol pointed out the Mexican influence on the vegetation, with Texas Madrone, Emory Oak, Alligator Juniper and other Sierra Madrean species being well represented. This blend of Mexican and Rocky Mountain species gives the Davis Mountains a rich biodiversity and we certainly enjoyed seeing it today.

After a picnic lunch we made our way down the mountain, and parted ways with Carol as we wanted to wait a bit at the Black Hawk nest. The pair was still quiet, so content with views of Summer Tanager and Common Bushtit we continued on to Fort Davis for time to watch the excellent film and to wander about this turn of the century Fort. Anita, having lived in Alpine 47 years ago, marveled at how many of the buildings had been restored. Peg has seen quite a change in her 20 years of trips to the Big Bend region; the whole presentation of military life here is quite remarkable. John wandered up the road behind the Fort, finding Canyon Towhee and Rock Wren and hearing the call of Canyon Wren. We took a break in the late afternoon, and Peg, John and Ginny returned once more to the Black Hawk site. It was a lovely warm evening, and on the lichen clad boulders of the hill across from the site Turkey Vultures were soaring before coming to roost. It was like a ballet, with a cast of 20 swirling about, when Peg spotted the odd one – a Zone-tailed Hawk, performing its near perfect mimicry, soared and hunted with the cast. We got marvelous views, which made our evening jaunt worthwhile.

Tues., May 1 Davis Mountains to Big Bend National Park
This morning we drove up to Davis Mountains State Park, where we enjoyed walking in the tall grasses in search of Montezuma Quail. We were not successful this year, as quail had plenty to eat, and lots of water, so they were not coming in to feeders, or even being sighted around the campsites. It was still lovely to walk and to listen; behind a rich chorus of bird song we could hear campers waking up; smells of campfire breakfasts wafted up to our trail. A male Black-headed Grosbeak sang heartily, Turkey Vultures remained in comical poses on their roost trees, and we had super looks at singing male Rufous-crowned Sparrow. We returned to do a few chores and pack up our things and drove south to Alpine. Along the way we had good looks at several female Pronghorn, grazing and looking quite fat in mountain foothills blessed with this year’s abundant grass.

We enjoyed lunch on the patio at the Reata Restaurant: tortilla soup, catfish cakes, cilantro and jalapeno soup, fish tacos and other featured delights. The Museum of the Big Bend had moved to another building so we took a quick look at the fabulous cactus garden established by Barton Warnock and headed over there. Though the exhibits were not yet assembled, Anita had a grand time visiting with the woman running the small gift and book shop, comparing notes on the fates of several key people in her life from years past. We found her former home as well, a second story apartment of the Stone ranching family – fun! Heading on towards the park, John spotted our first Scissortail Flycatcher just east of town. On the road into the Post (former Camp Pena established on the reliable water source here) we found a flock of Lark Bunting; stopping at the local cemetery we heard and found singing Cassin’s Sparrow. The bird was displaying by flying up, singing and returning to its perch, a signature behavior of this grassland species. There were no migrants in number at this shaded oasis, but we found our first Golden-fronted Woodpecker, lots of Vermilion Flycatcher and Summer Tanager, Orchard Oriole and Ash-throated Flycatcher. Western Kingbird took over in abundance from the Cassin’s we’d seen so commonly, and we had good looks at a nesting Fuertes race Red-tailed Hawk.

Wed., May 2 Big Bend National Park – Rio Grande Village / Boquillas / Hot Springs / the Basin
We headed out early to beat the heat, knowing this location would be our lowest elevation of the journey. Watching sunrise over the Dead Horse Mountains and Sierra del Carmens was splendid – what an expanse of desert lands. This winter’s rains brought out the spikes of Lechugilla, a slender agave characteristic of Chihuahuan Desert. This was the densest bloom Peg had seen in 20 years; the lovely stalks lent grace and form to the landscape. Our first bird here was the Golden-headed Woodpecker, at a height good for John to photograph. As he worked on the image, a curious Greater Roadrunner trotted almost right up to him; likely an opportunist that missed the campers who recently vacated the winter haven camp sites here. On the lush green grass under the cottonwood trees at Daniel’s Ranch we found a group of Javelina feeding, and nearby we waited patiently for a good showing of Painted Bunting and Bell’s Vireo. A Yellow-breasted Chat teased us unmercifully; luckily, later along the Nature Trail we were able to get scope views of two others perched quite boldly across the pond. We spent the rest of the morning weaving our way between tall trees, finally enjoying our picnic breakfast in view of the birds. The Black Hawk circled above at one point, and we enjoyed watching an Ash-throated Flycatcher at its nest. On the boardwalk trail and pond we found two species of turtles, and while training the scope on one got views of a Virginia Rail, a secretive migrant which called a few times and otherwise remained under cover. A nice surprise was a White-faced Ibis which flew quite close overhead.

We continued on to the fabulous view back on the river, with its green corridor of vegetation and the massif of the Chisos Mountains; then headed out for some sightseeing as temperatures prevented much further enjoyment of birding. We looked at sad little Boquillas, nearly abandoned now as stringent border crossing regulation forbidding all interchange blocks the century-old pattern of genteel hospitality once such a part of this place. While the canyon remains lovely, the sadness of this separation colors the place; one can only hope to see such positive connections return. We next drove into Hot Springs Canyon to see the beautiful rock building of the old general store, and the cabins of Langford’s Resort, run by Maggie Smith until 1952. In the old Date Palm we found a female Hooded Oriole, and in the dramatic rock cliff behind the building we had splendid views of a Canyon Wren. From here we headed back towards headquarters, stopping to photograph blooming cholla and prickly pear, and to visit the Hannold family gravesite. The air-conditioned Visitor’s Center was a good afternoon break; we read the exhibits about fossil finds and browsed through the many books and postcards. Returning to our delightful rooms with balconies, several took an afternoon rest and John spent time with Scott’s Orioles and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, framing memorable photos.

At 7:00 PM we headed down to Dugout Wells to await the emergence of Elf Owl – we drove the road into K-bar Ranch en route hoping to see mammals. One tiny Desert Cottontail obliged; the setting sun on the Sierra del Carmens as backdrop to a hunting Red-tailed Hawk was memorable. Our little Elf Owl had quite an audience, but cooperated by sticking her head out several times. She finally jetted out of the hole just at dark. Several Lesser Nighthawk sallied overhead as we waited, and the view of the near-full moon rising as we left was grand. What a beautiful night in the desert!

Thurs., May 3 Pinnacles Trail / Boot Springs / Laguna Meadow Loop
In hindsight John might dub this the Boot Creek death march, but our nine mile walk up into the high pines was a grand adventure highlighted by seeing many great birds, blooms and scenic vistas. We started early to beat the heat, and climbed with relative ease, stopping for smashing looks at Black-chinned Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-headed Grosbeak, Scott’s Oriole and Black-crested Titmouse. Hutton’s Vireo and Bewick’s Wren were common along our walk but remained more secretive. At our rest stops Mexican Jays quickly found us, hoping for a handout. We stopped often to take in the vistas, and to look at blooming Claret Cup cacti and a salvia in bloom in a wet shaded canyon. Peg had just said, “Here are blooming Texas Madrones and oaks; we should be alert for Colima Warbler”, when we heard the buzzy call of this sought-after species! We feasted on repeated views of this Big Bend specialty as it fed in a mixed flock with migrant Townsend’s and Yellow-rumped Warblers. We found other Colima’s along the route, most yet unsettled on territory.

Scenic highlights of our walk included the wide view of Juniper Canyon with the upside down boot towering over it. Looking down into Boot Canyon we admired the ribbon of tall Ponderosa Pine and Arizona Cypress; Peg pointed out a small cluster of Quaking Aspen across canyon, a relict population from past cooler times. We enjoyed this level portion of the trail and were pleased to spot a Band-tailed Pigeon fly just over the treetops below us. A flock of Common Bushtit joined a noisy pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Soon we were at the spring, and enjoyed time to sit, eat our lunch, and take in the sounds of birds approaching the shaded oasis for water. The song of a Painted Redstart got us on our feet, and we followed it up past several well-watered pools before getting great views. We also found Cordilleran and Hammond’s Flycatcher and a lovely pair of Hepatic Tanagers. We could have stayed up here all day, but with miles ahead, we started our descent. John quickly pointed out that the first part of our descent was an ascent; we had another climb to make on the connecting Colima Trail before dropping down into Laguna Meadow.

Our walk down was quiet save for our conversations, for the most part. Peg kept a brisk pace going down, so was by herself when she straddled a Black-tailed Rattlesnake! It began to buzz while yet uncoiled, and Peg went airborne as it struggled to coil; luckily not on Peg’s leg! The stand-off continued until Peg backed off some, but she kept it alert and coiled so others could pass in safety. Within minutes of the rattlesnake event, two hikers came up wide-eyed to report two Black Bear just below us. That seemed simple after the rattlesnake, so we banded together and clapped our hands and sang out “Hey bear, hey bear”! They cleared the trail before we saw them, and the rest of the hike remained uneventful.

Back at the lodge we met up with Anita and Dennis, who had walked trails around the basin and taken the day to relax. A nice cold beer and some dinner hit the spot; we enjoyed trading tales of our birds and our adventures after a beautiful day in the high Chisos Mountains.

Fri., May 4 Lower Oak Creek / Sam Nail Ranch / Blue Creek and Sotol Vistas / Cottonwood Campground / Castalon / Santa Elena Canyon / Old Maverick Road to Terlingua
After our big hike yesterday all enjoyed a day of driving through gorgeous scenery peppered by a few short walks to stretch our legs. We started after breakfast at the lodge, arriving early enough in the lower desert for temperatures to be cool enough to enjoy a walk. John had particularly hoped to photograph a Varied Bunting so we headed up towards the bottom of the Window, a dramatic feature caused by the erosive powers of Oak Creek. A large cottonwood tree marked our destination, but first we enjoyed excellent views of Scaled Quail and Black-throated Sparrow, and marked a migratory movement from last night – a Townsend’s Warbler, normally a bird of the pines, down in the desert scrub. As we approached the spring we spotted our target bird singing on a dry tree limb, with the sun shining on its rich colors – wow! We had a number of excellent views of this bird, which moved back and forth between the dry desert scrub and the green oasis of the creek. On the oasis side we also found colorful Yellow-breasted Chat and Western Tanager. At a secretive pool a Gray Vireo came in to bathe alongside its more common Bell’s Vireo and a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Northern Cardinal and Summer Tanager showed off their bright red plumage; indeed, with all this color and commotion the spot seemed quite tropical!

We pulled ourselves away as we knew the heat would build and we wanted to see other places. Indeed it did; by the time we reached Cottonwood Campground, after stopping at the Blue Creek Overlook and Sotol Vista, it was reaching 100 degrees, and later we read that the high temperature for the day was 105 degrees! We made a picnic lunch as the Gray Hawk pair called and flew furtively through large trees at the north end. A pair of Tropical Kingbird were quite vocal and easy to find among the more numerous Western Kingbird, Orchard Oriole, Summer Tanager and Blue Grosbeak. A Brown-crested Flycatcher was back in the spot it had nested in for several years. We walked slowly from shade patch to shade patch to admire them, and finally gave in to the urge for a siesta – amazing what a half hour’s sleep in the shade will do to rejuvenate! After a particularly hot wait to find two Lucy’s Warblers, we joined others under the ramada on the porch of Castalon, where we enjoyed the luxury of ice-cold drinks and a chance to learn a bit of borderland history.

As we were sitting through the terrible hail storm in our van the previous Sunday, Terlingua Creek had risen from 2 to 12 feet in its flow, creating flash flood conditions that stranded a woman and her father overnight up Santa Elena Canyon. They were unable to cross the torrent as it reached the Rio Grande at Santa Elena Canyon and their car suffered damage from high water in the parking lot. The road had been closed for several days, so we were fortunate to be able to travel it. Two motorcyclists showed us that the water crossings were passable, and we ventured across the dramatic overlook to the mouth of the canyon. Anita remembered the smell of damp earth, tamarisk and mesquite from her days of living at La Linda crossing of the Rio Grande some 40 years ago. The smell was strong today after the floods, and the river ran a deep muddy brown. Standing there looking up to the immense cliffs one feels small. This signature feature of Big Bend was our grand finale for the day. With temperatures so high our birding energies dragged a bit; we lingered watching for Black Vulture or Peregrine Falcon, but saw neither. Another visitor inquired about the Old Maverick Road and together we braved possible washouts to drive it north towards the west park boundary and on to Terlingua. It proved to be quite an adventure, with deep sand and ruts through course rubble, but we made it, and saw a beautiful showing of myriad blooms of the slender-leaved Beaked Yucca along the way. The Ocotillo appeared so dense due to their profusion of leaves – a month ago the bloom must have been quite incredible!

On a lovely cool evening, we enjoyed dinner and conversation at the Starlight Dinner Theater in Terlingua. Driving back at dusk, we had two Poorwills fly in the headlights of the van; later in the Basin Peg saw a Gray Fox cross the lawn while she was talking on the pay phone. Stars and planets were brilliant this evening as the moon was rising later – quite a treat to see such dark night skies.

Sat., May 5 Lost Mine Trail / Chisos Basin Birding / Marfa
We had a walk up Blue Creek to search for Lucifer Hummingbird, but we’d heard from several parties they were up at blooming Tree Tobacco plants a full two and a half miles up the drainage. No one’s energies were up for that, so instead we enjoyed a leisurely morning of birding in the Basin, spending quite a bit of time in the area where Peg had spotted Black-capped Vireo the previous year. It was a beautiful cool morning with a soft breeze, a brilliant blue sky and a cacophony of birdsong. Scott’s Oriole uttered the most melodic notes while Blue Grosbeak were perhaps the most enthusiastic, having just arrived. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was the most common and most responsive songster; quite in contrast to the equally loud but far more furtive Bewick’s Wren. Anita noticed a lump of blooming Ocotillo on a shaded slope of the small canyon of Upper Oak Creek here, and we watched a pair of Scott’s Oriole sip nectar from the base of each small flower. A secretive Hermit Thrush had found refuge in this shaded spot and a pair of Acorn Woodpecker put on quite a show for us at close range.

We ended the morning with a walk up the first mile of Lost Mine Trail to admire the fine vistas and to watch and listen for Peregrine Falcon as often a pair is nesting on Casa Grande Peak, which looms above quite gloriously. We did not find the falcon, but had a good showing by bright male Black-headed Grosbeaks dueling over a female, and by a Gray Flycatcher. Other than the constant background noise of a roving flock of Mexican Jay it was quiet, which gave us time for reflection on the sheer beauty and treasured solitude of Big Bend. While waiting by the van in a shaded spot, Dennis and Anita were impressed that every car and motorcycle inhabitant waved and smiled, hikers said hello and started conversations – this remote place with its quieter pace brings out the best in people!

After a last picnic in the Basin, where a roadrunner came right up to beg, we drove out of the park and north to Alpine; then west to Marfa. The stretch is vast and for the most part empty of settlement, being very arid but quite striking due to its rugged volcanic features. We stopped a few times for photos and scenery, and at a small wayside park for some birding. A pair of Northern Harrier hunting on either side of the road was lovely as we reached the lusher grasslands near Alpine. At Marfa we arrived with time to investigate the shops of this artsy little town, and with luck, arrived in time to view the Kentucky Derby. Carol Edwards, our guide from our day in the high Davis Mountains, met us with her husband John Gee, along with Dave and Linda Hedges of Ft. Davis. We enjoyed a festive Cinco de Mayo dinner at Maiya’s, an excellent restaurant. On the courthouse lawn festivities were being held, including a reenactment of the Battle at Puebla by members of the Spanish Club, dressed in costume and armed with water pistols. After dinner we walked over to see some of the folkloric dancing, to listen to the band and to watch the families enjoy a fine, almost summery, Texas evening.

Sun., May 6 Morning in Marfa / Departures
We had an enjoyable breakfast at the Austin City café, where the locals were gathering on a fine Sunday morning. We then drove through scenic grasslands north and west of Marfa, where we got great looks and some photographs of Scaled Quail and Chihuahuan Raven. We arrived mid-day at the airport, where our flock dispersed – until the next adventure!

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