Big Bend & the Davis Mountains
Birding and Natural History
May 2004 - Trip Report
By Narca Moore-Craig, Leader of the 2004 Journey

Saturday, May 8, 2004 El Paso / Fort Davis
As we head east from El Paso along the Rio Grande Valley, agricultural fields give way to desert shrubs, grassland, and a crazy quilt of wildflowers: bright patches of yellow composites and mustards, white Prickly Poppies, lavender Sand Verbena, and orange Globe Mallow. This riotous color, set in a strangely emerald desert, is the product of unusual winter and spring rains. Here in the Chihuahuan Desert, most rain falls during the summer monsoon—but not this year! We arrive just as a tremendous spring bloom softens the sere hillsides and carpets the bolsons.

Where our road turns south, we find a colony of Cave Swallows, their mud nests plastered to the underside of the freeway overpass. Our path through the wild, remote Davis Mountains climbs into woodlands of oak, juniper, and Pinyon Pine. Volcanic convulsions birthed these mountains about 35 million years ago. Mescalero Apaches once camped here.

Rain showers begin. In the evening light, through slanting, misty rain, the nearly deserted highway glows. Suddenly, we see two crouching shapes creep across the roadway—a splendid pair of Montezuma Quail! They hunker at the road edge, allowing all of us an excellent look, before scrambling up the slope and into cover. To get such a good look at these secretive birds on our first day is quite a coup, given that many birders try for years to add them to their life list. We have entered a land of wondrous creatures and breathtaking expanse.

Our day is completed by a welcome meal with outstanding desserts at the lovely, historic Limpia Hotel in Fort Davis, our base for exploring the Davis Mountains.

Sunday, May 9 Davis Mountains
The Davis Mountains are one of several isolated ranges in the desert Southwest that serve as giant stepping-stones between the Rocky Mountains to the north and Mexico’s Sierra Madre to the south. Situated at this juncture, these mountain ranges host a fascinating mix of flora and fauna from north, south, east, and west. Here Madrean evergreen woodland meets Rocky Mountain coniferous forest. Alligator Juniper meets Ponderosa Pine. Grace’s Warbler meets Broad-tailed Hummingbird.

Today we rise early and greet our local guide, Pam Gaddis, at the gate of the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve (formerly the U Up U Down Ranch). This 34,000-acre preserve encompasses Mount Livermore, at 8,382 feet the highest peak in the Davis Mountains. Stands of pine and Quaking Aspen shelter some of the rarer species in Texas, including Fringed Paintbrush, Mexican Spotted Owl, and Buff-breasted Flycatcher. The Nature Conservancy has three major priorities at this preserve: to conserve a sky-island landscape; to preserve a piece of west Texas’ ranching legacy; and to safeguard the dark skies for the University of Texas’ famous McDonald Observatory, which is situated nearby. It is indeed a jewel of a preserve.

We hike the preserve’s Road Trail into a narrow canyon. Ancient, gnarled Alligator Junipers are interspersed with tall pines. Pine Deervetch and Globe Mallow color the forest floor. Grace’s Warblers sing boisterously, joined by two Buff-breasted Flycatchers. We study both species in the scope, along with brilliant Hepatic Tanagers, Western Bluebirds, and Black-headed Grosbeaks. In Texas, the flycatchers nest only here. Narca’s favorite discovery today is a tiny, iridescent green butterfly, a Juniper Hairstreak. We lunch under the spreading branches of a great oak tree.

After a strategic withdrawal for rest during the heat of the afternoon, we go to Davis Mountains State Park for a relaxing late afternoon of birding under the oaks. Summer Tanagers, Cassin’s Kingbirds, and Black-crested Titmice enliven the park’s rolling hills. A short trail at the overlook meanders through an outstanding selection of Chihuahuan Desert plants -- cacti, beargrass, sotol, yuccas, and wildflowers. We contemplate a vast view of desert and receding mountain ranges as the day ends.

Monday, May 10, 2004 Fort Davis / Big Bend
We begin today at Fort Davis National Historical Site, a restored fort built in the mid-1800s to protect settlers, traders, and travelers from raiders marauding on both sides of the border. As we stroll the grounds, the trills of Canyon Wrens mingle with periodic bugle calls -- old riffs that once signaled it was time to wake, to work, to eat. Say’s Phoebes flutter to the lawn to feed their newly fledged, disheveled youngsters.

Then it’s time to head south again -- to Big Bend! Just south of Fort Davis, we pass a superb Common Black-Hawk, perched on a snag. In the sunlit grasslands, Pronghorn gleam. As we near the Post, our picnic lunch site, we spy Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, their long tails streaming in the breeze as they fly, flashing bright rosy underwings. The Post is a spring-fed oasis whose cottonwoods shelter Vermilion Flycatchers and Orchard Orioles. A courting male Bronzed Cowbird, his ruff fully extended, vacillates between standing in the cool shade and following two females as they forage in the sun.

We take a brief detour to an active town of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. The female sentinels nearest us bark their alarm at our arrival. Farther away, family groups lounge atop their burrows.

Once again we turn south, driving through the impressive rock strata of the Marathon uplift. Ahead loom the Chisos Mountains, our destination. Again, a magnificent mass of flowers carpets the desert as we enter the remote fastness of Big Bend National Park. A large, red Coachwhip snake slides like rippling silk across our path.

The coolness of the Chisos Basin envelops us as we settle into our rooms at Chisos Mountain Lodge. Our balconies look towards the Window, a spectacular breach in the canyon rim, and in quiet moments we can watch Cactus Wrens build their nest or Javelinas wander past. Sampling the lodge’s menu tonight, we find the food excellent.

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 Rio Grande Village / Big Bend
In the pre-dawn coolness, we descend from the lodge to the desert floor. Desert Cottontails and a kangaroo rat (almost certainly Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat) scamper across the empty highway. We arrive at Rio Grande Village in time for the dawn chorus of Bell’s Vireo and Blue Grosbeak. Gwyneth finds the first Painted Bunting, a flashy male -- we count 25 of these stunning jewels during the morning!

Today we explore habitats along the Rio Grande, including cane-shaded marsh, tall cottonwood plantings, and mesquite bosque. Roadrunners and a Coyote patrol the area. Yellow-breasted Chats launch skyward in courtship flight. Families of Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and Verdins forage in the shrubs. As the heat intensifies, cicadas tune up. Big Bend Sliders lounge on logs in the marsh. Checkered Whiptails rustle across hot rocky hillsides above the Rio. An American Snout butterfly flits past. After lunch in the shade of the cottonwoods, we return to the higher elevation and relative coolness of the Chisos Basin to relax during the soporific afternoon heat.

After an early dinner at the lodge (where our first impressions of the quality of the food are reinforced), we descend to another oasis, Dugout Wells, in time to find a vagrant Common Grackle and watch the desert settle into dusk. We post ourselves near cavities, hoping to see a small owl emerge. Lesser Nighthawks awaken -- the air begins to thrum with their song. Hearing an Elf Owl chitter, we walk toward the sound. In the dusk Duvall spots a lovely gray Western Screech-Owl perched on a slanting trunk, and we enjoy scope views of its sober mien and intricate patterning before it swoops to an Ocotillo and commences hunting. Darkness deepens. The Elf Owls begin their duets in earnest. Narca finds one in an open shrub, and we savor a long look at the diminutive owl, illumined by the fringe of our spotlight. Finally we turn from the night’s mysteries and drive back, to tumble into bed.

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 Big Bend’s West Side
The lodge’s tasty breakfast buffet facilitates an early departure for the old Sam Nail Ranch, a small oasis and magnet for migrants and birds that nest in riparian woodlands. A short hike produces excellent views of skulking Bell’s Vireos. Along the road, we see a small herd of Javelina scurry away and two Texas Antelope Squirrels balancing in a bush, foraging.

The next stop is Burro Mesa Pouroff, a highlight for everyone. The half-mile hike winds into a narrow hidden canyon of massive cliffs and colorful rock strata. The dry stream course is lined with tall shrubs and shaded by precipitous canyon walls. We find a trio of Canyon Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Varied Bunting, engrossed in examining a snake. Indeed, the glittering, gorgeous Varied Buntings are thick in this canyon. A large Round-tailed Horned Lizard waddles away, to lie perfectly camouflaged against rust and brown stones of the same size and shape. This is a giant among Round-tails, a matriarch grown magnificent with age.

At our picnic spot in Cottonwood Campground, a pair of Tropical Kingbirds appears, a rare find in the U.S. A Brown-crested Flycatcher carries large wads of nest material into a cavity. High in a cottonwood, a Gray Hawk peers over the rim of her nest.

After an ice cream-and-cold-drink break at in historic Castolon, we hike a short way into the imposing Santa Elena Canyon, whose massive limestone walls were laid down in ancient seas, then carved by the ancestral Rio Grande as the cliffs were uplifted. Clouds over a lowering sun cool our walk. A female Painted Bunting crisscrosses the river between the U.S. and Mexico, ignoring the ban on unauthorized crossings.

Next we jostle along the Old Maverick Road to Terlingua, where we plan to enjoy dinner at the Starlight Theater. Alas, our plan is thwarted by a theater production in progress -- “The Turn of the Screw.” Instead of waiting for a late dinner after the curtain call, we opt for dinner back at the Chisos Mountain Lodge, where the food has been quite good. That change of plans gains us a longer night’s sleep before tomorrow’s pilgrimage to Boot Springs.

Thursday, May 13, 2004 Boot Springs, Big Bend
When we depart at first light, a crescent moon is glowing above Casa Grande and the rugged pinnacles of the Chisos Mountains. Each of us carries lunch and a half-gallon of water – it seems a lot, but we’re going to need it!

In the coolness of early morning, we ascend Pinnacles Trail, winding around the bases of rock spires and through pine-oak woodland. Grave’s Oak becomes thicker, an important component of the habitat for Colima Warblers. Our primary goal today is to get a good look at the Colima. The only U.S. nesting population of this rare species occurs here, high in the Chisos Mountains. After we crest the ridge, we soon begin to hear the warbler’s trill. And there is the first Colima, singing intently, from a Grave’s Oak across a ravine. We are jubilant! Soon the birds favor us with much closer views, and we tally 11 of these subtle beauties before the trek ends.

Around the slope from the imposing rock spire of the Boot, we reach the spring, now flowing strongly from recent rains. Over lunch, we listen to the sharp, high “seep” of Blue-throated Hummingbirds and to the broken note of a Cordilleran Flycatcher. Around us, brilliant clumps of blooming hedgehog cacti emblazon the boulders.

As we descend, there is a mishap: Audrey takes a tumble when she sits on an unstable rock. For the last two miles we descend slowly, as steps are painful for her, but eventually everyone reaches the lodge, where cool drinks and warm showers await us. The hike to Boot Springs is indeed challenging, making our encounters with the Colima Warblers all the more prized for being hard-won.

Friday, May 14, 2004 Blue Creek Canyon / Fort Davis
On this morning’s hike in Blue Creek Canyon, we take our leave of Big Bend’s rugged canyons, smoke-and-flame-colored Pyrrhuloxias, Rusty-rumped Whiptails, and fragrant, flowering acacias. We hear a distant Gray Vireo, but it remains hidden from us, one of the secrets yet unrevealed in this magnificent landscape.

After lunch we journey to the college town of Alpine, where we visit the Museum of the Big Bend. The displays portray the lifestyle of cowboys in the Camargue of France. We also enjoy an exhibition carved and painted Mexican masks, both ancient and contemporary. Joined by Gwyneth’s friend Reece, we feast at the famous Reata Restaurant -- pecan-battered chicken in raspberry sauce, no less! -- before returning to the Limpia Hotel in Fort Davis. It’s our final evening together. We’ve become quite a merry band!

Saturday, May 15, 2004 Fort Davis / El Paso
The flowers that were so rambunctious upon our arrival are now fading, setting seed. We retrace our route from Fort Davis to the airport in El Paso, and bid each other farewell. We depart with glowing memories of the vast expanse of the Western landscape; of shared conversation; of immersion in the night skies; of the subtle hues of a Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, which echo the tints of the VariedBunting’s plumage. We recall images of mountain range piled upon blue mountain range, shafts of light breaking through massed cloud, flash of hummingbird gorget, glitter cast by a whiptail’s scales. Through these particulars our sense of place, of this Chihuahuan Desert, deepens.

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