Going Home

An Ash-throated Flycatcher at San Angelo (Texas) State Park

All good (ish – I mean it wasn't a really successful birding trip) things must come to an end, so I had to go home. But, I still had a little play, so I altered my plan somewhat.

Garner State Park

Day's drive

I threaded my way north, planning to stop near Uvalde at Garner State Park, another place that has Golden-cheeked Warblers (I said I was letting it go, but, darn it, I really wanted to see that bird). It took a long time driving to get there, so it was fairly late in the day when I arrived. I wanted to stop before I headed on to San Angelo.

I was surprised. 

I have long seen posts of birds in Uvalde that included a lot of the birds you see throughout the Rio Grande Valley – Green Jays, Altamira Orioles and so forth – so I thought Uvalde was down that way. 

Nope. It's full-on Hill Country, on the edge of the Balcones Canyonlands area. Gorgeous hills and valleys!

Garner State Park; Photo: Home to Go

The Park was built in the early 1930s to preserve a portion of the Hill Country for the public and to provide work for unemployed men during the Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the Park's original structures, which included a large pavilion and a concessions building. The Park was named for John Nance Garner, former Vice-President of the United States who lived and practiced law in the area. The Park's size more than doubled when 790 acres were added in 1976.

Map: Friends of Garner State Park

Garner is located on the Edwards Plateau, which was formed when a section of land was lifted 2,000 feet along a curving fault. It features high mesas, limestone cliffs, deep canyons and clear streams. Mount Old Baldy, which overlooks the Frio River, is 1,849 feet above sea level. So, nothing compared to Colorado, but pretty good for Texas.

The Park has lovely cabins, some with fireplaces and all with kitchens and bathrooms. Because I arrived fairly late and San Angelo was still two and a half hours away, I wished I had a cabin for the night. I didn't have linens or cooking supplies, so it wouldn't have worked, but it did look like some were not occupied.

These look nice; Photo: TripAdvisor

Garner is one of those full-service State parks, with paddle boats, kayaks and inner tubes for rent, picnic tables, barbecue pits, a putt-putt golf course, camping spots, the aforementioned cabins, trails, a souvenir shop, Ranger-led programs, a restaurant, a bird blind and a native plant butterfly garden.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds at a feeder in the bird blind

A cool thing is the "Summer Dance," a jukebox dance that has been held on summer evenings since the 1940s at CCC-built concession building.

Dancers in the 50s; Photo: Tour My Texas

Because the Park has mixed Ashe juniper and oak woodlands, Golden-cheeked Warblers nest there. I went first to the bird blind where I didn't see much except ... 

Black-chinned Hummingbirds

House Finches

House Sparrows

Lesser Goldfinches (and lots of Bees)

Rock Squirrels

A volunteer told me about a trail where I might find Golden-cheeked Warblers, but after I drove up a steep hill to the trailhead, I discovered that the only parking was about a half mile away. That wouldn't really give me enough time to park, reach the trailhead, hike and go back. 

So, this time, I truly gave up on the bird and headed out. But, hey, I am going to Mexico in July. Maybe I'll see them there.

San Angelo State Park

I arrived in San Angelo rather late, so I didn't call friends Jana and Curtis. Had I had more time, I would have because #1 they are great people and #2 Jana is an expert on local critters.

Instead, I crashed and made plans for the next day. I wanted to go to San Angelo State Park first thing in the morning because Jana, who volunteers there, posts such great things from the bird blind. 

Another Texas State Park

Here's where I made an error. The website said that the Park "opens" for day use at 8:30 a.m., which was a bit later than I wanted to go. So, I didn't plan to get there until "opening" time. 

Well, I think that meant the kiosks or Visitors Center or whatever. You can actually get into the Park whenever you want (they have campgrounds). So, I could have gone much earlier.

Still, I had a lovely time alone at the bird blind, where I actually didn't see anything except Great-tailed Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and ...

 

Northern Mockingbirds and White-crowned Sparrows

And White-winged Doves

I had better luck walking around near the blind where I captured ...

A Ladder-backed Woodpecker

A Bell's Vireo

Then, I took a short walk along a very West Texas trail ...

The essence of the West

... where I got great photos of ...

Several Cassin's Sparrows

And some Ash-throated Flycatchers

And, then some more Cassin's Sparrows (lots and lots of them)

A drive around only brought  ...

Painted Lady Butterflies

More Mockingbirds

And a couple of Turkey Vultures on an appropriate perch

Oh, and I did finally see a couple of Bobwhites, but they flew away before I could grab the camera (I was driving). I really need a Bobwhite photo, so I will go back and stay longer (and visit Jana and Curtis).

But, I had to move on.

Onward

I decided to take a different route home instead of going through Texas to Raton Pass. 

Texas energy; Photo: Texas Tribune

I swung northwest and drove through the oil fields of west Texas. It was VERY oil. Oil wells. Oil well supply businesses. Trucks hauling oil. Trucks hauling oil equipment. Oil workers in trucks. Oh, and lots and lots of wind turbines. 

It's nice to see new energy alongside old.

It was hot, windy and dusty. I had to hold tight to the steering wheel to avoid being blown into those big trucks hauling equipment. 

Lots of red dirt; Photo: Texas Observer

It wasn't as exciting a detour as I had hoped.

And, I honestly do not know what oilfield workers eat.

There are NO restaurants except an occasional (very occasional) Dairy Queen. This drive proved my theory that you cannot incorporate as a town in Texas without a DQ. Yeah, I know that Whataburger (or, as said by a Texan, "Waterburger") is moving in on the "gotta have one in town" territory. But, DQ still rules West Texas.

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Anyway, I headed west to New Mexico, driving through Roswell and over the mountains, ending up at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for a quick drive-through before heading north. I've been there a couple of times and there are always some good birds (it's famous for Sandhill Cranes in late winter).

This time, there were lots of distant ducks that were too far to even photograph I did see a few up close, including  ...

These Mexican/Mallard Hybrids

Some Egrets, both Snowy ...

... and Great 

Plus Wild Turkeys 

But, the biggest treat was a group of beautiful White-faced Ibises, preening and feeding in the late afternoon sun.

A nice surprise

A wading bird that breeds colonially in marshes, White-faced Ibises can be found from the western United States south through Mexico and Central America. A second subspecies lives in South America. The total population size is estimated to be 1.2 million and increasing.

They look very similar to Glossy Ibises, just slightly smaller with warmer plumage color. 

There were about a dozen

Breeding adults have a pink, bare face bordered with white feathers (rather than the bluish bare face with no bordering feathers of the Glossy), a grey bill, and brighter-colored, redder legs. Adults have red eyes year-round, whereas Glossy Ibises have dark eyes.

The White-faced Ibis is especially beautiful in sunlight, where you can see the iridescence of its feathers. 

So, late afternoon at Bosque del Apache was great

And That's It

I spent that night (uneventfully) in Albuquerque, arriving after dark and leaving early in the morning. I took a detour up to the top of Sandia Peak, but saw absolutely nothing of interest. Then, it was a straight shot home. So, the eclipse was great, the bluebonnets beautiful, the birding OK and the chance to just travel alone great.

A fun trip

Trip date: April 7-17, 2024

Another Try

The dunes at South Padre Island

As I mentioned in my last post, my tour with Henry's Charters was fun, but not completely satisfying. Yes, I got two lifers: a White-eyed Vireo and two Aplomado Falcons, but I had no really good photos to show for it.

So, as soon as Henry dropped us off at our cars, I turned around and headed back. First, I went to "the Aplomado Falcon Viewing Area," which is another part of Laguna Atascosa NWR, just down the road from the South Texas EcoTourism Center. 

Allegedly, you can see a nesting box, but I couldn't even find that. Another fail!

If you plan to stop at the viewing center, be aware that Highway 100 is divided by concrete barriers with very few breaks. If you are traveling west, watch carefully. If you miss the turn, it is several miles until you get another chance. Take it from someone who knows.

Evening at Laguna Atascosa

Then, on to the Laguna Atascosa Visitor Center. I couldn't do the Steve Thompson Wildlife Drive again. But, our tour had not stopped at the bird blinds and paths at the Visitor Center, where I had had good luck with Green Jays, Great Kiskadees, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Altamira Orioles and a Common Pauraque the first time I went in 2018. 

Great Kiskadee, Common Pauraque and Green Jay in 2018

I headed back over the bridge, where I should have stopped to take pictures of the incredible turquoise water.

Pretty; Photo: Fort Worth Magazine

Then, I drove about 25 more minutes to the VC parking lot at Laguna Atascosa.

The VC wasn't open and it appeared that the feeders in the blinds hadn't been filled recently. So, the bulk of the birds were lots and lots of very noisy Great-tailed Grackles and some White-winged Doves. I walked around and didn't see anything much ... 

... except a lovely Brown-headed Cowbird

It was too late to drive the Refuge's Lakeside Drive, which is still open to automobiles in the daytime, so I took off to explore the road just past the Refuge.

Almost immediately, I saw a Greater Roadrunner by the side of the road.

Just chillin'

Then, I drove a little further and, as I drove by, I saw a small raptor out of the corner of my eye. It was sitting on a log very close to the road. My first thought was that it was an American Kestrel. I had driven too far, so I stopped and backed up to get a photo. 

Of course, it flew (with its prey) before I could get a shot

I saw it land on top of a distant palm, where it was eating the hapless bird it had snagged.

No big deal, I have lots of nice photos of Kestrels

I turned around where the road ended at a private ranch road, deciding two things: not much was happening, so I would head back to the hotel and that I would come back early the next morning before heading home. I also decided to cancel my next night's lodging nine hours away to give myself some leeway for exploring on the way home.

I stopped to photograph another Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ...

You just can't resist these beauties

... and then I started thinking (or over-thinking) ...

I had only a brief glimpse of that raptor up close. Despite the crops seen here, my photos were distant and hard to see on my camera with tired, dusty eyes. I wasn't really sure what an Aplomado Falcon looked like (I mean, you saw how far away the ones I saw earlier were). And, Javier had said they were small, with long tails. 

I convinced myself that that bird could have been an Aplomado. So, I went back and found it on another palm, this one a bit closer. 

I took a million photos

And, then, looking again, I realized I had been right in the first place. 

It was, indeed, an American Kestrel; sometimes, wishing almost makes it so

Was this bird mocking me? It is, after all, a Northern Mockingbird

Oh, well, I'd look in the morning. I stopped briefly on the way back to photograph a Crested Caracara, but I am not sure the trip back out was worth it.

Always on the power poles

Final Morning in South Texas

I got up early the next morning, realizing that I hadn't even seen the Gulf beach at South Padre. 

Sunrise on the beach

I had brought my bathing suit, but the wind was so intense, the beach didn't seem that appealing. 

It is always like this

I drove to the end of the road, avoiding sand that had drifted over the road during the night. 

To quote Texas Monthly, "The sand dunes of South Padre Island have a mind of their own; drive up State Park Road 100 long enough and the beach comes to meet you."

David Hicks, director of the School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, said, "Dunes are ephemeral structures engaged in a battle, with the wind trying to move the sand and the plants trying to keep it in place."

Dunes

Sand blowing off the Gulf beaches forms the dunes lining the island's eastern shore.

These "fore-island dunes" form a critical natural dike that prevents storm tides from destroying the grasslands. In essence, these dunes are the "barrier" in the term "barrier island."

The end of the South Padre Island is State Park land (nearby, but a long drive away, is Padre Island, which is a National Seashore). I drove the road, but didn't drive to any of the beaches.

I didn't see much wildlife, except a little Sparrow (Vesper Sparrow? Lark Bunting? I am not sure) that was walking drunkenly along the roadside. 

I guess it just landed after flying across the Gulf; it certainly looked tired

I knew I didn't have a lot of time (I mean, I had to go home eventually), so I headed out. 

Back to Laguna Atascosa

As I drove in during the early morning, I hoped to see an Ocelot. I didn't. I did see some Altamira Orioles and a Golden-fronted Woodpecker on the wires.

I just got the Oriole

Of course, there still was no food in the feeders in the blinds, so the bird population was roughly the same. Except, I did get a photo of a White-tipped Dove. 

I had seen them before, but never gotten a photo, so that was a plus

There was also a cute little Desert Cottontail in the blind

An Olive Sparrow hiding in the bushes

Northern Cardinal in the trees

After all the beautiful birds I had seen there the last time I visited, this was a bit disappointing. 

I don't know if they cut back hours or if they don't have enough volunteers or donated food (volunteers often stock bird blinds at National Wildlife Refuges and State Parks). But, anyway, there wasn't much to draw birds to the blinds. 

So, I moved on, stopping briefly to photograph a common butterfly for the area, an American Snout. I had also seen some of these tiny butterflies at the Santa Margarita Ranch, but had not gotten a photo.

The reason for the name is obvious

Lakeside Drive was a total bust, nothing to see but a couple of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on the wing. 

Flying by

The tide was so far out at the lagoon overlook that I couldn't see anything.

Distant water

Oh, well, I really had to move on, so this might have been a blessing.

Of course, I drove back to where I had seen the Kestrel the night before (if Kestrels hunt there, then so, too, could Aplomados). Nothing.

But I did stop to watch some more Altamira Oriole nest-building. 

Bringing in some grass to weave

It is fascinating to watch

But, time to move on.

Both the Oriole and I had to fly

As I was leaving, I saw an animal cross the road. My heart leapt, thinking that it was an Ocelot ... No.  An Gray Fox? No.

Just a Coyote.

Much slimmer and less bushy than I am used to seeing

Most people don't know that Coyotes (and Rabbits and Elk and Bears and so many other animals) have subspecies found in different areas. Coyotes have 19. This was a Lower Rio Grande Coyote, the smallest of all Coyote subspecies. 

I also thought it might be a ranch dog

They usually weigh no more than 30 lbs. In contrast, the Mountain Coyote that we have where we live can weigh up to 50 lbs.

A nice sighting as I drove north.

My goal was San Angelo by nightfall

Trip date: April 7-17, 2024