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