* * *
BIG BEND MBWEEK SUMMARY
July 27 - August 4, 2013
You have to admit it was pretty amazing that all 12 of us managed to survive the World-Famous Colima Warbler Death March, especially considering that some of us were slowed down by various ailments. (In a way, it's also somewhat amazing at least one of us was even able to get to El Paso in the first place.) But survive we did, and it was certainly well worth it, even though the Colima Warbler is hardly the most colorful thing around. (See Pete's photo below of the one we all had the nicest looks at near the junction of the Boot Canyon and Juniper Canyon trails – that gray thing with white eye ring and some sort of color by the tail.)
Besides Colimas (3 seen, 2 others heard), our 10-mile trek into the Chisos Mountains also featured the likes of Zone-tailed Hawks (one of our 6 sightings during the week!), White-throated Swifts, a Blue-throated Hummingbird, Cordilleran Flycatchers, Hutton's Vireos, a Painted Redstart (at our best Colima spot), Hepatic Tanagers, and some pretty spectacular scenery.
Of course, there were lots of birds, scenery, and highlights elsewhere during our MBWeek. Even before I was able to reach El Paso on Saturday, most of the group had nice looks Mississippi Kites on the west side of town (and the kites were still there on the final morning's option), along with some colorful (though non-countable) Lilac-crowned Parrots. El Paso also provided our best or only looks at Gambel's Quail, Burrowing Owls, and Lesser Nighthawks (on the final evening's option along Chaffee Road), while McNary and other reservoirs southeast of town added ducks, grebes, several shorebirds, terns, and other water birds to our trip list.
Along the Window Trail on our first morning in Big Bend we saw the likes of our first Band-tailed Pigeon, Mexican Jays, Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Varied Buntings, and Scott's Orioles, while on the way back to the lodge Cindy and Linda staked out our only Gray Vireo – which sang intermittently before reluctantly and mercifully emerging into view.
Spending most of our time at Cottonwood Campground and Rio Grande Village two days later we came up with both Common Black-Hawks and Gray Hawks, multiple Western Screech-Owls plus a bonus heard-only Elf Owl (which seldom calls in late summer), Vermilion Flycatchers, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, our only Crissal Thrasher (unexpectedly responsive),Yellow-breasted Chats, Painted Buntings, and more.
En route to the Davis Mountains we detoured off Hwy 118 to visit the feeders at Christmas Mountains Oasis and finally had both male and female Lucifer Hummingbirds, one of our highest trip priorities. And in the Davis Mts themselves we finally came up with some Montezuma Quail spotted by Janice along the highway, another of our most sought-after species – which, I have to admit, I wasn't so sure we'd find. In the Davis Mountains as well, especially in the TNC Preserve, there were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Gray Flycatchers, Plumbeous Vireos, Western Bluebirds, another Painted Redstart, Cassin's Sparrows (singing in the grasslands), more Hepatic Tanagers, plus a Black-tailed Rattlesnake.
So, I'd have to say our MBW went quite well for the most part. Even the weather was generally tolerable, as Texas's chronic drought conditions may have been quenched by the ample rainfall of this year's monsoon season. Yes, it was unexpectedly humid at times, and it did top out at 102 on a couple of afternoons, but the heat was not nearly as extreme as it could have been. Still, there were oak thickets dying from the recent drought and too many pines killed by last year's wildfires at the TNC Preserve. We also had to deal with too many people at the state park (some providing less-than-helpful quail and owl information!), so that a few expected birds eluded us (e.g., Harris's Hawk, Common Poorwill, Mountain Chickadee, Phainopepla, Grace's Warbler, Black-chinned Sparrow, Bullock's Oriole).
These certainly pale in comparison, though, by what we did see, especially since the most highly sought specialties of Big Bend and the Davis Mountains were all accounted for – Montezuma Quail, Common Black-Hawk, Lucifer Hummingbird, Gray Vireo, and Colima Warbler! In all, we came up with nearly 150 species, about average for a late-summer Big Bend trip: 146 + Lilac-crowned Parrot (not yet established, says the ABA) + Hooded Oriole (Chris & Cindy at Hueco Tanks).
Itinerary
July 27 – Arrival in El Paso (finally!), with those arriving by around noon birding in the vicinity of El Paso Country Club (without Proper Adult Supervision); dinner at Carlos & Mickey's and night at Microtel Airport Inn.
July 28 – Drive to Big Bend National Park via Rio Bosque Wetlands, Tornillo / Ft Hancock / McNary reservoirs, Van Horn, Hwy 90, Marfa ("ghost lights" mystery solved!), shopping in Alpine, Hwy 118, and first of 4 nights (& dinner on 3 nights) at Chisos Mountain Lodge.
July 29 – Window Trail in morning; afternoon along Cindy & Linda's Secret "Gray Vireo" Trail, at Panther Junction Visitors Center, and Green Gulch.
July 30 – All-day Colima Warbler Death March (all 12 of us survived!): Pinnacles, Boot Canyon, Colima, and Laguna Meadow trails.
July 31 – Morning at Sam Nail Ranch, Wilson Ranch/Blue Creek Canyon overlook, Cottonwood Campground, and Santa Elena Canyon; late afternoon, picnic supper, and nocturnal birding at Rio Grande Village and Boquillas Canyon.
August 1 – Return to Window Trail and drive to Davis Mts via Hwy 118, Christmas Mountains Oasis, and lunch/shopping in Alpine; dinner at Cueva de Leon and first of 2 nights at Ft Davis Motor Inn.
August 2 – TNC Davis Mountains Preserve with Mark Lockwood, Lawrence Wood wayside, and McDonald Observatory; dinner at The Drugstore / Blue Mountain Bistro and evening birding at Davis Mountains State Park.
August 3 – Birding along Hwy 118, especially near McDonald Observatory, Janice's Secret Montezuma Quail Site, and Lawrence Wood wayside; return to El Paso via Hwys 166 / 505 / 90, Van Horn, I-10, and McNary & Tornillo reservoirs; dinner at Julio's, post dinner option to Chaffee Road pond, and final night at Microtel Airport Inn.
August 4 – Departure from El Paso; birding option in the El Paso Country Club neighborhood & vicinity (again w/o Proper Adult Supervision) for those with afternoon flights.
Bird List
– boldfaced species (i.e., "non-Minnesota" birds absent, accidental, or casual in MN)
– CC = Cottonwood Campground
– RGV = Rio Grande Village
– TNC = Davis Mountains TNC Preserve
– y = young or nests found
Wood Duck (final morning option)
American Wigeon
Mallard ("Mexican Ducks"; y)
Cinnamon Teal (mostly McNary Reservoir; y)
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Scaled Quail
Gambel's Quail (Rio Bosque and Van Horn; y)
Montezuma Quail (nice spotting, Janice!; y)
Wild Turkey (TNC)
Pied-billed Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark’s Grebe (Tornillo Reservoir, w/Westerns)
Neotropic Cormorant (mostly McNary)
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black Vulture (CC only?)
Turkey Vulture
Mississippi Kite (seen well on both El Paso Country Club options)
Cooper’s Hawk (y)
Common Black-Hawk (posing on RGV utility pole)
Gray Hawk (CC and RGV; y)
Swainson’s Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk (no fewer than 6 sightings!)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt (all shorebirds mostly/only at McNary)
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Long-billed Curlew (a bit unexpected)
Marbled Godwit (ditto)
Western Sandpiper (good comparison with Leasts)
Least Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson’s Phalarope
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern (unexpected at McNary)
Black Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon (Window Trail photo by Pete; also Colima hike fly-bys)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove (y)
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove (y)
Common Ground-Dove (brief fly-bys only)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (RGV)
Greater Roadrunner
Western Screech-Owl (at least 5 seen or heard well at RGV; also 2 others calling by day)
Elf Owl (heard-only but close & repeatedly at RGV)
Burrowing Owl (best at Rio Bosque; y)
Lesser Nighthawk (several nice views along Chaffee Rd)
Common Nighthawk (roosting in Valentine)
White-throated Swift (why so few?)
Blue-throated Hummingbird (consolation prize at alleged Flame-colored site)
Lucifer Hummingbird (best at Christmas Mts Oasis of course; also a CC female)
Black-chinned Hummingbird (y)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (several at TNC; y)
Rufous Hummingbird (3 early fall migrants)
Acorn Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker (CC and RGV)
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon (diving by us on the Colima hike!?)
(Lilac-crowned Parrot – "non-countables" found on last morning's option)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (photographed by Pete at TNC)
Western Wood-Pewee (mostly TNC; also Window Tr migrant)
Gray Flycatcher (several at TNC)
Cordilleran Flycatcher (on the Colima hike)
Black Phoebe (best at CC and RGV)
Say’s Phoebe (y)
Vermilion Flycatcher (mostly CC and RGV; y)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (CC and RGV)
Brown-crested Flycatcher (ditto)
Tropical/Couch's kingbird (probably a Tropical at CC)
Cassin’s Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Bell’s Vireo
Gray Vireo (thanks to Cindy & Linda)
Plumbeous Vireo (mostly at TNC)
Hutton’s Vireo
Western Scrub-Jay (Davis Mts)
Mexican Jay
Chihuahuan Raven (y)
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow (Tom-only at TNC)
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow (y)
Barn Swallow (y)
Black-crested Titmouse (y)
Verdin
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Rock Wren (only one?)
Canyon Wren
Bewick’s Wren
Cactus Wren (y)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (RGV)
Eastern Bluebird (RGV; y)
Western Bluebird (Davis Mts; y)
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
Crissal Thrasher (eventually cooperative & singing at CC)
European Starling
Colima Warbler (3 seen; also heard at 2 other sites)
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Painted Redstart (on the Colima hike and at TNC; y)
Yellow-breasted Chat (best at Sam Nail Ranch and RGV)
Spotted Towhee
Rufous-crowned Sparrow (y)
Canyon Towhee (y)
Cassin’s Sparrow (singing along Hwys 118 and 166)
Chipping Sparrow (y)
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Lark Bunting (migrants: Hwy 505 and the final morning option)
Hepatic Tanager (several good views)
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Varied Bunting (best at Windows Tr and Sam Nail Ranch)
Painted Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (y)
Orchard Oriole (singing at CC)
(Hooded Oriole – only by Chris & Cindy at Hueco Tanks)
Scott’s Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Significant Others:
Rock Squirrel
Spotted Ground Squirrel
kangaroo rat, sp.
Desert Cottontail
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Striped Skunk
Javelina
Coyote (heard-only)
Gray Fox
Mule Deer
White-tailed Deer
Pronghorn
Black Bear
bat, sp.
Black-tailed Rattlesnake (TNC)
scorpion, sp.
tarantula, sp. (RGV)
* * *
BIG BEND MBWEEK SUMMARY
JULY 26 - AUGUST 1, 2009
It may not have been the most colorful bird we saw, but it certainly was the one involving the most preparation and effort. After all, Colima Warblers occur in Big Bend and nowhere else in the U.S., and our day-long 9.5-mile hike was both successful and decidedly exhausting. We had great looks atone after about 3 miles up the mountain, but no one elected to turn around and head back downhill, and our consensus of dubious merit was to continue around the loop for another 6.5 miles. At least our ordeal provided for some interesting conversation later – the best topic we could come with on the Arizona trip was chiggers.
Considering that I had only been to Big Bend on my own three times before in 40 years and had never seen the Davis Mountains at all, I think this was a quite successful effort. One measure of it was our list of 152 species, which is what Barry Zimmer and his VENT tour still comes up with after 20 years of experience. (And that tour is a day longer and costs around $2000 more.) True, Barry did turn up Flame-colored Tanager and Rufous-capped Warbler, and he normally finds Elf Owl and Crissal Thrasher, but give me another 19 years experience and a four-fold increase in the tour price and I'll see what I can do!
In the meantime, I'd say there were plenty of highlights to remember: the elusive Montezuma Quail that did not elude us at McDonald Observatory....our nice list of raptors, especially the Com Black-Hawks (twice) and Mississippi Kites (with half the group in El Paso)....an orange-eyed Com Poorwill posing in the road....the Lucifer and Calliope and other hummingbirds....no fewer than 15 flycatcher species, including rare and local Buff-breasteds and Dusky-cappeds....both Black-capped and Gray vireos found more easily than expected on the Window Trail....and those colorful Varied and Painted buntings.
We owe thanks to Barry Zimmer for his pre-trip tips to me (though his advice about the Colima hike was questionable!) and to Mark Lockwood for his guidance into TNC's Davis Mountains Preserve. By the way, as was discussed, I sent them a $100 donation on our behalf, which is included in the tour's budget.
Itinerary
July 26. Meet at El Paso airport and depart at 1:30 (MDT); I-10 E to Tornillo Exit and TX Hwy 20, Tornillo and McNary reservoirs, return to I-10 and E to Van Horn (CDT), US 90, Hwys 505 and 166 to Fort Davis Motor Inn; dinner at the Chuckwagon.
July 27. Meet Mark Lockwood at FD Motor Inn and morning at TNC's Davis Mountains Preserve, especially Madera and Wolf Den canyons; return to Fort Davis for check-out, a Com Black-Hawk pair/nest, and drive to Alpine and Big Bend National Park via Hwy 118; check-in and dinner at Chisos Mountain Lodge.
July 28. All morning on Window Trail, afternoon break and early dinner at CM Lodge; early evening and owling at Rio Grande Village.
July 29. All-day Colima Warbler hike up Pinnacles Trail and down Laguna Meadows Trail; dinner at CM Lodge.
July 30. Check-out at CM Lodge; return to Window Trail, Panther Junction, then Blue Creek Canyon, Cottonwood Campground, Santa Elena Canyon, and Hwy 118 birding/return to Fort Davis; early dinner at Indian Lodge and evening quail drive to McDonald Observatory.
July 31. Davis Mountains State Park, Hwy 118 birding and return to I-10/Van Horn, continue W (into MDT) to TX Hwy 20, McNary and Fort Hancock reservoirs, and El Paso; dinner at Julio's.
Aug 1. Optional birding (for those with later flights) to Frontera Rd / River Bend Dr area of NW El Paso; return to airport at 10:30 for flights home.
Bird List (150 species + "non-countable" Lilac-crowned Parrot)
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal (Ft Hancock Reservoir)
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey (heard-only)
Scaled Quail (heard and brief views at Panther Junction)
Montezuma Quail (1 male + 1 female crossing the road + 1 male that didn't)
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe (McNary Reservoir)
Western Grebe (ditto)
Clark’s Grebe (ditto)
American White Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant (Ft Hancock Res)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Mississippi Kite (2 adults feeding 2 young in El Paso)
Common Black-Hawk (pair near Fort Davis; 1 adult plus 1 juv at Rio Grande Village)
Harris’s Hawk (2 along TX Hwy 20)
Gray Hawk (best view at R G Village; briefly at Cottonwood Campground)
Swainson’s Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk (best view at TNC's Davis Mountains Preserve)
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle (soaring over Chisos Mt Lodge)
American Kestrel
Common Moorhen (El Paso)
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Wilson’s Phalarope
Black Tern
Forster’s Tern
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon (Big Bend fly-bys)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove (R G Village & Cottonwood Campgr)
Common Ground-Dove (R G Village)
[Lilac-crowned Parrot (in the El Paso kite neighborhood)]
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
Western Screech-Owl (R G Village: 3 seen + 2 others heard)
Burrowing Owl (near McNary)
Lesser Nighthawk (best looks at R G Village)
Common Nighthawk
Common Poorwill (in the road en route to Davis Mts Preserve; briefly at R G Village)
White-throated Swift
Blue-throated Hummingbird (seen by some on Pinnacles Trail)
Lucifer Hummingbird (Windows Trail and Blue Creek Canyon)
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird (adult male at Davis State Park feeders)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee (mostly at Davis Mts Preserve)
Gray Flycatcher (Davis Mts Preserve)
Cordilleran Flycatcher (on the Colima hike)
Buff-breasted Flycatcher (Davis Mts Preserve)
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Pinnacles Tr)
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher (Cottonwood Campgr)
Tropical Kingbird (ditto)
Couch's Kingbird (ditto)
Cassin’s Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Bell’s Vireo
Black-capped Vireo (twice on Windows Tr)
Gray Vireo (3 places on Windows Tr)
Plumbeous Vireo (Davis Mts Preserve)
Hutton’s Vireo (common)
Warbling Vireo
Western Scrub-Jay (Davis Mts Preserve)
Mexican Jay
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow (mostly at I-10 underpasses)
Barn Swallow
Mountain Chickadee (mostly at Davis Mts Preserve)
Black-crested Titmouse (very common)
Verdin
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren (Lawrence Wood wayside)
Canyon Wren
Carolina Wren (Cottonwood Campgr)
Bewick’s Wren (common)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Western Bluebird (Davis Mts Preserve)
American Robin (El Paso)
Northern Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Phainopepla (El Paso)
Colima Warbler (found ~3 miles up Pinnacles Tr)
Lucy’s Warbler (end of Frontera Rd in El Paso)
Grace’s Warbler (Davis Mts Preserve)
Painted Redstart (within view of The Boot)
Yellow-breasted Chat (Cottonwood Campgr)
Hepatic Tanager (Davis Mts Preserve and Pinnacles Tr)
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
Canyon Towhee
Cassin’s Sparrow (best near Davis State Park)
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Black-chinned Sparrow (seen by some near Chisos Mt Lodge)
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Varied Bunting (especially along Windows Tr)
Painted Bunting (best views at R G Village)
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark (the lilianae subspecies/species)
Western Meadowlark (heard-only in El Paso)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (R G Village)
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird (Davis State Park)
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole (Hwy 118 wayside)
Hooded Oriole (Panther Jct)
Bullock’s Oriole (seen by a few on Windows Tr)
Scott’s Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch (unexpected at Davis State Park)
House Sparrow
* * *
PHOTO GALLERY
Also see the PHOTO GALLERY
following the summaries of the 2013 and 2009 MBWeeks,
which follow the 2016 summary
__________
BIG BEND MBWEEK SUMMARY
JULY 16 - 24, 2016
Even though it’s supposed to be dry in the deserts of West Texas, this was drier than it should have been. The monsoon season had yet to develop, only a few century plants and virtually none of the ocotillo showed hardly any inclination to bloom, and there were water-use restrictions at Chisos Mountain Lodge. And it was hot, of course, as our minivan thermometers registered a consensus of 107 degrees en route back to El Paso on our last afternoon. Still, our third late-summer MBWeek in the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park turned up most everything we were looking for, and none of the quintessential target birds eluded us.
In all, we came up with a respectable 142 species (plus the jury is still out as to whether some of us glimpsed a Clay-colored Thrush at Cottonwood Campground), and our total would have been around 150 if we had been able to access TNC's Davis Mountains Preserve and been willing to complete the entire Colima Death March. (We had done both in 2009 and 2013, when it wasn’t nearly as dry, and our trip lists were 150 and 146 respectively.) Accordingly, there were a half dozen species (e.g., Mountain Chickadee, Grace’s Warbler, Painted Redstart) we could have seen at the Preserve or beyond Pinnacles Pass, and a few of the flycatchers seem to have disappeared since 2013 (Buff-breasted, Tropical and Couch’s kingbirds).
But our relatively few misses (e.g., Common Ground-Dove, Burrowing Owl, and White-throated Swift – found in both 2009 and 2013) hardly compared to all the more important birds we did see. In more-or-less descending order of significance, these included: Colima Warbler (right next to the trail after only 3 miles of hiking), Montezuma Quail (twice along Hwy 118, including that calling male posing endlessly on a berm), Lucifer Hummingbird (still reliable at Carolyn’s Oasis), Gray and Black-capped vireos (both usually secretive and hard-to-find at Big Bend), Common Black Hawk (still nesting at Rio Grande Village), Elf Owl, Western Screech-Owl (both owls visible from the same spot at Dugout Wells), Mississippi Kite (circling over western El Paso), Black-chinned Sparrow (singing in the scopes along 118), Lucy’s Warbler (less-than-cooperative at Cottonwood Campground), Crissal Thrasher (finally teed up nicely at Sam Nail Ranch), both Gray and Zone-tailed hawks, and colorful Varied Buntings.
We also turned up a quite lost and unexpected Louisiana Waterthrush at Cottonwood Campground, and two of the mammals on our list were especially noteworthy – the pair of Big Horn Sheep posing atop a rock along Hwy 118, and, of course, my lifer Mountain Lion seen briefly at the sewage ponds on our first afternoon!
Itinerary
July 16 – Arrival in El Paso and late afternoon at Fred Hervey sewage ponds; dinner at Julio’s & night in El Paso.
July 17 – Morning at John Kiseda’s feeders, Keystone Heritage Park, scanning for kites on Country Club Rd & Meadowlark Ln, Crossroads Pond, and Rio Bosque; afternoon drive to Fort Davis via Tornillo & McNary reservoirs, Van Horn, and Hwys 90, 505, and 166; dinner & first of 2 nights at Indian Lodge.
July 18 – Hwy 118 corridor: including Davis State Park, McDonald Observatory, Lawrence E Wood Wayside & Madera Trail, and Limpia Creek; dinner at Blue Mountain Bistro.
July 19 – Morning return to Hwy 118 and Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center/Botanical Gardens; afternoon drive from Alpine to Big Bend National Park, including stops at Panther Jct and for vireos near Lost Mines Trailhead; first of 4 dinners & 4 nights at Chisos Mountain Lodge.
July 20 – Chisos Basin: including Windows Trail, Amphitheater area, Lost Mines Trail area, and Roosevelt Cottages.
July 21 – Successful 6-mile-round-trip Pinnacles Trail hike for Colima Warblers; Dugout Wells, Rio Grande Village, and Boquillas Canyon after an early dinner.
July 22 – Blue Creek Canyon, Cottonwood Campground, and Santa Elena Canyon; successful owling option at Dugout Wells.
July 23 – Sam Nail Ranch, Christmas Mountains Oasis, and return to El Paso via Alpine-Marfa-Van Horn, McNary Reservoir, and Fort Hancock sewage ponds & reservoir; dinner at Julio’s & final night in El Paso.
July 24 – Departures for home.
Bird List
• E = El Paso & vicinity (east to McNary Reservoir; July 16-17, July 23)
• D = Davis Mountains & vicinity (from Van Horn to Alpine; July 17-19)
• B = Big Bend National Park & vicinity (incl Christmas Mts; July 17-23)
• boldfaced species = specialties, rarities, or difficult to find
Canada Goose E
Wood Duck E
Gadwall E
Mallard E
Cinnamon Teal E (marginal looks at McNary Reservoir & Ft Hancock sewage ponds)
Northern Shoveler E
Northern Pintail E
Ruddy Duck E
Scaled Quail EDB
Gambel's Quail E
Montezuma Quail D (seen twice, especially the calling male posing on a berm!)
Pied-billed Grebe E
Western Grebe E (lots at McNary)
Clark’s Grebe E (ditto)
Neotropic Cormorant E (McNary)
Double-crested Cormorant E
Great Blue Heron EB
Great Egret E
Snowy Egret E
Cattle Egret E
Green Heron E
Black-crowned Night-Heron E
Black Vulture B (only once)
Turkey Vulture EDB
Mississippi Kite E (3 sightings, best from Meadowlark Ln)
Cooper’s Hawk ED
Common Black Hawk B (nesting again at Rio Grande Village!)
Harris’s Hawk E (posing along Hwy 20 near Tornillo)
Gray Hawk B (also at R G Village)
Swainson’s Hawk ED
Zone-tailed Hawk DB (along 118 and during the Colima hike)
Red-tailed Hawk EDB
Common Gallinule E
American Coot E
Black-necked Stilt E
American Avocet E
Killdeer E
Spotted Sandpiper E
Baird's Sandpiper E
Least Sandpiper E
Western Sandpiper E
Wilson’s Phalarope E (Ft Hancock sewage ponds)
Ring-billed Gull E
Forster's Tern E
Rock Pigeon ED
Band-tailed Pigeon B
Eurasian Collared-Dove ED
Inca Dove EDB
White-winged Dove EDB
Mourning Dove EDB
Yellow-billed Cuckoo B (heard-only at Cottonwood Campgr)
Greater Roadrunner EDB
Western Screech-Owl DB (seen at Dugout Wells; another heard at R G Village)
Elf Owl B (also at Dugout Wells!)
Lesser Nighthawk B (best at Sam Nail Ranch)
Common Poorwill D (heard-only by a few near Indian Lodge)
Blue-throated Hummingbird B (best at Roosevelt Cottage feeder)
Lucifer Hummingbird B (still reliable at Christmas Mts Oasis)
Black-chinned Hummingbird EDB
Broad-tailed Hummingbird D (briefly at Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center)
Rufous Hummingbird EDB (incl one at Christmas Mts Oasis)
Calliope Hummingbird E (John Kiseda’s feeder)
Acorn Woodpecker EDB
Golden-fronted Woodpecker B
Ladder-backed Woodpecker EDB
Northern Flicker DB
American Kestrel ED
Western Wood-Pewee D
Gray Flycatcher B (migrant at R G Village)
Cordilleran Flycatcher B (on the Colima hike)
Black Phoebe ED
Say’s Phoebe EDB
Vermilion Flycatcher DB
Ash-throated Flycatcher DB
Brown-crested Flycatcher B (Cottonwood Campgr)
Cassin’s Kingbird ED
Western Kingbird EDB
Loggerhead Shrike DB
Bell’s Vireo DB
Black-capped Vireo B (adult with a juvenile!)
Gray Vireo B (unusually cooperative on the Blue Canyon Trail!)
Plumbeous Vireo B (on the Colima hike)
Hutton’s Vireo B (ditto)
Western (Woodhouse’s) Scrub-Jay D
Mexican Jay B
Chihuahuan Raven D
Common Raven DB
Horned Lark D
Violet-green Swallow ED
Cliff Swallow EDB
Cave Swallow E (2 brief sightings)
Barn Swallow ED
Black-crested Titmouse DB
Verdin EDB
Bushtit D
White-breasted Nuthatch DB
Rock Wren D
Canyon Wren DB (best at Lawrence Woods wayside)
Bewick’s Wren DB
Cactus Wren DB
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher DB
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher B
Western Bluebird D
(Clay-colored Thrush: probably seen by some at Cottonwood Campgr)
American Robin E
Curve-billed Thrasher EB
Crissal Thrasher B (especially at Sam Nail!)
Northern Mockingbird EDB
European Starling ED
Phainopepla DB
Louisiana Waterthrush B (quite unusual in west Texas!)
Colima Warbler B (2 seen well 3 miles up Pinnacles Tr!)
Lucy’s Warbler B (mostly heard, seen briefly at Cottonwood Campgr)
Common Yellowthroat EB
Yellow-breasted Chat EDB (best view at Sam Nail)
Spotted Towhee DB
Rufous-crowned Sparrow DB
Canyon Towhee EDB
Cassin’s Sparrow DB
Chipping Sparrow D
Black-chinned Sparrow DB (best sighting along Hwy 118)
Lark Sparrow DB
Black-throated Sparrow EDB
Hepatic Tanager DB (all 3 tanagers together near the Amphitheater)
Summer Tanager DB
Western Tanager B
Northern Cardinal EDB
Pyrrhuloxia EDB
Black-headed Grosbeak DB
Blue Grosbeak EDB
Varied Bunting B (several seen well)
Painted Bunting DB
Red-winged Blackbird ED
Eastern Meadowlark D (the Lillian’s subspecies)
Yellow-headed Blackbird EB
Great-tailed Grackle E
Brown-headed Cowbird EDB
Orchard Oriole B (Dugout Wells)
Bullock’s Oriole E (Fred Hervey sewage ponds)
Scott’s Oriole DB
House Finch EDB
Lesser Goldfinch EDB
House Sparrow EDB
Significant Others:
Desert Cottontail (plus Eastern Cottontail?)
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Mexican Ground Squirrel
Rock Squirrel
Coyote
Mountain Lion (half-grown young at Fred Hervey sewage ponds!)
Black Bear
Mule Deer (plus White-tailed?)
Bighorn Sheep (pair along Hwy 118)
Pronghorn
Javelina
bat, sp.
Yellow Mud Turtle (Christmas Mts Oasis)
whiptail, sp. (Common Spotted or Chihuahuan Spotted?)
Western Coachwhip (red morphs)
Crissal Thrasher ~ Cottonwood Campground, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2013)
Colima Warbler ~ Pinnacles Trail, BBNP
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)
Yellow-breasted Chat serenading Turkey Vulture ~ Sam Nail Ranch, BBNP
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher ~ Blue Creek Canyon, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2009)
Varied Bunting ~ Windows Trail, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2009)
Scott's Oriole ~ Windows Trail, BBNP
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)
Bighorn Sheep ~ Hwy 118, Davis Mountains
(KRE photo, 2016)
Mexican Jay ~ Pinnacles Trail, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2009)
Montezuma Quail ~ Hwy 118, Davis Mountains
(KRE photo, 2016)
Mississippi Kite ~ El Paso
(KRE photo, 2009)
Common Black Hawk ~ Rio Grande Village, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2016)
Gray Hawk ~ Rio Grande Village, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2013)
Western Screech-Owl ~ Dugout Wells, BBNP
(Jena Highkin photo, 2016)
Elf Owl ~ Rio Grande Village, BBNP
(Vija Kelly photo, 2010)
Lesser Nighthawk ~ Sam Nail Ranch, BBNP
(KRE photo, 2016)
Blue-throated Hummingbird ~ Roosevelt Cottages, BBNP
(Jena Highkin photo, 2016)
Lucifer Hummingbird ~ Christmas Mountains Oasis
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)
Gray Vireo ~ Davis Mountains TNC Preserve
(KRE photo, 2013)
Black-capped Vireo ~ near Lost Mine Trailhead, BBNP
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)
Juvenile Black-capped Vireo ~ near Lost Mine Trailhead, BBNP
(Jena Highkin photo, 2016)
Gray Vireo ~ Blue Creek Canyon, BBNP
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)
Black-chinned Sparrow ~ Hwy 118, Davis Mountains
(Roy Zimmerman photo, 2016)