Subject: Big Bend neat stuff
Date: Jul 23 21:26:51 1999
From: jbroadus - jbroadus at seanet.com


Clarice and I had the good fortune to spend one week (week before last) in
Big Bend in Texas. Although I used to work some summers (in 114 degree heat)
in Black Gap Wildlife area to the east of Big Bend, this was my first trip
to the Chisos. Also went to El Paso, Davis Mountains, and a fancy private
guest ranch called Cibolo Creek. Wonderful trip.

Bird highlights:

One little blue heron-- easy on the Gulf Coast, a good find in El Paso.

Nesting Cooper's hawk in Davis Mountains. The lady flew by carrying three
western kingbirds, one youngun in its talons and two adults on its back.

Two nests of common blackhawk, one at Rio Grande Village and one in Davis
Mountains.

Several Montezuma quail

57 greater roadrunners

A broad tailed hummer nest in Davis Mountains with two chicks sitting bolt
upright, their little spikes sticking up, right at eye level. In Big Bend
got to hear the whistling display flight of a broad tailed male: fly up
high, dive, swoop-- wings making a shrill little buzzy whistle all the way.
First time I've ever actually heard one of that genus of hummer do that.

4 blue throated and 4 lucifer hummers. Also, on Window trail in Big Bend,
one broad billed hummer (listed as accidental on park list).

A tropical flycatcher nest in a county park in Marathon, with young. This is
pretty far north for those.

A Black Phoebe nest with two young, under an eave just above eye level.

A pair of buff breasted flycatchers with a nest with young in a pine tree on
a nature conservancy site in the Davis Mountains. Nature Conservancy folk
said its the first Texas nest record.

Nesting Carolina wrens at Rio Grande Village; again, at edge of range.

Saw six singing Colima warblers, heard eight more. All along the obligatory
hike that you take up to boot springs. Colimas were real easy this trip.
Also our first of two of the little lady warblers: Grace's (Davis Mountains)
and Lucy's (on Rio Grande).

Heard one black capped vireo.

All in all added 23 species to the old life list. Right now my "world list"
has made it to 1282, Clarice is at 1283. The discrepancy of one bird has
been around since she saw a keel billed mot mot in Guatemala when I was
looking at an old Mayan stela, fooling myself into thinking I could figure
out what the inscription said. I probably never will catch up.

I highly recommend this trip, this time of year. Temperatures were generally
comfortable. Got up to about 90 in Rio Grande Village, otherwise in the
80's. Thunder storms every afternoon, added lots of fireworks and kept it
cool. On our hike of the 9 miles to Boot Springs and back we started in a
drizzle, which soon stopped leaving wonderful, cool hiking until we got back
to the Chisos lodge at about 3:00. Then by 4:00 it was lightening strikes
everywhere so swiftly and violently I was scared to walk across the parking
lot. Best thing, of course, was all the nesting birds and singing birds. The
Colimas had not been singing before the rain started.

Everyone we met was very helpful. Got us to private bird feeders, showed us
the one Yankee rufous hummer that had just showed up at a feeder (male,
already heading south), tried to get us the one magnificent hummer female
that had been hanging around (never saw her) and gave us lots of tips. Texas
birders really love their stuff and really love to help newcomers see their
stuff; I have found that attitude to be consistent over several trips to
various Texas parts and places (I think that some birders I know would be
fretful of showing off a nest of the rarity level of the buff breasted
flycatcher, but not there. It was "Lead the out of towners down the rocky
road down the creek bed for miles and then walk them through the piney woods
to a point right below the nest. Just keep quiet when you visit." I was
impressed.)

Oh-- to add to the fun we got stranded on the wrong side of a flash flood.
We were leaving Cibolo Creek to chase owls with the manager and when
crossing the 100 (more or less) yard wide creek bed and saw a stream (not a
"wall") of water a few inches deep but as wide as the whole creek bed coming
at us. When we got back at 10:00 P.M it was 3 feet deep. Then had the fun
of trying to find a telephone, so we could call the owner of a mostly
abandoned silver mine to give us the combination to the lock on the gate of
the only road we could get to on the other side of the creek, at 11:00 P.M.
in a town of a population of 26.("Hey dude, I don't got no phone, just drive
across that little creek. Man, never seen it that high. Might try that
trailer. Just a couple of Austin hippies. They're real nice. Probably won't
mind you gettin them up. No, not that trailer, he's got a big gun
collection.") Got home too late to want to watch the bats bag bugs over the
swimming pool.


Jerry R. Broadus
Geometrix Surveying, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Puyallup, WA. 98371