I went with Naturalist Journeys to Big Bend April 25- May 1, 2009. It was a
productive and enjoyable trip.



On Thursday April 30 we went for the Colima Warbler on the Pinnacles trail.
We saw several and heard 7 or 8, including a couple only a few miles out.
We did not start at 4:30, although that would be a way to beat some of the
heat. We took lots of water and kept a moderate pace. There were some
bears at Boot Springs, but they stayed well below us.



We stayed at Chisos Mountain Lodge 432.477.2291. Very nice
accommodations, no complaints. If you want an early start, that is the
place. There are nice rooms and campgrounds. (Get your lunch put together
the evening before departure; we had a big delay getting our lunch in the
morning. That turned out fine, as we reached several good spots when the
birds were quite active.)



But keep your doors closed; I had a visitor, very pretty, very curious, and
fortunately very restrained. A hog-nosed skunk sniffed my bags, looked me
over, thoroughly explored the room and bathroom and then shuffled out the
door. What a relief.



There should be a trip account on the Naturalist Journeys website, although
I have not looked lately.



RT Cox

Gillette WY