We had been nursing a tire that was losing air since Corpus
Christi. Unfortunately the Fix-a-flat we put in it gave up and we now had a
flat tire. It was still early, about 6:30 am and we started making calls and
figuring out where to get a flat tire fixed in Junction, TX
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| After Rolling Around in the Mud Changing a Tire |
After three grown men went in three directions we figured
out where all the tools were and how to get the tire out. I’ve always been kind
of a dive right and get done and damn getting dirty kind of guy. So I was soon
wallowing in the “road gravy”, or the mud from Old Port Isabel Road that had
washed off the Tahoe overnight in the rain. Yeah it rained overnight again.
We got the tire changed in good time and headed down the
road to get the tire repaired since we didn’t want to head to Big Bend National
Park sans a spare tire. We found the tire repair place right as they opened at
7 am.
We watched as the tire was repaired and then the technician
brought over to us what was in the tire. It was the business last half inch of
a knife blade! It appears that at one of our stops in Corpus Christi someone
jabbed a knife into the tread of our tire and broke it off in the tire! Was
this the work of SUB? (Secret Underground Birders). I thought I was on good
terms with SUB since the Silver-backed-Wup-De-Do incident? Did we cross some
line and run a-fowl of the Golden Crescent Chapter of SUB?
Whoever did this all jokes aside it hard come to any conclusion
other than it was intentional. I mean knifes just don’t break off in your tires
on their own. No matter it was SUB or one of our competitors, the Great Texas
Birding Classic just got very real and we always had one eye in the rear view
mirror. It made us drive kind of funny too.
On to South Llano River State Park. We picked up a few birds
on the way in we needed, lots of Black-chinned Hummingbirds around the feeders
at the headquarters. We headed over to the bird blind and Holly Reinhard,
formerly the Naturalist at Lake Casa Blanca State Park and now stationed here
at South Llano River State Park, waved us over. She had read my Facebook post from
the night before and was going to help us find out target species on the
morning bird walk.
First stop is the bird blind. Not 30 seconds after we get
there a Black-capped Vireo starts “dive bathing” in the birdbath for Year Bird
402; flying back and forth splashing into the water. Really the best looks I’ve
ever had at this often hard to see species.
No time to linger though we head out at a fast pace looking
for Golden-cheeked Warbler near the deer blinds. On the way we note Bell’s
Vireo’s singing for Year Bird 403. As soon as we make it to the area we hear
singing Golden-cheeked Warblers for Year Bird 404.
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| Birding on the Edge! Fort Lancaster Overlook |
We spend some times searching for Wild Turkey with no luck,
so though we have to head out, lots of miles to cover today before we rest.
We head out west on I10. It’s a good 120 miles to our nest
stop. The Fort Lancaster Overlook and Sheffield Rest Area. We have light rain
all the way. We get the and there is construction at the bottom of the bottom
of the hill and guess where all the workers spend their break in their running diesel
trucks! The drone and rattle of the diesel engines makes it hard to hear.
Finally we are able to hear our target bird, Gray Vireo for year bird 405.
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| Hail in Big Bend National Park |
We push on to Big Bend National Park. We’ve been passing
through light rain all the way and on the way to Persimmon Gap just after we
enter the park we run into very heavy rain, I’m alert looking for a flash
flood. Clay is driving and soon has to pull to a stop because the heavy accumulation
of hail on the road. On the side if the road is an honest to goodness flash
flood and along the sides is a buildup of close to a foot of hail. Very cool to see but not so good for the
birding. After this we never saw temperatures in West Texas over 70 degrees
either.
We pull into the parking lot at Panther Junction to make a
few phone calls since we have service and cell service is spotty to none existent
in the park. Right in front of us a Scott’s Oriole perches up on a yucca stalk
for Year Bird 406.
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| Common Black-Hawk, Rio Grande Village Big Bend National Park |
We head down to Rio Grande Village in search of the nesting
Common Black-Hawks there. It takes no effort at all to locate presumably the
male perched in a tree. Common Black-Hawk is Year Bird 407. After the hawk
poses for many pictures we answer the eternal question “What would you do for a
Klondike Bar” with ice cream from the Rio Grande Village Store. We fortify ourselves for our next task, Pine
Canyon.
On the drive up to the Pine Canyon Trail Head we spot our
first Western Tanager for Year Bird 408. Not long after we start up the trail
we get a Hepatic Tanager for Year Bird 409. We also start to get Mexican Jay’s
for Year Bird 410. Western Wood-Pewees are there for Year Bird 411 Our true quarry
awaits though. We make it to the designated spot where our goal has been seen
and heard recently. Of course we are all
reminding ourselves of what the call sounds likes like by playing it very
quietly on our phones. You can’t hear it 3 feet away but if you’re standing
close you think you’re hearing our target in the distance. Many false alarms caused by this. We each try
our hand at imitating it but with little luck at first.
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| On the Trail to Pine Canyon |
We spread out a little to give ourselves a better chance at
hearing it. I try to whistle the single “toot” version of the call of our
target and hear something up the canyon and above all my partners. After
checking with each that they aren't doing it we can confirm yes! Northern
Pygmy-Owl for Year Bird 412 and a life bird to boot! This is also a big
milestone in my big year, it marks passing my total for last year. I whistle a
little more and the owl seems to be moving in closer as we hope for a look and
picture but it never gets that close. Northern Pygmy-Owl often gives a double
toot version of its call, “toot-toot toot-toot” this owl is mixing it up now
though, give a 1-2-1 version of the call; “toot toot-toot toot toot-toot toot
toot-toot” not something on any recording I have. We decide not to harass this
bird anymore though and leave it be, dozen must have been here by now since it
was discovered whistling and maybe playing recordings for it. I imagine this
owl is now thinking “there sure are a lot of guys in this canyon, why aren't
there any chicks?”
Anyway its getting late and we head up to the Chisos Basin
Lodge to check in for the night. We check in and find out that the restaurant closed
just 3 minutes before we get there! No ordering pizza here either! Luckily they
let us have soup and salad bar, and a sandwich so we are good to go. This is my
first time to stay in the Chisos Basin Lodge and I have to say I like the 1930’s
Roosevelt cabin we are in. The floor is native limestone and its worn smooth by
who knows how many feet that have walked it in the last 75 years. I imagine how
remote and wild it would have felt in the 40’s and 50’s. And now we have WiFi
here.
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