Texas : 2nd to 16th April 2005

SUMMARY

Birds gallery: non passerine (65 species)
Birds gallery: passerine (64 species)

Gallery of the other animal pictures

Gallery of pictures of landscapes

List of the observations day per day (xls)

This trip was made with a friend between El Paso and Houston along the Rio Grande River and the coast of Texas. It would probably have beenbetter to make this trip one week later because a few migrant birds had not arrived.

2nd-April Roissy - Houston. it took us 2h30 to pass the customs because of the new security rules. Unfortunately we had only 1h30 before our flight to El Paso. We were on the waiting list for the next flight and after a few hours of anxiety, we finally took it at the end of the afternoon. We spent our first night in a Motel in El Paso.

3d-April

Early in the morning we drove to "Balmorhea Lake" by the HW-10. We deviated towards Fort Hancock and we made our first observations.
We stayed at "Balmorhea Lake" until the beginning of the afternoon.
In the evening we arrived in "Mount Davis SP" where we found a room for the night. We made our unique observation of a Raccoon when we arrived in the parking.

4th-April

The morning was devoted to the discovery of the park. We tried to find the Montezuma Quail without success. We spend a little time near a feeding place for birds and we visisted a few view-points.
We drove to the Mount Davis Observatory and then we went on "Madera Canyon Picnic Area" where we made a few interresting sights.
At the end of the morning, we drove to the "Big Bend NP" direction.
We stopped at a picnic area close to a small swamp on the road 118. Hundreds of Pine Siskins were here with a few other species.
At the end of the afternoon, a Swainson's Hawk fell upon a prey just in front of the car. After a short time which seem to be a fight with its prey, the Hawk flew empty-handed to a stake and finally went away. We did not understand immediatly what had happened but a sight in the scrub thorn enlightened us. A Greater Roadrunner was killing a mouse or a gerbil. However we do not know if the Hawk had tried to catch the Roadrunner or the rodent. Anyway, the Roadrunner was well protected by the scrub thorn. Few minutes after our arrival it had eaten the rodent which seemed to weigh almost 25 percent of its own weight. I had never thought before that this bird could be a predator of such big rodents.
We arrived in the campground of Big Bend at night and consequently, we had some problems finding a good place!

5th-April

We started the day at Daniel Ranch. We climbed to a view-point which overlook the Rio Grande River.
Then we drove to the Chisos Basin where we ate before walking in the forest around.
We went back to the campground at sunset.

6th-April

In the morning, we walked on the "Nature Trail" behind the campground.
After that, we quickly visited the beautiful "Boquillas Canyon" before driving to "Los Maples SP".
We did not find any Motel in Vanderpool, and we had to go to Bandera.

7th-April

After breakfast, we went for a small walk along the river just behind the motel.
Then, we went to "Los Maples SP". This forest park is well known for two endemic species of Texas: Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. We did not see the Vireo, only one singer was present this day. However, this place was very pleasant and was a big changed from the semi-desert area we visited before.
At the end of the afternoon, we drove to our next destination. After a dinner in Sabinal, we had the good idea to choose road 187 in the direction to Batesville and Cristal City where we slept. On this road, we saw several Nighthawks (Common or Lesser, we could not identify them), a Skunk and a Great horned Owl hunting.

8th-April

Our final destination was "Bentsen SP" but we stopped before in San Ignacio. We made several interresting sights around an ox-bow of the Rio Grande River although the vegetation was very dense. We had a picnic in a small garden especially fitted up for ornithologists.
We wanted to camp in "Bentsen SP" but as we had missed the last shuttle, we would have had to walk one mile with all our luggage because the park was forbidden for car. Finally we only found an expensive hotel a few miles away; the motels were in fact in the direction of Edinburg as we see it the day after.

9th-April

When we arrived at "Bentsen SP" early in the morning, we saw a very big group of Broad-winged Hawks in migration: may be 200-300 in a quarter of an hour.
This park was mainly forested with a big lake. There were a lot of feeding places with observatories which allowed very good sights and good pictures of birds and animals. We made our most amazing observation of the trip in one of these places: a Bobcat tried to catch a Squirrel less than 2 meters in front of us!
We finished the day at "Edinburg Scenic Wetland Trails". On this Saturday, this small but interesting birding site was close to a fun fair. Not really pleasant, but we made some really good observations, in particular Least Grebe, Buff-bellied Hummingbird and Water Snakes.

10th-April

We began the day at "Santa Anna NWR". Unfortunatly, the reserve seemed to suffer a lot from lack of water. Out of three tracks, only the small one was interesting. Some volunteers showed us a nest of a Great horned Owl with young birds. We also tried to see a singing Tropical Parula with more than one dozen of ornithologists without any success!
Then we drove to South Padre Island with a stop at the "Frontera Audubon Center". Two rarities had been seen here before: the Crimson-collared Grosbeak and the Elegant Trogon. We saw only the former eating at a feeding place.
For the next day, we chose South Padre Island because a couple of birders told us that they had seen more than 100 species in a day. The arrival at the island was a shock because of the density of buildings in the Southern part of this very long island (more than 50 kilometers). After a few sights we met some other birders again who told us that the next day would be very good for birding because of the wind. Though we did not like this Island, we decided to stay here that night...

11th-April

This day was really fantastic. We did not see thousands of birds but an incredible variety with an amazing quality of observations; for example: Tricolored Heron, Lesser Nighthawk, Common Nighthawk, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Warbler, and in particular Painted Bunting. We discussed with some birders who helped us a lot to the identification of some fugitive birds.
We spent all the day on the Island and we finished at the swamp close to the "Convention Center" where we saw easily Clapper Rail, Sora, and our first Alligator.

12th-April

We spent the morning in "Laguna Atascosa NWR" to look for the Aplomado Falcon without any success. This place offered quite a variety of environments. We saw the Bobcat for the second time. It tried to cross the road just in front of us but when it saw us, it turned back...
In the middle of the afternoon we began driving in the direction of Houston and finally stopped at a motel in Refugio.

13th-April

In the morning, we visited "Arensas NWR". We learnt that a couple of Whooping Crane which usually spent its winter in the reserve was still here but we did not see it. This Crane is territorial and only one couple is usually in the accessible area. During the picnic, an Armadillo and a Collared Paccary joined us...
At the end of the afternoon we drove to the East of Houston. We stopped in the small village of High Island where we were lucky to find the last room available for our last three nights.

14th-April

High Island is a well known place because of its two high spots for birds in migration: "Boy Scout Woods" and "Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary". Birds which cross the Mexico Gulf were exhausted and were attracted by the few woods in this area. A great diversity of species was visible in the months of April and May.
We started by "Boy Scout Woods". There were not a lot of birds this morning but all the same, we saw several new species. We met a Canadian couple who drove us to "Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary". hundreds Egrets and Cormorants nest here.
After lunch, we went to Port Bolivar where we saw plenty of waders. The swamps along the road were interesting too, particulary in the evening when rails came out. We even saw a couple of Clapper Rails mating at less than 5 meters from the car!

15th-April

We started again by "Boy Scout Woods" but there were fewer birds than yesterday. We returned to "Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary" to finish our visit of this park. Concerning birds, this site was very quiet too but we learnt that more than 20 species of warblers could be seen in an other woodland called: "Sabine Woodland".
After less than one hour driving, we arrived in the park in the afternoon. This change was very profitable. There were many more birds and we met a Californian group which was led by Jon Dunn, a specialist of warblers. Thanks to him and his team, we saw a Cerulean Warbler and some others interesting species. We really appreciated the kindness and the availability of all the guides of this groups: thanks to them again.

16th-April For our last morning, we went to "W. G. Jones State Forest" which is only half an hour by car from the airport. This site is well known for woodpeckers. We saw some new species of passerines too. We took our plane to Paris in the afternoon...

SUMMARY

2nd-April	Roissy - Houston. it took us 2h30 to pass the customs because of the new security rules. Unfortunately we had only 1h30 before our flight to El Paso. We were on the waiting list for the next flight and after a few hours of anxiety, we finally took it at the end of the afternoon. We spent our first night in a Motel in El Paso.
3d-April	Early in the morning we drove to "Balmorhea Lake" by the HW-10. We deviated towards Fort Hancock and we made our first observations. We stayed at "Balmorhea Lake" until the beginning of the afternoon. In the evening we arrived in "Mount Davis SP" where we found a room for the night. We made our unique observation of a Raccoon when we arrived in the parking.
4th-April	The morning was devoted to the discovery of the park. We tried to find the Montezuma Quail without success. We spend a little time near a feeding place for birds and we visisted a few view-points. We drove to the Mount Davis Observatory and then we went on "Madera Canyon Picnic Area" where we made a few interresting sights. At the end of the morning, we drove to the "Big Bend NP" direction. We stopped at a picnic area close to a small swamp on the road 118. Hundreds of Pine Siskins were here with a few other species. At the end of the afternoon, a Swainson's Hawk fell upon a prey just in front of the car. After a short time which seem to be a fight with its prey, the Hawk flew empty-handed to a stake and finally went away. We did not understand immediatly what had happened but a sight in the scrub thorn enlightened us. A Greater Roadrunner was killing a mouse or a gerbil. However we do not know if the Hawk had tried to catch the Roadrunner or the rodent. Anyway, the Roadrunner was well protected by the scrub thorn. Few minutes after our arrival it had eaten the rodent which seemed to weigh almost 25 percent of its own weight. I had never thought before that this bird could be a predator of such big rodents. We arrived in the campground of Big Bend at night and consequently, we had some problems finding a good place!
5th-April	We started the day at Daniel Ranch. We climbed to a view-point which overlook the Rio Grande River. Then we drove to the Chisos Basin where we ate before walking in the forest around. We went back to the campground at sunset.
6th-April	In the morning, we walked on the "Nature Trail" behind the campground. After that, we quickly visited the beautiful "Boquillas Canyon" before driving to "Los Maples SP". We did not find any Motel in Vanderpool, and we had to go to Bandera.
7th-April	After breakfast, we went for a small walk along the river just behind the motel. Then, we went to "Los Maples SP". This forest park is well known for two endemic species of Texas: Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. We did not see the Vireo, only one singer was present this day. However, this place was very pleasant and was a big changed from the semi-desert area we visited before. At the end of the afternoon, we drove to our next destination. After a dinner in Sabinal, we had the good idea to choose road 187 in the direction to Batesville and Cristal City where we slept. On this road, we saw several Nighthawks (Common or Lesser, we could not identify them), a Skunk and a Great horned Owl hunting.
8th-April	Our final destination was "Bentsen SP" but we stopped before in San Ignacio. We made several interresting sights around an ox-bow of the Rio Grande River although the vegetation was very dense. We had a picnic in a small garden especially fitted up for ornithologists. We wanted to camp in "Bentsen SP" but as we had missed the last shuttle, we would have had to walk one mile with all our luggage because the park was forbidden for car. Finally we only found an expensive hotel a few miles away; the motels were in fact in the direction of Edinburg as we see it the day after.
9th-April	When we arrived at "Bentsen SP" early in the morning, we saw a very big group of Broad-winged Hawks in migration: may be 200-300 in a quarter of an hour. This park was mainly forested with a big lake. There were a lot of feeding places with observatories which allowed very good sights and good pictures of birds and animals. We made our most amazing observation of the trip in one of these places: a Bobcat tried to catch a Squirrel less than 2 meters in front of us! We finished the day at "Edinburg Scenic Wetland Trails". On this Saturday, this small but interesting birding site was close to a fun fair. Not really pleasant, but we made some really good observations, in particular Least Grebe, Buff-bellied Hummingbird and Water Snakes.
10th-April	We began the day at "Santa Anna NWR". Unfortunatly, the reserve seemed to suffer a lot from lack of water. Out of three tracks, only the small one was interesting. Some volunteers showed us a nest of a Great horned Owl with young birds. We also tried to see a singing Tropical Parula with more than one dozen of ornithologists without any success! Then we drove to South Padre Island with a stop at the "Frontera Audubon Center". Two rarities had been seen here before: the Crimson-collared Grosbeak and the Elegant Trogon. We saw only the former eating at a feeding place. For the next day, we chose South Padre Island because a couple of birders told us that they had seen more than 100 species in a day. The arrival at the island was a shock because of the density of buildings in the Southern part of this very long island (more than 50 kilometers). After a few sights we met some other birders again who told us that the next day would be very good for birding because of the wind. Though we did not like this Island, we decided to stay here that night...
11th-April	This day was really fantastic. We did not see thousands of birds but an incredible variety with an amazing quality of observations; for example: Tricolored Heron, Lesser Nighthawk, Common Nighthawk, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Warbler, and in particular Painted Bunting. We discussed with some birders who helped us a lot to the identification of some fugitive birds. We spent all the day on the Island and we finished at the swamp close to the "Convention Center" where we saw easily Clapper Rail, Sora, and our first Alligator.
12th-April	We spent the morning in "Laguna Atascosa NWR" to look for the Aplomado Falcon without any success. This place offered quite a variety of environments. We saw the Bobcat for the second time. It tried to cross the road just in front of us but when it saw us, it turned back... In the middle of the afternoon we began driving in the direction of Houston and finally stopped at a motel in Refugio.
13th-April	In the morning, we visited "Arensas NWR". We learnt that a couple of Whooping Crane which usually spent its winter in the reserve was still here but we did not see it. This Crane is territorial and only one couple is usually in the accessible area. During the picnic, an Armadillo and a Collared Paccary joined us... At the end of the afternoon we drove to the East of Houston. We stopped in the small village of High Island where we were lucky to find the last room available for our last three nights.
14th-April	High Island is a well known place because of its two high spots for birds in migration: "Boy Scout Woods" and "Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary". Birds which cross the Mexico Gulf were exhausted and were attracted by the few woods in this area. A great diversity of species was visible in the months of April and May. We started by "Boy Scout Woods". There were not a lot of birds this morning but all the same, we saw several new species. We met a Canadian couple who drove us to "Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary". hundreds Egrets and Cormorants nest here. After lunch, we went to Port Bolivar where we saw plenty of waders. The swamps along the road were interesting too, particulary in the evening when rails came out. We even saw a couple of Clapper Rails mating at less than 5 meters from the car!
15th-April	We started again by "Boy Scout Woods" but there were fewer birds than yesterday. We returned to "Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary" to finish our visit of this park. Concerning birds, this site was very quiet too but we learnt that more than 20 species of warblers could be seen in an other woodland called: "Sabine Woodland". After less than one hour driving, we arrived in the park in the afternoon. This change was very profitable. There were many more birds and we met a Californian group which was led by Jon Dunn, a specialist of warblers. Thanks to him and his team, we saw a Cerulean Warbler and some others interesting species. We really appreciated the kindness and the availability of all the guides of this groups: thanks to them again.
16th-April	For our last morning, we went to "W. G. Jones State Forest" which is only half an hour by car from the airport. This site is well known for woodpeckers. We saw some new species of passerines too. We took our plane to Paris in the afternoon...