Santa Ana NWR TX 1/30/2018

I had to go to the Santa Ana NWR this morning to sign Volunteer Agreement forms and pick up a vest. While waiting for my Supervisor I decided to join a birding tour that was just heading out. The guides were very informative and personable. I saw 6 new life birds. Several of which I would not have been able to ID if it were not for the guides help. One was this Rose-throated Becard.

Another was this Common Pauraque.

If you cant see it, don't feel bad. I could only see it with my binoculars and it was less than 10 feet away! It is a relative of the Night Hawk or Whippoorwill. I would have seen 3 more life birds but I had to take a break and go sign those papers. When I got back they showed me the list of what I missed! If you are a birder and ever get a chance to take this tour, DO NOT PASS IT UP! It is a 2 hour drive from here but I will be going back for another tour! I did not get many more pics but if you want to see them and a list of all the birds identified on this tour, clcik here:  Santa Ana NWR bird list for 1/30/2018

Falcon State Park TX 1/29/2018

While birding yesterday afternoon, I saw my first Walking Stick in the wild. It was about 2 inches long and blended in with the dry grass so well that if it had not been moving I would have never spotted it.

If you have trouble spotting it, here is a hint. The blurry blade of grass in the center of the picture crosses in front of its body. The body runs diagonally thru the picture.

Today I visited Salineno WP where I will start volunteering on the 1st of February. I saw these turtles which are called Rio Grande Cooters.

I added 2 new species to my life list while at Salineno, the Ringed Kingfisher and White-tipped Doves. I was not able to get a pic of the Kingfisher but here are the doves.

My Life list total now stands at 304! I never thought, when I headed out from Oregon last fall, that I would surpass the 300 mark!

Falcon State Park TX 1/28/2018

Had a great bird watching morning. I added 2 more species to my life bird list which brought my total to 301! To see the complete bird list and pics, click here: Falcon SP ebird list for 1/28/2018 I thought I would give everyone a break from all the bird talk and focus on the plant life here in west Texas. I like to get off trail and hike but here in Texas it always results in shedding a little blood. This is a sample of the thorny plants that you encounter!

As you can see, the plants have great defenses. Not all the plants here are so unfriendly. A number are already starting to bloom. 

Besides these there are also plants with blue and purple blossoms. You might wonder why I would go off trail? Well all the coyotes and deer I have seen here have been off trail hikes. I count the reward worth the cost! 

Overcast and drizzling - just like home!

These have been the real first wet days since leaving Oregon. There is not enough precipitation to hinder my bird outing but everything is damp. With no mountain ranges between the gulf and here, the weather can imitated that of the Oregon coast. The wetness does not seem to hinder the javelinas  from wandering thru the campsites check for any food left unattended. There are 3 sizes in the group of six, 2 Small, 2 medium and 2 large. They are cute and entertaining! There were pretty relaxed until someone let their dog charge them. The people smiled as if the dog was being cute. Odd what some people think is entertaining! Anyway, I did walk a couple miles and identified 2 more life birds. A Long-billed Thrasher and Scaled Quail. The quail took flight quickly after I spotted them so no pics of those but here is the thrasher.

I also saw 4 white tailed deer. Two were bucks and 2 were just white tails flashes in the brush. The bucks were a 4 x 4 and a 2 x 2. No pics of the deer but I did see 2 coyotes and got a pic of one. I have to admit his looks a bit different than the other coyotes I have seen. It was larger and redder plus the tail did not seem as bushy.

Falcon State Park TX 1/25/2018

Took a drive to check out my volunteer position at Salineno this morning. I will go into detail about that in a bit. When I got back to my campsite, there was a number of Javelinas (Peccaries) wandering around!

After seeing these I had to do some research and found that they are not related to pigs! They are related to deer, camels and hippopotamuses! Who would have guessed! Anyway back to Salineno. I was overwhelmed with the number and variety of birds I saw there. A majority of which I have never seen or heard of. Fortunately, Lois and Merle, the host there gave me a crash course in what I was seeing. A couple of colorful birds were Green Jays:

and Altamira Orioles:

If you would like to see more pics and the complete list of birds seen there, clickhere:Salineno ebird list for 1/25/2018  My job will mostly filling bird feeders and believe me they were being emptied very quickly as there were literally hundreds of birds there. I am looking forward to spending 7 weeks there! 

Falcon State Park, TX 1/24/2018

Drove most of the day and made it to Falcon SP near Roma, Texas. It is just a few miles to where I will be volunteering. The spot at Salineno Wildlife Preserve will not be vacant for a week so I will camp here. It was just $129 for full hookups for the week.

The park is located on the shores of Falcon Reservoir which is part of the Rio Grande river system. Mexico's border with the US splits the lake down the middle. Most of my drive thru Texas was along the river and there were Border Patrol agents every several miles along the highways. I took a quick birding walk upon arrival and added 3 life birds. One was a Great Kiskadee pictured below.

I added 2 on the way here but did not stop to get pics of those. To see today's ebird list with a few more pics, click here:  Falcon SP ebird list for 1/24/2017 I am looking forward to birding for the next 2 months along the Rio Grande!

Seminole Canyon State Park 1/23/2018

I have a lot of pics to share today starting with this sunrise!

I saw lots of wildlife on today's walks. Cottontail rabbits and a number of White-tailed deer along with many birds. This pic shows why they are called white-tailed deer!

As you can see, that white tail is great for alerting about others danger. Those 3 were does but later I spotted this buck.

The history of  this park contains a mix of Indian living with rock rings where they once camped and built fires. I was difficult for me distinguish the rock rings from all the other rock formations but I am  sure the trained eye could. What was easier to see were the remnants of the historic rail line that once ran thru here.

I don't know why the rail line was abandoned but 10 years does not seem like much of a return on their investment! During my walk, I did get to see Seminole Canyon.

If you can picture this full of water then you know what the Pecos River looks like just a mile from here.I am staying here one more day as there is a tour of some river caves with petroglyphs, that I want to take, tomorrow at 10 AM. I almost forgot about the birds! Here is a pic of a Pyrrhuloxia which I mentioned in yesterdays blog.

To view the complete list of today's birds and some more pics, click here: Seminole Canyon ebird list for 1/23/18

Seminole Canyon State Park, TX 1/22/2018

Left Rockhound SP at 7 AM this morning and drove over 500 miles to arrive at Seminole Canyon SP at 5:30 PM. I drove this far to get off of the high desert with its gusty winds and over night lows in the 20's! Since it was late when I arrived, I was only able to get a pic of the sunset.

The is park set back from the Pecos river a couple hundred feet. I am looking forward to getting some pics of the area tomorrow. The river runs thru a steep sided rocky canyon. I got a glimpse of it as I crossed a bridge before arriving at the campground. It costs $20 for a site with water and electric plus a $3 entrance fee. The entrance fee will be raised to $5 Feb 1, 2018. There are flush toilets and free showers! 

I am going to stay a couple days so I can recover from the drive and take Wednesdays tour of the petroglyphs located at the bottom of the canyon. Within minutes of arriving I spotted a bird I have never seen before. Fortunately I was talking to another camper who is also a birder and he identified the bird as a Pyrrhuloxia. I don,t know how to pronounce the name but it is a new life bird!  

Rockhound State Park - NM 1/21/18

The sun rose this morning revealing this beautiful sight

and a pickup covered with frost! I knew from checking the weather forecasts I would have about a 500 mile stretch were temps would fall below freezing each night so I suspended my 2 hour a day drive limit to get thru that section as quick as possible. Unfortunately I did not read the forecast thoroughly and failed to notice the High Wind Warning. With gusts over 50 mph in that same stretch of highway, I decided I better sit it out here another day. The winds came up during the last hour of yesterday’s drive. Not enough to make driving dangerous but enough that I could feel it buffet my 5^th wheel. There was an entertaining element to yesterday’s days winds in that it sent tumbleweeds rolling across the interstate! If they were unfortunate enough to cross paths with a semi, they were quickly turned to mulch!

Here are some details about Rockhound SP I failed to include in yesterday post. The park is about 11 miles from the interstate. The road is paved up to the campground entrance at which point it becomes gravel. There are 39 sites total in which all but 6 have full hookups.  It is $14 per night for hookups and $10 without. There is a 14 day camping limit. The sites are well spaced and cell reception is good as cell towers are located on the cliffs overlooking the campground. They have potable water and a dump for waste water. There are flush toilets and showers available at no extra cost.  This area is known for rock hounding, thus the name of the campground. The host says the easiest finds are long gone but there are still some good finds if you look hard enough. There are various types of Jasper and geodes. There are a number of trails to hike that lead to old rock hounding hot spots. Yesterday I hiked the botanical garden trail which wandered by a dry creek bed where I saw most of the birds from yesterday’s list.

Rockhound State Park, NM 1/20/2018

Had a great day traveling and reflecting on how diverse the natural beauty of this country is. In October, I left the Oregon coast with its salty waves crashing over sandy beaches and against rocky cliffs, traveled thru the green forested mountains of the Cascades and am now enjoying the desert southwest with its arid cactus covered landscape! How lucky we are to live in such a wonderful place. I wish all my friends and family could enjoy the sites that I have been privileged to experience these last few months! Enough reflection, lets get to today's travel!
I left Picacho SP early this morning and headed for New Mexico! As I rarely drive over 63, I was a bit apprehensive about driving 300 miles on an interstate with a 75 MPH limit. I was expecting traffic like you find on Interstate 5 which runs thru Oregon. To my surprise and relief traffic was mild and everyone passed me easily and rapidly.
I have never been to New Mexico before so crossing the state line was an exciting first. Along the way here I drove by a sign that read "You are now crossing the Continental Divide"! I am not new to crossing the divide but what was confusing and amusing was I was driving thru a long wide arid desert with the only mountains quite a ways in the  distance. Having only crossed the divide in the northern part of the country I was used to steep passes and forested hills!
I stopped at a visitor center and picked up some maps. One showed state parks along my planned route so that is how I ended up here at Rockhound SP near Deming NM.

This is the view of the valley towards Deming.

This is a view of the rocky cactus covered mountains behind me! I did find a few birds including my first Green-tailed Towhee. Unfortunately it did not stay still long enough for a picture! If you are interested in seeing the complete list of the birds I did see and the pictures I was able to get, click here: Rockhound SP ebird list

Picacho State Park, AZ 1/19/2018

I am on the move again. I was offered a volunteer position at Salineno Wildlife Preserve near Roma, TX. I will be keeping bird feeders filled and answering visitors questions about the birds. I left Squaw Lake this morning and am spending the night a Picacho SP. It is about 40 miles west of Tucson.

Full hookup campsites are $30 a night. The campground was full so I took an overflow spot which is  just $15 per night. It is a paved pull through site. Potable water is nearby but the closest restrooms are plastic outhouses. There are flush toilets and showers, that I can use, in the full hookup camp area.

Imperial Dam, CA 1/11/2018

Moved  downstream about 50 miles from Oxbow campground to Imperial Dam. The annual pass I purchased for $75 at Oxbow is good for this location. It is a nice campground right on Squaw Lake which is connected to the Colorado River..

It is just over a mile from Senator Wash where I stayed a couple months ago. This campground has flush toilet restrooms and showers! The showers are $1 for a 5 minutes. There is no potable water or waste water dump on site but the annual pass allows me to use the ones at Senator Wash. I spent 6 days at Oxbow and plan to spend about the same here so that will make 12 days on the pass so far. Since the pass is good for 1 year, if it works out that I can snowbird next year, I will be back and have no extra camping costs! 

There is good birding all around the camp or I can just cross the dam and be back to birding at Senator Wash! Last night at Oxbow, I was cleaning out the fridge and noticed the sharp cheddar cheese was beginning to mold. I trimmed it off and and just for kicks made cheese balls. I got out my fishing pole, it was still rigged for cat fishing in Oregon, and put the cheese balls on the hooks. I cast into the river but no bites so I moved upstream and cast into some back water surrounded by cattails. A couple minutes later I pulled out a 20+ inch/3 lb channel cat! I never had a catfish jump and fight like this one did! I took a pic and turned it loose. 

Cibola NWR and Oxbow Campground 1/7/2018

Spent most of the day birding here at the campground and at Cibola NWR. Lots and lots of birds. No new Life birds but I did see and photo a Crissal Thrasher 

and a Sage Thrasher. The Sage Thrasher is considered "rare" for this time of year in the Cibola NWR. When I see those species, I strive to get a pic as proof of identification. 

I also identified and photographed another bird considered "rare" bird at Cibola NWR earlier this week, a Black and White Warbler. I received an email from one of the ebird auditors for this county recognizing the find! Nice to get a pat on the back!

I have been fortunate to identify a number of species considered "rare" on this trip. All part of the fun and challenge of birding!

Oxbow Campground 1/04/2018

I moved to Oxbow Campground to be closer to Cibola NWR. Now I am only 5 miles away! This campground is located just over a bridge that crosses the Colorado River. Usually that means you would be in California as the river is the dividing line between the two states but this is still Arizona In this situation, the river historically made a large swing to the west which was referred to as an Oxbow, hence the name of the park. As part of the efforts to minimize flooding, dams and levees were built all up and down the river. A number of curves in the river were straightened but old borders were left in place. Here is a view of my camp from across the river.

This is the view when I step outside!

This is a BLM campground which only costs me $7.50 a night with my senior discount. It has a 14 day stay limit in any 28 day period which means you have to leave for 2 weeks before staying another 14 days. I actually purchased and annual pass for $75 which is good at multiple sites in the Quartzsite to Yuma area. I will use the pass to stay at Imperial Dam just north of Yuma next. Not all sites have waste dumps, potable water or showers so you have to plan your moves to take advantage of sites that do. Depending on the facilities at each site I can go 10 to 14 days without needing to empty waste or refill water. Just over the bridge are Alfalfa and cotton fields. They are harvesting and bailing both right now.

There are round bales like these and boxcar size rectangular bales as well. This campground has plenty of birds including a pair of Great Horned Owls.

In 30 minutes I identified 18 other species besides the owls. I saw my first spotted towhee since leaving the Oregon coast! After setting up camp I headed over to Cibola NWR for more birding. This time of year there are 1000's of ducks and geese. The pic below is just a small glimpse of what you might see if you visit.

Besides ducks and geese there are plenty of other birds both large and small. I identified a Black-and-White Warbler. Another new Life list bird. To see a complete list of birds and pics from my 2 reports for today, click these links: Oxbow Campground list and Cibola NWR list

Cibola NWR 1/3/2018

This morning Dawn, Rich and I went to Cibola NWR. I specifically was wanting to see a Burrowing Owl and had been told by local birders that the best chance to see one this time of year was there! Sure enough, Dawn spotted one!

In case you have a hard time seeing it in the pic, look at the right end of the rock pile by the wooden cross. The refuge has built rock piles with plastic pipes leading to the bottom of the pile to attract these birds. Birds are not the only wild life at the refuge. We saw several coyotes and this herd of mule deer.

As you can see there are some nice racks on those bucks!  These are the largest deer I have seen this trip! We stopped at the Visitor Center and Dawn chatted with the lady running it. She gave us information on other places in the refuge to visit and about a BLM campground just a few miles away. We are at Palm Canyon which is over an hour drive one way to get to the refuge. Since we want to spend more time at the refuge we will be moving to the closer site. Not only is it closer but it is right on the Colorado River!

Palm Canyon AZ 1/2/2018

Went south from Cattail Cove to Palm Canyon near Quartzsite. I am camping here with Dawn and Rich. 

Not many campers here. Most are farther north near Quartzsite. Lots of Saguaro Cacti here. Some are over 20 feet, like this one!

Rich took me for a spin up to Palm Canyon on his ATV. The canyon got its name because it contains some of the last native Arizona palm trees in the state. They grow in narrow cracks in the cliffs. They are not very big. The tallest ones we saw were about 12 feet. I am amazed they can grow with so little soil and water. While hiking back down, Rich spotted a bird that I identified as a Canyon Towhee. Another life bird which brings the total of life birds on this trip to 50! 

Cattail Cove 1/1/2018

What a great start to the new year. Spent the morning birding and enjoying the sunshine and beautiful view!

This is Lake Havasu where I have spent a lot of time, off and on, over the last 2 months. I saw a number of birds this morning and along with this fine looking animal!

Two animals I have seen a lot of this trip are rabbits and coyotes! Makes sense since they are prey and predator! I am heading south tomorrow in the general direction of Yuma. Not quite sure of where but will figure it out on the way! One stop I do plan is another visit to Cibola NWR. I was told that there is a good chance of seeing Burrowing owls there as they build rock piles just to attract them! I did not know that my first time there so now I  know where to focus my search!