On Tuesday (May 24) we trekked the Colima trek for the last time before the mountains get too hot for the summer; one Colima Warbler and a few dozen empids were our reward. Back in the Chisos Basin, we treated ourselves to lunch and saw one lonely Great Purple Hairstreak - it was our only butterfly for the day. Down at Panther Junction, at a private residence, we relished long looks at a very close Gray-cheeked Thrush (quite unexpected!) and some less-rare-but-equally-stunning passerines: Black-headed Grosbeak, MacGillivray's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, etc.
As of Tuesday, we also ended up with a brand new nephew and the discovery that high fever in small dogs can cause seizures. It was an educational day all around.
Today, Saturday (May 28) it's 96 in the shade with a high of "only" 100 while the rest of the state is facing 105 on up. So it was strange to see another birder out in the midday sun; Byron Stone of Austin even kicked up a Sprague's Pipit at the motel pond. We relocated it twice, and saw a few more regional specialties for the day: Zone-tailed Hawk, Varied Bunting, MacGillivray's Warbler, etc.
Safe weekend, everyone!
Blogging from Marathon, TX about birding, butterflies, moths and more. Exploring the gems of Brewster County, Post Park, Big Bend National Park and the surrounding region. Bird watching: Big Bend and beyond!
And an Acacia Skipper (Cogia hippalus) flittereth..
ReplyDeleteHeidi,
ReplyDeleteMy girlfriend and I are going to be Aplomado Falcon Hack Site Attendants somewhere in southern New Mexico this coming summer. I was searching the web for info and found your blog. We have a lot of questions about the daily aspects of the job and would love to get some info from a veteran. Please email me if you would be willing to talk with us about your experience. Thanks, hope to hear from you.
Dan Gold (goldan85@gmail.com)