Recent Sightings

In our absence, please see the recent eBird reports for area sightings.

NOTE: These may or may not have been reviewed by regional editors! Take these reports with a grain of salt, as typos and misidentification can occur.

Brewster County (eBird link here)

Christmas Bird Count Season in West Texas

Beautiful scenery and interesting species diversity should make a CBC detour through West Texas worthwhile, more dates will be added as we hear about them:

19 December - Davis Mountains CBC
20 December - Balmorhea CBC

For more information, contact  Mark Lockwood mark.lockwood@tpwd.texas.gov

B.J. Bishop Wetlands / Presidio County

Fantastic news for birds and birders, the eagerly anticipated wetland is finally birdable! *post is backdated

EDIT: via Carolyn Ohl -
"I was there about a month ago and they wouldn't let you drive the road down to the wetlands. Apparently you have to use a scope from the highway. There is a dirt dike that you can get a little closer on."


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Subject: [texbirds] new birding location at Presidio
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 18:10:51 +0000

Dear TexBirders,
There is a new man-made wetland in Presidio County that is open to the public. The B.J. Bishop Wetlands at Loma Paloma is located 0.5 miles east of Fort Leaton State Historic Site on the south side of Ranch Road 170. The new sewage treatment facility for Presidio is located on the opposite side of the road and the wetland is fed by treated water that is released from that plant. Parking is located on the northeast corner of the wetlands and access is on a maintained gravel road 0.3 miles farther east across from the Loma Paloma RV Park. Please park in the designated area and walk around the wetland on the road that encircles the site. I was there on 11 November and although I did not see anything unusual I did have 27 species of birds during my short visit. Highlights included Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Ferruginous Hawk, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and singing (western) Marsh Wrens. I have placed a photo of the wetlands taken from RR170 on my Flickr site at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/70194759@N05/

If you are working on a Century Club list for Presidio County, this is certainly a place that can't be missed. To my knowledge it is the only publically accessible wetland in the county.

Mark


Mark Lockwood
402 E. Harriet Ave.
Alpine, Texas 79830
mark.lockwood@tpwd.texas.gov

***

More information:
I was at the BJ Bishop wetland in mid-August and again on October 30. The RV Park Manager, Donna Arce, is very friendly, and very interested in the birds that are visiting the wetland. You might be able to sweet talk her into accompanying you down closer to the wetland on the gravel road that Mark Lockwood mentions, but my experience is the same as Carolyn's concerning trespassing.
Eventually the owners of the wetland plan to build a bird blind up by the Ranch Road, but it sure would be nice to have it be closer to the wetland.
Maybe a more local birder could persuade them?
Nice birds on October 30 were 2 White-faced Ibis, a Long-billed Dowitcher and ducks.
Jane Tillman
Austin
P.S Fort Leaton picnic area was quite birdy too with Green-tailed Towhee
and Brewer's Sparrow very cooperative.

Guest post: BBNP and Marathon

Ultimately, I need to check my pre-sorted emails more frequently: this information is nearly a month old (posting date is 23 Sept, but this will be backdated for the archives). These are from Sue Heath's posts from 28 and 29 Aug, 2015.

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White-eared hummingbird, Brewster county

All,

Found a white-eared hummingbird along the boot spring trail in Brewster county this morning. It was past the buildings but before the juniper canyon trail goes left. It was defending a large patch of flowers against a black-chinned hummer and a blue-throated hummingbird. Appeared to be a female or young bird as it had no gorget feathers. I posted a full description on ebird. Got some very blurry photos but can't post them til I get better internet. Good birds up there today. Many townsends and Wilson's warblers, one Colima warbler, four or five painted redstarts.

Tad thinks he had a buff-breasted flycatcher in the same general area as the white-eared hummer but we could not relocate it so I didn't see the bird.

Sue

Susan Heath
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
Lake Jackson, TX
Sent from my iPhone

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Burrowing owls & long-billed curlews, marathon prairie dog

We found three live and one road kill burrowing owls at the marathon prairie dog town along U.S. 385 in Brewster county today. The live ones were near the northern end. There were also eight long-billed curlew which ebird flagged as rare. Also a dead badger that some vultures were investigating. It looked like it got hit by a car and was just able to drag itself about 30 ft out Into the field before expiring. I wish I would see a live one sometime. The dead owl was unfortunately too far gone for a specimen.

Sue

Susan Heath
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
Lake Jackson, TX
Sent from my iPhone

***

The only corrections are to obvious phone-typos, many thanks to Sue for the permission to share!!

Guest sightings: Lake Balmorhea

Mary Beth Stowe has allowed us to post her summary from Lake Balmorhea - it's snagged from Texbirds, backdated, and slightly reformatted for the blog but we're grateful for what we can get! I keep saying "we" - the blog is its own entity, I suppose? At any rate, be sure to check out Mary Beth's site: www.miriameaglemon.com, it's a fantastic combination of birding and art and humor and maaaaybe one of these days I'll even get to meet the brains in person!


***

Lake Balmorhea
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2015

Hi, all!


Was on my way to southeast Arizona today, but made a quick stop at Lake Balmorhea first thing. Stopped under the overpass long enough to confirm Cave Swallow and record the Rock Pigeons making a bunch of noise. Got to the lake, stuck my five bucks in the door, and delighted to the calls of both Western and Clark's Grebes and their chicks! And I relished in something else I hadn't experienced since leaving San Diego: the smell of the wet desert! Crawling around to the back side of the lake, a goofy-looking Pyrrhuloxia popped up on a bush, and along the back side of the lake was a nice assortment of water birds: what I'm presuming to be Blue-winged Teal (they were all in eclipse plumage and were quite distant - and of course flew the minute I got the scope out L), a dowitcher, a Greater Yellowlegs, a Great Blue Heron, and even a Black Tern batting by in the distance! Coming around the corner a pair of Scaled Quail were down by the water, and on the west side of the road was another little wetland with several Black-necked Stilts and a couple of Ruddy Ducks. Down at the end of the road a Yellowthroat was singing, and a brilliant Blue Grosbeak sat right up on a mesquite! While enjoying this a night heron, White-faced Ibis, and Green Heron all sounded off somewhere. On the way out a Black-throated Sparrow sang in the distance, and Western Kingbirds were patrolling. I think I mentioned the last time I came out here how much this place reminds me of the fresh-water wetlands near the Salton Sea!

Mary Beth Stowe

McAllen, TX

www.miriameaglemon.com

Guest sightings: GMNP and Davis Mountains

This post has been slightly reformatted for the blog, but is being re-posted from Texbirds with Christian's permission (thank you!)

***

GMNP and Davis Mountains last week - possible Gray Hawk
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2015

Hey there,
Sorry for the belated post. Had a great birding/hiking/camping trip last week out in West Texas with friends Matt Melendez and Michael Falconer mainly at Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Davis Mountains. Lots of rain. Hail and rain cut our time a little short in the back country, but we re-located to Davis Mountains and had a good time.

Monday 7/20/15 Short afternoon stop at McDonald Observatory, over to Van Horn, and up to GMNP.
Highlights included Hepatic Tanager pair at McDonald Observatory, and a big flock of Yellow-headed Blackbirds at Van Horn Cemetery. And steaks to go from Van Horn Steak House. Also eBird was upset at two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers at the cemetery. Pine Springs at GMNP has an active pair of Summer Tanagers, also great views of Blue Grosbeaks and Scott’s Orioles in the evening sunset. After dark had great looks at Common Poorwills near Frijole Ranch, as well as two huge magnificent meteors, one red and one blazing green, right after another. Matt the astronomer was pumped, as were we. Shockingly exhilarating.

Tuesday 7/21/15 up to Tejas Campground
At around 6:40 drove over to the rest area east of the park and saw the breeding Hooded Orioles, including at least one youngster. Started hike up to high country at around 9:00 AM, but it was not to warm on the hike; packs made it pretty hot and sweaty though. Highlights of the hike in included loads of singing Black-chinned Sparrows, a soaring Peregrine Falcon (bird of the trip for Falconer) and getting acquainted with the high country birds like Cordilleran Flycatcher and Pygmy Nuthatches.

Wednesday 7/22/15 Tejas Campground to Bowl and down
Woke up real early to hear the Mexican Whip-poor-wills. No owls. Hiked up to the bowl, hearing and seeing more of the high country birds including Warbling Vireo, Golden Eagle, a single Virginia’s Warbler, a pair of Pine Siskins, a Zone-tailed Hawk, but no Grace’s Warbler. Also found a tree that had exploded from lightning.

Thursday 7/23/15 Davis Mountains
Spend half the day at the Davis Mountains. No Montezuma Quail, but had Zone-tailed Hawks at the State Park and at Madera Canyon Trail. Here we also had 2 Gray Flycatchers. Had the Common Black-Hawk family along Limpia Creek. On the way out we also briefly saw a small buteo that was probably a Gray Hawk, (before reaching Wild Rose Pass) but only had a split second view as it flew by into the cottonwoods. Stopped and turned around but were never able to relocate it. Clearly a small buteo, with a boldly banded tail. Shape unlike Zone-tailed, and appeared more pale. Oh well maybe someone else will find it.

Also had a Zone-tailed Hawk just east of Ozona in Crockett County.

Good birding,

Christian Walker

Begin forwarded message:

> From: ebird-checklist@cornell.edu
> Subject: eBird Report - Guadalupe Mts. NP--The Bowl, Jul 22, 2015
> Date: July 28, 2015 at 7:41:48 PM CDT
> To: christian.walker@earthlink.net
>
> Guadalupe Mts. NP--The Bowl, Culberson, Texas, US
> Jul 22, 2015 5:00 AM - 4:00 PM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 9.6 mile(s)
> Comments: Birding with Michael Falconer and Matthew Melendez. Walked from Tejas Campground up the Juniper Trail, spent a lot of time in the bowl, walked the entire Bowl Trail, and then back out to the top of Bear Canyon. Clear, with some clouds, calm, 50 degrees in the morning, slowly warming up to 80 degrees about. Couldn't find a Grace's Warbler for the life of us. Damn. One of the best spots was by the creek in the Bowl which had water and constantly had birds coming in to a little pool by the spot in the trail where it pulls a u from going north-east to west.
> 40 species
>
> Turkey Vulture 4
> Golden Eagle 1 AD soaring in from the north over McKittrick Ridge (?) near lightning struck pine on Juniper Trail almost to Bowl. Wowie.
> Cooper's Hawk 2
> Zone-tailed Hawk 1 Nice adult soaring over the bowl
> Red-tailed Hawk 2
> Mexican Whip-poor-will 2 HO in Tejas Campground. Would only sing song once before shutting up for fifteen minutes or so.
> White-throated Swift 8
> Broad-tailed Hummingbird 5
> Rufous Hummingbird 1 Brilliant male briefly seen feeding at red flowers
> Acorn Woodpecker 2 At the creek in the Bowl
> Hairy Woodpecker (Rocky Mts.) 1 HO in Tejas Campground
> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 6
> Western Wood-Pewee 12 Loads in the open areas in the bowl
> Cordilleran Flycatcher 17 Mainly HO
> Ash-throated Flycatcher 1 Heard up in the Bowl
> Plumbeous Vireo 4
> Warbling Vireo 1 HO on Juniper Trail
> Steller's Jay 4 HO
> Violet-green Swallow 12 Flying high above the bowl. Definitely not WTSW
> Mountain Chickadee 46
> Bushtit (Interior) 20
> White-breasted Nuthatch 7
> Pygmy Nuthatch 17
> Brown Creeper 1
> Rock Wren 4 Family at Hunter Peak
> Canyon Wren 1 HO from Hunter Peak on outer face of range
> House Wren 8
> Western Bluebird 3
> Hermit Thrush 14
> Virginia's Warbler 1 M in the very top of a pine in the bowl. Flew in from a while a way, stayed for two minutes and then flew on. Out of habitat and acting like it.
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3 At the creek in the Bowl
> Spotted Towhee 9
> Rufous-crowned Sparrow 2
> Chipping Sparrow 2
> Black-chinned Sparrow 1 1 imm at the very top of Hunter Peak at about 8,300 ft. Crazy?
> Dark-eyed Junco (Red-backed) 9
> Hepatic Tanager 1
> Western Tanager 4
> Pine Siskin 2 A pair at the creek in the Bowl
> Lesser Goldfinch 3 In the Bowl
>
> View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24414520
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

***

Oh and also heard a Bell’s Vireo singing along Hwy 54 south to Van Horn on 7/22/15.


***

Many thanks to Christian Walker of Austin, TX for graciously allowing us to re-post his trip notes!

Guest Sightings: White-eared Hummingbird at Boot Canyon

Better late than never, perhaps - this post has been backdated. Reposted from Texbirds with permission. Slightly edited to fit blog format.

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White-eared Hummingbird, Monday, 7/20/15, at Boot Canyon
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015

On Monday I saw a White-eared Hummingbird at Boot Canyon that appears to be the same bird reported by Randy Pinkston.
It took the better part of 3.5 hours for me to get a solid view. When I finally saw the bird, it was perched mid-level in a tree near the picnic table above the spring. That was at ~3.30pm. Menacing skies and the threat of hail sent me on my way shortly thereafter.

Thanks to Randy and Byron for getting the word out,

Teresa C. Keck


***

Many thanks to Teresa Keck of South Texas for her permission to share her post! White-eared Hummingbirds *not* at feeders are quite an exceptional event!

Sunsets to watch

This blog never did post much in the way of sunsets, but if you'd like to see the Marathon Basin through the eyes of our neighbors... check out this little corner of the blogosphere. There's a horned lizard there, but click on through to the main page and the rest of the posts -- views will make your heart sigh.

::hat-tip to Tom and Klem::

Presidio Wetlands?

I just heard rumor of the Presidio Wetlands via Carolyn Ohl - http://cmoasis.blogspot.com/2015/06/whirlwind-day.html

This is fantastic news for birds and birders and looks like a promising endeavor! If only the Marathon ponds could turn into something like this...

http://bigbendnow.com/2015/05/presidio-wetlands-open-for-visitors/

In case the archived version doesn't work, here's the text:

Presidio Wetlands open for visitors

The B.J. Bishop Wetlands is now another roadside attraction in Presidio, Texas. Bird Watchers now have a great place to see the birds of the Big Bend. This project was made possible by a matching grant from The North American Wetlands Conservation Act that conserves North America’s waterfowl, fish and wildlife resources while producing a variety of environmental and economic benefits. Its success is driven by partnerships involving federal, state and local governments; nonprofit organizations and community groups. Every federal dollar provided by NAWCA must be matched by at least one dollar from non-federal sources. The partners in B.J. project are The Trans- Pecos Conservation Land Trust, The Lajunta Heritage Center, and the City of Presidio. In kind donations of Land and labor served as the match with a local parties working together. The Texas Conservation Corps was on site this past week transplanting aquatic plants from the Presidio Waste Water Treatment Plant that uses them in the process to filter the nutrients out and treat the effluent to TCEQ reuse standards. The recycled water can be sent to the wetland or into the Rio Grande as needed. The water is not for human consumption but perfect to support a new habitat for our local birds, butterflies and wildlife. Viewing overlook is on the levy just off FM 170 East at half mile past Fort Leaton.

For more information call Presidio Tourism 432 229 3517 X 106 or email bnewton@presidiotx.us

Guest Post: 2 May 2015 by Paul C.

We've worked closely with Paul C. of Ohio during the planning phases of his trip - in exchange for a trip report! No modifications have been made, save correcting Lark Buntings from a typo of Lark Sparrows as requested.
-h

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TEXAS TRIP (CENTRAL, SOUTHWEST) - 2 MAY 2015
I confess it has been awhile since I have done a trip report. For a long time, over a span of 18 years, I had enjoyed doing week-long birding trips in the Lower 48, getting lifers by, well, by the 'bunches' (the smallest was 5 - the largest was 28) - well, the last such trip was to Western Washington in 2009, and I knew after that it would be at most two or maybe three lifer prospects per 4-or-5 day trip (and thus less to write about in a trip report...) but at Heidi Trudell's suggestion, I 'take up keypad' once again, and write a few things about my recent Texas trip:

My lifer prospects for this trip were Colima and Golden-cheeked Warbler - wouldn't mind a Black-capped Vireo, but I had that one from a (incidental) visit to Austin in 1994. I flew in to San Antonio Sat 2 May - arrived about 10:50 AM. Wow, an early arrival, certainly early enough to do some birding prior to getting settled in for the first night. I plan ahead for these trips, but I would not say 'meticulously' - as one might suppose, deciding in what ORDER to try for these two birds was no small part of the planning - driving times, overnight stays, etc. would depend greatly on which order was chosen. Months ago, I picked Sun night as my Chisos Mtn Lodge reservation, i.e. sort of in the middle (to hedge my bet). With the help of eBird, I saw a few places in/near San Antonio that had recent reports of multiple G-C Ws, and by this time such reports would surely mean birds on territory.

After getting the rent-a-car, I immediately set out to the closest stop, noticing that the ubiquitos White-winged Doves seem to replace what would be pigeons in the eastern and midwest US cities. I arrive at Crownridge Canyon Park at about 12:10, and start hiking around - don't know exactly where to look, just looking for oak/juniper areas... Most bird species here are eastern, except for a (uncooperative) Hutton's Vireo or two. After about two hours here, I decide to hop just a few miles north, to Friedrich Wilderness Preserve. An Audubon's Oriole is a nice find, at a small water bath - more Hutton's Vireo's are heard but not seen. At about 3:20, I hear a warbler song that sounds something between a Black-thr Green and Black-thr Blue - some persistence results in a great look at a Golden-cheeked Warbler! (lifer 645)

This is working out great! I was close to having to consider cancelling my reservation at the Fort Stockton Motel 6, in order to allow for an early AM outside Austin at the more reliable Balcones Canyonlands NWR spot for G-C (which in turn would leave the remainder of Sun for the long drive to Big Bend, which in turn would push my first try for Colima into Mon AM...) ...OR having to consider heading to Big Bend without the G-C yet - but instead, I stop and buy food/supplies, have supper, and it has been a long day but, with the G-C now 'in the bag', the drive to Fort Stockton doesn't seem too bad at all!

Overnight at Fort Stockton, then it's US 385 south toward Big Bend National Park. Although trying to make time, I do a bit of light birding as I head south - the habitat is mostly grassland, and Cassin's Sparrows are on territories. After awhile, I come across some Scaled Quail - COOL, have seen only one before this, in Arizona 22 years ago! A few lingering Lark Buntings in breeding plumage - also a sight rarely had prior for Yours Truly. The grasslands later give way to semi-arid desert vegetation, and I enter for the first time the famous Big Bend NP.

Before long, I am into the Chisos Mtns starting up the Pinnacles Trail. White-throated Swifts are one of the most conspicuous birds on the way up, both visually and vocally. A Dusky Flycatcher is identified as much by elimination of other empidonax as it is by its own appearance. This is no leisurely hike, as I was warned about, made no easier that I'm trying to make time, to maximize time to look for the Colima... It is about three hours in, about 1:00, and - an unfamiliar warbler song, and shortly thereafter, a small crowd of birders informs me that, YES, they have a Colima there! A diagnostic look in bad light, then shortly later, a better look - Colima Warbler! (646) They usually say sounds like Orange-crowned Warbler, but to me this one was more reminiscent of a different red-capped congener, Nashville. A calling Whip-poor-will in this same area was a neat bonus.

I hiked a bit further, past the end of the Pinnacles Trail and onto the Boot Canyon Trail, but found no further Colima's - a Canyon Wren was nice... but what can I say? It is mid-afternoon in my second day, and I have both target birds checked off! Couldn't go much better. I am back down at the Lodge about five hours after I started. The hike didn't surprise me too much, had much similar in years past living near the southern California mountains - but I'm older now and certainly wouldn't want this hike every other day! Some storm clouds to the west eventually arrived with a rain shower. A nice nap, supper, and a bit more leisurely birding (and Scott's Orioles!) finished off the evening.

Overnight at the (expensive) Chisos Mtn Lodge. After very cooperative weather so far, this morning is very windy, and so I abandon plans to bird the Park more today, and start heading back to San Antonio. A nice Varied Bunting was found before I left the park - but bird-finding was much reduced for the rest of the day, including even at Amistad NRA... some Lesser Nighthawks near dusk near Del Rio were seen but not heard.

Overnight in Del Rio, and plenty of time to get back to San Antonio for the final night. Some rain /drizzle was now added to the wind, but all this finally let up a bit later in the day. At one stop, heard what sounded like a Bunting - would it be Lazuli? or Indigo? - was I far enough east? Got on the bird, and the surprise for today, a STUNNING Painted Bunting! Gee, didn't even think about THAT one, didn't know they occcur this far west - only the second breeding male Painted I have ever seen!

Overnight in San Antonio, and a very early flight back to Detroit. Just under 1000 miles on the rental car. The trip list fell short of 100 - was pleased to get to 96 considering the poor weather the latter half of the trip (which sure made me think "Geez - sure glad I got Golden-cheeked out of the way first - wouldn't want to have to track one down in THIS weather.") I saw more roadrunners this trip than my entire life previously. Lastly, the person who encouraged me to do this report is the same person whose information and tips were critical to my success (THANKS AGAIN, Heidi).

Getting life birds: has been a bit like doing a very long set of push-ups - the early-on ones came easier and quicker, but the later ones, although more spaced-out and tougher, are a bit more gratifying when they DO come :-)

Dainty Lady Binoculars; Three Years on the Optics Hunt

I realize this is an odd pulse in posting since the blog has lapsed into silence: Matt is still in CA, I am still in MI. Both indefinitely. I've unsubscribed from the Brewster and Reeves County eBird alerts because my heart just can't take the beating. What news I do get comes from folks who haven't heard, and would like to know if I'll be around when they're in town. Lest I get too nostalgic, let's just say that it's kind of nice to not feel the weight of citizen science on my shoulders every time I'm out birding: Washtenaw County, Michigan has PLENTY of birders who are reporting their sightings.

Reminiscing aside, have some content! This post is not sighting related, obviously, but optics are optics and we've fielded questions about cameras and binoculars in the past - might as well share the learning curve. (Camera reviews may be forthcoming, but Lillian Stokes nails the epic point-and-shoot that is the Canon SX 50 in her review - and warns away from the 60)

A brief history of my binoculars:

Bushnell 7x35s circa 1997-2000
Price: I don't remember, but definitely well under $100 (donated* circa 2003)

Eagle Optics Rangers 8x42 circa 2000-2015
$350? sounds about right

Audubon (Swifts?) 7x35(??) 2003
Won during the Great Texas Birding Classic, donated immediately due to being completely useless for my eyes - retail was probably well under $200

Nikon Monarch 8x42 circa 2007-2014
Gifted to me as spares ~$250? Not sure.

Opticron Traveller** 8x32 2015
Listed around $370, paid closer to $320 due to festival discount.

* Binoculars were donated to the American Birding Association's Birder's Exchange program.

** Zeiss Terra ED 8x32 were ALMOST on the list where the Opticron Traveller now sits. For three long, drawn out, agonizing years, I bided my time, procrastinating. Mostly being too broke to justify replacing the EO Rangers, and too complacent with the Nikon Monarchs as backups. Why the final snap? Everything in my life has completely and utterly been destroyed. Field work in 2014 nailed the coffin on the Nikons (I was chipping GLASS on them - screw destroying the coating, I was annihilating the actual LENS that my left eye was looking through... moral of the story is don't tuck your bins under your left arm when hiking for two months straight and also carrying a clipboard that bumps the eyepiece - or something...) so the Nikons were put into retirement. Then the portion of body where the strap is secured... snapped. My Rangers literally had one connecting point for the strap. Lopsided binoculars + redneck engineering = babied them along for another year, almost. In the meantime, I'd already done my homework to replace the Nikons, but didn't want to think about the cost (upper limit: mortgage payment, lower limit: dog food).

My requirements:

Top priority - IPD of 54 mm or less. IPD stands for Interpupillary Distance. It's pretty irrelevant if you have a big head. Or a medium head. Or are an average-sized human. I weigh roughly 105 lbs soaking wet, and while I might have a huge ego, my head is relatively proportionate to the rest of me. This is problematic. EVERY decent pair of binoculars on the planet* has a minimum IPD of 55 mm or wider (*pers observation, additional citation needed). When looking through binoculars, vignetting and separate-circles are quite problematic if you're trying to actually see/watch anything, much less birds or butterflies. Spoiler: none of the bins that I owned actually fit me 100% and it led to headaches early on and not really using my bins much. The EOs did have decent eye-relief (more on that soon!) which helped a bit. They were definitely better than the Monarchs in that regard.

Second(?) priority - eye relief! I wear glasses. Really, it's tied as top priority. But you have to have them up to your eyes to know the difference. And if they don't work, there's no way you can make them work. Try holding up a pair of cardboard tubes to your eyes... you don't want the tiny light at the end of the tunnel. You want as much of a view in your eyeballs as you can stand. Hands-on testing is required to determine this rather personal fit.

Third priority - close focus! I like big bugs and I cannot lie. But I also enjoy small bugs. And medium bugs. And sometimes they're pretty close to me, so I want to look at them without stepping back a few feet and falling off the side of a cliff. Not that I'm generally bug watching on cliffs, but if I can focus on my toes, I'm happy (admittedly, I'm short... soooo....). The EO Rangers had a close focus that, on tip-toe, was essentially perfect. My spare Nikons would have required me to grow another foot in height to focus on my toes. Meh. Forget about close focus on those first Bushnells, and the Swifts, too. Anything over 8' isn't close anymore.

Fourth priority - size/weight/feel. I don't mind a bicep workout if there's good quality, but I have smallish hands and I don't want a sore neck/back/arm/whatever. I have used - and love - "branocular" harnesses (harnesses with the center-point in the back) because they do distribute weight nicely, but ultimately I wanted something on the smaller end of full-sized binoculars in spite of the improved weight distribution. If you can't hold/lug your bins for hours, you're not going to be happy 15 years later. In the process of deciding on my EO Rangers, I went to an optics fair at Armand Bayou Nature Center (circa 2000) and picked up literally every pair of bins that was 7-8x and after figuring out the closest IPD fit (which wasn't perfect, but mini-bins were not on the menu for me at the time - I wanted to go from 7x35 to 8x at least), the last ones - the ones I couldn't bear to put down - were the Rangers and... I think a pair of Leicas. But there's a pretty hefty difference between $350ish and $800 or whatever it was, especially for a broke high school student.

Research: I poured through Cornell's Binocular Review for hours, among other things.

Bottom line:
Times have changed a bit and I'm no longer in high school (thank goodness), but sometimes I feel that the limitations are the same - parents and dogs are about on par for being restrictive to birding lifestyles. Oddly, finances are almost similar. Give or take a car payment. On the bright side, The Biggest Week in American Birding was perfect for optics shopping and I walked away with a VERY lightweight, crisp, bright, compact set of amazing optics. The poor fellow who worked the Opticron booth, Paul, was exceptionally patient (seeing as he's been trying to set me up with a pair of bins since 2012 or so!) as I tested the Opticron Travellers and Zeiss Terra EDs side by side for the better part of an hour, intermittently, over the first weekend of the festival. I'm thankful that the Travellers were so new that I wasn't already familiar with their spec sheet - had I been familiar with their claim of a 57 mm IPD, I don't think I ever would have even picked them up. The eye cups PULL rather than twist up/down, but unless I'm handing off my bins to people who aren't wearing glasses, I don't see that as a problem. Since I wear glasses I also don't have to worry about one eye being focused differently than the other, so that's handy - rumor has it that it's a beast to twist the right lens into focus... as it should be.  The gear included was pretty basic - lens cloth, case, thin strap, eye covers that I didn't put on (because I'm lazy and/or would lose them). Unfortunately because the glass is so exposed I will probably beat them up a bit faster than the other pairs of bins, judging by my historical use. I can't wait to find out, though!

Costs: How I finally calculated what I, personally, was willing to spend...

Historical mortgage payment
One month's rent with average utilities
One month's therapy costs
Current vehicle payment
Weekly income
Adoption fee for dog
A year's worth of dog food
....average of all of the above. No numbers, you can guess.

It just needed to be a number that wouldn't raise my blood pressure to the point of absolute panic. The Laura Erickson method also applied: I couldn't spend more than I could reasonably afford to replace. Let's go with DEAR GOD I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO REPLACE THEM. Because, really, life's a bit too unpredictable for that right now.

Maybe there will be photos of my beat up bins here at some point; for now I hope the horrifying descriptions will keep people pampering their optics as much as possible! Recreational birders may not abuse their bins as much, but it's worth thinking about. There are no right/wrong answers with optics - binoculars are like snowflakes and fingerprints and birders/butterfliers/dragonfliers/moth-ers/herpers will all have something different they want. The good news: it's all out there.

Happy trails!!

Trans-Pecos BBS Wrap-up 2015 / Trip Report

The following content was kindly approved for sharing by Stu Wilson, intrepid Breeding Bird Survey adventurer currently living in FL - he's done WTX BBS routes for many years and sent his end of route summary. This is shared with his permission, and with our gratitude for his efforts!

* Post Park was mistakenly listed as being south of Marfa, in Presidio County: it has been corrected to being south of Marathon, in Brewster County. Links were modified to be blog friendly.

***

All-

I've put together a little wrap-up for my 4-11May2015 central Trans-Pecos BBS trip. Besides my three current BBS routes, I made a number of "general interest birding" stops, many of which I entered into eBird. The area continues to suffer from the effects of drought as well as the freeze and fire of 2011, but there were signs of recovery, e.g. good numbers of Scaled Quail and Greater Roadrunner. In general, neotropical migrants were in short supply anywhere I went.

El Paso Memorial Park (FWTX 9) 4May2015
One of the best opportunities to find migrants within the El Paso city limits is this urban park (El Paso County). However, I found very few- a Western Wood-Pewee, an Audubon's Yellow-rump, and several Wilson's Warbler- amongst 20 species total. eBird checklist here

McNary Reservoir 5May2015
Auduboners generally have permission to visit this water body located about 80 miles east of El Paso in Hudspeth County. I tallied 34 species in an hour including both Western and Clark's Grebes, as well as a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, possibly a new May record for the area. eBird checklist here

Marathon- Ft Pena Colorado Pk (The Post) (FWTX 28) 5May2015
This popular birding stop 5 miles south of Marathon in Brewster County was flush with water and yielded 26 species, but no rarities and just a couple of migrants. eBird checklist here

Alamito Creek Preserve 6May2015
This was my fourth visit to this cottonwood-lined riparian desert strip 35 miles south of Marfa in Presidio County. I started out the walk with Robert Potts, president of property owner Dixon Water Foundation, as well as Jay Pruett from Tulsa and Bob Ayres from Austin. Those three had to turn back mid-morning to tend to some business, but I walked the full 3.5-mile segment, and return, picking up 40 spp. Although there were some impressive numbers of individuals (52 House Finch, 60 Mourning Dove, 58 Northern Mockingbird, 42 Orchard Oriole, 45 Summer Tanager, and 46 Vermilion Flycatcher), and some good raptor activity (2 nesting pairs of Zone-tailed and 1 pair of Swainson's Hawk), migrants were few... only two species of warbler (Audubon's Yellow-rumped and Wilson's). eBird checklist here

Coyanda Draw BBS (Pecos Co 35 mi WSW of Ft Stockton) 7May2015 Habitat: dry and desolate Chihuahuan Desert scrub
I had to contend with only 2 vehicles the entire route! Veteran BBSers know what a luxury that is. The route produced 25 spp with Northern Mockingbird taking home the bacon at 61 and Scaled Quail trailing with 50.
* The Barn Owls at Stop 1 have apparently been evicted by a pair of Great Horned Owls
* 4 Lesser Nighthawks was very low
* Cassin's and Black-throated Sparrow made nice showings with 28 each
* Cactus Wren (avg 20+) has not rebounded on this route as I had only 2

Balmorhea- Sandia Wetlands (FWTX 20A) 7May2015
I had not previously visited this small facility east of Balmorhea in Reeves County, but was glad I did. I found 25 spp highlighted by Cinnamon Teal, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Baird's Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Bank Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. eBird checklist here

Balmorhea Lake - Sandia Wetlands (FWTX 20) 7May2015
I did a loop around the lake, but it was now late afternoon and there just wasn't much happening. I noted about 16 spp, including both Aechmophorus grebes and a couple late Eared Grebes. A lone Ruddy Duck also seemed late.

Toyahvale BBS (Jeff Davis Co between Balmorhea and Ft Davis) 8May2015 Habitat: Davis Mtn foothills
This route was especially fire-ravaged in 2011. I turned up 32 spp with usual champ Northern Mockingbird taking top honors with 55 just overcoming a strong showing by resurging Scaled Quail at 50.
* The Elf Owl pair, present the last two years, could not be found
* Seven (7) Greater Roadrunner may be record for me for any route
* Twenty (20) Black-throated Sparrow was a strong showing
* No evidence of Cactus Wren recovery on this route (avg 16) as I had only 4
* 3 Painted Bunting and 1 Vermilion Flycatcher added some color to things

Bear Mountain BBS (Jeff Davis Co on the NW flanks of Davis Mountains) 9May2015 Habitat: Davis Mtn foothills (desert transitioning to oak/juniper)
This route has become my favorite for reasons I can't quite pinpoint. Only encountering five (5) vehicles on a route with a nicely paved road certainly helps. I tallied 34 spp with Northern Mockingbird achieving top dog at 27 individuals withstanding a strong challenge from Cactus Wren with 24. The Cactus Wren total is right at the historic average and suggests, on this route at least, the species is recovering.
* Cassin's Sparrow (avg 16) curiously absent from this route
* Six (6) Greater Roadrunner might be a record except for Toyahvale above
* Eighteen (18) Canyon Towhees might be a record for me for any route
* A Yellow-breasted Chat lustily singing in the wide open was a nice surprise

Madera Canyon Trail (FWTX 25) 9May2015
This 2.5-mile loop trail starts (and ends) at the south end of the Lawrence E Wood Picnic Area on TX 118 in Jeff Davis County. Most of the juniper trees are dead or dying lending a desolate air, but I nonetheless managed 17 spp including a rampaging young Cooper's Hawk and a Hepatic Tanager pair where the female was doing the singing. eBird checklist here


Big Bend NP- Chisos Basin 10May2015
I had run into some birders from Maryland at Davis Mountains SP who had just been to BBNP (Brewster County) and told me of the rarities lurking there: Short-tailed Hawk, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Flame-colored Tanager, and Evening Grosbeak. Given my limited time, I decided the latter three were out of reach, but I was on point for the STHA, which I thought I understood them to say was being seen (a dark morph and a light morph??) in the Chisos Basin from the lodge area. It didn't fill me with confidence when each of the five (5) rangers I quizzed indicated they were unaware of any rare hawks, and in the end I failed to turn one up. In the course of things, I did a long mid-day hike through the campgrounds, down to the sewage treatment plant, and out and back on the Window Trail, tallying about 17 species, but nothing unexpected. That evening I hiked up the Pinnacles Trail about a half-mile above the cottages and did a 7-9pm sentry duty listening for Mexican Whip-poor-will, but heard not a one. The mountain lion signs say "don't hike alone" and "don't hike at night" and I must confess this weighed on me as the day's light grew dim. My overnight accommodation was a room in the Emory Peak Lodge area but, despite leaving my windows open all night and doing a couple of short local hikes, I heard no owl nor nightjar at all.

Big Bend NP- Cottonwood Campground (FWTX 40) 11May2015
I got up early for the 38-mi drive to Cottonwood CG, arriving just after sunrise, and was promptly greeted by an Elf Owl. Other nuggets amongst 27 spp found were a Cassin's Vireo, a MacGillivray's Warbler, and several singing Yellow-breasted Chats. The prize, however, and the Bird of the Trip for me was a singing male Lucy's Warbler which I found just across the entrance road from the Amphitheater... my first new Texas bird (#489) since a Canada Warbler at Hornsby Bend in Austin on 19Sep2011. eBird checklist here


Out,

Stu

West Texas Hummingbird Banding Report, 2014

While this blog is effectively dead (we're no longer in the region, sadly), snippets may still find their way to a post, like the 2014 Banding Report from Kelly Bryan's West Texas Hummingbird research project.