Davis Mountains State Park has its origins in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project to help lift the broken economy out of the depression. Miles of trails were constructed across the 2,709 acres of this property, along with a sixteen room lodge. In 1967, 101 campsites were added, including many with full or … Read more
During the last week in September 2022, it was my pleasure to spend several days with friends and visiting wildlife at the National Butterfly Center in Mission Texas. I spent several restful days at this sanctuary enjoying the birds and butterflies. I’m no butterfly specialist. While it requires patients to photograph butterflies, much like it … Read more
Monday, I drove to Estero Llano Grande, one of the premiere birding destinations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. I rode my bike over several miles of trails there, but I couldn’t find any birds that inspired me to break out my camera gear. Not to be deterred, I drove from my Brownsville camp at … Read more
I couldn’t think of leaving Texas without seeing my friends at the National Butterfly Center (NBC) one more time. My planned route carried me through Mission anyway, so it was a natural choice to swing by for a visit. It was scorching hot (over 100°F) when I arrived mid-morning on Sunday, so I sheltered in … Read more
This is a three day post. With my 2021 visit in south Texas drawing to a close, I’ve been pushing my limits to maximize my opportunities to meet migrating birds. This story is about Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday on South Padre Island. Besides the Convention Centre, I spent most of Thursday at the SPI Birding … Read more
Sunday’s Big Sit event at the National Butterfly Center was such fun. As part of the Great Texas Birding Classic put on each year by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, teams count bird species they can see or hear, while confined in a 50 foot diameter circle. The talents held by some folks on the … Read more
Well friends, I said I would limit my photo shooting time in the field to half days. The strategy would allow me to process my images and tell my stories in time to meet an every-other-day in the field schedule. I also said if a warbler fallout should happen, all bets were off. Well, it … Read more
New Year’s Day and Saturday night, I stayed in Terlingua (Texas). I waited there until I could take advantage of my Sunday night reservations for camping in Cottonwood. Saturday morning I drove south to explore the southern reaches of Big Bend. I’d been to the Sam Nail Ranch last March (2020), while on the inbound leg … Read more
After being on the road since February 21st, on Monday March 23rd I suspended my boondocking lifestyle and settled into the Breeze Lake RV Campground in Brownsville Texas. I expected to stay one week to get my refrigerator repaired, but one thing led to another and it was seven weeks later before I resumed my … Read more
As I send out this week-old report, I’m staying with my good friend Jerry in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many of the birding venues we’d hoped to explore during my visit remain closed, but we all hope that things open soon. 2020-05-08 Friday I pulled away from my Breeze Lake haven in Brownsville, Texas at about … Read more
