It seems a good time to go back to my Texas trip photo memories before I lose track of it entirely. Day Two was a travel day from Del Rio, where we had spent the night, to Big Bend National Park where we stayed three days. Of course we birded along the way.
Yesterday I turned on the reluctant travel laptop to see if it was in any mood to let me look at my Texas pictures. Lo and behold I found more images, and the amazing thing is that I was allowed to process them, so here is everything from that travel day, including the domestic waterfowl below which adorned the first stop.
Viewer discretion advised: a Mallard menage a trois that might prove disturbing to younger viewers
Travel notes from my cell phone… I love the rugged terrain of Southwest Texas.
Rocks and what to do with them 
It was nice to revisit species I have seen before. Some I saw much better than on previous occasions, while others like the Rufous-Crowned Sparrow below, eluded the camera, even though fairly common. And then there were the life birds.
Bewick’s Wren
Cliff Swallows 
Great-Tailed Grackle Bash 
Clay-colored Sparrow 
The Morelet’s Seedeater is not exactly new, if I can believe I have seen a White-Collared Seedeater before. Anyway, it’s been split into its own species, so that makes it a life bird. We searched for this guy for a while and then he practically followed us around for the next quarter hour or more.
Morelet’s Seedeater 
It would have been nice to see a Western Meadowlark but this Eastern Meadowlark posed nicely for us.
I’ve glimpsed Ladder-backed Woodpeckers in New Mexico but have never seen them so well as on this trip.
Then to see some old friends really well…
We arrived at the Chisos Mountain Lodge in Big Bend National Park, checked into our rooms and witnessed this sunset outside the dining hall that evening.
Meanwhile back home, it’s intermittent thunderstorms and cooler weather. I am fond of rain, but not so much.
Our mallard males are extremely horrible to their females at times. The eastern meadowlark was my favourite.
I often see male mallards alone but I’ve never seen this behavior before. I think the Chinese Goose finally broke it up. 🙂
Quite a variety of species! They kept you busy I see. I hear, the places in that part of Texas are absolutely beautiful! I’m sure you had fun! Nice work, Lisa. 🙂
Thanks, H.J. Just getting started, it was quite a trip. It is a beautiful part of the country.
Looks like a beautiful part of the country – closest I have been was Austin. Love the Hepatic Tanager, the Blue Grosbeak and the Chat – all birds I have never seen.
BBNP: our heaven on earth in Texas. You have some great bird species here Lisa. I’d never even heard of the morelet’s! What a beauty. I hope you and hubs had a wonderful recharge in the basin. I long to escape there again soon.
Thanks, Shannon! The morelet’s was split off of a couple subspecies of seedeater, it’s too complicated for me to even comprehend. The nature of evolution. As for Big Bend, it had been on my “list” for years and I’m so glad I finally got around to it while I’m still able. 🙂