In south Texas, a good part of the conversation around us is in Spanish. It would be nice if we understood more Spanish, so we’re considering getting the Rosetta Stone software to teach us. We’re probably too old to learn a new language now, probably too hardwired into English, but we can give it a try. Even if we don’t get conversational in Spanish though, at least it will give us the opportunity to not be able to think of the word we want in two different languages.
June birding
It was a good June for birds. We traveled through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. We didn’t bird all the time, but just by being all those different places, we stumbled into a good variety. We saw Gambel’s Quail, Cassin’s Kingbird, Crissal Thrasher, Phainopepla, Lucy’s Warbler, and Allen’s Hummingbird at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. Common Mergansers, Townsend’s Solitaire, Swainson’s Thrush, Western Scrub-jay, Lewis’s Woodpecker, and Cordilleran Flycatcher in Colorado. Juniper Titmouse in Nevada. Gila Woodpecker in Arizona. California Quail, Prairie Falcon, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Wrentit, and California Towhee in Vista. Heerman’s Gull, Western Gull, and California Gull, in Oceanside. Band-tailed Pigeon, Anna’s Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse (the first time ever we’ve gotten Juniper Titmouse and Oak Titmouse in the same year), Pygmy Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, and Purple Finch in the San Gabriel Mountains. In total: Canada GooseMallardCommon MerganserRuddy DuckCalifornia QuailGambel’s QuailWestern GrebeDouble-crested CormorantAmerican White PelicanBrown PelicanGreat Blue HeronGreat EgretSnowy EgretCattle EgretGreen HeronWhite-faced IbisTurkey VultureNorthern HarrierCooper’s HawkSwainson’s HawkRed-tailed HawkAmerican KestrelPrairie FalconAmerican CootKilldeerFranklin’s GullHeermann’s GullWestern GullCalifornia GullLeast TernGull-billed TernCaspian TernForster’s TernRock PigeonBand-tailed PigeonEurasian Collared-DoveWhite-winged DoveMourning DoveInca DoveGreater RoadrunnerGreat Horned OwlLesser NighthawkCommon NighthawkBlack-chinned HummingbirdAnna’s HummingbirdBroad-tailed HummingbirdAllen’s HummingbirdAcorn WoodpeckerGila WoodpeckerLadder-backed WoodpeckerNuttall’s WoodpeckerWhite-headed WoodpeckerNorthern FlickerOlive-sided FlycatcherWestern Wood-PeweeWillow FlycatcherDusky FlycatcherBlack PhoebeSay’s PhoebeVermilion FlycatcherBrown-crested FlycatcherCassin’s KingbirdWestern KingbirdGray VireoWarbling VireoSteller’s JayBlue JayWestern Scrub-JayBlack-billed MagpieAmerican CrowCommon RavenNorthern Rough-winged SwallowTree SwallowViolet-green SwallowBarn SwallowCliff SwallowBlack-capped ChickadeeMountain ChickadeeOak TitmouseJuniper TitmouseVerdinBushtitWhite-breasted NuthatchPygmy NuthatchCactus WrenRock WrenHouse WrenWrentitWestern BluebirdMountain BluebirdAmerican RobinNorthern MockingbirdEuropean StarlingPhainopeplaLucy’s WarblerYellow WarblerCommon YellowthroatSpotted TowheeCalifornia TowheeAbert’s TowheeVesper SparrowLark SparrowBlack-throated SparrowSage SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowDark-eyed JuncoBlack-headed GrosbeakLazuli BuntingRed-winged BlackbirdWestern MeadowlarkYellow-headed BlackbirdBrewer’s BlackbirdCommon GrackleGreat-tailed GrackleBrown-headed CowbirdHooded OrioleBullock’s OriolePurple FinchCassin’s FinchHouse FinchLesser GoldfinchLawrence’s GoldfinchAmerican GoldfinchHouse Sparrow The White-headed Woodpecker and Lawrence’s Goldfinch were Life Birds for us.
Sandpipers Resort
Edinburg, Texas. It was a long way to go, but it’s a good place to be. When we left Junction this morning, I put gas in the car while Judy went inside to buy a bag of ice for the ice chest. The clerk asked her “Small or Large?”. Judy answered “Small”. It’s not a very big ice chest. The clerk charged her $1.99 and Judy went outside to grab the bag. There were only 10 pound bags. Is a 10 pound bag Large or Small? Judy carried one back inside to ask. The answer: “They’re all one size”. There were certainly more questions we could have asked, but we chose to drive on instead. On our drive across North Central Texas we passed thousands of windmills. They used to be a novelty. Now there are so many they’re kind of annoying. When I look at them though, I see all that oil and coal fired smoke that’s not in the air. The annoyance fades. I’ve heard the argument that it takes more energy to construct and install a windmill than the windmill produces over its lifetime. I looked it up on Snopes to find that argument was disproved way early on, but it persists in the minds of windmill opponents. I think I’ll believe Snopes instead of Fox News on that one. Windmills are apparently a serious source of electricity now. The Jeep turned 100,000 miles today. Our first day back to the house; we ran straight into a mystery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFbwSwIFzxg
Junction
Continuing south, we stopped for the night in Junction, Texas. Got caught in a rainstorm. We’re told it’s the first rain here since November. Since it coincides with our arrival, we’re taking full credit for the much-needed moisture. The Motel Manager told me it’s so dry here the fish in the South Llano River have ticks!
Got an evening walk at South Llano River State Park. Lots of birds. Mostly White-winged Doves, but there were Inca Doves, hummingbirds, kingbirds, chickadees, titmice, Bewick’s Wrens, Black-throated Sparrows, buntings and goldfinches too.
We’re not moving back to Texas for the winter yet. We’re just going to lurk here until the coach in Colorado is ready for us to move back into it. …and there is that wedding in September in Colorado we want to be at too.
Tomorrow, Edinburg! That’s about as far as there is to go.
Plainview
We drove through Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, one time-zone, and triple digits. We got four new tires and three new tire pressure sensors yesterday. They weren’t done until after 5 o’clock, so we just stayed with Becky and Brian for the night and headed out this morning. Three states later, we’re settled in at the Best Western. I wouldn’t say it’s the best place we’ve ever stayed. On our way out we’ll probably suggest they change their name to just Western. We’re in Texas, but there is still a long way to go to get to Edinburg. We’ll probably get there on Thursday.