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Monday

I got the Google Map updated for our 2010 trip: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107013362562471418011.00047964b60d16d130156&z=7

The reason for any birder to visit Big Bend National Park is to see the Colima Warbler. It’ here in the summer, and only here. If you want the Colima Warbler on your North American Life-list, you’re coming here.

A Colima Warbler isn’t a drive-by sighting though. You have to hike a demanding trail at altitude in the heat to get it. We did a shorter hike today to check things out. Lost Mine trail, a 5 mile round trip with 1,200 feet elevation gain. Highest elevation about 6,500 feet. Judy’s knee is all better. She has full movement of her shoulder again, so off we went.

Jeff and Carol

Tomorrow, the Laguna Meadows and Colima Trails. A longer round-trip.
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Sunday

Big Bend. Last night’s weather never hit. We watched severe weather all around, but it just seemed to circle us. All we got was wind.

We headed off this morning for Big Bend. We’ve been driving back and forth past the turn-off to Big Bend for 30 years. Finally, we did it. It isn’t the best time of year to be in Big Bend. It’s pretty hot here now. But we’re here.

Now my audit software doesn’t work and we won’t have any cellphone service, so I’ll probably give up trying to work while I’m here and just take a couple days completely off. I put a message on the cellphone and an auto-response on email saying we’ll be off the grid for a couple days. We’ll reestablish contact soon. (Turns out we do have sporadic email.)

It wasn’t hard to find a place to camp. The national park campground is a parking lot campground, and it was basically empty, but there are full hookups. We’re not here for the campground anyway. We’re here for the access it gives us to all the stuff around it.
Right off the bat while we were still hooking up, we got the Common Blackhawk circling above us. Life bird!

Here is what the campground looks like at 108 degrees.

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Saturday

    Fort Stockton.  I got some work stuff sorted out.  (I also scrambled my audit software by trying to upgrade it and will need tech support during the workweek to get that sorted out.)  Judy got us all reprovisioned for a few more days on the road.  We’re going to head off through Big Bend National Park as we continue our way west.  We’ll probably have spotty cellphone and internet coverage for a few more days.   Desert type birds here.  Ash-throated Flycatcher, Black-throated Sparrow, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Pyrrhuloxia, Western Kingbird, White-crowned Sparrow, White-winged Dove.   Tonight’s entertainment in Fort Stockton is the severe weather warning.  Thunderstorms, high wind, damaging hail, and tornadoes.  There is a tornado on the ground 27 miles southwest of Fort Stockton.  We’re on the east edge of Fort Stockton.  We picked up everything outside and put it away.  We took down the bird feeders.  We pulled in the slides.  We’re as ready as we can be to ride it out.   Life on the road.    
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Fort Stockton

Internet civilization. Great speed on the Verizon air card. Email and the world wide web as well! All the civilization we need.

We’ll stay here for a couple nights and make sure we’ve done everything we need with the internet to get us through the next few days. We’re headed off the map again on Sunday.

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Thursday

A better day today. I couldn’t do anything on the internet, but I could send and receive emails. I got caught up with correspondence anyway. If I couldn’t actually get the work done, I could at least explain why.

Cool morning. Warm day. We’re supposed to be able to get the Golden-cheeked Warbler here, but we took a walk today and didn’t get him. We did get to count 39 birds, though, including the Black-capped Vireo, Black-throated Sparrow, Green Kingfisher, Northern Bobwhite, Painted Bunting, Summer Tanager, Vermilion Flycatcher, Wild Turkey, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Chuck-wills-widow.

Here is our camp.


Tomorrow, Fort Stockton.