Steve and Judy's Travels!

 

(Monday)

 

A view of the Rio Grande.

 

Remains of the Sam Nail Ranch.

 

 

 

And a view of the Chisos.

 

 

(Sunday)

Davis Mountains to Chisos Mountains.  “Sky Islands” because they’re individual mountain ranges rising out of the desert, with more moisture and foliage at higher altitudes, supporting more diverse wildlife than the desert below.  A steep and winding road from the picnic area where we spent the night.  We drive without hooking up the car until we get back to Fort Davis and easier roads.  Judy behind me, in the Jeep, sets cruise control on 65, faster than I’ll ever go on that road, and steers while adaptive cruise keeps her at an appropriate distance behind the bus.  Towing the Jeep, but only kind-of.

 

We’re at Terlingua/Study Butte, a little town just west of Big Bend National Park.

 

Different version of the West Texas Birding Map

(Google locked me out of the original map, so I copied it and moved on.)

 

The drive here was eventful; the event being a stop at Christmas Mountains Oasis to get the Lucifer Hummingbird.  The place is wonderful, but just driving in there on the primitive road is an adventure.  High clearance vehicle recommended…

 

 

Once there though, a world-class bird-feeding station.

 

Lark bunting

 

Hedgehog cactus

 

Lincoln’s sparrow

 

White-crowned sparrow

 

 

House finch

 

And the star of the show, Lucifer hummingbird!

 

 

 

No State Park.  No RV Park.  We’re boondocking at a picnic area high in the Davis Mountains 10 miles northwest of McDonald Observatory.

 

The Great February Birding Trip Map

 

 

 

There is a loop trail there on Nature Conservancy property.

 

 

 

 

The app we use for tracking birds also traces our hiking track for us.

 

Vermilion Flycatcher.

 

White-breasted Nuthatch.

 

 

 

…about global warming.

 

One of the reasons to switch to a vegetarian diet is to discourage raising beef to eat.  The problem with raising beef to eat is that cows fart too much.  All the methane that cow farts release into the atmosphere contributes to global warming.  So the question is, is there a net reduction in methane release by humans switching to a plant based diet (like cows eat) or does the methane release just happen from vegetarians instead of cows?

 

To stay here another night, we moved to a different spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rufous-crowned sparrow.

 

Phainopepla.

 

 

 

Interstate 20 west until it met Interstate 10.  Then back east on 10 until we got to Balmorhea.  A quick stop to visit the lake and find the Western Grebe we missed last time we were here.

 

Snow Geese.

 

 

The Great February Birding Trip Map

 

Off to Davis Mountains State Park.  Suffering a connectivity deficit at Monahans Sandhills, and again here.  Sporadic drives to civilization to keep in touch.  Another favorite place.