Greetings from Big Bend National Park!

View from the nature trail at Rio Grande Village campground in Big Bend National Park

Great hiking, gorgeous views, warm days and cool nights: what more could one ask!? Here are some of our favorite sights so far.

Steps leading to the big surprise - a window overlooking the valley below.

Looking out the "window" on The Window Trail.

The scenic drive to Santa Elena Canyon included many scenic views and sights. We had a nice hike about half way around, a nice chance to get out and stretch our legs a bit. 

Having fun with Photography and "Mule Ears" peaks.

The Rio Grande River in Santa Elena Canyon: one side of the canyon is in the United States, the other is in Mexico.

We have enjoyed seeing new birds, and continuing our photography lessons trying to capture good quality photos of them.

A group of western bluebirds were some of the first birds we saw on arrival at Rio Grande Village campground.

Sunset over the Big Bend.

Moving On

January 18, 2017

Texas 684 is a small gray line in the road atlas...and not much more than that in real life.

Driving west on Texas road 684 can really shake a person up.

This is clearly the land of the Crested Caracara, a great bird with a wingspan similar to the turkey vulture’s. I have seen them on the ground in the median, and soaring above in the thermals. Two of them landed on the road ahead of us, giving us a good glimpse of their wing markings, and the black crest on top of their heads.

 

Crested Carara. Photo courtesy of http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=11987&picture=crested-caracara

Heading north on 281, we passed a farm field filled with sandhill cranes – probably at least 50 of them. There were various perching birds on the wires: kestrels, hawks, blackbirds, shrikes – possibly others which we are at a loss to identify as we flew past them. Trying to slow down enough to get a good look only resulted in their flying off in the other direction. Binoculars and camera failed to capture identifying markings.

 

It's doubtful we'll see any more green parakeets on our remaining journey. We will miss their raucous noise which had become a daily occurrence the last week or so. 

The gray, overcast sky and cool temperatures this morning, created the kind of day you really just want to curl up with a good book for. But, we had to say our sad goodbyes, and see-you-next times, to our new friends at The Americana Birding Center RV Park.

We are looking forward with anticipation to a place we’ve only heard good things about: Big Bend National Park. It will take us the better part of two days to reach Big Bend N.P., so we are stopping over night at Seminole Canyon State Park. Both of these places are located along the Rio Grande.

We had a wonderful past few days, having friends over for Happy Hour; visiting Nuevo Progreso one more time; having our next-door-neighbors over for white pizza – they brought the Grapefruit pie (pink) topped with whipping cream – amazing and delicious(!); and dancing one more time at the Border Theater Big Band Jam.

 

Lunch at Angel's in Nuevo Progreso. We had the Molcajete - a chicken, beef, and shrimp combination.

We have met a continuous string of friendly people from Texas, the Midwest, and Canada. Even last night, our second time at the Jam/Dance, someone said it was good to see us there, and we must be new. She was immediately inviting us and telling us about other dances in the area. Her husband played clarinet in last night’s jam. We were also invited by a singer (Joy) to another dance. We felt like we were living in a senior living paradise!

Long-billed thrasher seen on a car mirror across from our site at the Americana Birding Center RV Park - an RV Park that lived up to its name. 

It has been an amazing month, full of new experiences and pleasant surprises. Now, as we move on, we’re curious to see what’s around the next bend….

Mari

A Quick Trip to Mexico

We finally decided that maybe it was time to go across the border and see for ourselves what the attraction was. A lot of our Winter Texan friends, many of whom are Canadian, have suggested going over and having a meal. We heard that the shopping was great and everything was inexpensive.

We've also heard about certain places not being safe due to drug cartels running things in some of the border towns. One news program reported on a university study that showed a drop in Winter Texans in recent years, with the number one reason given is fear of immigrants coming across the border. We were told by our Canadian friends that they were not fearful, but that many Americans are.

We were invited to go over with our next door neighbors last week, but then Ron had a bug and couldn't go. So, this week we decided to try it out for ourselves.

One thing we learned before going is that for $2.00 you can park your car on the American side and walk across. It costs 50 cents to go into Mexico, and 25 cents to come back. You walk across a bridge over the Rio Grande.

Interesting sign over the bridge crossing into Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. 

If you want to drive over it costs $3.00. There seemed to be lots of parking on the Mexico side. Also, you could apparently have your car washed while you shopped and had lunch.

They had a nifty way of getting bags of cement to the second story of a building...not.

You can buy bags of charred wood...I guess for cooking?

We ate lunch at a patio-dining type of place, although I didn't get a photo...the interesting thing was that one by one, vendors who were walking up and down the street, now paraded by us as we waited for our food, each one showing us what they had to sell. It seemed to me that if I just said no, they persisted and asked me multiple times if I wanted to buy. But if I showed a little interest, looked at their item, and then said no, they accepted it and left.

The most unwelcome person was a man who had a karaoke strapped around his shoulder, along with a microphone into which he sang too loudly, with the background music blaring. He also had a tip jar attached (taped?) to his shoulder. Happily, he left us after about three songs.

The food was good, and the service was also good. I drank bottled water (Ron had brought some with him), and no one got sick.

We didn't see much that we needed to buy, but the pottery was fun to look at. It reminded me a lot of Nogales, which I had visited a couple of times back in the days when I lived in Tucson.

We paid our quarter to leave and showed our passports on the way out. No one was harmed, and it was really not a big deal. Our neighbors still want to take us with them and show us their favorite place to eat. So, if there is time before we depart here next week, we may make it over one more time. I might have to get one of those colorful flower pots for a plant I brought along on this trip....

Going back to the United States.

More Than Birds - There Are Butterflies, Too!

On Monday Ron came down with some sort of a bug. We don't know if it was something he ate at the restaurant the day before (sea food), or something he picked up somewhere. We had been invited to go over the border with our neighbors, but had to cancel that.

Queen butterflies on tropical milkweed

So, I decided to do something on my own. I really had a hankering to see something different. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day of sunshine, so I settled on going to the North American Butterfly Association's nearby National Butterfly Center.

 

Reakirt's blue - a little frayed around the edges

We have had many days of cloudiness, fog throughout the morning, and some rain. The polar vortex that has affected the entire eastern half of the country also brings colder weather all the way down here in the southernmost tip of Texas. In addition to the weather, this is not really blooming season for many local plants. So, I did not have high expectations for seeing lots of butterflies. But I figured at least my chances would be greater on a warm, sunny day than a cloudy one.

White peacock butterfly on tropical milkweed

For admission, I was given the "Winter Texan" rate, which was only $5 instead of the usual $10. I took my Olympus camera with the new 70-150mm zoom lens and decided to see if I could get any good photos of butterflies with that. 

Two sulphurs on glossy red flowers provide a nice contrast in color

 I think I did pretty well! Then, for a bonus, after walking around for about an hour, this wonderful bird flew into the scene and sat on this fence for quite a long while. I took photos from further away, but slowly worked my way toward him to try to get something close-up. At the same time, I didn't want to spook him. Finally, I got a nice shot, and confirmed that this was a species I had not seen before - the loggerhead shrike.

Loggerhead shrike sits on barbed wire

It turned out to have been a wonderful morning, and by late afternoon, Ron was over his bug.

Hopefully we'll be crossing the border sometime soon. We've heard many wonderful things from others who have been. When we do, you can be sure, there'll be some interesting photos posted here!

---Mari

Every Day is a New Day

The brown pelicans love to splash onto the water to stir up some grub.

Happy New Year!

Every day is a new day. We are grateful for the chance to start new things in our lives.

The black-crested titmouse is a local variant. Love the "mohawk"!

A new question we ask each other pretty much daily is, "What are we going to do for nature today?" Ideally nature and exercise go hand in hand, so it is the same concern we address on a daily basis. It's just that being here in a location that is different in many ways from our home in Illinois, we are trying to take advantage of our limited time to see and experience local nature.

Black-necked stilts and their pretty pink legs.

Since the Rio Grande Valley is known for its bird watching, and there are many avid birders all around us, seeing nature inevitably leads to bird walks, guides, hikes, tram rides, and conversations with many people about birds. We learn on almost a daily basis new places to go and see birds!

Here are some of the latest bird-watching exploits:

The board walk at South Padre Island Nature and Birding Center is a fantastic way to get in amongst the birds in the marshy area on the shore of Laguna Madre, a saline intercostal waterway.

There's a lot of Spanish moss around here!

Near the Visitor's Center at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Visiting "Old" Mission, Texas

Our main activity for the day was a trip downtown to see the older part of town. It is only a couple of miles from where we are staying, but it is not on the beaten path for any other place we have gone so far.

Unfortunately the museum was closed today, but a stroll down Conway Avenue gave us a better feel for the heart and soul of this city of over 80,000.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Mission, Texas

We did have the chance to go inside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, which was originally constructed around 1903. The stained glass was stunning from inside the building, as the sun shone through the glass, making the interior so vibrant.

Lots of gorgeous stained glass was lit from behind on this sunny day.

We also enjoyed squeezing our way through this old-timey hardware store that was packed to the rafters with touristy stuff, as well as all kinds of hardware. All the employees and other customers were hispanic, but funny signs and other things were all in English. 

Silly sculptures/yard art, and, yes, baby chicks, and everything in between....

 

Who wouldn't want one of these horsey seats?

Here is a historic, old movie theater that has been re-purposed to community events, etc. I wonder if there is dancing during the big band jam?

A stroll through a pawn shop revealed two accordions for sale, as well as dozens of used cowboy boots, along with the usual stuff you might find anywhere such as electronics, electric guitars, watches, etc.

We wrapped up our visit with lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I had soft steak tacos and Ron had brisket tacos. 

Our trip downtown made us feel a sense of place that we had not felt in the RV park. It was a fun diversion, and different than the other sightseeing we have been doing, which has mainly been bird walks and hiking.

Which, by the way, we also did - later in the afternoon. And I got a pretty good picture of a kestrel and I spotted a female blue-gray gnatcatcher, which I had never heard of before today! 

The Kestrel is North America's smallest falcon. 

---Mari

Avid Birders

What a day we had seeing birds we never really knew existed before, and meeting avid birders who are so very passionate about birds. This is a new scene for both of us, as we love watching birds, feeding them in our own backyard, and learning to identify them by their calls. It seems that up until now, we have been but babes when it comes to birds and bird watching. Perhaps one reason we feel like such beginners is the sheer number of new species we have seen since coming to southern Texas eight days ago. We have been on three guided bird "walks" (well, one was in a van and another was on a tram, so today's was really the FIRST "Walk") in the past week.

The beautiful covered patio at Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco, Texas overlooks a large, shallow lake. 

Here is an example of a bird surprise: we have always loved seeing the red-bellied woodpecker at our backyard feeder. Little did we know there is a similar bird down here, the golden-fronted woodpecker. It is similar in many ways to "red-belly", but has yellow at the nape of its neck. Even its call is similar.

Golden-fronted woodpecker

I have heard of a yellow-bellied sapsucker, but I would not have known one if it landed on my head. But today I spotted this one while we were out with the group. If it hadn't been for one of our guides, I still wouldn't have known what it was I had seen. I figured it was "just a woodpecker".

Yellow-bellied sapsucker...I never did see yellow on its belly.

Once in awhile the park rangers and volunteers enhance the habitat for a particular species. In this case, McCall's eastern screech owl is nesting in the box provided. 

McCall's eastern screech owl inhabits south-central Texas and parts of Mexico.

Ron was the first in our group to spot the roseate spoonbill, certainly a new bird for the two of us. It is listed as a "visitor" to this area. One of the few pink birds, it lives mainly in South America.

The large pink bird is a roseate spoonbill. It was seen today at Estero Llano Grande State Park, part of the World Birding Center network in Texas. 

Today alone, we saw at least 60 different species of birds, many of which do not occur in west-central Illinois. We have seen the chachalaca and green jay before today, as well as the kiskadee, the brown pelican, and the vermillion flycatcher. But, for those and even for birds that we have seen in Illinois, such as the American white pelican, it is great to see them here as well. One bird that we have seen in high numbers is the red-winged blackbird - a sign of spring when it is finally seen in Illinois in about three more months.

I have never seen one of these hummingbirds before - I believe we were told it is a buff-bellied hummer - very beautiful!

All in all, we had a wonderful day, and we look forward to spending more time with the wonderful park volunteers and rangers who lead these bird adventures for us. They are extremely knowledgeable and passionate.

---Mari