Great Birding in Davis Mountains

We returned from our week stay in Fort Davis on Friday afternoon.  It was probably our best birding trip ever when we look at the numbers.  For the four days we spent there we saw a total of 73 different species, high-lighted by our sighting and photograph of a Montezuma Quail.  It had been very elusive to us as we had missed seeing it on a half dozen previous trips.  This time we visited a friends bird-watch setup at his place high in the Davis Mountains.  We have to thank Stephen Hambright for his hospitality and use of his blinds.

Montezuma Quail

I took about 1,000 images there, along the highways in the area, and at Lake Balmorhea.  It will take me several more days to go through all of them.  I am having day-surgery on my nose tomorrow, so I want to do this post today, Sunday, and show these four photographs.  The rest will have to wait several more days until my next post.  Bythe way, click on any image to see a glorious enlargement.

There were several Black-headed Grosbeaks in abundance in the mountains.

Black-headed Grosbeak

We spent two mornings at Stephen’s place.  I think most of our sightings were there.  Besides the Grosbeaks, we saw a Hepatic Tanager, Summer Tanager, Western Tanager, Say’s Phoebe, Wood Pewees, Scrub-jays, and various others.  I will be showing some of those in future posts.

Say’s Phoebe

On Wednesday evening we traveled out highway 505, a desolate road with no traffic for miles.  We were in search of possibly some bald eagles.  We struck out on those, although we did see a huge Common Black-Hawk.  We did see and photograph some Scaled Quail.  They seemed to be everywhere along the way.

Scaled Quail

Those are all that for now.  I hope to be posting again towards the end of this coming week.  I will have to see how this minor surgery goes tomorrow.

I now will have 12×16 inch prints on hand if any of you want one.  Of course, that goes for any photo that you have seen on any of my posts.  They are 40.00 each, but that includes shipping.  If you live in San Angelo, you pay only 30.00 if I can hand deliver it.  Just contact me at bobzeller@pobox.com. or 325-656-6241.

You can also order limited photos from my FineArtAmerica website at http://1-bob-zeller.pixels.com.

Until my next post in a few days, Happy Birding!!

 

Come visit west Texas with me……

Today, I am going to get away from my usual subject of birds, and give you a sampling of the images of west Texas that you may see if you travel here.  These photos have been compiled over the past ten to twenty years, maybe more.  A few I may have posted before, but most of them should be new to you.  This post is best watched on your computer.  Click on any image to see enlargements.

1.  Twin Mountains.   Also called Twin Buttes and a few other imaginary names that the locals thought of.  It is located just outside the western city limits of San Angelo, Texas.

Twin Mountains

2.  El Capitan.  Located in far west Texas, at the southern end of the Guadalupe Mountains.  The higher peak behind it is Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.

El Capitan

3.  Painted Rocks.  Along the Concho River near Paint Rock, Texas, for about one half mile, there are about 1,500 pictographs along the 75 foot high bluffs.  The age of some of them are estimated to be perhaps 1,000 years old.  I picked out one single area for this image, to have a close-up of one of the pictographs.

Pictographs at Paint Rock, Texas.

4.  Monahans State Park Sand Dunes.  On this particular day, the wind was fierce and these sunflowers were swaying in the strong breeze.

Sun flowers in the wind.

5.  Road to Nipple Peak.  No explanation needed for the naming of the mountain peak.  Near Robert Lee, Texas.

Road to Nipple Peak

6.  Antelope at Blue Mountain.  This landmark mountain is between Marfa and Fort Davis, Texas.  The area is populated with several Pronghorned Antelope.

Pronghorned Antelope grazing near Blue Mountain.

7. Mule Ears Peak at Dusk.  Aptly named mountain peak in Big Bend National Park.

Dusk at Mule Ears Peak

8.  Pecos River High Bridge.  Located on Hwy 90 near Langtry, Texas, this 1,310 foot bridge spans the Pecos River Gorge 273 feet above the water.  This image faces north, but about two miles south of the bridge, the river meets it’s confluence with the Rio Grande.

Pecos River High Bridge

9.  Ghost Town ruins.  Old adobe ruins near the ghost town of Terlingua Texas.

Ghost Town ruins at Terlingua, Texas.

10.  Adobe house.  This structure is located on the Contrabando Movie Set near Lajitas, Texas.  Along the Rio Grande, this site has been the location for several western movies.

Casa Adobe

11.  West Texas Storm.  I caught this image of a building storm near Alpine, Texas.

West Texas thunder storm.

12.  Wild Rose Pass.  This stunning vista greets you as you travel Hwy 17 going north from Fort Davis, Texas.

Wild Rose Pass

13.  West Texas windmill.  A familiar sight as you travel through the big sky ranch country of west Texas.

Windmill and stock tanks in west Texas.

14.  Old Barn and Wagon.  Somewhere in west Texas.

Old Barn and Wagon

15.  Mountains in the Mist.  I believe that I have posted this image in a previous post, but it is one of my personal favorites.  Photographed in Big Bend National Park, on a very cool and rainy day.

“Mountains in the Mist”

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my adopted home of west Texas.  Click on any image to see beautiful enlargements.  I will be traveling out through that area again during the next few months and I will be hoping to come back with another nice collection for you.