Colima Warbler chase at Big Bend NP, Aug 2016

      I got an annual pass to make trips to see Colima Warbler apart from other birds. I couldn't go to the park in April or May as my parents visited me. April or May is the best time to sight them as they would be singing. Then I got busy at work. I finally got a chance in August. 'Colima Warbler' spends the summer breeding at Chisos Mountains within the NP. It is found nowhere else in USA. I wanted to get three of the western hummers as well. 

     I was on my way to a private property for the hummers. Due to monsoon (thundershowers in AZ/NM/west TX from Jul to Sep) which is not as dramatic as Indian monsoons, the primitive road was slushy. My car got stuck at 12 noon, and I spent an hour getting out of two bad spots. So I gave up on the private property and headed to the NP. I got an idea to try a hummingbird feeder at Lajitas golf-resort. Except for Black-chinned which are common in TX, and a male Rufous (first time I saw a male), nothing special came up. In fact the feeder was empty.
Rufous Hummingbird - male

     I had a late lunch at the resort and as it cooled down towards the evening, I headed to Cottonwood campground within the NP to look for birds, and take some sunset photos later in the day. I always see Vermilion Flycatchers in close range here. A juvenile Verdin had me interested, which I was able to id with help only later. Clouds did not cooperate for the sunset pics. So, I headed to the mountains. For a brief while on my ascent in the car, I was following a skunk on the road in the night and it was a good sight. I try to drive slowly at nights but still I hit a rabbit. I fared much better than a couple of visits earlier with friends, when we hit multiple hares/rabbits. There was a Great-horned Owl on the side of the road, and I passed a nightjar lying on the road which I went back to check. It was dead (looked freshly dead)..not sure of the species, but it did not appear either as a Lesser or Common Nighthawk. 

     I slept in my car in the mountains to try for Colima Warbler the next day. I got up at some point and saw milky way right above me. I had a good sleep and woke up thirty minutes prior to sunrise.

Townsend's Warbler
     Colima Warbler, the big bend specialty, requires a close to 5 mile climb, and I had lesser chances of seeing it as they would have started leaving. Also they wouldn't be singing at this point. I started the ascent on the Pinnacles Trail before sunrise, and saw good birds. A migrating Townsend's Warbler was my first lifer. 
Emory Peak
     I had an Eastern Cottontail (rabbit), which is not found at the desert floor. A group of Black-crested Titmise and Hutton's Vireos got me excited, but no Colima. I took a detour to the tallest peak of the park called Emory peak and turned back. I continued on to the Boot Springs Trail, which was green all around. I saw a lot of Empids but unfortunately none of them called. I saw a group of Bushtits, still no Colima. After walking for close to a mile, I turned back. I was disappointed after looking around and started my descent on the Pinnacles Trail thinking that I might have to do this again...and that's when I finally found it! I headed down satisfied and had a good meal at the Chisos Lodge.


Colima Warbler
Common Black Hawk
     After a brief hard rain at the Basin, clouds cleared up. I went down the mountains to head towards my next target 'Common Black Hawk'. As I entered the desert floor, the temperature shot up to 103F, and it was humid. Common Black Hawk nests in a riparian corridor within the NP called Rio Grande Village. RGV is one of the best spots within the NP for birding. This hawk is also found in parts of south AZ/NM, and a small part in NV. It is a threatened species, and there's a known place where it nests. I went there in the evening to sleep and try for it the next day. I saw it sitting on a big tree as soon as I arrived! So I saw both my 'must see' targets on the same day. 

     I saw a Javelina family with young ones, and got decent photo opportunities. Normally when I see them, they run away or hide in thick brush. It started becoming cloudy and windy, with a lot of lightning. I slept in my car. The next day, I saw the Black Hawk once more, and it was in it's nest that had a juvenile in it. I saw a lot of good birds. I tried hard for Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and there were a lot of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. A group of birders who were birding there said they saw it there..so I kept searching..and with no luck I decided to take bath, eat something and then search again. I lost my way to the car and ended up walking a bit more, and was rewarded with a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. This bird should have been easy, but it made me work for it. I was satisfied with this and a pic I managed to take of a Bell's Vireo which generally hides in bushes and keeps moving constantly. This is the only campground that has a shower..I took a good long shower after two days.

Chisos Basin
     I could see the weather front approaching at a distance. I headed to the mountains again for the hummers. Mountains are cooler by 10-20F with a lot of taller trees. It seems the ecosystem of Ice age trees survived due to the cooler temperatures and a higher rainfall than the desert floor. I went to the hummer spot (Chisos Basin Water Treatment Settling Ponds) with a short hike and immediately saw a female Blue-throated Hummer. I wished I could have stayed more to see the male, but it started raining due to the weather front. Luckily I was able to come back again next day to see the male. I headed back to the Basin and decided to eat. This rain was magical to see because I couldn't believe it was a desert and I was at cloud level. Temperature dropped down to 60F. I was prepared for the heat and had no jackets. So I went down to the desert floor to escape the cold, and slept in my car at Cottonwood campground. 

     Next day, I tried for Lucy's Warbler but couldn't get it  - hopefully next summer when its singing. Most likely they had migrated south by the time I went. It rained briefly and I waited it out. Lots of Desert Cottontails entertained me. I got news from the same set of birders I met at RGV that there was rain in the mountains. So I birded more, but saw nothing interesting. Then I went to the mountains to the hummingbirds spot and got good looks at a male Blue-throated Hummer and Lucifer (saw only females, male is on my wish-list to see) Hummers. It started raining again, so I went back to the Basin and waited it out. I once again came back to have better looks of the Hummers. This time, I also saw a nice male Varied Bunting, Painted Buntings, a migrating Hermit Warbler, and Orioles, all from a single spot. This spot had tube shaped flowers which were attracting the hummers. 

    Birding-wise, there's Gray Vireo, Lucy's Warbler, Broad-tailed Hummer, Calliope Hummer, Lucifer male, Virginia Warbler in migration (got Townsend's in this trip), a few western empids, and Golden Eagle left to see at west TX. I want a good pic of a male Scott's Oriole as well. I heard Elf's Owls generally roost at Dugout Wells which I hope to try next summer. Crissal Thrasher and a couple of Sparrow species are hard to find, and are not something to go after. I also wanted some sunset pics, which I could get none of during this trip due to the weather-front. This feeling of things left to see and do added to my emotion.

     It was one of my most memorable trips with beautiful views of a lot of birds. Experiencing the weather front hitting the mountains, desert rain, and the animal sightings were really magical. The only negatives were being bitten by fire ants and the small car getting stuck in a slushy road. Though I took camping equipment, I slept in the car. No phone connectivity, going down with the sun, and getting up before the sun, brushing teeth in the open, living alone (one or two other people in the whole campgrounds)..it was really refreshing.

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