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A few scenes from Texas: the Mule Ears formation and Boot Canyon from Big Bend National Park and, at right, sunset at the Frio Bat Cave near Concan. (Photos by guide Chris Benesh)

The 2016 Big Bend and Texas Hill Country tour got off to a bit of a rocky start thanks to some unforeseen circumstances at the San Antonio Airport on the first afternoon. But we did eventually make our way to Del Rio. Our following morning there was terrific, with a nice assortment of species including Ringed and Green kingfishers, White-collared Seedeater, Olive Sparrow, Great Kiskadee, Couch's Kingbird, Long-billed Thrasher, and Yellow-breasted Chat. We then headed westward, crossing the Pecos River and paying a visit to Langtry before continuing on to Big Bend National Park.

Our first morning at Big Bend saw us visiting Blue Creek Canyon where we were able to track down our first Varied Buntings, Gray Vireo, and at least three different Lucifer Hummingbirds. An Olive-sided Flycatcher was also there. Another Olive-sided was a highlight of our afternoon visit to Dugout Wells. But not before we were able to get nice views of a pair of Black-capped Vireos. A pair of Yellow-headed Blackbirds added a splash of color to the Dugout Wells experience.

Our second morning in Big Bend saw us visiting Rio Grande Village. The birding was good with cooperative nesting Common Black Hawks and Gray Hawks, along with a some nice views of a variety of migrants and breeders. Vermilion Flycatchers were everywhere. There was a migrant Cassin's Kingbird and Cassin's Vireo, along with a Plumbeous Vireo there. There were also three species of bunting (four if you throw in Blue Grosbeak, which is an oversized bunting). A few Clay-colored Sparrows were mixed in with the Chippings. In the afternoon we made a walk around the basin grounds, and got quick looks at Black-chinned Sparrows, Black-crested Titmouse, and some black-eared Bushtits.

The third morning was the big hike into the high country of the Chisos to Boot Springs in search of the Colima Warbler. Our route was up the Pinnacles Trail. At around the three mile mark, we came upon our first Colima. The bird was really cooperative and sat for us while we all had looks and took pictures. A few turned back at this point, while most of us continued on to Boot Springs. The springs were active; several more Colimas, Painted Redstarts, Cordilleran Flycatchers, and a heard-only Dusky-capped Flycatcher were of note. A Western Tanager en route was a local rarity. Blue-throated and Broad-tailed hummingbirds were also present.

Our final morning featured a visit to Cottonwood Campground. There was a bit of activity there, and we had a nice Great Horned Owl, a rare Brown Thrasher, a glimpse of Bullock's Oriole, and some Inca Doves among the more common species. We then headed back to the lodge to pack up and head to Alpine. We made a couple of stops for Chihuahuan Raven and Lilian's Meadowlark en route. The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for Montezuma Quail. We managed to hear a male and female calling on the hillside in front of us, but they did not materialize. Once again a beautiful night sky.

Our morning in the Davis Mountains began with some more searching for quail and was rewarded with three or four birds standing near the road at the park. We then headed to Lake Balmorhea, where we saw lots of Clark's Grebes and White-faced Ibis, a handsome Snowy Plover, and a rare Whimbrel, among others. We could hear Brewer's Sparrows churring in the distance there and had a male Lark Bunting in full breeding plumage. And then we made the long drive to the Edwards Plateau and Concan.

After a tremendous overnight thunderstorm, we headed north to Lost Maples SNA, where was took in a variety of songs, mixing birds from the east, west, and south. We had a couple of nice looks at Golden-cheeked Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, and an amazing Louisiana Waterthrush that flew in and began to sing right in front of us. Acadian Flycatchers were nice, too. It was interesting to see and hear south Texas birds like Olive Sparrow, Great Kiskadee, and White-tipped Dove establishing themselves there. In the afternoon, we birded around the Neal's Lodges area, where the highlight was the striking male Tropical Parula. Wow!

Our final morning we spent on Highway 344 between Uvalde and Bracketville. This amazing road gave us our best looks yet of Gray Vireo and several new sparrows. Singing Bobwhite were a real treat too. From there, we headed to Fort Clark Springs, where we eventually came across some Green Jays, along with Black-throated Green Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo. That afternoon we headed out to the Frio Bat Cave for an amazing evening with the Brazilian Freetail Bats and a yummy meal that Sharon Mackie and Caroline Lewis from the Field Guides Austin office brought out for us. We wrapped things up with a nice Eastern Screech-Owl on our way out of the cave property.

--Chris

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

A pair of Blue-winged Teal, one of the highlights of our visit to Lake Balmorhea. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

The lake also featured a number of handsome Clark's Grebes. (photo by guide Chris Benesh)

After a thorough search, we managed to track down a few Montezuma Quail in the Davis Mountains. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

While at Big Bend we came across some Scaled Quail, aka cotton tops. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

Del Rio was good for kingfishers including this Green. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

Del Rio was the motherlode for Yellow-breasted Chats! (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

The Duck Pond in Del Rio was a great place to study Purple Martins and Chimney Swifts. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

And Del Rio has become a fairly reliable spot to find the White-collared Seedeater like this male. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

After scrutinizing a lot of Turkey Vultures, this Zone-tailed Hawk appeared in the Davis Mountains. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

This Whimbrel was out of place at Lake Balmorhea. This species normally migrates along the coast. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

This handsome Great Horned Owl showed nicely at Cottonwood Campground. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

While this tiny Elf Owl peered out of its roost hole at Rio Grande Village. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

Big Bend is a fantastic place for Greater Roadrunners. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

One of the male Lucifer Hummingbirds we found in Blue Creek Canyon. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

One of the three Olive-sided Flycatchers seen on the trip. This species has the longest migration of any North American flycatcher. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

The one the more confiding species in the Chisos Mountains is the Mexican Jay which were very curious of hikers. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

The striking Vermilion Flycatcher was a familar sight along the Rio Grande. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

After working hard to see Gray Vireo in Blue Creek Canyon, it was nice to have really rewarding views in the Hill Country. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

And of course the Colima Warbler is perhaps the most sought after of the birds in Big Bend. We had some memorable encounters up high in the Chisos. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

The long narrow bill of this Rock Wren allows it to find invertebrates tucked in to cracks in the rocky terrain it prefers. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

It was an exceptional year for Cedar Waxwings. These were drinking at the feeding station in the Davis Mountains. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

This remarkable Louisiana Waterthrush flew in to a tree right in front of us and began singing. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

We had wonderful views of this Tropical Parula, right on the grounds on our lodging. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

An immature Broad-winged Hawk seen at Lost Maples. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

As the free-tailed bats flowed out of the cave, Red-tailed Hawks came swooping in to snag them out of the air. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

We saw a nice variety of native and non-native mammals. This Collared Peccary was at Rio Grande Village. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

Some of the Pronghorn seen on our way to the Davis Mountains. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

A big group of Barbary Sheep south of Alpine. Introduced in the 1950’s, the population in Texas is now thought to be over 5000. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

There are a lot of interesting and amazing invertebrates in Texas including this millipede seen at the Pecos River view. (Photo by guide Chris Benesh)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

A few other critters seen include:

Coachwhip - seen at Rio Grande Village.

Plain-bellied Water Snake - seen swimming in pond at Lost Maples.

Texas Earless Lizard - Blue Creek Canyon, etc.

Green Anole - Lost Maples.

Texas Spiny Lizard - at Lost Maples.

Marbled Whiptail - Seen at Cottonwood Campground.

Common Spotted Whiptail - seen at the Pecos River.

Totals for the tour: 214 bird taxa and 19 mammal taxa