2022 saw Field Guides’ successful return to Big Bend National Park. All in all, it was quite a successful venture. We started things off with a meet-up in San Antonio and then quickly headed west to Del Rio for the night. The following morning saw us birding near the banks of the Rio Grande, where we encountered a variety of species normally thought of as south Texas specialties, such as Couch’s Kingbird, Great Kiskadee, Long-billed Thrasher, and Olive Sparrow. We then headed west across the Pecos River, arriving in the late afternoon to the national park and the scenic Chisos Mountains. The following morning saw a dramatic shift in the weather with an unstable air mass settling in over the park. This hampered our efforts birding around the basin, but we were not entirely deterred, seeing a decent mix of birds despite conditions. We took time to take in the dinosaur exhibit and Panther Junction Visitors Center in light of the weather and explored Dugout Wells. The following day, we headed down to Rio Grande Village and observed the nesting pair of Common Black Hawk, as well as seeing a furtive Gray Hawk. Perhaps the rarest species encountered was the Canada Goose that came flying in - quite a rare species in the park! We did an afternoon hike into Blue Creek Canyon, but the afternoon heat kept bird activity down.
The next morning was our hike into the high country in search of Colima Warbler and other goodies. There was evidence of fire damage from the 2021 fire, especially around Boot Spring. But the hike was beautiful and birdy, and the warblers cooperated wonderfully. There was a territorial male at mile three on the Pinnacles Trail that showed off wonderfully. Painted Redstart, Zone-tailed Hawk, and a mix of Empidonax flycatchers were nice bonuses there too.
On our last morning in the park we decided to return to the water treatment plant in the basin. Turns out we shared some of our time there with a black bear as well as nice Varied Bunting, and a couple of rare Zonotrichia sparrows. We could hear and eventually saw a White-throated Sparrow. But rarer still was the Golden-crowned Sparrow the group spotted coming to the water. It didn’t stick around long, but long enough for some quick pix.
After a brief stop at the Old Sam Nail Ranch, we headed north to the Davis Mountains, with a roadside stop to take in some Chihuahuan Ravens and the newly split Chihuahuan Meadowlark. The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for quail without success. We picked up the search the following morning, and while we did not have any quail, we did have a nice mix of birds at the Madera Picnic Area, including Gray Flycatcher. Then it was off to Lake Balmorhea, where there were lots of grebes and ducks, and a lost White Ibis in the mix. The afternoon drive gave us a feel for the vastness of Texas, crossing the western half and ending up in the Hill Country in Utopia.
The following morning may have been the favorite of the trip, a visit to Lost Maples State Natural Area. Few places are as scenic and rich with bird species. We marveled at all of the bird song and activity we encountered there. There were so many highlights there, with Golden-cheeked Warbler, Tropical Parula, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-capped Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher among the many. An afternoon outing north of Utopia found us a few more new species including an irate Eastern Screech-Owl. Our last full day was spent working the western edge of the plateau in the direction of Fort Clark Springs and Bracketville, where highlights included Black-capped and Gray vireos, Dickcissels, Green Jays, a Prothonotary Warbler, and Green Kingfisher. All that was left was our yummy picnic dinner at the Frio Bat Cave followed by the spectacle of many thousands of free-tailed bats streaming out of the cave. A memorable finale!
On behalf of Jesse and myself, we wish to thank you all for being a part of the Big Bend and Hill Country experience! You were a great crew to travel with, and we appreciate your patience, wildlife spotting, and companionship. Good birding to all of you!
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
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
There was a big flock of these at Duck Pond in Del Rio.
CANADA GOOSE (Branta canadensis)
One seen near Rio Grande Village was a rare visitor to the park.
BLUE-WINGED TEAL (Spatula discors)
CINNAMON TEAL (Spatula cyanoptera)
NORTHERN SHOVELER (Spatula clypeata)
GADWALL (Mareca strepera)
AMERICAN WIGEON (Mareca americana)
MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos)
MEXICAN DUCK (Anas diazi)
We had some good studies of this relatively recently split species at Lake Balmorhea.
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Anas crecca)
RING-NECKED DUCK (Aythya collaris)
RUDDY DUCK (Oxyura jamaicensis)
NORTHERN BOBWHITE (Colinus virginianus)
A few seen scurrying into the grass west of Uvalde.
SCALED QUAIL (Callipepla squamata)
The drought has really hammered this species in Big Bend. Unfortunately our only encounter was of some flushing off of the side of the road on our way to Rio Grande Village.
WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo)
PIED-BILLED GREBE (Podilymbus podiceps)
WESTERN GREBE (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
CLARK'S GREBE (Aechmophorus clarkii)
Quite a few of these at Lake Balmorhea where they outnumbered Western Grebe about three to one.
ROCK PIGEON (Columba livia) [I]
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE (Streptopelia decaocto) [I]
INCA DOVE (Columbina inca) [*]
COMMON GROUND DOVE (Columbina passerina)
A couple in Del Rio and two more at Daniel's Ranch in BBNP.
WHITE-TIPPED DOVE (WHITE-TIPPED) (Leptotila verreauxi angelica)
One showed really nicely at Lost Maples.
WHITE-WINGED DOVE (Zenaida asiatica)
MOURNING DOVE (Zenaida macroura)
GREATER ROADRUNNER (Geococcyx californianus)
We witnessed an amazing display with a tail-wagging male trying to impress a female in Terlingua. She wasn't having it.
LESSER NIGHTHAWK (Chordeiles acutipennis)
One was seen flying around the Frio Bat Cave.
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW (Antrostomus carolinensis) [*]
CHIMNEY SWIFT (Chaetura pelagica)
WHITE-THROATED SWIFT (Aeronautes saxatalis)
BLUE-THROATED MOUNTAIN-GEM (Lampornis clemenciae)
A couple of lucky folks saw this species in the basin, but it wasn't evident at Boot Springs, where the fire had really thinned out the trees.
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD (Archilochus alexandri)
BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD (Selasphorus platycercus)
COMMON GALLINULE (Gallinula galeata)
AMERICAN COOT (Fulica americana)
BLACK-NECKED STILT (Himantopus mexicanus)
AMERICAN AVOCET (Recurvirostra americana)
KILLDEER (Charadrius vociferus)
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER (Calidris bairdii)
LEAST SANDPIPER (Calidris minutilla)
WESTERN SANDPIPER (Calidris mauri)
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
WILSON'S PHALAROPE (Phalaropus tricolor)
SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Actitis macularius)
GREATER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa melanoleuca)
WILLET (Tringa semipalmata)
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa flavipes)
RING-BILLED GULL (Larus delawarensis)
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Nannopterum brasilianum)
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
GREAT BLUE HERON (Ardea herodias)
GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba)
CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis)
GREEN HERON (Butorides virescens)
WHITE IBIS (Eudocimus albus)
One adult was at Lake Balmorhea, where they are rare.
WHITE-FACED IBIS (Plegadis chihi)
BLACK VULTURE (Coragyps atratus)
TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura)
OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus)
NORTHERN HARRIER (Circus hudsonius)
COOPER'S HAWK (Accipiter cooperii)
COMMON BLACK HAWK (Buteogallus anthracinus)
A nesting pair was at Rio Grande Village.
HARRIS'S HAWK (Parabuteo unicinctus)
Seen on the final morning west of Uvalde.
GRAY HAWK (Buteo plagiatus)
One was seen at Daniel's Ranch. This particular pair of birds has nested here for years but remain very wary.
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (Buteo lineatus)
BROAD-WINGED HAWK (Buteo platypterus)
SWAINSON'S HAWK (Buteo swainsoni)
ZONE-TAILED HAWK (Buteo albonotatus)
The only one seen was on the Pinnacles hike harassing Turkey Vultures.
RED-TAILED HAWK (Buteo jamaicensis)
BARN OWL (Tyto alba)
EASTERN SCREECH-OWL (Megascops asio)
A memorable encounter near Utopia.
GREAT HORNED OWL (Bubo virginianus)
BARRED OWL (Strix varia) [*]
RINGED KINGFISHER (Megaceryle torquata)
A good encounter near Del Rio.
BELTED KINGFISHER (Megaceryle alcyon)
GREEN KINGFISHER (Chloroceryle americana)
We eventually all had good scope views of one at Fort Clark Springs.
ACORN WOODPECKER (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Always a crowd pleaser, this species showed well for us in the Chisos Mountains.
GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER (Melanerpes aurifrons)
LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER (Dryobates scalaris)
NORTHERN FLICKER (Colaptes auratus)
There were a couple of Red-shafted birds seen at the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains.
CRESTED CARACARA (Caracara plancus)
PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus)
One flyover at Daniel's Ranch.
WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE (Contopus sordidulus)
EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE (Contopus virens)
ACADIAN FLYCATCHER (Empidonax virescens)
LEAST FLYCATCHER (Empidonax minimus)
HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (Empidonax hammondii)
GRAY FLYCATCHER (Empidonax wrightii)
DUSKY FLYCATCHER (Empidonax oberholseri)
CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER (Empidonax occidentalis)
BLACK PHOEBE (Sayornis nigricans)
EASTERN PHOEBE (Sayornis phoebe)
SAY'S PHOEBE (Sayornis saya)
VERMILION FLYCATCHER (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus cinerascens)
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus crinitus) [*]
BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus tyrannulus)
GREAT KISKADEE (Pitangus sulphuratus)
Del Rio.
COUCH'S KINGBIRD (Tyrannus couchii)
Seen in Del Rio and Bracketville.
CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (Tyrannus vociferans)
Eight seen at Daniel's Ranch was a high count for this eBird hotspot.
WESTERN KINGBIRD (Tyrannus verticalis)
EASTERN KINGBIRD (Tyrannus tyrannus)
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER (Tyrannus forficatus)
BLACK-CAPPED VIREO (Vireo atricapilla)
WHITE-EYED VIREO (Vireo griseus)
BELL'S VIREO (Vireo bellii)
GRAY VIREO (Vireo vicinior)
HUTTON'S VIREO (Vireo huttoni)
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (Vireo flavifrons)
CASSIN'S VIREO (Vireo cassinii)
PLUMBEOUS VIREO (Vireo plumbeus)
WARBLING VIREO (Vireo gilvus)
RED-EYED VIREO (Vireo olivaceus)
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE (Lanius ludovicianus)
GREEN JAY (Cyanocorax yncas)
WOODHOUSE'S SCRUB-JAY (Aphelocoma woodhouseii)
MEXICAN JAY (Aphelocoma wollweberi)
CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN (Corvus cryptoleucus)
COMMON RAVEN (Corvus corax)
CAROLINA CHICKADEE (Poecile carolinensis)
BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE (Baeolophus atricristatus)
VERDIN (Auriparus flaviceps)
NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
PURPLE MARTIN (Progne subis)
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (Tachycineta thalassina)
BANK SWALLOW (Riparia riparia)
BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica)
CLIFF SWALLOW (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
CAVE SWALLOW (Petrochelidon fulva)
Nice views of birds swirling over the bat cave.
BUSHTIT (Psaltriparus minimus)
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (Corthylio calendula)
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH (Sitta carolinensis)
One was in the Davis Mountains.
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (Polioptila caerulea)
BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER (Polioptila melanura)
Nice views of one in Blue Creek Canyon.
ROCK WREN (Salpinctes obsoletus)
At the Pecos River Overlook.
CANYON WREN (Catherpes mexicanus)
HOUSE WREN (Troglodytes aedon)
CAROLINA WREN (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
BEWICK'S WREN (Thryomanes bewickii)
CACTUS WREN (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
EUROPEAN STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris) [I]
GRAY CATBIRD (Dumetella carolinensis)
One was seen briefly at the San Nail Ranch.
CURVE-BILLED THRASHER (Toxostoma curvirostre)
The only ones seen turned out to be a pair of birds at the restaurant in Terlingua.
LONG-BILLED THRASHER (Toxostoma longirostre)
Good studies of this species in Del Rio.
CRISSAL THRASHER (Toxostoma crissale)
A few folks got on to the skulky bird that Jeff had spotted at Dugout Wells.
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (Mimus polyglottos)
EASTERN BLUEBIRD (Sialia sialis)
WESTERN BLUEBIRD (Sialia mexicana)
A handsome male was at the McDonald Observatory.
HERMIT THRUSH (Catharus guttatus)
One came in to the water treatment plant.
HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus) [I]
AMERICAN PIPIT (Anthus rubescens)
HOUSE FINCH (Haemorhous mexicanus)
PINE SISKIN (Spinus pinus)
LESSER GOLDFINCH (Spinus psaltria)
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (Spinus tristis)
CASSIN'S SPARROW (Peucaea cassinii)
OLIVE SPARROW (Arremonops rufivirgatus)
CHIPPING SPARROW (Spizella passerina)
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW (Spizella pallida)
BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW (Spizella atrogularis)
FIELD SPARROW (Spizella pusilla)
Several were seen along Cornelius Road north of Utopia.
BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (Amphispiza bilineata)
LARK SPARROW (Chondestes grammacus)
LARK BUNTING (Calamospiza melanocorys)
Sadly, a male seen flying across the park road near the Sam Nail Ranch was the only one we encountered.
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
One spotted coming in to the water at the basin water treatment plant was a rare find, rare enough in fact to be reviewed and accepted by the Texas Rare Bird Committee as record number 2022-44.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (Zonotrichia albicollis)
Heard and seen at the water treatment plant.
VESPER SPARROW (Pooecetes gramineus)
Another sparrow that came in to the water at the treatment plant.
SAVANNAH SPARROW (Passerculus sandwichensis)
LINCOLN'S SPARROW (Melospiza lincolnii)
CANYON TOWHEE (Melozone fusca)
RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW (Aimophila ruficeps)
SPOTTED TOWHEE (Pipilo maculatus)
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (Icteria virens)
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
EASTERN MEADOWLARK (CHIHUAHUAN) (Sturnella magna lilianae)
Since the tour in April this species has been officially split from Eastern Meadowlark and will be known as Chihuahuan Meadowlark, Sturnella lilianae.
ORCHARD ORIOLE (Icterus spurius)
HOODED ORIOLE (Icterus cucullatus)
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (Icterus bullockii)
SCOTT'S ORIOLE (Icterus parisorum)
It was a very good year for this species in the park.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius phoeniceus)
BRONZED COWBIRD (Molothrus aeneus)
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (Molothrus ater)
BREWER'S BLACKBIRD (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
COMMON GRACKLE (Quiscalus quiscula)
GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE (Quiscalus mexicanus)
LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH (Parkesia motacilla)
Bird on territory at Lost Maples.
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (Mniotilta varia)
Several seen at Lost Maples.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (Protonotaria citrea)
A nice surprise at Fort Clark Springs.
TENNESSEE WARBLER (Leiothlypis peregrina)
A migrant was seen north of Utopia.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (Leiothlypis celata)
Our only one was at Lost Maples.
COLIMA WARBLER (Leiothlypis crissalis)
A terrific experience with this highly sought after species.
NASHVILLE WARBLER (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)
MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (Geothlypis tolmiei)
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (Geothlypis trichas)
TROPICAL PARULA (NORTHEAST MEXICO) (Setophaga pitiayumi nigrilora)
Two seen with one at Daniel's Ranch and a second one at Lost Maples.
YELLOW WARBLER (Setophaga petechia)
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (AUDUBON'S) (Setophaga coronata auduboni)
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (Setophaga dominica)
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER (Setophaga nigrescens)
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER (Setophaga townsendi)
One on the Pinnacles hike.
GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER (Setophaga chrysoparia)
Wow, wow, wow. Great views at Lost Maples.
WILSON'S WARBLER (Cardellina pusilla)
PAINTED REDSTART (Myioborus pictus)
A handsome pair of birds was in the busy warbler flock we encountered on the Pinnacles Trail.
HEPATIC TANAGER (Piranga flava)
Better views of this species in the Davis Mountains.
SUMMER TANAGER (Piranga rubra)
WESTERN TANAGER (Piranga ludoviciana)
NORTHERN CARDINAL (Cardinalis cardinalis)
PYRRHULOXIA (Cardinalis sinuatus)
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
One in Bracketville was a bit far west.
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
BLUE GROSBEAK (Passerina caerulea)
LAZULI BUNTING (Passerina amoena)
A few of us got on to a female bird on the Pinnacles Trail.
INDIGO BUNTING (Passerina cyanea)
VARIED BUNTING (Passerina versicolor)
A beautiful male came in to the water at the treatment plant.
PAINTED BUNTING (Passerina ciris)
DICKCISSEL (Spiza americana)
VIRGINIA OPOSSUM (Didelphis virginianus)
BRAZILIAN FREE-TAILED BAT (Tadarida brasiliensis)
NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO (Dasypus novemcinctus)
EASTERN COTTONTAIL (Sylvilagus floridanus)
DESERT COTTONTAIL (Sylvilagus audubonii)
BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT (Lepus californicus)
TEXAS ANTELOPE SQUIRREL (Ammospermophilus interpres)
MEXICAN GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus mexicanus)
ROCK SQUIRREL (Spermophilus variegatus)
FOX SQUIRREL (Sciurus niger)
GRAY FOX (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus)
WILD BOAR (Sus scrofa) [I]
COLLARED PECCARY (Tayassu tajacu)
SPOTTED DEER (Axis axis) [I]
MULE DEER (Odocoileus hemionus)
WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus virginianus)
PRONGHORN (Antilocapra americana)
BLACKBUCK (Antilope cervicapra) [I]
BARBARY SHEEP (Ammotragus lervia) [I]
Totals for the tour: 217 bird taxa and 20 mammal taxa