chickadilly
Member
I arrived at the Cibolo Nature Center around 9:40 AM and spent nearly three hours there. For the first little bit I only heard new birds but couldn't find any (Yelllow-throated Warbler and Red-eyed Vireo in particular). I then was able to finally spot a male Painted Bunting, although it was immature so the colors weren't as pronounced. Other highlights include:
In total, I IDed 8 new birds here. Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172062246
I then went to the grand opening of a new Wild Birds Unlimited in Boerne, TX. I picked up more feed for my suet feeder (fruits and nuts for the woodpeckers and to keep House Sparrows uninterested) and a hat with a Western Tanager on it. There was complementary beer and tacos courtesy of the brewery next door and a taco truck, respectively. Free lunch!
I then drove about 30 minutes to Guadalupe River State Park. This place actually had two bird blinds, but one was closed due to inclement weather. I spotted a new bird before I even got out of the parking lot - a Black and White Warbler. At the blind it was mostly greedy cowbirds but there were a few hummingbirds and I got my best view yet of a male Painted Bunting. There was also a female Indigo Bunting and I never would have known it if it weren't for a lady also watching at the blind who happened to be the person in charge of maintaining the blinds.
I then trekked into the woods, following a trail into trees so thick I found myself crouching a lot. The bugs were relentless and it was humid as hell and my blood sugar was all over the place but I still found my way to the river and paused there for awhile, enjoying the view. Eventually I decided it was time to go (the wife had agreed to let me take the whole day out and it had been nearly ten hours at this point) but I walked over to at least glance at the cliffs the state park is known for before leaving. While making my way there, I encountered a male and female Summer Tanager. So that was a cool way to end the day!
All in all, I IDed 4 new birds here. Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172063435
Truly an amazing day. Originally it was meant to be an overnight trip but my wife was alone in the house for the weekend since my sister and brother in law were out of town and she was too scared to be alone at night. I'll do a full overnight trip probably next month.
TLDR: I saw 12 news birds and had free tacos and beer
- getting a really clear view of a Red-shouldered Hawk in the trees
- hearing a Barred Owl
- finding so many new warblers. Yellow Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, etc. I was overwhelmed at the amount of tiny little yellow birds that were new to me, I'm not sure I even recorded all of them correctly.
- spotted 3-4 Golden-cheeked Warblers, the endangered bird that exclusively breeds in Texas. One landed on a branch right behind me and I followed it for awhile, which led me to several more
- seeing a fox hiding in a tree. when I went to investigate, it retreated into a big hole in the tree
- hearing and eventually spotting a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Let me tell you, if you don't know what this bird sounds like, hearing it in the wild is absolutely baffling. Straight up thought it was a dinosaur.
In total, I IDed 8 new birds here. Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172062246
I then went to the grand opening of a new Wild Birds Unlimited in Boerne, TX. I picked up more feed for my suet feeder (fruits and nuts for the woodpeckers and to keep House Sparrows uninterested) and a hat with a Western Tanager on it. There was complementary beer and tacos courtesy of the brewery next door and a taco truck, respectively. Free lunch!
I then drove about 30 minutes to Guadalupe River State Park. This place actually had two bird blinds, but one was closed due to inclement weather. I spotted a new bird before I even got out of the parking lot - a Black and White Warbler. At the blind it was mostly greedy cowbirds but there were a few hummingbirds and I got my best view yet of a male Painted Bunting. There was also a female Indigo Bunting and I never would have known it if it weren't for a lady also watching at the blind who happened to be the person in charge of maintaining the blinds.
I then trekked into the woods, following a trail into trees so thick I found myself crouching a lot. The bugs were relentless and it was humid as hell and my blood sugar was all over the place but I still found my way to the river and paused there for awhile, enjoying the view. Eventually I decided it was time to go (the wife had agreed to let me take the whole day out and it had been nearly ten hours at this point) but I walked over to at least glance at the cliffs the state park is known for before leaving. While making my way there, I encountered a male and female Summer Tanager. So that was a cool way to end the day!
All in all, I IDed 4 new birds here. Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172063435
Truly an amazing day. Originally it was meant to be an overnight trip but my wife was alone in the house for the weekend since my sister and brother in law were out of town and she was too scared to be alone at night. I'll do a full overnight trip probably next month.
TLDR: I saw 12 news birds and had free tacos and beer
