Texas hill county and Big Bend National Park -April 8-10

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

Golden cheeked Warbler habitat, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

A week long, whirlwind trip down to Texas and then over to Arizona via New Mexico began with an early morning flight out of Hartford down to Dallas/Fort Worth which meant a wake up call at just after 3AM. The trip was specifically planned to add a number of species of warblers for my big warbler year in the US. The two main targets for the Texas portion of the trip were Golden cheeked Warbler and Colima Warbler. The targets in Arizona (and perhaps New Mexico) included Virginia’s Warbler, Lucy’s Warbler, Grace’s Warbler and Red faced Warbler. I also had the chance to turn up a couple of western species that would be just starting to move through including Hermit Warbler and MacGillivray’s Warbler although neither would be critical to miss as I should be able to get them later in the year when we stop in Oregon on our way home from Alaska in July. Besides the target warblers I would be looking for whatever else I may come across and exploring some new areas.  Thankfully the very early flight down to Dallas was on time and after getting through the airport and then a shuttle to the rental car center (no airport should have a shuttle for rental cars and I usually avoid any airports that have them but no choice this time). Eventually I got on the road around 10AM and then made the three and a half hour drive down to the area where I would be spending the night (an Airbnb in Liberty Hill to the northwest of Austin). Before going to the store for supplies and making it to the Airbnb I wanted to try to get some birding in. My main focus for this portion of the trip was Golden cheeked Warbler…an endangered species that only breeds in the area of central Texas. I was last down in the area back in 2017 (link to hill country post and Big Bend NP) and I remember having good luck at the appropriately named Warbler Vista area of Balcones Canyonlands NWR so that is where I headed. Trying to track down birds on a sunny afternoon with temps around 80 usually doesn’t produce much as the birds get much quieter compared to the morning. Nonetheless I managed to get a Golden cheeked Warbler fairly quickly and got a few photos and recordings. I heard a few others singing although trying to get more photos proved to be a fruitless endeavor for me. The only other species of warbler in the area (and the most abundant) were Orange crowned Warbler. I also tried briefly at Doeskin Ranch (another area of the Balcones Canyonland NWR) for additional Golden cheeked Warblers without any luck. By this time it was getting late afternoon and I still needed to drive a bit to get to my lodging so I headed out. 

Laddder backed Woodpecker, South Llano River SP, Junction, TX, Apr 9, 2026

Black capped Vireo, South Llano River SP, Junction, TX, Apr 9, 2026

My first full day in Texas would be filled with even more driving as I made the long trek out to Big Bend NP. The total trip took over six and a half hours…Big Bend is really in the middle of nowhere! I was out the door early and headed for South Llano River SP in Junction, about two hours away to break the trip up a bit. Not long before I arrived I ran into a few light rain showers and I had to deal with a little drizzle once I arrived. I explored the area for about two and a half hours before hitting the road again. Nothing really rare was found during my time there but it was great to get good looks at quite a few birds including Black capped Vireo. Eventually the sun came out as I travelled further west into more desert like habitat. I made it to my lodging in Terlingua in mid afternoon and settled in to prep for the big hike the following day. 

Colima Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Rufous crowned Sparrow, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Spotted Towhee, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Bushtit, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Sunrise in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Friday was the day for a long hike at Big Bend NP to try my luck in finding a Colima Warbler. The species nest mainly in Mexico and only comes across the border to the US in the upper elevations of the Chisos Mountains within the park. The species usually starts to arrive around mid April with a few making it in around the date of my arrival. This year there were no reports so far so I was worried I would miss the species. I arrived in Chisos Basin to start my hike in the dark around 5:20AM and picked the steep Pinnacles Trail to get me into the habitat as soon as possible. I had a few Mexican Whip Poor Wills singing as I walked up making it to the pass right at sunrise. I then walked down Boot Canyon toward Boot Spring. As I picked up various species as they started singing I heard a Colima Warbler singing too. I made it down to the area where I could hear it better and started looking for it. I got a few recordings as I waited to catch a glimpse and eventually I got looks and some marginal photos…very happy to have found my main target and add one of the toughest to get species of warblers in the US for three year. After that everything would be much less stressful as missing the species would have ended my chance of seeing all the warblers in the US for the year. I possibly could have tried the following day if I missed it but that would be a tough proposition with having to drive down to the park again, hike up and back down, spend time looking for the warbler and then make the long drive to New Mexico. I had hopes of finding some more Colima Warblers so I continued on to Boot Spring (which was very quiet) and then started my long descent down via the Colima Trail and then Laguna Meadow Trail. I remembered well from my previous trip to the park that although that route is a bit less steep it is much longer in distance. I continued to add species on the way down and eventually ran out of water near the end. The biggest struggle was my right leg which started hurting not long as the trip down started and got worse the further I went. If I stopped to try to rest it it would stiffen up so I just kept pressing on and finally arrived back at the car around a bit after noon time. I had thoughts of making another few stops but my leg was hurting too much and I was done with walking after 10 plus miles with all of it on mountain trails with no flat areas. A full list from my time in Chisos Basin can be found at the following link: Big Bend trip report.

Total species for the Texas portion of the trip came to 78 species with nine of those species new for me in the state bringing my Texas state total to 279.  Full trip list from Texas at the following link.

More detailed info on warblers for the Texas portion of the trip can be found here: Texas warblers.

Vancouver Island, Canada -June 28-July 3

Mountains from beach, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 28, 2024 

Mule Deer, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 28, 2024 

This post is a continuation of our trip to Canada with the first part of the trip covered in the previous post: Canadian Rockies.  Friday was a travel day with a morning flight from Calgary to Victoria on Vancouver Island. I once again had a great selection of waterfowl on the pond near the hotel before we left for the nearby airport. Thankfully our flight went smoothly and we arrived on time and picked up our rental car (yet again a threatened strike was averted). Before leaving the airport in Victoria I was able to bag a local specialty with an Eurasian Skylark, an established introduced species in the area. Not as good as seeing it in its native habitat in Europe and Asia but I’ll take it. We then went to Butchart Gardens for awhile before starting the long drive to Qualicum Beach, about a third of the way up the east side of the island. Traffic was bad due to the holiday weekend in Canada and it took us longer than planned to make the trip. Nonetheless we eventually made it and settled in to our Airbnb for the next five nights.  

MacGillivray's Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Western Tanager, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Orange crowned Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Wilson's Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Northern Flicker, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Spotted Towhee, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Pacific Wren, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

On Saturday morning I was up before dawn and headed to the nearby Lighthouse Country Regional Trail where I spent three hours exploring the myriad of trails in the area. It was overcast the entire time but the birds were active with lots of song and I got plenty of recordings as well as some photos. I headed back to our lodging after my walk and not long after some light rain started and it continued at varying intensity through the remainder of the morning. By late morning we decided to head north to check out a few wineries and possibly a short walk (if we could get a dry break). We managed to get to two wineries and got a short walk in at Nymph Falls before the rain drove us back to the car. The rain finally quit early in the evening and we took a walk down to the beach. I got a number of species on the water but some were just too far out to ID…a scope would have been great to have. By the end of the day I had 49 species. 

Hutton's Vireo, McColl Rd, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Song Sparrow, McColl Rd, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Black throated Gray Warbler, McColl Rd, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Glaucous winged Gull, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Orange crowned Warbler, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Chestnut backed Chickadee, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Rufous Hummingbird, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Barred Owl, Parksville Wetlands, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Thankfully Sunday was a much better day weather wise with a mix of sun and clouds throughout the day. I once again was out before dawn and this time I headed just a few minutes north to McCall Road and spent just under three hours walking the road. Initially it was a bit quieter than the trails I was on the day before but eventually it got more active. I had a few very active pockets of birds with other areas not having much activity at all. Lots more recordings and some photos for the morning. Around 8:30 I got back to our lodging and then we headed out to Rathtrevor Beach where we walked on the beach for a bit and then I walked some of the more wooded trails just inland. It got busy quick with people as it was the weekend but there were still some birds to be found for sure. We stayed there until late morning and then took a walk at the Parksville Wetlands to finish out the morning. We then worked our way back to our lodging with a few brief stops along the way. The rest of the afternoon was spent around the lodging. A total of 66 species for the day while covering a variety of different habitats. 

Humpback Whales, Offshore Campbell River, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Humpback Whale, Offshore Campbell River, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Mitlenatch Island, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pelagic Cormorant, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pigeon Guillemot, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Double crested Cormorant nests, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pelagic Cormorant nests, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Marbled Murrelet, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Steller's Sealions, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Harlequin Ducks, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Rhinoceros Auklets, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Bald Eagle, Quadra Island, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pigeon Guillemot, Quadra Island, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Warbling Vireo, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

We spent Canada Day making the hour drive up to Campbell River to take a four hour whale watch tour. I got out a little before dawn to some areas nearby to start adding some species for the new month of July. I went back to the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail once again and had a decent selection of species. After just under two hours I headed back to our lodging and then we headed up to Campbell River. The whale watch started at nine and after a slight engine issue we were out exploring for whales and other wildlife. We had a few Humpback Whales plus some Dall’s Porpoises as well as seals and sea-lions. There were a few pockets of birds with the majority around the nesting island of Mitlenatch Island. This area held several nesting species including Pigeon Guillemot, Glaucous winged Gull, Pelagic Cormorant and Double crested Cormorant. Other notables around the island included Harlequin Ducks, Rhinoceros Auklets and Marbled Murrelets. We made it back into port around 1:30 and then had to fight some Canada Day traffic in the big city of Campbell River as we made our way to a winery for the afternoon. Overall it was a sunny and warm day with fairly calm conditions throughout and I managed a respectable 55 species for the day. 

MacGillivray's Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

Chestnut backed Chickadee, Nile Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

White crowned Sparrow, Nile Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', McCall Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

View from beach, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

After a fair bit of travel on the first to get up to Campbell River and then back through Canada Day traffic we decided to stay local for our last full day on the island.  I was out early once again with several stops in nearby Bowser before heading back to the lodging for a short break and then another walk along the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail.  The remainder of the day was spent relaxing before we had to leave the following day.

Steller's Jay, McColl Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

MacGillivray's Warbler, McColl Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

Olive sided Flycatcher, Dudley Marsh, Coombs, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Hamilton Marsh, Coombs, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

Common Nighthawk, Hamilton Marsh, Coombs, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

The third of July would be a travel day back toward home with a ferry trip from Vancouver Island over to the mainland and then on to Vancouver Airport with a red eye flight back to Boston. Before leaving our lodging in Qualicum Bay I hit a few spots nearby in the early morning including Hamilton Marsh, Dudley Marsh and McCall’s Road. Typical species were around at each location and I captured a few more photos and recordings before heading back to pack up. We started the trip home with an hour drive to Nanaimo where we got on the ferry to Vancouver.  There was not too much bird activity during the ferry trip.  During our time on Vancouver Island I found a total of 95 species. 

Overall for the entire trip I had 153 species in Canada with 113 being new for me in Canada and bringing my Canada total up to 193 species. I got three life birds with Gray crowned Rosy Finch, Dusky Grouse and Eurasian Skylark and my life list now stands at 2005.  I also managed to get recordings of 17 new species and got my 400th recorded species with a Varied Thrush.

Full post on warblers from the entire trip at the following link: warblers on trip to western Canada