By the time you read this we will have officially left the great state of Texas and if not all the way back to the Midwest Tundra, certainly withing striking distance. With some definite sadness, our winter migration has come to an end and now time to get back to the Intrigued HQ to get caught up on all the paperwork piling up since our departure – that and finally take down all the Christmas decorations ha! As a whole, it felt like a down year for birding in south Texas as there was relatively little to chase and some of our planned checks never materialized. There were a couple of new lifers (future posts) and a start that took us further west along the border than we have ever been. It was really that portion of our “migration” that elevated the entire birding experience and resulted in a rather stunning surprise.
On our last day in Texas I was able to tin a number of missing birds at Caddo Lake State Park (in our top 5 State Parks we have had the chance to visit). That haul stuck me firmly into third place in the top 100 eBirders in Texas this year with 244+3 checks. Extremely pleased with that accomplishment and I do owe Linda a lot of credit for getting me anywhere close to that level – she denies she is a birder, but she knows her “stuff” and Ron will confirm. As you have likely already assumed, third will be my high water mark with our departure. Best of luck to our many birding friends (old and new) that live in or staying longer in the region – this year we even managed to meet up with birders we know from back home (it really is a small world). The birding community down here is incredibly gracious and always willing to get you directly on a bird or relay the latest information – thank you!
I have plenty more to update everyone on, but there is plenty of time for that in future posts. Let’s get you to the real reason you find yourselves here – BIRDS. In honor of landing in the Texas top 5, going with a more literal interpretation of sticking the landing
Hit the jump to read more about this member of a squadron making their way back to base.
Continue reading Stuck the Landing
Life Intrigued 