April 17 - Black Mesa Country

I’d wakened sometime during the night to hear coyotes yipping a ways out.  Then I woke again when George, the cow dog, barked for a half-an-hour or so.  I figured that she must have been keeping us safe from the song dogs.

Those of us staying at the Hitching Post assembled for breakfast at 7:30/6:30 Central/Mtn time, and the Black Mesa group joined us at 8:30.  We birded around Kenton for a bit, and were pleasantly surprised by a pair of Evening Grosbeaks in the B&B’s elm trees.

We checked out the feeders in town, but saw nothing “new” for the trip.

Male Cowbird going for the seed

While a Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow waits its turn

Jimmy then had us drive up to Camp Billy Joe youth camp and we walked up the trail looking for Juniper Titmice or Scrub Jays, but found only Bushtits and Townsend’s Solitaires.  We continued on into the State Park campground again, and were greeted by the Angus and “Black Baldys” along the road.

As we drove in, I spotted 8 Black Night-herons flushed from a roost in the cottonwoods behind the Rangers’ residence, and got the other birders on them after some of them re-lit in the trees.
Coming through the campground, we found a couple Lesser Goldfinches mixed in with the dozens of American Goldfinch, House Finch, and White-crowned Sparrows.  Say’s Phoebes are ubiquitous.

Lesser Goldfinch and House Finch flock

The backs of the Lessers are much more green in color than those of the American Goldfinch

Our group began thinning out even more, as Bill and Mary peeled off, and the Michiganders left for more adventure.  Five of us braved the 30-knot winds at the Lake Etling overlook, before Larry and Jan said their goodbyes.

The white dot in the lake is a White Pelican . . .

The Park buildings are on the far shore

Jimmy, Barrett and I backtracked toward Dan Robinson’s place, to look for a Sage Thrasher that Dan had reported to Jimmy.  En route, we stopped at an abandoned farmstead, where there were a number of migrating Hermit Thrushes in the trees.

There are many abandoned farmsteads in Oklahoma. The country is not full . . .

There was also a small grave site for Douglas A. Clifton, 1948-2014.  Makes a person wonder what the circumstances are that his remains ended up in this deserted place?

Requiescat In Pace, Douglas Clifton

We didn’t find the Thrasher at the Robinson place, but we did find a Rock Wren, and sorted through the sparrow flock to find a couple juncos, a Savannah and several Vesper Sparrows.

Jimmy Woodard led a great trip to the Panhandle for the LPCF

Barrett took his leave, heading back to Texas.  I joined Jimmy at the Boise City Subway shop for a light lunch, then headed back to LeRoss’ place in Kenton for one more night.  On the way, I did stop at the Fort Nichols monument, along the Santa Fe Trail.  The fort was built by Kit Carson’s New Mexico and California volunteers to protect Anglo travelers on the trail from Kiowa and Comanche raiders, but only operated from May to September of 1865.

Kenton eBird Checklist is Here

Boy Scout Camp Billy Joe eBird Checklist is Here

Black Mesa State Park eBird Checklist is Here

Lake Carl Etling eBird Checklist is Here

Abandoned Farmstead eBird Checklist is Here

Robinson Place (private) eBird Checklist is Here

April 16 - Oklahoma Panhandle

Up with the alarm at 5 a.m. and made it over to the “Main House” for breakfast at 6:30, when the folks that were staying at the Hoot Owl Ranch arrived.  Jane Apple serves up a fine breakfast, and plenty of robust coffee.  This place appears to subscribe to the axiom that my father touted, that: “Most people camp too close to the creek to make good coffee…” 
Our first birding was through the village of Kenton, where one of the birders had seen a Red Crossbill earlier that morning.  We spent a lot of time at the town’s feeders (both of them), but didn’t see that species, although Say’s Phoebes were ubiquitous.

The declining fortunes of the town were evident in the empty buildings,

This empty building had a beautiful Wood Duck stained glass window

This one didn't have a window . . .

but the town’s spirit remains intact.

Jon and Gail seated at the closed Mercantile . . .

Back at the cars, we drove over to the bridge over the Cimarron River, just west of town, and right at the New Mexico State Line.

Cimarron River Bridge

The goal here was to find Black-billed Magpies.
While I’m used to seeing magpies Back West in eastern Washington, they were a draw for the East-Coasters in the group.

Scoping the 'pie

Did I mention that Say's Phoebes are ubiquitous?

We left then for Black Mesa State Park, where we drove in and walked through the campground, then checked out Lake Carl Etling.

Birding is just a "day in the Park"

Canyon Wren

On the way out of the park, we went up the road to where the community holds its Easter Pageant, named accordingly, Easter Pageant Road, where we were scolded by a pair of Black-throated Sparrows.

Getting that "twitch"

The day had warmed up pretty well by then, to at least the mid-70s, so birding slowed down considerably.  Jimmy had a few local sites of interest to show us, so we went off to the base of Black Mesa, looking for but not finding Woodhouse’s Scrub Jays.  We got out along a stretch of the creek, which was dry, and were greeted by the cattle on this private property.

Cow-Calf Operation

A little bull calf

We didn’t see the jays.  What we did get to see was a set of Dinosaur Tracks.
These tracks have been preserved in a sandstone stratum next to Carrizo Creek.  This trackway was originally discovered in the 1980s, and contained 47 footprints.  Due to subsequent erosion, only a third of those tracks are visible today.  Today they were covered with mud from last week’s rains, but were readily discernible.
Scientists were intrigued by two tracks in particular that were much deeper than the others and had a ridge.  They postulated that the dinosaur was walking on a mudflat area and slipped, leaving a telltale sign that has lasted for millions of years.  Although the exact species is not known, the palaeontologists believe the tracks came from a theropod, which is a scientific classification for bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex.

This track is about 16 inches wide

Afterward, we went over to the Three Corners Monument, erected by Deputy U.S. Surveyor Levi S. Preston in 1901.

Preston Tri-State Monument

This place isn’t nearly as well advertised, nor commercialized, as the Four Corners Monument on the Navajo Nation, but was sufficiently important that an obelisk was erected.  There was a dispute between the States of Colorado and New Mexico as to which of the several boundary line surveys were correct, and this, the Preston Monument, was established as the correct line by the US Supreme Court in 1925.

Jimmy just had to show us a sign erected by the owners of the Rainier Ranch, who graze their cattle on hundreds of acres of State Land, and wish to keep “Rabid Environmentalists” and other suspect types off the leased public land . . .

Regnier Ranch sign - correct spelling is optional

I just have to mention that this ranch has picked up $92,768.13 in farm subsidies in the most recent years (1995-2006) I could find.  The Regniers apparently are good to their cattle, who came over to check us out when we stopped.

Looking for a treat?

Our final birding stop was at the Hoot Owl Ranch, which charges $5 for people to go birding, and that pays for their maintaining feeders, nest boxes and such.  Here, we saw a nesting Red-tailed Hawk, as well as Bushtits.

Male Bushtits have dark eyes . . .

There was also a grave marker out on the place for “Blue”, who I can only assume was a very special ranch dog.
This evening before supper, we were treated to a slide show by one of our birders, Bennett Pierce, which was well received by the group.  Tonight’s supper back at the Hitching Post B&B was meat loaf, green bean casserole, cheese potatoes and dessert of cherry scrabble, after which I returned to LeRoss’ place for a full night’s sleep.

Daisy - Erigeron annuus

Kenton eBird Checklist is Here

Cimarron River eBird Checklist is Here

Black Mesa State Park eBird Checklist is Here

Easter Pageant Road eBird Checklist is Here

Hoot Owl Ranch eBird Checklist is Here