Leaving Big Bend

I will leave Big Bend in the morning, back at the campground it has filled up a bit there is now a small class A sitting between me and the truck camper, a few others have set up a tent or 2 here and there...still a small crowd.  This campground has 2 pit toilets...the closest one is the worst example of a pit toilet, so I walk to the farthermost one.  The difference is amazing...I think maintenance has recently been done in one unit.  

                                                          g. roadrunner finds a meal

SO now I admit this little tidbit.  On this trip TWICE I walked into male bathrooms. With the modern entrance there is no barrier.  The door-less maze-walk-in does not stop someone who is not paying attention! (moi)  Seriously???? Thank goodness no men were present..but when I look up and see a row of urinals and only 2 stalls with doors....that is my que to get the heck out!! About face immediately! If men had been present they would have been unhappy I imagine...Jeeze.  Once in a Walmart, (they are NOT laid out the same) and once again in a roadside rest area...after the second time... "okay this is crazy, will you please stop and study the little "icon" at the entry point before proceeding"??

This whole thing brought back a memory of another trip where a woman did the same thing and I heard the men tell her "You're in the men's room" ...she yelled and laughed and announced her mistake once inside the ladies room.  I took a stroll through the campground to the back end where the group camp is it was vacant and I saw bird movement back there...

It looks like a cicada, he hammers it a few times them...down it goes. 

a little video..

and finally a still roadrunner.  

                 This big Jack Rabbit lives in group camp he is quite striking...if you look really close you can see the desert landscape reflection in this rabbit's eye....

Vermilion flycatchers were busy in this campground too. 

along with Nashville Warblers, Yellow Warblers, Lark Sparrows, Western and Couch's Kingbird, Painted Buntings, Inca Doves, Brown headed Cowbirds, and one Grey Hawk!! 

She had a nest up in this tree...I was not able to get a shot of her but she called many times and shuffled around the top of the tree a few times, that  is her nest.  Here is Scarlet Tanager I think.  The wings and tail look very dark...

I found out about the nest from this lady she is the owner of the truck camper I mentioned.  The tree is driectly over her campsite another reason I did not get a photo of the bird, I would be violating this lady's personal space in my opinion,...and disturbing her..and look she is a most talented lady!!

She is from Colorado and she was on her last day in Big Bend as well...I imagine that truck camper is full of paintings as she had been in the park a month. I hope you can see the details in her painting.

a Nashville Warbler peeking down out of the trees...

 I stopped at one overlook area when I left Santa Elena Canyon the day before and spotted and took this photo of this bird...I studied and studied it and finally concluded it is a female Lark Bunting. Cant think of nothing else it could be!  So here is My lark bunting sighting. I did show it in the last post but didn't mention it's a life bird...

In the morning I had one more walk about the campground then

I left the park I sure loved Big Bend and would come back for sure....it's such a gorgeous landscape full of wild life too.   I left via the west entry and into the Ghost town of Terlingua.  

The claim to fame then famine was Quicksilver!! Better known as Mercury!  

Many of the past city's inhabitants now reside here in the old cemetery... died of an influenza Pandemic  in 1918.  

the sign says they celebrate every Nov 2 The Day of the Dead I saw many remnants of those past celebrations, they need to do a cemetery clean up day! Most of these fallen over crosses are illegible. 

according to the last census 56 people still make this town home...I did see a few artsy type shops, I did not stop to check inside...just drove through and kept...going.  

I hit the road heading north toward Guadalupe Mountain National Park.  After gassing up in Study Butte.  

Big Bend Complete Ebird List

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

More of Antelope Island

Another wonderful place I did not do justice to in my blog ,due to no internet, is Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake SP!  I combined 3 awesome places into one post with the notion I would later go more in depth.  My sister has a dear friend in CO (she hosted the garden party) and she told me if you get close to Antelope Island do STOP!  I was zooming up I-15 in heavy city traffic and suddenly a sign said Antelope Island next right and I just took it without even giving more thought to it than that...I did hope there would be other signs to point the way since I had not mapped it out period! It was all on a whim which is how I love to travel on a loose whim.

If you really want to be wow-d go there.  This is a place I would like to see in other seasons maybe not summer, but def spring and winter...

If you're a serious photographer with lots of patience you could get some awesome dust/dawn/twilight/sun rise/sun set shots here!  The vast lake itself is magical and like most western bodies of water right now its on the low level.  It's the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere and the largest remaining part of the prehistoric lake Bonneville! The lake has no outlet only evaporation that is why its saltier than the oceans.

Thanks to that salinity the lake has an enormous amount of brine shrimp and that brings BIRDS with the largest population of Wilson's Phalarope in the WORLD!  The cool thing about watching is the little circle dance they do which creates a vortex in the water and then they can scoop up the small crustaceans that are on the outer circles of the swirl so its a new "spin" on lunch!  I  took this video you have to excuse my constant chatter I am always amazed by nature and its hard to contain my curiosity.  It was my first time to witness this behavior.

                   

It was dizzying!! . 

there is a lot of insect activity near the water once you get up on the hills away from the water they disappear..

Up on the slight hill near our camp a scene unfolded....I saw a jack rabbit suddenly bound through the campground almost oblivious to the humans around and thought it strange...I snapped a fast photo as he surveyed and then took off!

next was a cubby/flock of chukkar just wandered down...I was amazed 

Then almost behind him was a pronghorn...she came within 30 ft of my camp...I was like Okay...snapping photos of her 

Casey Spots her...

then I spotted movement behind the brush about another 10 ft up the hillside and saw this character..and that answered that question of why are all these critters coming into the camp NEAR us humans? Clever and smart they are as Yoda might say..

Coyote

The hunter disappeared and soon the critters wandered back into the cover of natural surroundings...

There is a substantial herd of buffalo here and there is a buffalo ranch...I purposely did not visit that part of the park preferring to see the buffalo out free rather than in pens or corrals! 

A very nice visitors center sits up on a  hill with 360 degree views 

The animals are free roaming they tolerate the humans well but warnings say stay away from them...

Am. Avocet

The huge flocks of Northern Shoveler, Eared Grebes, Horned Grebes,  and American Avocets were here in great numbers too

here's a few stunning views I enjoyed! 

Then it was time to get back on the road!! I sure was HAPPY I stopped it def was a highlight!!

I could go on and on, but I'll leave something for you to discover on your own...

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.