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Texas Trip : December 11-20, 2019

Part 1 - Eastbound

December 11-12: San Diego to Marble Canyon

I started east by way of Las Vegas to meet a friend at a convention there. Then, it was on to Marble Canyon to visit the condors again.

Coachella Valley	Ivanpah Solar Power facility	Boulder City VOR	Hoover Dam
Grand Wash Cliffs	Hurricane Cliffs	Bulrush Point and Kanab Creek	Vermilion Cliffs
Marble Canyon Airstrip

December 13: Marble Canyon

The Marble Canyon Lodge is conveniently right across the street from the airport, and the Navajo Bridge is just a short walk away. Condors marked with *'s were seen during my visit in September.

pIMG_8472.JPG	Sunrise at Marble Canyon	Roosting condors	pIMG_8501.JPG
pIMG_8520.JPG	cIMG_8527.JPG	#P8*, F, born 2014 in Portland OR	#VC, F, born 2017 in Boise
#T7*, M, born 2016 in San Diego	#01, M, born 2011 in Boise	#P5, M, born 2014 in Los Angeles	#R5, F, born 2015 in Portland OR
pIMG_8564.JPG	pIMG_8568.JPG	Mates #54, M, born 2004 in Boise and #H9, F, born 2008 in Portland OR	pIMG_8594.JPG
#?9 and #54	pIMG_8633.JPG	#09, F, born 2016 in San Diego	#blank*, born wild at Glen Canyon in 2018
Under the old (pedestrian) Navajo Bridge	pIMG_8643.JPG	pIMG_8651.JPG	pIMG_8661.JPG
#N1, M, born 2013 in Boise	#55, F, born 2007 in Portland OR	#N6, M, born 2013 in San Diego	pIMG_8698.JPG

December 13: Marble Canyon to Aransas Pass

900 nm across New Mexico and Texas in less than 6 hours flying time, helped by some big tailwinds. The Blue Origin NS-12 suborbital mission had flown just a couple days earlier.

Marble Canyon Airport	Crooked runway stripe!	pIMG_8716.JPG	pIMG_8721.JPG
Monument to the Mexican People, Ciudad Juarez	Blue Origin landing pad	Blue Origin launch pad	pIMG_03201.JPG
That's a nice tailwind!	Approaching the Gulf Coast

December 14: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Sunrise in Rockport	pIMG_8755.JPG	Sora	Common Gallinule
pIMG_8771.JPG	White-winged Dove	pIMG_8778.JPG	Eastern Phoebe
pIMG_8784.JPG	Groove-billed Ani	Tricolored Heron	pIMG_8792.JPG
pIMG_8795.JPG	pIMG_8796.JPG	Gray Catbird	Roseate Spoonbill
Whooping Cranes	pIMG_8819.JPG	American White Pelican	pIMG_8822.JPG
pIMG_8836.JPG	pIMG_8845.JPG	pIMG_8862.JPG	pIMG_8891.JPG
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Great-tailed Grackle	pIMG_8909.JPG	pIMG_8920.JPG
Northern Cardinal	Blue-winged Teal and American Wigeon	pIMG_8933.JPG	American Wigeon
Least Grebe (?) and Yellowlegs	Greater Yellowlegs	pIMG_8946.JPG	pIMG_8952.JPG
pIMG_8955.JPG	pIMG_8956.JPG	Pied-billed Grebe	pIMG_8965.JPG
pIMG_8967.JPG	pIMG_8976.JPG	pIMG_8981.JPG	pIMG_8987.JPG
pIMG_8988.JPG	pIMG_8993.JPG	pIMG_8995.JPG	pIMG_03255.JPG
Black Vulture	pIMG_9007.JPG	Anole	Vulture roost
Turkey Vulture	cIMG_9027.JPG	pIMG_9029.JPG	American Kestrel
pIMG_9037.JPG	Dark Peacock butterfly (J. nigrosuffusa)	Little Blue Heron	pIMG_9046.JPG
pIMG_9051.JPG	pIMG_9053.JPG	Great Egret	Probably Sandhill Cranes
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)	Laying eggs	An egg	American Alligator
pIMG_9079.JPG	Common Goldeneye	pIMG_9094.JPG	pIMG_9097.JPG
Armadillo	pIMG_9113.JPG	cIMG_9115.JPG	pIMG_9135.JPG
Bullfrog	cIMG_9150.JPG

December 14: Rockport and Padre Island

Some local birders suggested I check out Padre Island for falcons. I found a couple Peregrines, but no Aplomados.

Crested Caracara	pIMG_9165.JPG	Great-tailed Grackle (females)	pIMG_9178.JPG
pIMG_9180.JPG	Peregrine Falcon	Franklin's Gull (?)	This guy wanted a handout
pIMG_9205.JPG	pIMG_9209.JPG	cIMG_9215.JPG	Willet
Ring-billed Gull	Turtle	pIMG_9245.JPG	pIMG_9246.JPG
Osprey	White-tailed Hawk	pIMG_9267.JPG	cIMG_9277.JPG
pIMG_9280.JPG	cIMG_9282.JPG