So I am sensing a theme over the past couple of days...could it be possible that I love dinosaur fossils?!? Yes!!! We stopped in Clayton, NM to stretch our legs during our drive from Colorado and just happened to pass a dinosaur display on our way through town. There was pretty much no debate at that point. Getting back to West Texas at a reasonable hour? No longer an option. Our attempt at an hour detour turned into several hours, but we had a lot of fun. Clayton Lake State Park claims to have one of the highest concentrations and diversity (at least 8 species) of preserved dinosaur tracks in the world, and I can see why. Despite my love of dinosaurs, I have gotten to see very few in-place dinosaur tracks and have not yet been able to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park outside of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The couple of places that I have visited have had 2-4 preserved prints (still very cool), while Clayton Lake claims to have over 500 (wow!). While they are not all obvious, many are excellent. The entry fee for the park was $5. The visitor's center looked very nice, but was closed when we arrived, so we filled out our permit slip and deposited our fee into the box at one of the several information stations (there is one at the entrance of the parking area for the dinosaur tracks). The walk was only 1/4 mile each way, but it was hot and its easy to stay at the tracks longer than planned, so bring water. The trail was level and easy, but not paved, and a set of stairs leads you down to the footprints. At the end of the trail was a pavilion with information about the tracks. And now, on to the tracks!!! There were also informative signs along the boardwalk to explain what you were seeing. This sign explains the footprints seen in the picture above. In addition to dinosaur tracks, there are also fossilized remains of worm burrows, palm fronds (pictured above), possible leaves and an area where they think a dinosaur used its tail to balance itself in the mud. There were plenty of tracks and imprints to see and speculate about, but there was also beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife including Mule deer, dragonflies, damselflies, bunnies, birds, and an unusual looking cricket (unfortunately, I did not get a good picture). Highlights of the birds included a Greater Roadrunner, Say's Phoebes, Rock Wrens, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, a Green-tailed Towhee, Lark Sparrows, a Red-tailed Hawk, and swirling Turkey Vultures.
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I have visited this park twice, in 2010 and 2015, and the views and wildlife were worth the visit both times. This is a free park maintained by the city of Colorado Springs. The park can be seen by driving, biking, or walking and there are a couple of pull-offs and parking lots. There are trails off of the parking areas and a biking lane that follows the road. The park also has a very large gift shop (called the Trading Post) and a separate Visitor's Center. Bursts of wind can blow through the park, particularly around the main parking area, bringing with them blowing dust, so be mindful when you are in the higher areas. Additionally, storms can come up quickly, so be prepared. There is also plenty of wildlife including deer, bunnies, and squirrels/chipmunks, so please drive carefully. Highlights of the birds I saw included a Prairie Falcon, Black-billed Magpies, Western Scrub-Jays, Spotted Towhee, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Pinion Jays can also be found here, but I did not see one. The main attractions here are the rock formations, which are beautiful, and I also really enjoyed the Least, or Colorado, chipmunks!
Wow! This place had quite a collection. I was expecting a history of mining, which they also had, but the majority of this museum is a spectacular collection of minerals. The Geology Museum is located within the Colorado School of Mines in Boulder, Colorado. There are two floors and the rooms that house the museum are relatively small, but they are packed full of incredible things to look at. The upstairs is minerals, found locally and globally, a short history of mining, and crown jewels. The downstairs contains fossils of all kinds, meteorites, more minerals, and a gift shop. In addition to the museum, the campus has points of interest, including dinosaur tracks and imprints/fossils, that you can walk to. I did not realize it, but we got there 45 minutes before the museum closed an it was not enough time for me. I would have gladly gone back the next day, but due to the 4th of July the rest of the weekend was a school holiday, so the museum was closed. An added bonus was that the museum was free. We will definitely visit again when we are in the Boulder area. I took way too many pictures, and I can't upload them all, so this is only a small sample of what the museum held.
Barr Lake State Park is about 40 minutes northeast of downtown Denver and it was well worth the visit. This was only one of two parks that I got to visit in the Denver area and it turned out to be one of my favorite stops in eastern Colorado. They won me over when the first thing I saw was a adorable owl at the front entrance! As if that wasn't enough, I also saw some great birds and beautiful scenery. About half the park is trails while the other half can be driven. I spent my time at the boat ramp and on the Neidrach Trail before a storm chased me back to my car. Even while I was waiting out the storm, I spotted a few good birds including a Swainson's Hawk being mobbed and a Black-billed Magpie. I liked this park so much, that I returned again before we left Colorado. Even the bunnies thought it was too hot before the storm! Highlights of the birds I saw included Clark's and Western Grebes, Bald Eagles, Osprey, a Swainson's Hawk, an American Kestrel, Northern Flickers, a Downy Woodpecker, a Black-billed Magpie, Bullock's Orioles, American White Pelicans (which I never expected), and Barn Owls. There is plenty of wildlife around, so please drive slowly. Our favorite bunny. It must have been a juvenile because it would get so close at times that we could have touched it. Mom was a bit more wary. The Barn Owls were what I came to see, and they did not disappoint! If you do go to see them, please be respectful of their nest by quietly watching from an appropriate distance. I was able to get my pictures by putting my camera up to my spotting scope, which was set up at least 40 feet away. Like most birds, owls are protected by Federal Law. Apparently the lake was pretty high since Colorado has been getting lots of rain lately (summer 2015). The park is owned by the state, but the lake itself is owned by a Farmer's Association company that sells water. They can access water from the lake at any time in order to provide water shares to farmers. This means that the lake is not always as high as when I saw it and my understanding is that they can drain it to pretty low levels sometimes. Nonetheless, it was a very pretty park with views of meadows, Barr Lake, Cottonwood groves, and the mountains. I am not sure how birdy it is when the lake levels are low, but there was a nice variety of birds when I visited. The people that I spoke with at the entrance station, visitor's center, and the Park Rangers were all very nice and knowledgeable about the park. I can't wait to go back and explore more of the park next time!
The entrance fee was $7 for the day. There were several bathrooms, picnic areas, and a nice visitor's center. The park has plenty of information about activities that you can join on their website and on the information boards that can be found at parking areas. They have a nice website with up-to-date information about activities, several maps, and other good information: Barr Lake State Park website. Two of their activities included Moon Walks and outings on a Pontoon Boat, both of which I thought would be fun! This park is maintained by Jefferson County, and wow, have they done a nice job! I have to admit, after seeing the name, I didn't know what to expect and was hesitant to go, especially since the park is in the foothills of the mountains (I mean why else would you name a park Lair O' the Bear if there weren't bears everywhere?!), but when I saw that American Dippers had recently been sighted on the eBird list, I was off before you could yell "Bear!". This park is about 40 minutes west of downtown Denver, and while I did not see any bears or mountain lions (whew!), I did see lots of great birds. They have a nice parking area and the trails are open for use by horses, mountain bikers, hikers, and dogs, though a couple of short trails are restricted to hikers only. This was a pretty busy park with plenty of bikers and hikers and all of the dogs were well behaved with one exception (there's always one...). There were also plenty of fishermen and anglers enjoying the river. Facilities included bathrooms, picnic areas, and an educational area. The trails were easy to walk and level. Taking the trail upstream of the parking area, there were two stream crossings where you had to skittle across slippery rocks for a couple of feet, but these were a good ways down the trail. There are two bridges that can be used to cross the river, but at the time of my visit, the one upstream of the parking area (Dipper Bridge) was closed. And I don't know how this couldn't be a dinosaur footprint! The park was apparently greener and more vegetated than normal due to recent rains. I don't know what it normally looks like, but it was beautiful when I was there. This was also my favorite drive while we were in the Denver area. Besides the scenery, highlights included American Dippers, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Violet-green and Tree Swallows, Yellow Warblers, Lazuli Buntings, a Spotted Towhee, and a Black-capped Chickadee (for birders like me that spend most of their time in Carolina or overlapping ranges). There were also plenty of butterflies, including a Weidemeyer's Admiral (pictured below). And of course, the star of the park, the American Dipper! I was lucky enough to not only find one Dipper, but two! A juvenile and adult were foraging along Bear Creek. They may be plain looking birds, but American Dippers are very neat. They can only be found in clear, fast flowing streams with exposed rocks to perch on, and they only eat the aquatic insects and larvae that can be found in these streams (Sibley 2014).
More info about Lair O' the Bear can be found here: https://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/lair-o-bear-park/ as well as info about other Jefferson County parks. Map of Lair O' the Bear: Wow! The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ was great! Gorgeous plants, birds, and scenery, the botanical gardens had it all! There were several pathways highlighting different habitats. All were manageable and the botanical gardens can be covered in a few hours. We purchased an annual membership and visited a few times over the week (and still didn't cover everything) because my tendency to move slowly when I am birding and seeing new things. If lots of walking is a problem, there are plenty of places to sit and take in the scenery. The gardens offered two restaurants, one at the entrance (Gertrude's Restaurant) and one at the back (Patio Cafe). We only ate at the patio cafe. The food was good quality and they offered sandwiches, salads, wraps, and snacks. There were also cold water stations and restrooms located throughout the gardens. At the entrance of the botanical gardens is a beautiful Chihuly installment from when he had an exhibit here. The exhibit was a few years ago, but I wish we had been able to see it. I bet it was spectacular! As you enter the gardens, there are beautiful views with a large variety of cacti and plants. We were hoping to be there when the cacti were blooming, but we were told that they need heat to bloom and will do so during the summer. Nonetheless, several types of cacti had blooms starting or were blooming while we were there and were just beautiful. Among the many species of birds that nest at the Botanical Gardens, there is a nesting pair of Greater Roadrunners! The first day that we visited was apparently the day that the eggs hatched and we got to see one of the parents feeding a chick. I saw at least 20 species of birds and got a few lifers. Hummingbirds (I saw Anna's, Costa's, and Black-chinned), Gila Woodpeckers, flickers, Cactus Wrens, Verdins, and Curve-billed Thrashers were plentiful, and back by the Patio Cafe Gambel's Quail were running around everywhere. In addition to the birds, there was plenty of other wildlife including lizards, Rock Squirrels, and ground squirrels. The squirrels were my favorite, having never seen these species before my trip to Arizona. While we were there, they also had a seasonal butterfly exhibit. It was an extra charge unless you were a member. The exhibit was filled with lots of butterflies, information, and knowledgeable guides who were ready to answer questions. My favorite was the Zebra Longwing Butterfly. All in all, we had a great time and we can't wait to visit again!
We have visited White Sands National Monument twice (once in 2010 and again in 2015) and driven by it countless times. Every time we pass through the area, I want to stop, but we just don't always have time. This is one of those places that is so strange that you have to see it for yourself. There are a few places away from the coasts with sand dunes, like Death Valley National Park, but these sand dunes are different...they are made of gypsum. As seasonal water evaporates, selenite crystals form underground. When the crystals become exposed, wind and water break them down until they become the gypsum sand that you see all around you at White Sands National Monument (for a more detailed description of the geological processes that created this natural phenomenon, please visit the National Park Service's website here.) To top it all off, these are the largest gypsum sand dunes in the world. There is an auto tour that you can drive at your leisure and several places to stop along the way. Additionally, several Ranger Programs are offered throughout the year. The dunes lie in the Tularosa Basin surrounded by two mountain ranges, the San Andreas and Sacramento Mountains. While the dunes may look barren, White Sands is a fragile ecosystem containing lots of life. As you step out of your car to explore, please be mindful of the difficult conditions that these plants and animals must endure to survive and do not disturb them. The sand is constantly shifting and this has led to some interesting adaptations by the plants to stay rooted. Some have extensive root and stem systems that hold sand in place so that even after the dune they are growing in has moved, they have "their own dune" held in place. Plants also have to grow quickly to ensure that they are not buried forever beneath the sands. The circular pattern in the sand around the grasses pictured below has been created by the wind. Since the dunes are constantly moving, the staff regularly clean the roads, leaving interesting patterns in the sand (pictured below). One of the Ranger Programs includes a daily sunset walk. We had a great time participating and learned about the native plants and animals while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the the sun setting over the white dunes. During the walk, we found a surprising number of animal tracks! And when it got too dark to look for tracks, we watched the sunset. For more information, please visit White Sands National Monument's website.
This was our first visit to Bosque del Apache, but this is one of my favorite areas within the United States. Every view is a picture. The wildlife refuge was beautiful and the staff was helpful and friendly. The refuge has a north and south auto tour loop. We joined the Sunday morning birding tour, which covered the north loop, and after lunch we travelled the south loop. This site is well known for the large population of Sandhill Cranes, Ross' Geese, and Snow Geese that overwinter here. The Rio Grande flows through the refuge and the area is now managed to support the wildlife populations. When we arrived in early March, there were only a few of each of these species left, but there was still plenty to see. You could easily spend a few hours birding the area around the Visitor's Center (and I did!). As soon as we arrived we saw a group of Gambel's Quail, my target species at the refuge. Since the refuge I have seen one individual at a time at other locations in New Mexico and Arizona, but there were large numbers of them here and they were just about everywhere around the Visitor's Center. The refuge was great for birding and we saw at least 50 species. I saw my first Gambel's Quail, Cinnamon Teal, a Peregrine Falcon, a white morph Ferruginous Hawk, and Black and Say's Phoebes. In addition to the birds, we saw Striped Skunks, Javelina, Rock Squirrels, elk, raccoons, rabbits, and Long-tailed Weasels! This refuge quickly became one of our favorites and we will definitely be back. Just a reminder that there are wildlife in this area! Be on the lookout for mountain lions, coyotes (which we hoped to see, but did not), javelina, and snakes. Be mindful of your surroundings and pay attention to posted signs. Here's a link to their website:
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Bosque_del_Apache/ and to the Friends of Bosque del Apache website: http://www.friendsofthebosque.org Leaving the cold front that was passing through Texas, we headed west into New Mexico to visit the Very Large Array (VLA) and Bosque del Apache NWR. The VLA has guided tours the first Saturday of every month and we were able to attend one of them. If you are not able to be there for one of the guided tours, they have plenty of signs and information for self-guided tours. The VLA is a group of 27 radio telescopes arranged in a Y formation to observe the skies. The radio telescopes can be arranged into various positions, but are primarily placed in one of 4 circular formations ranging from close together to far apart. This facility is worth the hour drive west from Socorro. Not only was the array itself very interesting, the views are spectacular, too.
Yes, west Texas may be windy and dusty sometimes, but it can also be beautiful with seasonal bodies of water (we call them playas) filled with birds, wide-open skies, and stunning views, which include canyons. Most of Texas is private land, but a few of the canyons are protected by state parks for everyone to enjoy. One of these is Caprock Canyons State Park located just outside of Quitaque, TX. This park offers an extensive trail system that includes a a former portion of the railroad, which is home to a colony of Brazilian Free-tailed bats (also knows as Mexican Free-tailed bats). The visitor's center is nice and has a fantastic arrangement of metal bats "flying across the room" as they come out of a replica of the park's trailway tunnel. They also have plenty of souvenirs, t-shirts, and a nice collection of guide books for purchase. The main park is home to a herd of bison, which freely roam the park's grounds. Shortly after leaving the visitor's center, if you take the road to the left, it will take you to Lake Theo. In the spring we have seen dragonflies and Bluet damselflies here. At the end of the road is a bird blind with a view looking out over a portion of the lake. Portions of the park can be driven and the scenery along the way is beautiful. The parking areas offer scenic overlooks and creative bison sculptures. While there are several trails within the main park, we have only hiked a small portion of the Upper Canyon Trail in the South Prong area. The views from just this small portion of trail are incredible. Where trail intersects a stream bed, which is usually dry, is one of my favorite views with towering rock and gypsum striated canyon walls. Use caution if rain is predicted. Looking up at the vegetation around the stream bed, you can see how quickly water has risen in the past. The weather can change extremely quickly in west Texas and it is typically very dry here. Be sure to bring plenty of water, pay attention to forecasted changes in the weather, and keep an eye out for thunderstorms or increased winds. There is not much cell phone coverage in the park, so arrive prepared for the activity you have planned. The other portion of the park is a trailway that covers 64 miles. Between the South Plains Terminal and Monk's Crossing is Clarity Tunnel. The railroad tracks have been removed from the trail, but Clarity Tunnel was a former railroad tunnel and is now occupied by a colony of Brazilian Free-tailed bats. The evening emergences in the summer are well worth the hike and the view from the south entrance to the tunnel is very pretty, especially during non-drought summers. You may see hawks, Great Horned Owls, Northern Flickers, turkeys, deer, feral hogs, foxes, and other wildlife along the trail. There are a few things to remember when you are on this trail: Do not pick up any bat, or other wildlife, you may come across, alive or dead. Do not disturb the bats in the tunnel, make any loud noises, or walk through the tunnel during the bats' emergence. Do not wander off the trail. The land to either side of the trail and running over the tunnel is private. Do not start any fires or discard cigarettes. This is typically a very dry area and fires start easily. This includes not starting fires in the tunnel. Potable water is not available along the trail, so be sure to bring plenty. There is all kinds of wildlife to be seen from birds to mammals to reptiles, so keep your eyes open! This is a beautiful park with lots to offer and well worth the trip if you are in the area!
The park's website has maps and lots of other information for planning a trip: http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caprock-canyons |
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September 2022
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