Teri and I visited the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute just outside of Fort Davis. We make it a point to visit this place each time we are in the area because they have wonderful gardens and hiking trails.
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| Say's Phoebe on Nest |
They have a beautiful Visitor Center, and this Say's Phoebe had built a nest right on top of a Flicker nestbox under the eaves.
We hiked the Modesta Spring trail which leads you down into a small canyon. At the bottom of the canyon is (you guessed it!) Modesta Spring and some small pools. The area is cool and green, and truly an oasis in the middle of the desert. Just downstream of the spring we saw a female hummingbird fly out of a tree, and wondered if she had been sitting on a nest. Sure enough, we found her nest in a tree just above a pool.
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| Hummingbird Nest |
We didn't see any little ones in the nest and didn't want to disturb it to see if she had eggs. So we settled for this close-up and then moved on.
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| Hummingbird Nest |
As we continued down the canyon we came across a few more birds.
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| Rufous-crowned Sparrow |
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| Rock Wren |
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| Black-throated Sparrow |
While we saw mostly birds, we did see this little Desert Cottontail working through the grass.
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| Desert Cottontail |
Back at the Visitor Center we were treated to this Black-chinned Hummingbird feeding at a Cactus Blossom.
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| Black-chinned Hummingbird at Cactus Blossom |
If you are ever in the Davis Mountains be sure to give this place a visit!
Mark
It's been a while since we were in that area, but it sure looks like a place we'd like to stop and visit. That hummingbird nest was a great find.
ReplyDeleteIt's not often that a person is lucky enough to find a hummer's nest. Good for you!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the difference between a chipping and a rufous-crowned?
ReplyDeleteChipping looks similar, but has a black eyeline all of the way to the base of the bill instead of the white eyering, and the Rufous-crowned also has black malar marks going down the throat. Love me some sparrows!!
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