On the Road: Zapata, Texas to Fort Stockton, Texas

I loved the early mornings and evenings in Texas with the breezes and balmy air. This morning, a bright red sun was rising and I drove to the Zapata City Library where White-collared Seedeaters are seen. I parked and immediately a pleasant, talkative gentleman out walking asked me about the ID of a certain noisy bird he sees, which was a Kiskadee. We chatted a few minutes about living in Zapata and how bad it was in Mexico and how no one goes there because of the danger and drugs and murders and then about the weather and how one acclimatizes. He was part Hispanic and had a slight accent. He told me how to get around the pond next to the library.

The Big Year couple drove up, also looking for the Seedeaters. The woman was pulling socks over her pants to guard against chiggers and ticks, and they headed straight into the dense cattails at the west end of the pond. I was only going to be here 15 minutes or so and walked around the pond, seeing a kinglet and Common Yellowthroat, both birds I see frequently on the Stu. No Seedeater BUT in the open park-like side of the pond, I saw a bright orangey-reddish bird and first though "oriole" but looked closer, saw an almost scarlet head and realized it was a Vermillion Flycatcher! This was sort of my arbitrary target bird for this trip. I got good looks as it flew quite near and perched briefly a couple of times. Of course, it made my day. (By contrast the Seedeaters are tiny sparrow-like birds with thick grosbeak-like bills.)

And then I headed west and drove the Texas highways for most of the next two days. At first, it was beautiful (all relative, I know, but I thought it was) through gently rolling hills and newly budding trees, with the sky a lovely soft blue...like those first early spring days in Michigan after the long winter. I saw a perched hawk and got out of the car but it was silhouetted against the eastern sky, so I drove on and within a mile got perfect looks at another one which was a Harris's, chocolate-colored all over with chestnut shoulder patches. And saw about five more as I continued driving west. Another LB.

The Border Patrol is a huge presence down here. I went through three "Inspection" points, and was questioned and "inspected" at two of them. There was always a beautiful drug dog straining on a leash held by on of the officers. The first guy was stern and brisk, asked a few questions, sized me up as no threat and I went on. The second gentleman was affable and smiled and sized me up, asked if I was "doing OK" and told me to "be safe" and sent me on, his dog held in check. They wear olive green uniforms and short-sleeved shirts and black leather gloves. The Border Patrol vehicles are white SUVs or pickups. I saw hundreds. For long stretches, there was fencing on both sides of the road and a cleared margin between road and scrub of 100 feet. Only occasionally tiny settlements and very minimal access off the highway for any reason.

It became much more dry with scrubbier flora. It was sunny, hot and breezy with the humidity continuing to decrease. I finally relented and turned on the air-conditioning. As I told Maria, I get stubborn and stupid about this but gave in by early afternoon. I turned north and got on Interstate 10 which was pleasantly and unexpectedly free from traffic with only occasional trucks. The speed limit was 80 and I drove several hundred miles that way, so eventually, driving 60 mph seemed incredibly pokey. There was no water evident anywhere, just "arroyos and draws" and no birds that I could see. I never did see a Roadrunner, barely any carrion and did not see one snake.

I stayed in Fort Stockton right off I10, walked to McDonald's and got a mushroom-swiss cheese wrap and a berry smoothie and worked four hours. The motels all have had very comfortable beds, with soft sheets and good pillows, and I've slept well.