We started our morning with the usual inspection of insects on the wall outside our front door.

Not a Dobsonfly according to
Steve, this is an antlion adult (Myrmeleontidae). It is possibly a Paranthaclisis species, maybe P. congener. There are 3 species in this genus in the western US. They do come to lights. Antlions are somewhat related to dobsonflies. Best, Bob B.

Dobsonfly

Interesting green spider in the breezeway

We decided to explore west of the our B&B this morning and our first stop was the Barton Warnock Visitor Center for the state park.

State park visitor center

There were Barn Swallows on the antenna atop the visitor center.

Barn Swallows

Wooden fence along the edge of the visitor center

Nancy R, Nancy V and Patti M on the trail around the visitor center

Greater Roadrunner in the state park

Giant Red Millipede

Giant Red Millipede
Narceus americanus

Nancy V, Patti M, Nancy R and Steve, walking the trail at the state park visitor center

Sotol Yucca

Cactus

Resurrection plant

RESURRECTION PLANT
Siempre viva
JUST WAITING FOR A GOOD SHOWER
This plant looks dead until it rains and we had gotten rain the previous evening.

Landscape around state park visitor center

Landscape around state park visitor center

Nancy R, Mary and Nancy V (below) and Patti at the top of the ridge above the visitor center

Mary, on the trail above the visitor center

Nancy V

Nancy R and Mary

Nancy V and Nancy R aren't really in a binocular stare-down.

It just looks that way.

Landscape around state park visitor center

Landscape around state park visitor center

The valley south of the ridge above the visitor center

Landscape around state park visitor center

Landscape around state park visitor center

Peering over the edge of the ridge above the visitor center

Lots of Resurrection plant blooming after the rain last night

Low-growing gray-green plant in the gravel along the visitor center trail

Nancy R, Nancy V and Patti, starting back down the trail

Rock Wren along a rock wall at the visitor center

Another wildflower growing in the gravel

Back at the car in the parking lot, Nancy V found this stunned dragonfly in the grill of her CRV. She placed it on the hood of her car and we all took photos.

There was a Common Raven on a power pole outside the visitor center.

Common Raven, flying away

Common Raven silhouette

Western Kingbird

We drove west from the visitor center along highway FM 170 and pulled off the road near the Rio Grande. Nancy R and Patti searched the area for birds.

Nancy R, along FM 170, next to the Rio Grande

Nancy R, Patti and Nancy V, getting out her spotting scope

Ridge on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande

Ridge along the Rio Grande

Black Phoebe

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

A sign about Cabeza de Vaca visiting the area

Along the side of the road, we saw these Turkey Vultures roosting

This Western Wood-Pewee perched along the road near the vultures.

Another entrance to the state park along the river

At that next state park entrance, we found this lizard on one of the buildings.

Yellow Warbler

Patti and Steve walked through the park and down to the river.

Rio Grande

Patti looks out along the Rio Grande at one of the state parks at which we stopped.

After the state park, we stopped along the road where there was an overlook. We found a Wood Duck on the right.

Mexican Ducks?

Unidentified ducks

Unidentified ducks

Unidentified ducks

Unidentified duck

Unidentified duck

Unidentified duck

These Spotted Sandpipers flew back and forth across the Rio Grande.

Spotted Sandpipers

Northern Shoveler

Spotted Sandpiper in the Rio Grande

Another Giant Red Centipede

This nest has its entrance on the side, rather than being open on top.

Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe

Shaggy-looking male Northern Cardinal in a tree on the river bank

We kept driving west and found this pull-out at a high point above the river where Nancy R found a comfortable rock perch.

Looking back east from where we came

Rio Grande below us to the east

A wider view to the east

Steve takes a look at the view to the west

Rio Grande valley to the west

Rio Grande valley

Another look west

From the high point of our previous stop, we drove downhill to a point where Mary could get close to the river.

We found another Black Phoebe making forays out over the river from its perch on an ocotillo on the bank.

Black Phoebe

With the Rio Grande churning in the background, Mary, Nancy R, Nancy V and Patti M pose for a photo.

The recent rains had the river flowing fast and muddy.

Rio Grande

Nancy V, Patti M and Steve look at the Black Phoebe that has flown up to the bluff across the river.

The bluff was pock-marked with caves and holes.

We didn't see any evidence of critters in the openings, but there were vacant swallow nests below them.

The bluff across the river

Rain-fed Rio Grande

Broad view of our stop

Mary, Nancy R, Nancy V and Patti M

Mary, Nancy R, Nancy V and Patti M

Mary and Steve

Mary and Steve

Mary and Steve

Looking east along the Rio Grande valley

Nancy V, Nancy R, Patti and Mary, getting back into Nancy's CRV before he head to our next stop

Farther west, we stopped to look at these rock features called "hoodoos."

Hoodoos in Big Bend Ranch State Park, TX

Hoodoos

Hoodoos

Hoodoos

Broad view of the hoodoos

Hoodoos

It's not easy to judge the scale of the hoodoos without a reference like this fellow walking among them. He's the white Corvette driver whose path we crossed at Santa Elena Canyon.

Flowers on a bush near the hoodoo parking lot

Flowers

Flower close-up

Seeds on the same bush

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Male damselfly

Damselfly

Female damselfly

After seeing the hoodoos, we stopped at Candelilla Cafe at the Lajitas Golf Resort for lunch.

The grounds outside the restaurant

Covered walkway outside the restaurant

On the door of the restaurant, a big walkingstick

Walkingstick

After lunch we went back to our B&B, got our National Park pass and drove back into Big Bend. We stopped again at Dugout Wells where the first bird we saw was this Yellow Warbler.

Yellow Warbler at Dugout Wells, Big Bend National Park, TX

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler at the stream of water running across the road at Dugout Wells

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler

A very cooperative Yellow Warbler

Western Wood-Pewee

Female Painted Bunting

Female Painted Bunting

Western Wood-Pewee

Northern Mockingbird

Wispy seed heads

Yellow and pink wildflowers

Yellow and pink wildflowers

Female Painted Bunting

Gray-green bush with pink flowers

Gray-green bush with pink flowers

Gray-green bush with pink flowers

A storm started moving toward us while we were at Dugout Wells.

Storm clouds over Big Bend National Park, TX

Storm clouds over Big Bend National Park, TX

Trail sign at Dugout Wells

Mary found an interesting flower head.

Yellow wildflower

Yellow wildflower

Yellow wildflowers

MacGillivray's Warbler

Desert Willow bloom

Desert Willow bloom

Plant spines

Tarantula Hawk on a yellow wildflower

Steve, adding a bird to his eBird list at Dugout Wells

Steve, Nancy V and Nancy R, looking at birds in the low-growing plants beside the road at Dugout Wells

Patti, along the road at Dugout Wells

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Female Painted Bunting

First year female Wilson's Warbler?

First year female Wilson's Warbler?

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Yellow Warbler

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Wilson's Warbler

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush at the water across the road at Dugout Wells

Turkey Vulture

Rain in the distance

Rain over Big Bend National Park

As we headed home, we watched the storm clouds move across the sky ahead of us.

There was a lot of lightning and we stopped a couple of times to try to capture it in a photo.

At a bridge, we watched the rainwater rushing along an arroyo.

Rushing rainwater under a dark sky

The rushing water on the other side of the bridge

Stormy sky over Big Bend National Park

Clearing skies ahead

Another lightning strike

Big Bend sky

Another skyscape

And one more

At first we thought this bird was a Turkey Vulture, but it just hung in the sky, hovering for several minutes.

It was a big hawk and its hovering allowed us to take many photos.

But the sky was gray, so we mostly got silhouettes and not a lot of detail.

Hawk, hovering on the right side of the road as we returned north to Terlingua at the end of the day

Hovering hawk

Hawk

Hawk

We pulled into a place at the south edge of Terlingua to get gas on the way back into town and noticed three Cactus Wrens near a neighboring building. This one looked and acted like a juvenile.

Cactus Wren

This young-looking Cactus Wren let me get very close to takes its photo.

Cactus Wren

Two Cactus Wrens on a yucca

Two Cactus Wrens

The Cactus Wren in the foreground seemed to be begging.

Two Cactus Wrens

Cactus Wren

The younger Cactus Wren flew to the ground...

...and took a little dirt bath.

At another business across the road, we spied this interesting metal and "stained glass" sculpture.

Back at the B&B, we relaxed and birded from the front yard.

Our guardian Horned Lizard watched the reflected sunset.

Mary and I had heard said by Butch Hancock, a musician that performs at the Woody Guthrie music festival in Okemah, who lives in Terlingua, that the locals watch the sunset as it is reflected off the mountains to the east--like this.

The real sunset over the hills behind our B&B

The moon and star over Terlingua