Dawn on the Blanco


I tagged along on a bird survey May 15 near the banks of the Blanco River. I like birds as much as the next guy, but I don’t know a whole lot about them. For me, songbirds always provided the background music for whatever more important thing I was focusing on. Their songs mingle with urban noises like passing cars and barking dogs—stuff to tune out rather than contemplate.

But this was different. The cool morning air was filled with the melodies of chirps, trills, hoots and caws, each corresponding to a different species. My “bird nerd” companions helpfully identified each song, pointing out yellow-billed cuckoos, canyon wrens and several others, including canyon towhees (they sound like gatling guns) and the sweet, high music of the painted bunting.

We stood quietly in mature juniper forests or on limestone ledges and grassy fields, and we relied almost solely on our sense of hearing to identify one species from the other. Sound was far more important than sight. Other senses — smell, taste and touch — fell by the wayside. As I narrowed and clarified my focus, the sounds of the forest began to fill up my consciousness. It felt surprisingly like meditation, and I could see myself becoming a bird nerd.

Here are a few iPhone photos from our morning.

Surveying the ranch

Overlooking the river

Halifax Falls

image

Limestone gravel

Limestone gravel

Horse crippler cactus

Horse Crippler

Halifax Canyon

Canyon


4,049 responses to “Dawn on the Blanco”

  1. I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?

  2. Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My website discusses a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the way!

  3. I?ve been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this info So i am happy to convey that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don?t forget this site and give it a look on a constant basis.

  4. Hello, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, wonderful blog!

  5. A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you need to write more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo subject but typically folks don’t discuss such issues. To the next! Best wishes!!|

  6. Hello are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  7. Thanks for your exciting article. Other thing is that mesothelioma is generally a result of the breathing of fibers from asbestos, which is a dangerous material. It can be commonly seen among laborers in the building industry that have long exposure to asbestos. It could be caused by living in asbestos covered buildings for a long time of time, Inherited genes plays an important role, and some folks are more vulnerable to the risk in comparison with others.

  8. naturally like your web-site but you need to check the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth nevertheless I?ll surely come back again.

  9. Thanks for your write-up. One other thing is always that individual states have their particular laws which affect householders, which makes it very, very hard for the our lawmakers to come up with a new set of guidelines concerning foreclosure on people. The problem is that every state provides own legal guidelines which may interact in an unfavorable manner on the subject of foreclosure insurance plans.

  10. Thank you for another fantastic post. Where else could anybody get that kind of info in such a perfect manner of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the look for such info.

  11. Thanks for the concepts you have contributed here. In addition, I believe there are many factors that really keep your automobile insurance premium all the way down. One is, to bear in mind buying cars and trucks that are inside the good set of car insurance providers. Cars that happen to be expensive are more at risk of being lost. Aside from that insurance is also in line with the value of your automobile, so the costlier it is, then higher a premium you pay.

  12. Pretty component of content. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually loved account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing for your augment or even I achievement you get admission to consistently fast.

  13. I’m really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays..

  14. Somebody necessarily help to make severely posts I’d state. That is the very first time I frequented your website page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to make this particular publish amazing. Magnificent job!

  15. Superb blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely confused .. Any ideas? Kudos!

  16. Have you ever considered writing an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

  17. I do accept as true with all of the ideas you have introduced for your post. They are really convincing and can certainly work. Still, the posts are very short for novices. May you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.|

  18. Hi are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  19. In my opinion that a property foreclosure can have a significant effect on the debtor’s life. Property foreclosures can have a 7 to 10 years negative effect on a client’s credit report. The borrower who’s applied for a mortgage or any kind of loans as an example, knows that a worse credit rating is actually, the more difficult it is to secure a decent loan. In addition, it may affect a borrower’s capacity to find a reasonable place to let or hire, if that becomes the alternative property solution. Good blog post.

  20. Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!

  21. Oh my goodness! I’m in awe of the author’s writing skills and ability to convey intricate concepts in a concise and precise manner. This article is a true gem that earns all the applause it can get. Thank you so much, author, for offering your knowledge and giving us with such a precious resource. I’m truly grateful!

  22. I am curious to find out what blog system you are utilizing? I’m experiencing some minor security issues with my latest site and I would like to find something more secure. Do you have any solutions?

  23. Thanks for expressing your ideas. The one thing is that students have a selection between federal government student loan along with a private education loan where it can be easier to decide on student loan debt consolidation reduction than with the federal student loan.

  24. Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you’re talking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also seek advice from my web site =). We may have a link exchange contract among us|

  25. Thanks for the several tips discussed on this site. I have observed that many insurance agencies offer buyers generous discount rates if they choose to insure a few cars together. A significant quantity of households include several cars these days, particularly people with more mature teenage children still located at home, as well as the savings in policies may soon begin. So it pays off to look for a good deal.

  26. Wonderful blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks

  27. Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research about this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such great info being shared freely out there.

Leave a Reply to Sikkim game Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *