Sandhills Revisited

A return visit to one of our all-time favorite campsites was next, Monahans Sandhills in West Texas! Again, the truck hadn't even stopped before the kids asked if they could go run thru the sand. I counted down, "on your mark, get set....GO!" and they jumped out and took off up to the top of the first dune.

We were lucky to get a campsite this time, apparently it's spring break for kids locally and the campground was full. A cancellation came thru while I was on the phone and they gave the site to us! Whew! The next morning I set off to see what birds I might find in this desert. I was absolutely shocked to return after a couple hours having SIX new life birds freshly added to my list! My highlights were my first view of a Pyrrhuloxia (a desert cardinal) and gorgeous views of a scissor-tailed flycatcher.

The kids had a blast jumping off the edge of the dunes.

 After sledding we went for a family walk and watched as scaled quail ran back and forth across the path ahead of us. We followed animal tracks and realized we found jackrabbit urine on the sand. Interesting.

I've been reading, Birding on Borrowed Time, by Phoebe Snetsinger, which details her world travels in search of new birds. A stay-at-home mom who'd reached her mid-30s before being introduced to birding. I could relate. Despite many extremely difficult events including an early cancer diagnosis with only months to live, this resilient and determined woman took it as a challenge to see every bird possible until her last day. She not only lived much longer than the doctors told her she would, she set a record by seeing 8,000 bird species, more than anyone else in the world. I finished the book, sitting on a sand dune watching a gorgeous scissor-tailed flycatcher hunting and resting on a tree next to me. Phoebe would have been pleased.

Before we left, I took advantage of the beautiful surroundings for family photos.

Until next time, Texas.....