We packed the car, locked the doors and put out the trash for the last time on Sunday. April 24 is our anniversary and we wanted it to be memorable. We spent it at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, where we were married 17 blissful years ago. Then we started our journey south.
Our first stop was in Kansas at Cimmaron National Grasslands where we hoped to see the mating ritual of the lesser prarie chickens. We had already seen the greater prarie chickens several years ago in eastern Colorado and last week we watched the Gunnison sage grouse near Gunnison. Their mating dance is spectacular as the males strut their stuff. The birds are becoming more and more rare due primarily to loss of habit and we were worried that they wouldn't be around when (if) we return to the States. The photos aren't good but we can add them to our list. All we are missing now is the greater sage grouse.
Our ultimate destination was Houston but we took a little detour. Port Arthur is a springtime birding hot-spot for species migrating from Mexico. They more or less crash after their long, non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico at the Texas Ornithology Sanctuary where they rest up before continuing north. We happened to be there for the best two days of the season. Strong winds blew in thousands of birds, maybe 100 species in all. The most spectacular were the indigo and painted buntings and the colorful magnolia warbler. All in all it was a great finale.
