My favorite day in Texas was at South Llano River State Park near Junction, Texas in the beautiful hill country of Texas. This area was filled with a mix of cedar and oak trees and various cacti species that scattered the hills. My number one goal for the trip was to see the Golden-cheeked Warbler, an endangered and endemic species of warbler native to the hill country of Texas. Dr. Williams and I visited the visitor center to ask the park rangers about recent sightings of Golden-cheeked Warblers. They pointed us in the right direction and correct trails that had the most recent sightings. The first day we tried for the Golden-cheeked Warbler, we only heard it as the males were counter singing deep in the cedars and we could not get a look at one or photograph one. The next morning Dr. Williams, Brooke, Ashley, Morgan, and I went out early along the same trails to find the warbler. I initially heard its song with a distinct buzzing like sound. We all hurried up the trail and crouched down and crawled through the understory on our knees. Looking into the trees we couldn’t see anything, but we knew it had to be close. After a few minutes passed, Dr. Williams whispered that he saw the bird, he was very excited and smiling. We all shuffled over to him and got quick views of 2 or 3 males bouncing around and chasing each other through the cedars. Dr. Williams leaned over and said, “I saw it first, now you have to tell people I saw it before you”. This bird was a life bird for me, number 1,004. Later, during the day along the South Llano River, a Louisiana Waterthrush was feeding down on a log in the river and this was another species I had missed previously in Texas. This was another life bird for me, number 1,005 for me, so this day was fantastic gaining two new bird species. I would recommend South Llano River State Park to any birder or naturalist as a must visit destination.
