Monday, October 4, 2010
Falcon State Park, Falcon Heights, TX - Mar 1-7
This stop was mainly planned because of nearby rare birding opportunities; also, we were expecting another pleasant TX state park encounter. Unfortunately, the scenic views and peaceful surroundings are completely ruined by the natural gas drilling and well development at the park. The noise, lights & machinery affect the camping experience in a most negative manner. They run 7x24, with very bright lights at night, so there is no respite.
We visited local birding locations known as Roma Bluffs, Salineno (fondly called "The Bird Lady"), Chipeno, Falcon Dam, Zapata & San Ygnacio. Unfortunately, the number of rarities not seen is far larger then the number seen. The two rarest birds we saw here were the Brown Jay (which flies over from Mexico at one specific spot several times a day) and Audubon's Oriole.We enjoyed hiking on the nature trail around the park as well as hikes in the Zapata, Roma, and San Ygnacio. The town of Roma has a historic area that is quite interesting and in the process of being restored.
Many of the buildings within Roma's historic district are brick structures designed & built by Heinrich Portscheller, a German-born builder & master brick mason. This gives the town its own distinct appearance. The bluffs, which lie just past the historic district, overlook the Rio Grande at a very scenic spot.# posted by Doug and Willie @ 10:16 PM 
