Fort Davis Hummingbird Festival...registration closes August 15!

Photos from banding demonstrations by Kelly Bryan

Thursday, August 21st:
1:00pm - 6:00pm       Registration: Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce
3:00pm - 5:00pm       Banding Demonstration w/Kelly Bryan - CDRI
6:00pm - 8:00pm       Opening Reception: Hotel Limpia Ballroom
                                      Meet and Greet with the speakers
Friday, August 22nd:
6:00am                     Mountain Trails Lodge Field Trip - Christmas Mountains Oasis
8:00am-9:00am         Late Registration: Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce
8:00am-11:00am       Banding Demonstration w/Kelly Bryan - Nature Conservancy
8:00am-12:00noon    Local viewing locations open
3:00pm-5:00pm         Banding Demonstration w/Kelly Bryan - Mountain Trails Lodge
3:00pm                     Lecture - TBA
4:00pm                     Lecture - Chris Pipes "Sky Island Ecology in the Trans-Pecos of  
                                                                    Texas"
6:30pm                     Lecture - Mark Lockwood "Amazing Tropical Hummingbirds"
4:00pm - 8:00pm       Local viewing locations open
Saturday, August 23rd:
8:00am-11:00am        Banding Demonstration w/Kelly Bryan - Nature Conservancy
8:00am-12:00noon     Local viewing locations open
3:00pm                      Hummingbird Feeder Workshop
4:00pm                      Lecture - Kelly Bryan "Lucifer Hummingbirds"
6:00pm                      Festival Dinner with Keynote speaker Fred Bassett
                                  (additional fee applies for the dinner)

 

REGISTRATION
Registration Cost: $75.00 per person
        Includes: Ticket to Opening Reception
                           Booklet "Hummingbirds of West Texas" by Kelly Bryan
                           Map of local viewing areas
                           Hummingbird "Goodie Bag"
                           Admission to :
                                                     CDRI Botanical Gardens
                                                     Davis Mountains State Park

Festival Dinner with Keynote Speaker: $35.00 per person
         Includes: Downhome Texas Pit BBQ Dinner with all the trimmings                           
                             Fill out and mail your registration form today!
                                 Early Registration ends August 15th.
                                             REGISTRATION FORM
                                             FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Hummers!

Click on the images to get a closer view!

Now's a GREAT time to watch hummingbirds who vie for space at feeders...where are some good places to view them?  Try Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, and Mountain Trails Lodge in Fort Davis, Dog Canyon Visitor Center in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  All are sites on the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail, a project of Texas Mountain Trail, TPWD, and Texas Pecos Trail!

Fort Davis National Historic Site

Every Saturday this summer, at 7 pm at the Davis Mountains State Park amphitheater, join a history program presented by Fort Davis National Historic Site.

From our Texas Mountain Trail website, www.texasmountaintrail.com
"The frontier post of Fort Davis, established in 1854 and serving the Texas frontier until 1891, provided a strategic factor in the defense system of the American Southwest. The Fort’s garrison protected settlers, mail coaches, wagon trains, and travelers enduring the San Antonio-El Paso road, and, until 1861, soldiers stayed busy driving Comanche, Kiowa, and Apaches from the region. 

The Fort’s location, at the mouth of a box canyon on the eastern side of the Davis Mountains, provided a suitable advantage for fending off attacks, mustering troops, and staging defenses. Abandoned for a period after the Civil War, the Fort’s primitive structures had little to offer the Ninth U.S. Cavalry who arrived in 1867 to reoccupy the post. 

In two short years, however, permanent quarters, barracks, a guardhouse, and storehouses were raised and by the end of the 1880s Fort Davis harbored more than 100 structures and quartered more than 400 soldiers, including the famed Buffalo Soldiers. 

Today, the Fort and surrounding grounds comprise the Fort Davis National Historic Site, considered one of the country’s best surviving examples of a frontier military post in the Southwest. Twenty-four roofed buildings remain, along with over 100 ruins and foundations. Five of the historic buildings have been restored to their 1880s condition. Self-guided tours, hiking, and special events highlight the Fort’s year-round interpretive program.

The frontier post of Fort Davis, established in 1854 and serving the Texas frontier until 1891, provided a strategic factor in the defense system of the American Southwest. The Fort’s garrison protected settlers, mail coaches, wagon trains, and travelers enduring the San Antonio-El Paso road, and, until 1861, soldiers stayed busy driving Comanche, Kiowa, and Apaches from the region. The Fort’s location, at the mouth of a box canyon on the eastern side of the Davis Mountains, provided a suitable advantage for fending off attacks, mustering troops, and staging defenses. Abandoned for a period after the Civil War, the Fort’s primitive structures had little to offer the Ninth U.S. Cavalry who arrived in 1867 to reoccupy the post. In two short years, however, permanent quarters, barracks, a guardhouse, and storehouses were raised and by the end of the 1880s Fort Davis harbored more than 100 structures and quartered more than 400 soldiers, including the famed Buffalo Soldiers. Today, the Fort and surrounding grounds comprise the Fort Davis National Historic Site, considered one of the country’s best surviving examples of a frontier military post in the Southwest. Twenty-four roofed buildings remain, along with over 100 ruins and foundations. Five of the historic buildings have been restored to their 1880s condition. Self-guided tours, hiking, and special events highlight the Fort’s year-round interpretive program. - See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/plan-your-adventure/historic-sites-and-cities/sites/fort-davis-national-historic-site#sthash.wn4vHOXd.dpuf

Bird Blinds at Davis Mountains State Park

Davis Mountains State Park rangers and staff members, along with Texas Master Naturalists, recently completed this lovely bird blind structure on the main park road.  Stop by in the morning and the evening to see an impressive array of birds! The new center has a water feature and several styles of bird feeders.

There are open air windows and glassed in windows to allow you to view the birds.  Another alternative is the bird blind by the park's Interpretive Center, see below.

View from inside the Interpretive Center, where birds gather at a variety of feeders.

Dog Hike in Davis Mountains State Park

Join the Davis Mountains State Park as they host the Grand Companions Humane Society of Fort Davis and a few dogs to hike with visitors every Thursday at 9am! This hike is priceless for the dogs to get out and socialize, and allows visitors to get their puppy fix! Please check in at the front office for trail head information. Entrance fees apply. 

All the hikes, through September, are on our Texas Mountain Trail regional events calendar here.

For more information on the hikes, click HERE.

Join the Davis Mountains State Park as we host the Grand Companions Humane Society of Fort Davis and a few dogs to hike with visitors every Thursday at 9am! This hike is priceless for the dogs to get out and socialize, and allows visitors to get their puppy fix! Please check in at the front office for trailhead information. Entrance fees apply.

- See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/fort-davis-grand-companions-dog-walk-davis-mountains-state-park#sthash.hwzBZ6sx.dpuf

Join the Davis Mountains State Park as we host the Grand Companions Humane Society of Fort Davis and a few dogs to hike with visitors every Thursday at 9am! This hike is priceless for the dogs to get out and socialize, and allows visitors to get their puppy fix! Please check in at the front office for trailhead information. Entrance fees apply.

- See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/fort-davis-grand-companions-dog-walk-davis-mountains-state-park#sthash.hwzBZ6sx.dpuf

Views of Davis Mountains State Park at Dusk

Photo by Monte Riggs

Just outside Fort Davis, there's a terrific view atop Scenic Drive in Davis Mountains State Park.

Photo by Monte Riggs

Nature Photography THIS morning at Davis Mountains State Park; Big Bend Cycle-friendly Accommodations

Photo by Derrick Birdsall

A great friend of our Texas Mountain Trail organization, Derrick Birdsall, is giving a nature photography presentation THIS MORNING at 11 am at Davis Mountains State Park as part of their Open House weekend.  Derrick is the photographer behind a photo book on our partner Texas Forts Trail, centered in Abilene, and has been featured many times on this blog and our Facebook page.   He also posts on the Unaffected Photography page on Facebook, and his blog is here. 

The rest of the schedule for the park's Open House today and tomorrow is here.

#30DaysofBiking
Today we feature our Big Bend cycle-friendly accommodations...

  Chisos Mountain Lodge, in Big Bend National Park. Phone: 432-477-2292 or 432-477-2291, www.ChisosMountainLodge.com or www.foreverresorts.com
Cycle-friendly features include: motel and stone cottage lodging in the heart of Big Bend National Park; in-room storage of bikes; full dining options plus possible pre-ordered pack lunches for early morning departures, convenience store. Easy access to trails and scenic roads. See flyer for more services.

 Big Bend Resorts and Adventures, Hwy 118 and Hwy 170, P O Box 227, Terlingua, Texas 79852, Phone: 432-371-2483 Local or Central Reservations: 1-877-386-4383
www.bigbendresortadventures.com  Cycle-friendly features include: convenient location to Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park and on-site trails; clean, comfortable rooms; on-site café for breakfast, lots of grab and go snacks for rides plus box lunches to go; on-site parking for bikes and towed vehicles; and more. Laundry, public showers, custom guided tours,party barn for groups, target golf course tent/RV sites.  Offer special rates for local cycling events.  Building two mountain bike trails on property.
Big Bend Casitas at Far Flung Outdoor Center, P.O. Box 377, Terlingua, Texas 79852, 800-839-7238, info@ffoc.net, www.bigbendfarflung.com/lodging, We are cycle-friendly and happy to host riders who want to experience the vastness of Big Bend National Park and the surrounding area.  Our casitas are sized to accommodate secure bike parking either inside or on the casita porch.  Each casita has a kitchenette with coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave, since and a complete supply of dishes, cups, and silverware.  Las Casitas are located two miles from the west entrance to Big Bend National Park.

Next weekend: Davis Mountains State Park Open House!

Davis Mountains State Park Open House Agenda

Friday, April 25

All Day:

Art Show at the Indian Lodge Assembly Room

Submit your entry for the Art Contest in the Assembly Room.  It will be displayed in the Indian Lodge Lobby

Local Area Organization Booths in Playground Area

o   Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute

o   Sul Ross State University-  Pollinators of the Desert – Insect Display

o   Sul Ross State University – Range and Wildlife Club: Wildlife Displays, Washers Game

o   Natural Resources Conservation Service – Helping Landowners Manage Land

           

Grand Companions Animal Shelter staff will be in the campground with adoptable dogs to play with, or of course, adopt!

Friday Schedule:

8:00     Sign up for Trail Races begins at the Park Headquarters

9:00     Art show starts at Indian Lodge Assembly Room

9:00     Bird ID Contest starts.  Please meet at the Montezuma Quail Bird Blind to participate

10:00   Program:  “Challenges and Success of Desert Bighorn Sheep Recovery in Texas”

            At the Interpretive Center

11:00   Program: “Taking the Mystery out of Nature Photography!” – at the Interpretive Center

12:00  Camping 101!  Learn how to use common camping gear:  Campsite# 94

3:00     Bat House Building Workshop at the Interpretive Center

4:00     Turn in list for Bird ID Contest to Park Headquarters – winner announced Saturday 5pm (winner need not be present)

5:00     “Step In Time: A Look at Men and Women of Frontier Army Forts” – program by Fort Davis National Historic Site -----at the Amphitheater

7-9       Live Band: MOONDOGS TRIO  in the courtyard of the Indian Lodge!

Saturday, April 26^th

All Day:

Dutch Oven Cook-Off in the Playground Area

Art Show at the Indian Lodge Assembly Room

Submit your entry for the Art Contest in the Assembly Room.  All visitors may vote for winners in the Indian Lodge Lobby.

Local Area Organization Booths in Playground Area

o   Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute

o   Sul Ross State University-  Pollinators Give Life to the Desert – Insect Display

o   Sul Ross State University – Range and Wildlife Club: Wildlife Displays, Washers Game!

o   Natural Resources Conservation Service – Helping Landowners Manage Land

Grand Companions Animal Shelter staff will be in the campground with adorable dogs to play with, or of course, adopt!

Saturday Schedule

8-8:30  Trail race packet pick-up

9:00     Adult Trail Race Start

9:00     Bird ID Contest – Participants meet at the Montezuma Quail Bird Blind to sign up

10:00   Youth Trail Race Start

10:00   Wildlife Tracking Workshop – LIMIT 10 People, sign up at Park Headquarters

1:00     Bat House Building Workshop at the Interpretive Center

2:00     Tricks of the Trade Plant Identification Workshop – Interpretive Center

3:00     Dutch Oven Cook-Off Judging -  Playground Area

5:00     Announce winner of Art Contest – Indian Lodge Lobby

#30DaysofBiking

A cycle-friendly business in Marathon is the French Co. Grocer.  They stock basic cycling supplies, and snacks for the road!