Sunday, November 3, 2013

Guadalupe Mtns National Park

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

 During our New Mexico trip we continued on the National Park highway to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas.  We visited the Pine Springs Visitor center also stopped at the Frijole Ranch. As we hiked the Manzanita Spring trail of course I just had to look for birds along the way.


Various scenes from the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.



 Above on The Pinery trail exhibits describe the Chihuahuan desert vegetation.



At the Pine Spring visitor center we walked along the trail checking out the vegetation and the views of El Capitan (elev 8749).


The Sage Thrasher was a lifer for me..it was seen along the Manzanita trail near the Frijole Ranch. The trail is located behind the ranch house, the spring is a great desert watering hole for wildlife and a great birding location.



 Above the Red-shafted Flicker, Townsend's Solitaire and a couple of Chipping Sparrows.

The Frijole Ranch was owned by various people since 1876.  It has it's own school house, a springhouse, a cattle ranch, orchard. In 1966 the Hunter family sold the ranch to the National Park Service. Today the ranch museum is on the national register of historic sites.



The Red-shafted Flicker seemed to be a common bird, seen in many places during our trip.

As always, I hope you enjoy my post and thanks for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more
 from  Our World Tuesday

 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  I wish everyone a happy week!

63 comments:

  1. rugged but pretty area! love that thrasher! i've seen one red-shafted flicker here. we mostly get the yellow-shafted (and i love them, too!)

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  2. It's so beautiful there! I really like your Sage Thrasher shot. I have never seen one of those!

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  3. Hi Eileen! Your photos are beautiful and amazing--Another place I think I need to visit!

    Hope you are doing well and enjoying your Sunday!

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  4. A very serene place, beautifully captured!

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  5. Thanks for sharing the beauty of the Guadalupe Mountains and the birds of the area. These are wonderful photos.

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  6. Eileen,

    Love all the earth tones in these images, today. The photo of the Sage Thrasher is storybook sweet! And, some of the countryside reminds me of my own surroundings here on Crete.

    Have a great week!

    Poppy

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  7. you visit such interesting country Eileen; I enjoy the series always and I loved the Flicker

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  8. What a beautiful part of your trip. The sage thrasher struck a good pose for you. I love traveling at the end of summer into Fall. Hugs!

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  9. My goodness you two got around! Beautiful spot -- we went to the NP in that area, but missed this ranch. Great hiking and birding!

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  10. The sage thrasher is similar to the brown thrasher I saw in next door's tree this summer. Wish I had a photo - it could count as a lifer for me. My first.
    Judith

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  11. What fun for you to see these birds. They are quite beautiful. Hope that their songs were as well. You really were a long way from home!

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  12. What a thrill to see beautiful mountains in the background. Love the sage thrasher and flicker.

    Great post Eileen :)

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  13. What an enjoyable trip to make. I love the flicker. Lots of rugged country there. Valerie

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  14. Beautiful rustic area, great shots.

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  15. beautiful shots, Eileen, hope to be able to see this place someday too.

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  16. Beautiful shots from national park with such lovely birds.

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  17. I am enjoying your travels Eileen. The country is similar, but very different to mine.
    Have a great week.

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  18. What a beautiful place--and another "lifer" to boot!

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  19. Such beautiful countryside - so different from where I live. That sky - such an intense blue. Your bird photos are stunning, as always.

    Have a good week, Eileen.

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  20. Oh I love these bird photos Eileen.
    Those three birds are wonderful - we only have a common old garden thrush here but I still love seeing them in my garden - they have such a lovely song too!
    Shane

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  21. 29 degrees here this morning and your photos are warming me up...! :)

    Lovely as always :)

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  22. You captured the terrain perfectly . . . The birds seemed to match where they live beautifully . . .

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  23. I just love the countryside :) glad you enjoyed the day out Eileen .

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  24. u must tell me ur tricks to get birds to stay? they will fly away so quickly no matter how quiet i am. lovely blue skies. ( :

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  25. I love your two bird shots! Have not seen them yet, so it's a Monday treat!

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  26. Hallo Eileen!!
    Great post!!!What a lovely place you visit!!!It's very interesting!!Wonderful shots and beautiful birds you saw!!!Thanks for sharing!!Have a nice week!!Hugs!!
    Dimi...

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  27. I always love your lifers, they are mine too.

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  28. Lovely zone. Nice birds and landscapes.. Congrats..

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  29. Great finds, Eileen! I'd love to see a sage thrasher and the flicker. I've only seen glimpses of the flicker and it was in Oregon. I think one was high up on the light pole in the field behind our house, but not sure. Wonderful images and nicely done on the collages.

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  30. Hi Eileen,

    a beautiful journey through Mexico and the national park. Many would like. Beautiful uitkijkjes and mountains. Also you are very colorful birds which I really like about the last bird!






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  31. Brilliant Red-shafted Flicker, what a delight, and rest of the park.

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  32. Looks like a very pretty area with some great birds to view. Love the Sage Thrasher! Beautiful images, Eileen!

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  33. What great scenery, I love it all!

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  34. Eileen,
    Isn't the high desert an interesting one-such beauty in it's own way. The starkness is breathtaking and magnificent- beautiful! I am happy for you that you found the Sage Thrasher-
    Warmest of Hugs,
    jemma

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  35. Absolutely gorgeous photos of New Mexico ~ xxx

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  36. Zwiedzasz kawałek świata, które pewno nigdy nie zobaczę i muszę przyznać, że bardzo podoba mi się. Pozdrawiam.
    You are visiting a piece of the world that will never see again and I have to admit that I really like. Yours.

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  37. you always take very nice photos. wish i was there.

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  38. Congratulations on another lifer! That's some gorgeous country!

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  39. Such lovely scenery, Eileen! Gorgeous bird shots, too!

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  40. Such a beautiful place!! Your photos brought back lots of memories, Eileen, from when I was there -- years ago! Hope your week is off to a great start! Enjoy!

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  41. Congratulations on the new lifer, and showing us another interesting part of your country.

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  42. What heavenly shots - and so sunny!

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  43. Nice shots of the desert and great to find the lifers on your trip through the southwest!

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  44. The desert has its own beauty and variety of plant life, doesn't it? I especially like your landscape shots in this mosaic. And, of course, always interested in seeing new birds not common in my area.

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  45. Loved going on the hike with you in the southwest!!!

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  46. What a great looking place - and so nice of the birds to sit on top of the bushes for you! Please send details of how you make them do this!!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  47. WOW, Eileen! You certainly do get to many wonderful birding places! Love the flicker!

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  48. Beautiful scenery!
    Great bird photos!
    Have wonderful week!
    Lea

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  49. Always great post! and beautiful series of the photos..



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  50. Yet another wonderful place to visit Eileen. You have some great adventures in such scenic places where you see lots of birds. You seem to get lots of lifers too! The picture of Sage Thrasher is just so good the way it is sat up looking at the camera.

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  51. lovely photos, the red-shafted flicker is a handsome bird!

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  52. Hi Eileen, So well, you know which bird is my choice for fav of the day. Ha! Outstanding pictures of the TX scenery. I have never been to that part of TX even though I lived in N.E. TX for 3 years in the 1990's. I think I would like to visit that area. Have an especially nice day today!

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  53. The weather must be great. You also have great light too.

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  54. It looks like you had a wonderful trip!

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  55. Great photos Eileen, this area looks so beautiful. I'm glad you got to see your lifer. Always a thrill to see a bird never seen before. Have a great week :)

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  56. The scenery is sure different and the bird shots are great captures.

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  57. Very interesting scenery and the birds are beautiful.

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  58. Beautiful photo's. This makes me miss the desert!

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  59. Looks like a beautiful place to visit!

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  60. Wow ! Such incredible beauty to behold in this National Park. Thanks for sharing.

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  61. That looks like a great place to visit for hiking and birding.

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