Big Bend Day 2: The Death March

At 6 AM the alarm went off, but I was already up. I had been yearning for this day since we got off the trail in 2017. It was time to do the Colima Death March. In 2017 TJ and I attempted the hike, but due to being sick and dehydrated we failed to get Colima Warbler. I was heart broken to miss it. But this was my chance at redemption.

The boot of Boot Canyon. This is probably my favorite place in Big Bend.

It's called the Colima Death March because it may be the most physically demanding bird in the ABA area to find. The only place you can find Colima Warbler in the United States is in Boot Canyon, and it breeds from April to August. Allegedly you can find it in Pine Canyon in the Chisos as well, but it is even more remote than Boot Canyon, so finding reliable data is hard. You go 3.8 miles up Pinnacles where you gain 2,400 feet of elevation before descending into Boot Canyon, where you can spend 1.5-3 miles in the canyon before leaving back down Pinnacles or going down Laguna Meadow for 4.5 miles. No matter what you're looking at at least a 10 mile hike. Even being in good shape means you get worn out by about mile 8 when the Chisos start heating up. It is not for the faint of heart.

Boot Canyon is the perfect spot for Colima Warbler. They love the dense oak woodlands that provide tons of cover. The canyon packs a powerful birding punch of some of the most sought after North American birds like Painted Redstart, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Lucifer Hummingbird, and Blue-throated Hummingbird. But getting views of any of these is tough. The canyon is very dense and the hike up Pinnacles drains a lot of focus. Plus it is extremely hot once that sun comes over the mountains. But the birding potential combined with the stunning views makes it a hike that cannot be missed, even for non-birders.

It's amazing how Boot Canyon is so different from other areas of the park, it even feels like a different world compared to the Chisos Basin.

But it gets even more exciting. The 16th state record and about 20th ABA record of Slate-throated Redstart was present for a few weeks in the canyon and looked to be nesting with a mate, which according to the ABA may be the first ever time this has happened in the ABA area. This bird is mythical for me because Mark Adams found one of the first state records during his Texas big year in 2000 that he wrote about in "Chasing Birds Across Texas." To this day it is one of my favorite books I have ever read, and it's one of the biggest influences on my passion of going all over Texas to see birds. Normally they can be found from Northern Mexico to Bolivia, but occasionally they venture into southern Texas, Arizona, and once in New Mexico. Finding one is a big deal, and it's a Code 4 rarity according to the ABA.

Mexican Jays are another rare ABA bird. They can only be found in the Chisos Mountains and the sky islands of Southeast Arizona.

The morning was cool at about 75 degrees as we started our ascent. Says Phoebes and Mexican Jays guided us up the Pinnacles. Acorn Woodpeckers and Bewick's Wrens were common on the trail as well as the Canyon and Spotted Towhees that hopped ahead of us, encouraging us to continue pushing on. Even a Gray Vireo, an uncommon sighting, made an appearance. We met many birders on the trail with the same pilgrimage in mind. More eyes in the canyon means more eyes looking for Colimas. We were the first to summit the Pinnacles, climbing the entire trail in only an hour and a half. We took a breather as White-throated Swifts welcomed us to the top. We settled in for a break to enjoy the scenery before continuing the mission as another group of birders scouted a little before their own break.

The Acorn Woodpeckers were everywhere in the Chisos.

My feet were blistered and in serious pain from the hike the night before and the current hike. The blisters had already popped and were bloody. It was not fun, but pure hype got me through the hike. Then it happened.

An excited yell of  "COLIMA" cut through the silent air at the top of that mountain. If I ran as fast I did in that moment at the NFL Combine I'd be playing for the Cowboys because I flew down that trail. I didn't even need my bins. It was right there. Drab brown bird? Check. Eye Ring? Check. Apricot colored rump? Bingo. This is it. This was my grail bird. I know some of y'all read this and think "what a goober, it's just a bird," but I don't care. I don't expect even the serious birders to understand what this means to me. When I first got into birding the adventure of it all is what captivated me. When I was new to birding and I read about the Colima Warbler I told myself I would do that hike even if it killed me. This is the bird that made me fall in love with birding 3 years ago. It's a bird that sparked a desire to see the natural beauty of Texas, something that I am so thankful to have discovered. The Colima Warbler symbolizes so much to me that I can't help but be dramatic about it.

But the day was not over. We still had a mile and a half to the Slate-throated Redstart. Our descent into Boot Canyon was rushed. Even Gordon and TJ, who had little if any interest in birds, were excited. We picked up another Colima as we made our past the junction with Juniper Canyon. Hutton's Vireos called to each other in the trees. A female Broad-tailed Hummingbird whizzed by and perched on a branch.

Then a flash of red flew across the sky. It was for sure a redstart, but what kind? Painted Redstart, a gorgeous birds, breeds in the Chisos Mountains and in the sky islands of Arizona, but it has white on its wings. This bird had solid black wings. There was little confirmation left to need. We got it, we saw the Slate-throated Redstart. This is the rarest bird I have ever seen in the ABA area, and I saw 2 of them. Amazing. Those two birds made it the best birding day of my life. We watched them fly around for about 45 minutes before making our way back to the basin. We hiked 5 miles in and went 5 miles back out. By that point I was too tired to look for more birds. The excitement had worn off and the heat was a killer, as well as my raw feet. The rest of the day I would hardly be able to walk, even with band aids and a different pair of shoes. Always break in your Chacos before a long hike. As of writing I still feel pain from the blisters when I try to walk, an entire week later. 

Slate-throated Redstart! This is the only Code 4 ABA rarity that I have seen

Which gets me to my next point. We missed a lot of birds in Boot Canyon. After leaving the group behind us got another mega rarity: Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. They also got Painted Redstart, Cordilleran Flycatcher, and Blue-throated Hummingbird. Missing those birds isn't fun, but I don't care in the slightest that I missed them. I got my grail bird, and I saw a bird that is much rarer than the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.

The sights, sounds, and experience of all of this made it a day I truly will never forget. There is a reason saying you got a Colima Warbler in Texas raises eyebrows. It pushed me to my limits and I'm a young guy in good shape. When you think of birding as a bunch of out of shape old people looking at bird feeder behind a window, think again. I saw people way older than me powering through to see these birds. It's hard, it's mentally exhausting, but it's an adventure.

We finished the afternoon with 2 appetizers at lunch, a massive chicken fried steak, and the best chili burger I have ever eaten in Terlingua. Huge shoutout to Gordon and TJ for making that hike and dealing with my probably annoying enthusiasm for seeing a 5 inch bird. I do have a hunch that those 2 are quietly becoming interested in the joys of birding, though. 

I hiked over 10 miles to go see 2 species of birds. It was 100% worth it and I can't wait to do it again. I'll let you decide if that's really cool or really crazy. But I'm gonna sit here and smile to myself knowing that I conquered the Colima Death March.