Panhandle Birding: Palo Duro Canyon

I officially moved to Dallas last Thursday. I had enough time to set my stuff down, grab dinner with my parents, and go to bed. Friday morning was the start of my Panhandle birding adventure. The first stop was Palo Duro Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Texas. Palo Duro doesn't really have the birding reputation of other state parks in Texas, and I have to confess birding wasn't really my primary goal. I wanted to hike The Lighthouse and experience one of the natural wonders of the state.

My first view of Palo Duro Canyon from the rim

As far as birds go the Panhandle is a very unique birding area in Texas. Due to being much farther north compared to the rest of the state it gets some birds that you can't find in other areas of the state. Big draws are Cackling Goose, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Shrike, Common Merganser, and American Tree Sparrow. Interesting rarities can turn up at any time as well. Black-billed Magpie, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Tundra and Trumpeter Swan, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Brant have all turned up at some point.

Additionally, the area is very underbirded. The population is low and private land is abundant, 2 things that make birding very hard. Then there's the weather. The weather on the plains can change in an instant and it can get pretty bad up there. Farther north means it's colder and snow and ice are common. So you can see why there aren't as many checklists for February. Part of my motivation here was to add some checklists and have these blog posts act as a way for future birders to get some tips.

Dark-eyed Junco. I believe this is the pink sided subspecies.

Anyways, I got to Palo Duro at about 4:00 and the wind was blowing strong. It would nearly grind to a halt as I descended into the canyon. This was my best shot to get Mountain Bluebird. First up, the Kiowa Trail that follows the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River (that really is more of a stream). 4:00 is not the ideal birding time, but there was some decent activity. Along the river birds were settling in for the night. Dark-eyed Junco was abundant, and a roosting flock of American Robins were making a ton of noise.Then I heard the highlight of the day. Chihuahuan Raven! Lifer! As the sun set I had a Hermit Thrush before rushing off make camp.

Pine Siskins

I woke early to start one of the Texas bucket list hikes, the 6 mile Lighthouse Trail. The trail itself is not the best trail for birds. On a Satruday morning people from Lubbock and Amarillo are all over the trail with their dogs. And these dogs love to bark at each other. There were still some good birds. Wild Turkeys greeted me on the trail, and Chihuahuan Ravens were always in sight above me. Woodhouse's Scrub, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Canyon Towhee were on the trail, and those were some great birds. But the trail, wow. It's incredible. I almost like it more than Boot Canyon. Almost. Multicolored rock formations beneath the never ending Texas sky dominate every view. The Rocky Mountain Juniper adds a ton of green. This is a must do hike.

The Lighthouse

I spent the afternoon at the Trading Post Bird Blind with that had a lot of the usual suspects, although Pine Siskin was a cool find. Late in the afternoon I went to the Soapberry Day Use area hoping to get some birds near the water. I found some weird mass in the tree. Nest? Beehive? Owl? Porcupine! I'd never seen one in the wild before. I decided to go to Canyon for dinner, frustrated that I hadn't seen Mountain Bluebird. Once I got service at the visitor center I pulled up my post on Texbirds with recommendations on finding them. Of course, I had been looking in the wrong place. The tip said to check the power lines outside the entrance, then to continue to Sunday Canyon Road. I didn't even have to go that far. About .5 miles from the park entrance I had 2 Mountian Bluebirds on the power lines. Wingo, lifer! On my way in to Canyon I had one more good bird, a Great Horned Owl on the power line.

Mountain Bluebird

Overall I can't recommend Palo Duro Canyon enough. I probably could have seen more birds in another place, but the scenery and hiking quality can't be beat. Camping is outstanding as well. One full day is probably enough to do The Lighthouse and see the cave, perfect for a weekend trip. People also report Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, and sometimes a Red-naped Sapsucker.

Northern Mockingbird

Before going I'd recommend reading Empire of the Summer Moon, an excellent book about the Comanches that were very acquainted with the canyon. Galvan's in Turkey is a fantastic restaurant to stop at as you come in, and Joe Taco in Canyon is another great eat to celebrate a lifer Mountain Bluebird.