Spring 2002 - Road trip to Texas

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carterhouse1.jpg (288649 bytes) This is the Carter House in Franklin, Tennessee, site of the bloodiest 45 minutes in the Civil War on November 30, 1864. Ann's Great-great grandfather, John Adams was one of 6 confederate generals who died during the battle.  carterhouse4.jpg (366748 bytes)
The Union troops were entrenched around this house, built by Fountain Branch Carter. The buildings are still riddled with hundreds of bullet holes.

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The Confederate troops approached across open fields from this direction, now a suburban neighborhood.

We did not take any pictures of the most incredible birding moment of the trip. We stopped at Bolivar Flats late afternoon when all the birds were coming in to roost. We initially thought we were seeing Pelicans on a rock break-wall - but the rocks turned out to be tens of thousands of American Avocets! There were huge groups of other shorebirds too - we counted 28 species - 5 terns, 5 plovers, 3 gulls, 2 pelicans, 4 sandpipers, etc. It was really magical!

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Ferry from the Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston
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A very cooperative pair of Crested Caracara at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge
The Birding Center in Port Aransas - a tiny part of the flock of shorebirds and ducks. This was the day after we took the boat trip out of Rockport where we saw 29 Whooping Cranes! Blue Winged and Green Winged Teal
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A Great Kiscadee at the visitor center at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge 
A Green Jay from the photo blind A Plain Chacalaca
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A pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers - we almost caused an accident when we saw the first ones - and then they were everywhere! Inca Doves at the Nature Center in Weslaco That little dot in the tree is a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - the full day birding tour at King Ranch was worth every penny!
orioleV2.jpg (44717 bytes) flock2V2.jpg (75290 bytes) This is only a few of the wonderful birds we saw - 237 species for the whole trip, with 49 new to us, 15 National Wildlife Refuges plus many other parks.
A Hooded Oriole at King Ranch Part of a flock of Great Egrets and White Faced Ibis

Edited July 19, 2007