Target
birds:Sunday and Monday, December 12-13, 2004
Located near Mt Vernon in northeast Texas, just a few miles from I-30, Daphne Prairie is a unique ecological experience. This unplowed remnant of Texas' Tallgrass Prairie, which consists of nearly 1000 acres, is not bisected by roads or even utility poles and is home to Smith's Longspurs and other grassland species including Short-eared Owls and Sprague's Pipit. The pimple mounds (also known as mima mounds) are some of the tallest left in the state and give the visitor the feeling of traveling back in time to an earlier era. In fact, this land has been in the same family since the 1830s and has changed very little since that time and you will be among the very first birders to witness it.
Target
birds:Smith's Longspur, Short-eared Owl, Sprague's Pipit, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, and vagrants such as Black-legged Kittiwake or Little Gull.
Matt White, author of Birds of Northeast Texas.
$100/person. Fee, less expenses, will benefit Texas Ornithological Society. Transportation, food and lodging to be provided by participants. Preference given to TOS members. Price for non-TOS members is $115/person.
On Sunday December 12, meet at Hubbards Restaurant at the southwest intersection of IH-30 and Hwy 37 in Mt. Vernon. They are expecting us and will have a place for us to eat breakfast if people are interested. We need to be ready to depart by 8:30. Participants will carpool from Mt Vernon to Daphne Prairie, where we will spend a half day walking through portions of the prairie in search of longspurs and other birds. Although they are not necessary on this part of the trip, you may want to bring along your spotting scope for even closer looks. Participants will want to prepare for the possibility of cold weather and some type of waterproof footwear may also be helpful. There are no restroom facilities on site, so it will be necessary to return to Mt Vernon for lunch and restroom breaks.
Following lunch, we will carpool to beautiful Lake Cypress Springs, located just a few miles south of Mt Vernon, on the very northwestern edge of the pineywoods. Our targets here will be east Texas specialties such as Brown-headed Nuthatch and Pine Warbler. Early December is prime time in northeast Texas for interesting late fall/early winter vagrants such as Black-legged Kittiwake and Little Gull, both of which have been seen in the area at this time of year. Spotting scopes are encouraged.
Following dinner on Sunday evening, an optional complimentary cocktail party will be given by Daphne Prairie owner B.F. Hicks at the Church Inn, 501 South Kaufman.
On Monday December 13 we will spend a half-day birding Mt Vernon's 57-acre DuPree Park. Winter sparrows will be our target including possibly Le Conte's and/or Henslow's Sparrow, as well as Sedge Wren. Featuring a walking trail that is over a mile long, this wilderness park contains a matrix of native grasses and trees and is located behind the recently restored Thruston Home, a dogtrot home constructed in 1868.
For non-birding spouses Mount Vernon boasts over 60 pre-World War I homes and five free museums as well as an interesting collections of shops and antique stores. In addition, a weekend of Christmas Season activities is planned including a Christmas parade on Saturday December 6 and a tour of homes on Sunday December 7. Call the Franklin County Historical Association at 903-537-4760 for more information.
Bring waterproof footwear, clothes for possible cold weather, spotting scope.
Guest facilities in Mt Vernon include the following:
Maximum of 25.
Contact Russell Nelson by e-mail at region5@texasbirds.org If you do not have access to e-mail, you can contact Russell through his cell phone at (512) 431-1420 and leave a voice-message to be called back.
Full payment due upon registration. A mailing address for the check will be provided when you contact us by email.