Picnic area saga

I'm mostly writing this so I'll have a record of the events of the last few day. (Spoiler alert: I got the Downy Woodpecker this morning!)

First spotted on Dec 12 by Stephen Falick. I went looking for it on the morning of the 13th. That's when I fell and twisted my knee. The next day (yesterday) I went again in the morning, knee hurting. Did not see it but saw a Brown Thrasher, which is a nice find for this time of year. Steven Cardiff showed up before I left. I told him about the thrasher. After I left, he saw the thrasher and the woodpecker. So I returned in the afternoon. Chris Pipes was there when I arrived. I told him about the thrasher. Neither of us saw the woodpecker, so we resolved to go back again today.

This morning I learned from Cardiff that Chris had found the thrasher deceased (hit by a vehicle) and collected it before I got there yesterday, but for whatever reason, Chris didn't tell me. I had continued looking for it since I didn't get a picture of it at the time I saw it.

So today (knee all better) Chris and I arrived there (he from Ft Davis; me from Alpine) at 10 AM. We searched and he played a recording of the woodpecker's call. He had done it yesterday too, to no avail. This time the bird seemed to respond and he got a quick glimpse of it. As we both searched for it again, we soon spotted it. He looked through binoculars to confirm ID, but I'd made that mistake before. I was able to snap a couple of quick shots before it flew away. I shoot first and ID later. That can be a mistake too if it disappears before I get to take a pic. And without binoculars on it, I can't confirm ID. But I got lucky today. Of course my autofocus didn't do well with all the branches in the way, but at least it's documentation!

So lots of fun! Today I also found a Blue Grosbeak, which is a very late date for one. 

Going back and forth from Alpine, I keep seeing this car along the highway. Can't imagine how it got wrecked.*

And here's my car parked today at the stakeout area.

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*Someone suggested to me that perhaps the car was being towed by a motorhome and when the motorhome braked it came loose and hit the motorhome before going into the ditch. Sounds logical to me.