Memories of Marathon Texas

My first Texas Birding expedition began in 2020, with an ill-planned visit to Big Bend. I learned that because of Spring Break, all camping spaces in the park were occupied, and all national parks forbid roadside overnight camping. Eager to reach southern Texas, I was already on the fence about extending my visit another day, but these two setbacks decided for me. Most attractions offered by Big Bend required driving several hours to reach, and without the option of staying overnight inside the park, it would be difficult. 

I drove north out of the park to Marathon, Texas. During my drive I stopped at a roadside pullout marked “Exhibit”, and took a break from the road and fixed myself a meal. While there, I noticed sparrows (Black-Throated) and gnatcatchers (both Black-Tailed and Blue-Gray) next to the road, so I collected a few harshly lit, mid-day images. When sunlight is strong and directly overhead, shadows and highlights diminish the details of the subject. Highlights washout to bright blobs and shadows block up to black holes, sacrificing most of the subtle beauty one would like to capture. A high, thin layer of clouds can act as a light diffuser, but there were no clouds that day.

When I got to Marathon later that day, the light was good, so I checked the resource literature I brought and found a reference to nearby Gage Gardens. Soon I found a well-manicured park close to the town center, with trees, lawns, water features and… BIRD FEEDERS! Initially, I walked through the park with only my binoculars, but when I found Inca Doves, I went back to the RV for my camera gear. This was my first encounter with Inca Doves and I overdid it by taking too many images, though I will not apologize for my enthusiasm. Besides these new friends, there were White-Winged Doves, House Sparrows, House Finches, White-Crowned Sparrows, Dark-Eyed (Gray-Headed) Juncos, and Vermilion Flycatchers.

In January-2021, I returned to Texas, ready to experience the wonders there, without the shadow of the pandemic’s restrictions on access to the places unavailable during the previous spring. There was a freak snowstorm that blew through Big Bend as I approached the region, creating overnight road closures into the park, and causing an exodus of panicked visitors with reservations. And so there were unexpected openings at campsites inside the park, and I enjoyed the amenities for almost a week there.

Exiting the park, I drove north to Marathon, where I stayed while planning my entry into the park a week earlier, but the winter snowstorm shut down the roads. I’d hoped to visit a couple of small parks near town before I headed to Big Bend. Last spring I visited Gage Gardens in the middle of Marathon and I enjoyed it very much. The second place I had hoped to visit was Post Park, five miles south of town. With last week’s snowstorm, visiting these places became an untenable proposition. Now, a week later under sunnier skies, I wanted to try again to visit these parks. I learned that winter was not a great time for birding at either location. However, driving south to Post Park, I found a herd of Pronghorn in a field west of the road. On my drive south, I found them resting and ruminating far from the road, but as I drove back north, they stirred and approached the road at about half the distance of their resting place, and I collected some worthwhile images.

In July-2023, I returned to further explore the Marathon region. Tuesday morning I broke camp early at the rest area 20 miles east of Marathon Texas. I drove to town and had breakfast at the Oasis Cafe. Marathon has a population of just over 400. It is one of the two gateways to Big Bend National Park. (The other is Alpine, 50 miles to the west.) The town occupies a little over five square miles of territory. Aside from tourists visiting Big Bend, there is the historic Gage Hotel worth mentioning. Built in 1927, it has been a bastion of luxury enjoyed by west Texas ranchers and businessmen ever since. 

During my 2023 visit to Gage Gardens, I shared the grounds with young families and old fogies like myself. Some folks were interested in bird-life. Some seemed to be satisfied basking in the serenity provided by these well-groomed grounds. And some came to play games on the lush lawns. With 26 acres to wander, it never felt crowded.

It did not take long before the day warmed up. By finding shady places to sit, I could extend my time enjoying the birds I found that day. There were flycatchers, vireos, tanagers, finches, grackles, and orioles teasing me with glimpses. Some of them lingered longer than others. When I first visited these gardens in the spring of 2020, there were tons of Inca Doves scattered through the grounds. I have not seen them here since.

Only two hours away, my next camp awaited. So after my morning at Gage Gardens, I drove to Davis Mountains State Park and spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights camped at space #38. Follow the link for more about Davis Mountains.