TEXAS: BALCONES CANYONLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND DOESKIN RANCH

March 24, 2021

Bob had scheduled a visit to Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, formed in 1992 to preserve the habitat of two endangered songbirds, the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo. (Bob gets excited about things like that.)

We plugged the name of the refuge into my phone and followed the directions down a long, windy road to a locked gate that looked like personal property rather than a wildlife refuge.  On our way back, Bob realized that he had seen something that looked like it could be a refuge, and so we stopped to check it out.

Yup. It was what Bob was looking for--the Shin Oak Observation Deck. We have no idea why my phone took us right past this spot to a seemingly unrelated place.

A lengthy wooden walkway led to the observation deck . . . 

Signage told us that there are LOTS of birds to be seen, but after all that, we didn't see anything, not a single bird. 

I'm sure if we had stuck around a few hours, we might have seen some birds, but we had places to go and more to see, so we headed towards Doeskin Ranch, another section of Balcones Canyonland NWR. Appropriately, we saw a group of five does as we approached the entrance.

Doeskin Ranch has a network of hiking trails, and there were several groups of runners and hikers using them when we were there.

There is a nice variety of terrain, from flat, open fields to wooded areas.

This is a Southern live oak, a version of what we have growing near us in California:

Interesting parasitic plants covered many of the trees.

I wondered why the place was called Doeskin "Ranch."  Apparently some homesteaders built this cabin in the 1850s. It represents the small farm community that used to be here.

Of course, a ranch needs water, and Doeskin Ranch has ponds and streams.

I love the sound of running water.

Doeskin Ranch is about 45 miles NNW of Austin. It is worth the drive.