The Hummingbird That Almost Made Me Cry

April 27, 2021 Scott David Gordon

Overlooking Fort Davis National Historic Site and the town of Fort Davis from the North Ridge Trail at around 5200 feet.

Close-up with the red flowers in the bottom right hand corner.

Bird watching is without a doubt one of my favorite hobbies. Not many activities come to mind that ground me in the present moment so fully as observing nature, especially when I spot a colorful or rare bird I’ve never seen before. I’ll often find myself gripped with excitement and awe as I try to identify what I am seeing and observe its behaviors and habits, watching sometimes for a long period of time.

Out of all the birds that I know of Hummingbirds have to be my favorite to spot and observe. It’s is quite a treat to have a well-visited feeder and get to see them often. But seeing them in the wild I find is something special and not easy or common.

What happened on my hike I still can’t believe. From the trail I could see nearby some small red flowers growing in the crevice of the rocky terrain. I decided to take a closer look and got as close as I could but was not able to span a very deep crevasse that separated the boulder I was on with the flowers.

As soon as I took my last step and came to a stand-still a Black-Chinned Hummingbird flew up to the flower, poked its bill into it, hovered for another few seconds, and then flew off. Wow. What a gift. I could not believe the timing of this event and felt so fortunate and grateful to have witnessed this tiny elusive bird in the wild. It was a 20-second window of time that seems so improbable but for whatever reason it happened and I was there to experience it.

What’s even more jaw-dropping is what I saw over an hour later while slowly approaching another bird I was trying to get close enough to identify, in a completely different part of the trail. I had my binoculars trained on this other bird sitting in a tree, the view was fairly narrow, and possibly this same hummingbird landed on a branch not two feet from the other bird. It sat there for a few seconds and then took off again. What is there to do other than shake your head and wonder if it is not some kind of sign?

Fort Davis National Historic Site

April 26, 2021 Scott David Gordon

A selection of views and things that I saw while hiking at Ft Davis. It was a wonderful morning and a visually stimulating location!

Davis Mountains State Park Panoramas

April 25, 2021 Scott David Gordon

Here are some panoramas that I made with my iPhone during two hikes at DMSP. The first three are from a hike early in the day along the Indian Lodge trail and a close to sunset hike along Skyline Drive Trail. Almost got to 15,000 steps, over 6 miles.

Sunset hike on Skyline Drive Trail.

West Texas Panoramas

October 25, 2020 Scott David Gordon

A few weeks ago I made my first road trip of the year, out to West Texas. Specifically the towns of Marfa, Fort Davis, and the surrounding spacious desert landscape. After being cooped up in Austin all year I was ready to change my environment and find some room to think and have some new experiences. This will be the first of a series of posts about that trip.

Panoramas are one of my favorite photography formats, and I love how easy they are to make with an iPhone. All four mornings that I was on my trip I went hiking on a different Davis Mountain trail. The weather was glorious and it felt invigorating to be moving freely and peacefully out in nature. I find it healing to spend time away from modern life in a place that is raw and wild. My biggest thrill is observing and experiencing the diverse birds, animals, plants, and trees that grow uniquely in these kinds of spaces. To just exist somewhere without distraction or anything manufactured is I think a gift.

Davis Mountains State Park looking from the Indian Lodge Trail towards the McDonald Observatory.

Point of Rocks Roadside Park east of Fort Davis on 166. Every trip out west I make a point to climb up and sit for a few hours, write, think, and enjoy the long view.

Davis Mountains State Park looking west from the Skyline Drive Trail.

A hazy view from the Tall Grass Loop Scenic Overlook at the Fort Davis National Historical Site. Something interesting I learned was that the row of buildings you see at the center of the image and the row of foundations to their right, were aligned… — A hazy view from the Tall Grass Loop Scenic Overlook at the Fort Davis National Historical Site. Something interesting I learned was that the row of buildings you see at the center of the image and the row of foundations to their right, were aligned separately to magnetic north and geographic north at different times.

Into The Unknown With Optimism

October 19, 2020 Scott David Gordon

Keesey Canyon Overlook along the Skyline Drive Trail at Davis Mountains State Park, Oct. 2020. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Are you feeling a new urge to create or have you recently made a big transition in your life? Maybe you are considering one?

It has been a year of upheavals. Subjectively it seems that all this tumult has shifted much of the world and our lives to extremes, inspiring for good or for worse, challenges to change and prioritize.

Within the last 6 months, I have personally had a growing desire to work on becoming a better writer and to start sharing more consistently about my thoughts, life, curiosity, and work. Jeremy Enns, a podcaster and writer I recently started following shared in an interview that he had the same desire, and in January and decided to 365 Day Blog Post Challenge. I’ve chosen, as of today, to do the same. He also travels year-round, is a curator of content in the same way I desire, and seems to prioritize gratitude in his life. All things that I also want to do and that are important to me. So here we go!

Here is a list of some of the types of posts I will be creating every day.

Quotes, thoughts, reactions, and reviews of books I’m reading or have read this year. I’m already up to over 100 books in the last 5 months. Mostly audiobooks. It’s been wonderful to have the time and drive to do so.
Anything else that I come across in my life that I think could add value to my readers. I’m a very curious person so there is no telling what I might find and be inspired to share.
I’m a photographer so I’ll be sharing any new work as well as revisiting images and series from the past and telling relevant or interesting stories about that work. I especially like promoting what others are doing and what I have learned.
New podcast episodes from my shows and podcasts from other creators that I find enriching.
One of my goals is to have discussions and get feedback. I’ll be sharing questions and thoughts I’m having that might be good to get opinions about and to collectively discuss and seek out solutions and ideas. I want to learn from you!
Experiences I am having in my life including plans, ideas, people, thoughts, discussions, and of course inspiration.
In the near future, I hope to be doing a lot more traveling, once it’s possible and appropriate. Many adventures to be had!

To keep up with all of this, I will occasionally send out a summary. Share your email and sign up for it below.