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Jeff Davis County is a far-flung part
of Texas, nearly twice the size of
Rhode Island, with a 2,265 square-
mile landmass; it touches the Rio
Grande on the county’s western trape-
zoid tip. The county’s population of
2,342 inhabitants has grown little over
the years. In the 19th and 20th cen-
turies, some brave souls came for cattle
ranching in its spectacular highland
plateau. Later and still today, the dark
night sky and astronomy brings scien-
tists and star gazers from around the
world. But many of us call it ‘home’
because of its undisturbed nature and
majestic scenery.
Once famous for stagecoach trails,
Apaches and Buffalo Soldiers, Fort
Davis, the county seat, is now pro-
claimed the “Hummingbird Capital of
Texas” and is the gateway to the
Nature
Conservancy’s
Davis
Mountains Preserve, and the
University of Texas McDonald
Observatory. The unincorporated
town sits at an elevation of 5,050 feet
and also claims to be the “Coolest
Town in Texas.” The region features
one of the darkest night skies in the
U.S., making it perfect for the observa-
tory complex, built in 1932 at elevation
6,800 feet. Close to town, Fort Davis
National Historic Site joins McDonald
Observatory, Davis Mountains State
Park and the Nature Conservancy’s
Davis Mountains Preserve as the coun-
ty’s tourism jewels. The preserve’s Mt.
Livermore is a popular feature as the
county’s highest point, at 8,432 feet
elevation. Adjacent to and west of Fort
Davis National Historic Site, the Davis
Mountain State Park claims rights to
nature with campgrounds, scenic
drives, impressive bird viewing struc-
tures and the Indian Lodge built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934.
The old Fort Davis, built in 1857, is
considered one of the finest standing
forts in the U.S.
Lately,
with
the
Nature
Conservancy’s conservation of sky
island habitat, residents, scientists and
visitors now have access to scenic nat-
ural areas and high mountain forests
where quaking aspen, madrone, oaks,
pinyon pine and juniper species grow
beside impressive stands of ponderosa
pine and Southwestern white pine at
S KY I SLAND H UMMINGBIRD
S TUDY R ESULTS
SPECIES
Magnificent
Blue-throated
Lucifer
Ruby-throated
Black-chinned
Anna’s
Costa’s
Broad-tailed
Rufous
Allen’s
Calliope
Broad-billed
Buff-bellied
Violet-crowned
White-eared
Hybrid species PROJECT TOTALS
210
5
794
603
7,199
469
5
3,705
4,426
138
544
12
1
1
18
31 hybrid individuals
of 11 different
combinations
TOTALS 18,146
Project totals reflect banded birds only.
The first on record in the U. S., an Amethyst-throated hummingbird was sighted October,
2016 perching on the Cornell Lab’s live cam (https://youtu.be/JAAXKSsKKPk). This
species normally occurs only in the mountains of eastern Mexico. With this bird well docu-
mented, Texas now boasts 19 species of hummingbirds, one more than Arizona-its only
U.S. rival for hummingbird diversity. More information at: (http://westtexashumming-
birds.com/ ) and
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/50/West_Texas_Hummingbirds/)
the highest elevations. The lower ele-
vation’s grasslands set a spectacular
backdrop for the highland’s ecology
and beauty. The Nature Conservancy
is responsible for maintaining much of
the sky island habitat through conser-
vation easements with private
landowners and on its 33, 075-acre
Davis Mountains preserve, where the
unique mountain avifauna has now
been thoroughly documented.
The Preserve’s higher elevations
support birds more commonly associ-
ated with western mountain ranges,
26
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2017
such as the common black-hawk, gold-
en eagle, and Montezuma quail.
Various birds of prey and 13 species of
hummingbirds are found there. At ele-
vations above 5,500 feet, the range
covers over 800 square miles and sup-
ports an impressive population of 108
known and suspected breeding bird
species. Access to the region’s biodi-
versity has only recently allowed scien-
tific study.
In 2008 Kelly Bryan, a biologist
now retired from Texas Parks and
Wildlife, launched a scientific banding