Today was a transition day – starting in Del Rio and ending in Study Butte, on the western edge of Big Bend National Park. Our coffee stop was in Marathon where we spent a couple of hours in the very birdy ‘oasis’ Gage Gardens. We had several warblers, including MacGillivray’s, Townsend’s, Wilson’s and Audubon’s, a probable Hammond’s Flycatcher (id still under consideration) tanagers, thrashers and 15 American Pipit. We then drove the remaining 80 miles to the park HQ and signed in before birding Sam Nail Ranch trail. We checked in to our motel, had supper at the Mexican food cart and turned in, ready for big day in the mountains tomorrow. A ten mile hike, 7000 feet of climbing in exhausting heat (it reached 103 deg today) and all in pursuit of one bird – America’s rarest breeding warbler!