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Peter, Peter, Peter LbNA #44878 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Lone Star Quilter
Plant date:Dec 3, 2008
Location:
City:Buffalo Gap
County:Taylor
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Found by: ScooterBoot
Last found:Apr 3, 2011
Status:FFFaa
Last edited:Dec 3, 2008
We were walking along a trail at Abilene State Park, letterbox in hand, looking for an appropriate place for our Tufted Titmouse letterbox, when I stopped to watch a bird on the ground a few yards away. Suddenly, movement nearby, in a leafless bush only a few feet away, caught my attention, and when I looked down, I saw two Black-crested Titmice looking back at me, just checking me out. It brightened my day, and it was there that I found a nest for my box. The image on the front of the logbook is that of a Tufted Titmouse, and the two, although closely related, are distinct. They actually interbreed in central Texas, where their territory abuts, so sometimes it’s hard for me to tell which is which. The Black-crested is considered a Texas bird, ranging from Oklahoma to Mexico, and the Tufted version is considered an eastern bird. They sing a loud “Peter, Peter, Peter” song, the Black-Crested version a little sharper and more nasal than the Tufted song. I love birds and this one puts a smile on my face.

Directions:
Abilene State Park. To reach the park, travel 16 miles southwest of Abilene, through Buffalo Gap, on FM 89, then on Park Road 32 to the park entrance. Pay the entrance fee and get a map. Drive straight ahead, keeping left, to the end of the road at a turn-around and parking area for the Elm Creek Trail.

To the box:
This is a short walk along the trail to trail marker #1. Turn around and head back the way you came and you will see a large tree immediately on your left. Peter, Peter, Peter is hiding in the crotch of the tree under rocks and bark.