Spring Photography in Texas Trip Journal

Introduction

While on a quick trip through north Texas we had the opportunity visit the Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque and Mackenzie Park in Lubbock for a few hours. In both locations we just scratched the surface and would really enjoy the chance to explore them more deeply sometime.

Caprock Canyons State Park

The park is located 3.5 miles north of State Highway 86 in Quitaque, Texas on FM-1065. There had been a good bit of rain over the spring we were there and the mixture of greens and reds were impressive.

While we did not have much time to explore we really enjoyed the views from the overlook near the Wild Horse Camping Area.  It looks like a good sunrise location. We did spend some time shooting around the North Prong Primitive Camping Area and found some nice subjects there. While the park is not large there are many nice trails that would keep you busy exploring for quite sometime. We passed through the area during the early morning and had a lot of luck finding birds sitting on the fences along the road leading into the park (FM-1065). We made several slow passes along the road and Jo took images from the car window.  While some of the birds would fly away when we stopped, many were content to sit long enough for her to capture some nice images.

Mackenzie Park

As we passed through Lubbock we stopped at Mackenzie Park (located at 601 Municipal Drive) for a quick visit to Prairie Dog Town. As we drove through the park we found quite a variety of birds.  The birds seemed to be pretty accustom to cars and people so getting near them was not a problem.

While shooting photos of the prairie dogs at the park, we noticed some small owls flying in and out of the area. Jo was able to get move within range of the owl's burrow and got several nice images of the male bringing back black beetles to his family. He would fly in and out every 10-15 minutes with a fresh beetle so she was able to get some nice flight shots also. The park seemed to have a lot to offer if you enjoy photographing birds.

Final Thoughts

We did not have much time to spend exploring north Texas but these two areas were certainly worth visiting.  They both offer some nice images no matter how much time you have to explore.

If you ever have any questions, suggestions on how to improve this guide or just wish to send us an email with a great photography spot, please contact us at ginnphotography@comcast.net.

Thank you and good shooting,

Jo and Phil