Pre dawn we were out looking and listening for owls and nightjars. Chuck-wills Widows were calling nicely, but could we see one? No we couldn't! Very frustrating as at least four birds were heard but none came close enough for even a glimpse. Barred Owls are easy to see in Texas, we have been have told this many times, and so far we have seen none! Lost Springs, where we are staying has Barred Owls, our hosts Susan and Carl see one regularly in their back yard, so we stood in the garden in the dark, listened and listened, looked hard and saw....nothing. All too soon it was time to head off in search of our main targets for the day, Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. Susan came with us and we soon arrived at Bamberger Ranch were we met Shirley, another of our Texas Ladies. We also meet Colleen, Director of Education at the ranch and all-round expert on the place. Colleen soon had us at a spot where Black-capped Vireos had been seen recently and we scanned the low bushes. Weather was not great with drizzle and a strong breeze, we waited tensely as not a bird moved. Shirley saw movement, a vireo, we all struggled to get a good look as it moved quickly, got it, White-eyed Vireo, on no! Colleen looked more tense than the rest of us, but she need not have worried.  Only moments later a Black-capped Vireo sang and we all enjoyed wonderful views at close range! One down. We drove a short distance to an area of bigger trees in a more sheltered valley, a good warbler hang-out according to Colleen, who had to dash off to her real job, field teaching in the education centre at the ranch.  We looked and listened hard for warblers, with only a Summer Tanager for company.  Then Sam heard a faint noise that could be a warbler calling and we plunged into the woodland to follow the sound.  Much scanning of the canopy above us until we were rewarded with a flash of gold, black and white, a gorgeous Golden-cheeked Warbler in fine breeding plumage.  He perched in a dead snag at the top of the tree and revealed himself in all his glory, as well as the reason for his rather subdued call, a bill full of food.  After filling our boots with views of this stunner, we continued along the track and hit upon a flock of Nashville Warblers passing through the trees.  Rufous-crowned Sparrows gave us the runaround as we could hear the strident call clearly but only caught dissatisfyingly fleeting views of birds moving from tree to tree.  Then one obliging individual perched up on a dead tangle of undergrowth so we could all enjoy a great view, and another new bird added himself to our list.  Back up the hill to the main education building where we met up with Colleen again and a group of students from Small Middle School who shared with us what they were learning about classifying leaf structures.  We talked to them for a little while about The Biggest Twitch while they challenged us with some good questions about the birds we'd seen so far and the places we'd visited.  Then we dashed on again to check out a daytime roost for Eastern Screech Owl, and one sleepy individual was added to our yearlist.    Bamberger Ranch (check out their website: www.bambergerranch.org) is an amazing private ranch which has been described as the largest habitat restoration project in Texas, a fascinating and beautiful place to bird, but we had to tear ourselves away to check out new habitats.  Our thanks to Colleen for her enthusiastic help on what must have already been a very busy day for her!  Our next birding stop was Pedernales Falls State Park.  Here we checked out the bird blind, and enjoyed views of Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Lark Sparrow and Lincoln's Sparrow from only feet away.  We made a quick detour to admire the falls themselves and added Spotted Sandpiper to our day list.  Amazingly, as we walked back to the car, we heard the now familar call of Golden-cheeked Warbler, and looking around spotted another warbler showing well in the small trees above us.  Then it was back to Susan's amazing back yard where we enjoyed further views of Golden-cheeked Warbler, and Nashville Warbler.  We couldn't believe how well we had done for our target birds, with no fewer than three sites throwing up Golden-cheeked Warblers!  In the evening we were joined by all the girls from the High Island Gang, Ann, Joanne and Shirley and their husbands, and enjoyed a fabulous meal of homemade hamburgers and oatmeal and chocolate cookies.  The legendary hospitality of Texans is really living up to its name, we have had a fantastic time with our lovely hosts, Susan and Carl, been thoroughly spoiled, and have picked up some fantastic new birds to boot!  Oh, and that Barred Owl?  As he checked the BBQ outside, Carl heard the owl calling in the distance.  Listening hard, we picked up the distinctive call.  Good, but not quite good enough, so we'll be back out there again before dawn tomorrow to see if we can get a look at him.Bird species total: 2089Posted 10pm, 23rd April, Wimberley, Texas