The RV adventures of Smithwick birders Diane and Phillip Mitchell

Birding is an excuse to be outside and make new friends, according to Diane and Phillip Mitchell of Smithwick. In 2008, the two retired educators moved to the Highland Lakes from Round Rock, where they found a vibrant birding community and a vast variety of birds to identify. Whether at home or on the road in their RV, the Mitchells keep binoculars and field guides close at hand.

“It’s rewarding when you can look up and say, ‘That’s an eastern blue bird,’” Phillip said. “Birds are so beautiful and interesting. It’s a challenge.”

The Highland Lakes is famous among birders as home to the golden-cheeked warbler, the only bird that nests entirely in the state of Texas, and the American bald eagle, which winters around Lake Buchanan. On the subject of the bald eagle, Phillip expressed dismay and disbelief that such a magnificent creature could have gotten…