I notice the black-capped vireo was recently removed from the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I am hopeful this is a sign the bird is on its way to better days.

Black-capped Vireo

There were only 350 adult birds in the wild back in 1987, when this vireo was declared to be endangered. Today, there are some 14,000 birds, so things are looking up.

One of the things that most helped this bird was creation of the Balcones Canyonlands Reserve in western Travis County. I&rs...