Author: Richard

Nature Encounters at Falcon


The first afternoon at Falcon State Park, I was reading in the shade (it was 85 degrees) with Penny lying next to me. Suddenly, she exploded into barking and lunging on her leash, startling me. I looked at across the road and a mama wild pig and six piglets were trotting through the underbrush, driving our Vizsla nuts.

We’ve seen feral pigs down here before and seen the amazing damage they cause with their rooting and trampling. They are a major nuisance in much of Texas and some, with their nasty tusks, are pretty mean-looking critters.

The first night here, the coyotes started yowling just after dark — that eerie sound that make you glad you’re not sleeping out in the open.

This park is looped with nature trails that provide a wide variety of flora and fauna. You never quite know what you are going to meet around the corner. We’ve seen a number of rabbits that drive her crazy — forcing me to put a harness on her instead of just a collar.

Yesterday, after spotting several deer, we came upon a roadrunner who, in “beep-beep” fashion, kept running up ahead to where the trail turned, waiting and running again. Penny was going nuts and I was trying to hold her, and the camera — this going on for a bit. I dropped the leash and stepped on it while taking the photo, but must have missed it for Penny was off like a flash, as was the roadrunner. I’m sure it flew for she came back shortly, panting, and we continued our walk.

Last night, we took a walk late on the roads and it was black. I had a small flashlight but remembered, about half way around the loop, of the pictures of puma-like cat that has been spotted around here recently. I thought, if I see two glowing eyes up ahead, I’m out of here. The walk turned out to be uneventful although the night sky was spectacular.

Today, we rounded a bend on the trail and came upon an armadillo. Penny saw one in Louisiana last year but this one was right in front of her, waddling away. She lunged as I shot the picture but never got loose.
Tonight, she is “hunting” inside the Airstream — fixated at an opening under the stove where I suspect a mouse is residing. It may have ridden from Vermont or joined up here in Texas. If it reads the forecast for the weather ahead (nothing like the north or northeast but still below freezing), it is looking for a warm abode.

The other “nature” factor here is the small thorns that are everywhere you walk. I usually ride the bike so that Penny can run on the greenery beside the road. I noticed that she stopped running and was limping and checked her pads, finding many of the little thorns. They hurt just brushing them off. I’ve been wearing sandals and they wedge into the space beneath my feet, and smart. It’s just part of the exercising in the Southwest.

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Farewell to Goose Island

We leave in the morning for Falcon State Park after eight days here at Goose Island. It’s finally shorts and T-shirt weather and we’ve enjoyed getting out to walk, bike, and run. Penny has become pretty well-known with her running alongside the bike. Lots of little yappy dogs here which tend to drive her (and me) a bit nuts.

The first morning we were here, the roar of airboats awoke us about 4:30 A.M. It was the last day of duck season and all the good old boys were out. It calmed down considerably after that although guides take out anglers about every morning — with the resulting racket.

The birding has been wonderful — and we’ve met several interesting folks. Last night we went on an owl prowl — which turned out to be a walk along an oyster shell filled trail through the puckerbrush with Mary and fifteen others — but no owls. The night sky through the trees was quite something — these Texas nights can be quite spectacular.

This morning, after coffee, scones, and wifi downtown, we went to say goodbye to the whooping cranes. Three flew over as we approached and later, as we watched, a male from the group of three that reside there drove the newcomers off.

We met a guy today with a Bates sweatshirt so we had to query him — and learned that he and his wife moved down here from New England about five years ago. He’s a photographer — shooting birds and and scenery — and loving living in Texas. I’ve seen the temperatures for this area in the summer. Mary and I, while enjoying the area a lot, have too much Yankee blood in our veins to move south. However, getting down here for part (or most) of the winter is enticing.

Falcon Lake got some bad press six months ago when the guy was killed by “pirates” on the Mexican side of the lake. That story always has had a phony ring to it — no debris, no body — so it will be interesting to hear the local version of the story. We hope to erect and launch the kayak but will be staying close to the U.S. shore for many reasons. I think it’s likely safer than it was when we were there last year.

Temperatures down there are forecast in the low 80’s just as the rest of the country is getting ready for another big storm. One side of me feels guilty — but I suspect as soon as I see a Green Jay and three types of orioles, I’ll get over it.

Seriously, we will be thinking of our friends/family dealing with this tough winter.

Take a look at my latest post on the birds of Goose Island.

Some Birds of Goose Island

With both shorebirds and woods birds, Goose Island has a wonderful population of bird species and the surrounding areas add some variety.  I’ve added seven birds to my life list (231) since I got here and saw four birds this afternoon that I’m pretty sure were Anhingas but Penny was with me and they flushed before I could positively ID them.  They might have been double-crested cormorants so I’m hoping to get another chance at another place.

Most songbirds are not breeding so there is little birdsong but we hear lots of calls here — the ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbirds and Long-tailed Grackles are noisy as are the Northern Cardinals.  A pair of Great Horned Owls sound periodically as does a Red-shouldered hawk.  The Inca Doves call out “squirrel poop” continually during the day. 

I went on two organized bird walks where we saw 40 or so species each time.  I also spent a lot of time riding the bike and walking with binoculars and camera hanging from my neck.

A lot of my photos needed a bigger lens but I don’t have the budget or the inclination to lug a monster lens around with a tripod — at least at this time.  Here are some of my favorite shots from this time at Goose Island.  They give you a nice idea of the diversity of the birds here.  Good birding.

Great Egret this afternoon

Pied-billed Grebe

Inca Dove

Black-crowned Night Heron thinking he’s invisible

E.T. — a captive Great Horned Owl used in a wonderful talk on raptors

Red-shouldered Hawk perched just around the corner from our campground

Roseate Spoonbills are starting to get their breeding plumage

Pelicans

As a pilot and as a birder, I love pelicans.  I’m intrigued by the way they fly inches off the water, in “ground effect” and it’s fun to watch them weave back and forth with the traffic flow on a long causeway.  The Brown Pelicans are impish-looking as noted in the photo below.  At Goose Island State Park, they’ll line up begging for fish parts when sport fisherman return and clean their catches.

Brown Pelicans at Goose Island State Park boat ramp

White Pelicans, to me, seem more regal and reserved although I saw one in a tussle the other day with an Osprey for a catch — it was thirty seconds of aerial dog-fighting with the pelican ending up with the catch.

Brown Pelicans fish by plunging headfirst into the water — giving you the “that’s got to hurt” feeling as you watch.  White Pelicans tend to herd the fish as a group and skim off the ones they have corralled. 

The oil spill did not go west to this part of the Gulf and the pelican numbers seem strong.  The browns will stay here while the whites head north where we’ll see them off the New England coast later this spring.

Both types of pelicans are spectacular landers.  They wheel in, extend their feathers, slow and sometimes sort of water ski with their feet.  Haven’t seen a bounced landing yet — they are great naval aviators.


Settled In at Goose Island

The trip down on Saturday was uneventful and traversing Houston on a Saturday morning was relatively easy – although the Houston drivers must have trained in Boston. We did go by hundreds of school kids working along one of the Interstate exits and Mary remarked, “They are planting stuff.” Sure enough, sort of a Green Up day in January in Texas.

Once we got south of Victoria, the traffic was very light and the road Texas straight. The trip by Aransas refuge to Goose Island was familiar and it was good to have an easy 270 mile trip done.

Goose Island is very busy so we were smart to have reservations. Texas parks don’t reserve specific sites — just a slot — so it is take what you find when you get there. We were bummed that our favorite site from last year was taken but we found a spot nestled under some trees on Bayberry that will do fine. We have other campers a little too close with too many dogs but it is quiet — I can hear Cardinals singing loudly as I type — and we’ve already seen some nice birds.
Yesterday was laundry morning so Mary logged some time feeding quarters and I went looking for birds and coffee. We have a couple of little repairs to the Airstream for which I got some bolts and parts. We are settling in for some good birding — there’s a raptor expert here this week. Penny has had some good runs with the bike setup and yesterday we saw three Whooping Cranes a few miles from here. Since we’ll be here for a week or so, I’ll likely be mostly blogging about birds I see. I’m including a Brown Pelican shot that I took yesterday as a teaser. Visit vtbirder.

Whoopers

Yesterday, at the halftime of the Packers game, we decided to take a quick drive up to where the Whooping Cranes were last year.  We had not heard any reports of sightings and thought we’d check it out.

Sure enough, once we got on the street (more of a rural road),  there were a few cars and pickup trucks parked and I knew what had attracted them.  There were three Whoopers, a mom and dad along with a juvenile.  They were feeding about a hundred yards from the road and oblivious to the cameras and binoculars trained on them.

I took a bunch of photos but they were too far away for good resolution.  I got out my telescope and we got a good look at them — one had two leg bands on it and the juvenile was quite brown in spots.  Very elegant birds.  I tried to digiscope using my old Rebel XT and took a few shots when something flushed them and I lost them in the scope.

We watched them gracefully fly away, taking their time deciding where to head, and slowly head back towards the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge where most of their 175 western brethren are wintering.

Seeing them slowly recede to the Northeast made me think of the 2500 mile journey they took the fall from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.  They are protected at the refuge and stock up on blue crabs and clams — and next spring will launch for the return trip north.  Great birds — hope to see more while we are here.

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Texas Birding Rocks!

Birding in Village Creek State Park, just north of Beaumont, was good although there were many birds that I could not identify – often because my bird dog was running wild.  I could let her go on the trails through the “Big Thicket” and she loved it – but it made birding a challenge.

However, seeing Eastern Bluebirds right beside the campsite each day was fun, as was watching a big flock of Cedar Waxwings work the berry trees nearby.  We did a lot of hiking and cycling in the two days there — and the tall pines yielded Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and a raft of warblers too high and fast to ID.

One morning, the woods were alive with hundreds of American Robins.  I even saw a Hermit Thrush posing nicely as I grabbed my camera and departing when Penny arrived.  Of course, the Northern Cardinals were plentiful to the “ho-hum” point.

I find it interesting that we get used to birds to seeing birds that in Vermont would be a big deal — Cardinals for example, even Red-Winged Blackbirds.  In the south, they are so common as to be taken for granted — although I try not to.

We are now at Goose Island State Park near Rockport, Texas.  It’s so rich with shorebirds that it’s a bit overwhelming.  We got here this afternoon and on a bike ride before dark, I saw White and Brown Pelicans, White Ibis, Long-billed Curlew, Northern Pintail and Redhead ducks, all sorts of gulls, and many sandpipers that will take a while to learn.

Gulls, American Oystercatchers, and Dowitcher(?)

We’ll be here for a week and bird walks often top 70 species so it will be intense.  I promise not to write long laundry lists of birds seen but will call out some more interesting ones and hopefully, get some good photos.  Good birding to you.

Village Creek State Park, TX (Days 6-7)

We launched from Louisiana mid-morning and soon joined the west-bound travelers on I-12 north of New Orleans. A major east-west thruway, Interstate 10 drops down to New Orleans and splits off 12 north of the lake. It’s a fast-moving collection of trailer trucks, pickup trucks, quite a few RV’s, and many autos. The speed limit most of the time is 70, and that’s the pace in the right lane. The left lane is moving from 70-85.

There’s a twelve-mile long bridge/causeway that we recalled from last year. Nothing but marsh and water as far as one can see, and pity the vehicle that has a breakdown. We cruised along at 70 when we could (there was quite a lot of construction) and approaching Texas, we saw ominous black cloud up ahead. After a quick stop for maps, we were back on the road in light rain but lots of wind. The spray from the trucks was tough for probably fifteen minutes and then we we out of it. We turned north at Beaumont and navigated up to Village Creek State Park outside Lumberton.

Village Creek is a small park with only about twenty sites with electricity and water. However, only two were occupied. We checked in, showed our Texas Pass*, and picked a site. The park has a wonderful network of hiking and biking trails so Penny and I were off before dark on a long jaunt. With no one around on the trails, I let her run freely.

The weather is cold for Texas. The temperature dropped after the cold front and was about 34 this morning. The electric heater kept us snug. It took a 5 mile walk with Penny this morning and it was chilly at first, warming as the sun broke out.
Today we got Mary’s bike going and she took her first ride since last time in Texas. With no traffic and smooth roads, it’s a perfect place to get comfortable again. Meanwhile, the dog and I took a long bike ride this afternoon down along the river. It’s challenging bike riding with the soft sand on parts of the trails and the dips and climbs through sloughs. I missed my mountain bike tires although the hybrid did pretty well. We went all the way to the end where there is a beach and Penny took a little wade and chased some shorebirds. She’s a tired pup tonight.In the morning, we hook up and head to one of our favorite spots, Goose Island State Park. The trip will go right through Houston but since it is Saturday, I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult. The weather looks to be cool for the next week but nothing like our friends and family in the Northeast are putting up with.

It’s been a week on the road and it will be nice to settle down at one place for a while. We plan to be at Goose Island for over a week and visit one of our favorite coffee shops, The Daily Grind, in Rockport.

Check out my birding blog here

* If you plan much camping at state parks in Texas, you need to buy a $60 annual pass. Otherwise, it is $5.00 per head each day you stay at a park. The pass also gives you some half-price coupons for the first day so it doesn’t take long to pay off. We bought one last year and it is good until the end of February.

Village Creek State Park, TX (Days 6-7)

We launched from Louisiana mid-morning and soon joined the west-bound travelers on I-12 north of New Orleans. A major east-west thruway, Interstate 10 drops down to New Orleans and splits off 12 north of the lake. It’s a fast-moving collection of trailer trucks, pickup trucks, quite a few RV’s, and many autos. The speed limit most of the time is 70, and that’s the pace in the right lane. The left lane is moving from 70-85.

There’s a twelve-mile long bridge/causeway that we recalled from last year. Nothing but marsh and water as far as one can see, and pity the vehicle that has a breakdown. We cruised along at 70 when we could (there was quite a lot of construction) and approaching Texas, we saw ominous black cloud up ahead. After a quick stop for maps, we were back on the road in light rain but lots of wind. The spray from the trucks was tough for probably fifteen minutes and then we we out of it. We turned north at Beaumont and navigated up to Village Creek State Park outside Lumberton.

Village Creek is a small park with only about twenty sites with electricity and water. However, only two were occupied. We checked in, showed our Texas Pass*, and picked a site. The park has a wonderful network of hiking and biking trails so Penny and I were off before dark on a long jaunt. With no one around on the trails, I let her run freely.

The weather is cold for Texas. The temperature dropped after the cold front and was about 34 this morning. The electric heater kept us snug. It took a 5 mile walk with Penny this morning and it was chilly at first, warming as the sun broke out.
Today we got Mary’s bike going and she took her first ride since last time in Texas. With no traffic and smooth roads, it’s a perfect place to get comfortable again. Meanwhile, the dog and I took a long bike ride this afternoon down along the river. It’s challenging bike riding with the soft sand on parts of the trails and the dips and climbs through sloughs. I missed my mountain bike tires although the hybrid did pretty well. We went all the way to the end where there is a beach and Penny took a little wade and chased some shorebirds. She’s a tired pup tonight.In the morning, we hook up and head to one of our favorite spots, Goose Island State Park. The trip will go right through Houston but since it is Saturday, I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult. The weather looks to be cool for the next week but nothing like our friends and family in the Northeast are putting up with.

It’s been a week on the road and it will be nice to settle down at one place for a while. We plan to be at Goose Island for over a week and visit one of our favorite coffee shops, The Daily Grind, in Rockport.

Check out my birding blog here

* If you plan much camping at state parks in Texas, you need to buy a $60 annual pass. Otherwise, it is $5.00 per head each day you stay at a park. The pass also gives you some half-price coupons for the first day so it doesn’t take long to pay off. We bought one last year and it is good until the end of February.

Mama Owl is Great

Yesterday, we decided to look for the Great Horned Owl that was reportedly nesting here at Fontainebleau State Park.  Early in the morning, I had gone down to the pier and seen Brown Pelicans, Killdeer, Tree Sparrows, and an unidentified hawk — and heard an owl somewhere.

When I saw the camp hosts sitting on their four-wheelers talking, I asked them whether they knew where the owl was.  The guy from Minnesota said, “You mean, my owl?”  And before I knew it, we were following in the truck to the spot, not too far away, where we got out and walked to a viewing spot.  “She’s right up there in the flat spot, see her?” he asked.  Here’s what we saw — it wasn’t easy at first, and then you couldn’t miss her.

The host explained that the owls have used this site in three out of the last four years (last year was apparently too wet and they went elsewhere.)  He thinks that one of her eggs has hatched since she has moved up slightly in the nest.  She was dozing when we saw her and once I got my scope out, both Mary and I, and some visiting Canadians, got great looks.  It was beautiful to see the tufts on her head waving gently in the breeze as she slept and every so often, she’d pop open an eye and check on her human spectators.  Last night, after dark with a full moon, we went back down and sitting in the dark truck nearby, could hear her sort of purr hooting sounds while a bit further off, her mate gave forth with a full Great Horned Owl series of hoots.  Quite a treat, and a life bird for me.

Here’s closeup of her — the “ears” are hard to miss once you spot them.

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