Anahuac NWR Wildlife

Driving in on the entrance road, we had our first Close Encounter of the Cottonmouth Kind

Others had related other such meetings at various locations around the Refuge, but our first happenstance was today. A very aggressive resident, he is not one to be messed with. I took my pictures from the safety of the car, regardless of how dirty the windshield might be.  

The entrance sign greets all visitors. 

Great Blue Heron was exhibiting a strange behavior, posing like an American Bittern just seconds before this shot. 

Shoveler Pond is full of water and sporting more Waterlilies than I've seen before. That's the appeal of this place, the constant change while remaining the same. 

The gazebo was infested with bees again. 

Reminds me of "THE BLOB".

Marsh Fleabane? Maybe

Widow's Tears, a Day Flower. 

Nothing's more inspirational than an American Flag in the wind. 

October 8 Total Lunar Eclipse

 The early bird gets treated to a wondrous sight when the moon is full at any time, but when a total lunar eclipse is on the calendar, prayers go out for clear skies and October 8 was an astronomy nerd's dream. 

When I arose at 4:15 AM the full moon was just kissed by Earth's shadow...

The moon was extra bright before the beginning due to the low angle of incidence of the sunlight on Earth's atmosphere.

I turned on the coffee pot and prepared to wait for the show to unfold. A lunar eclipse is a much more leisurely undertaking than a solar eclipse so viewers have the luxury of a hot cup of coffee in the wee early hours. This entire event lasts for 3 hours and 19 minutes.

At this time I heard the first "HOOT" of the Great Horned Owl. First the male with his deep baritone, the the tenor of the female.

Finally at 5:25 CDT totality began when the umbra, the darkest part of Earth's shadow, completely enveloped our natural satellite. 

 During totality, I heard bill clacking and other vocalizations from the trees behind the fence. Suddenly 4 ghostly apparitions circled overhead clacking and grunting for what seemed like an eon. They were very pale underneath, and true to form, not a wing whisper was audible. Truly they are silent predators. 

Experimenting with different settings on the camera, I fought the increasing humidity for clear, unmuddied photos.

I don't have a tripod adaptor that fits the camera, so each shot involved some intense breath-holding on my part. 

Upon processing my photos, using a tip from an anonymous source, I scanned each shot intensely and was able to locate a small blue dot just to the left of the totally eclipsed moon - the planet Uranus. 

My best lunar eclipse ever; and, time for a nap.

Skillern, McFaddin, Sea Rim SP and Bolivar

Finally have a day off after working 4 days straight at the Visitor Center, time for some serious birding...

The refuge has just acquired almost 2000 acres on the peninsula, some of it beachfront.

Semipalmated and Piping Plover sharing the same stretch of sargasm, nice comparison of colors. 

Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull

Don't know how Great Blue Heron can perch on these skinny little wires. 

Reddish Egret and Oyster Catcher at Rollover Pass. 

Snowy Egret on Yacht Basin Road. 

Yellow-crowned Night Heron 

Belted Kingfisher

Clapper Rail. 

Dowitcher, are those bills long or short?

At Sea Rim SP, 

Crested Caracara, what an elegant character. 

Black-necked Stilt, black and white beauty

Some signs seem totally unnecessary. 

Skillern TRact, Anahuac NWR

Mustard Family something

Young gator is the gate guard. 

We finished our tour with a short stop at McFadden Beach, south of High Island. 

Hurricane Carla caused major damage in 1961, another in 1989 finished the job

Ike in 2008 completed the destruction by eroding most of the remaining beach.  

September 21 East Unit of the Refuge

We took advantage of Colin to show us around the East Unit of the Refuge, he has a special use permit and we were"looking" for Masked Duck as a reason to be in a closed area.

 The Intracoastal Waterway forms the south boundaryWater is the most abundant feature

Seaside Sparrow danced the road for several minutes

Reddish Egret looking quite fierce

Ducks will blacken the surface before another month has passed. Right now it's just teal and a few Shoveler and Gadwall.

Obviously named Roseate Spoonbill

Jackson Ditch provides fresh water, too. 

My favorite kind of photo- reflections.

September 18 Life on the Refuge

The sky is different every night

as is the steady stream of avian denizens that roost along East Bayou every evening

Ibis, Egret, and Heron by the dozens provide entertainment before the hoards of mosquitoes drive us back inside. 

Meanwhile, back at Shoveler Pond...

these guys are almost as big as the parents, but they don't look much like them yet. 

Bills are still dark, not red-orange and the eye ring hasn't developed yet. 

Common Gallinule with almost grown chick...

who seems unhappy at having to feed himself. 

Turtle on the yellow line near the Willows parking area wasn't the least intimidated by me. 

The sky is different every night.