November 24 Another day at the Refuge

Geese were flying all day, the moist soil unit between Shoveler Pond road and East Bay Boat Ramp Road was thoroughly saturated with both Snow Goose and Greater White-fronted Goose.

Must be a Ross's somewhere in this throng, but I couldn't pick one out. 

Anhinga

An early drive around Shoveler Pond provided some goodies...

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Frozen Point was the site for bay birds this afternoon...

Horned Grebe

Common Loon

Red-breasted Merganser

 Sometimes, even poor quality ID pictures make great learning tools, the thin up-turned bill is a major field mark.

Bald Eagle

Jackson Woodlot is a favorite roosting area for him.

November 24 What a Buteo!

 Several weeks ago, a local visitor had photographed and posted about an usual hawk. An out of state visitor several days ago, described a very black and white hawk on FM 1985. Driving to the VIS this morning we located the bird exactly where we had seen it yesterday but were unable to get more than a fleeting shot.

If you squint, you might see the speck just above the horizon. 

This morning he was more cooperative, the picture quality is lousy through a dirty windshield, but he is too beautiful not to share. 

 

He prefers the low fence rather than the utility poles and seems to prefer one certain fence post. He is so dazzlingly white, he's visible several hundred feet away and most days we see him both morning and evening, What a Buteo! Consensus is Krider's - Red-tail.

November 21 Visitor Information Station

Bronzed Cowbird

 Manning the VIS today, sunshine really brought out the birds and other critters. I like to walk the Willows trail early in the morning to have a bird list for visitors.
Would rather not see this guy, we have way to many of his cousins but he seems to be a regular anymore.

American Kestrel

This little fellow was also very cooperative. Looks so delicate.



I never seem to have trouble finding our state bird to pose for a photo. 

Northern Mockingbird

 This one played hide-and-seek but I managed to get a good shot of the head. Most of our White-crowns are juvenile with the still brown-crown. Love their song, I usually hear them before I see them.

White-crowned Sparrow

Not a very good photo, this guy landed on the Vermilion's favorite perch before being chased away by the owner. He landed on the construction fence in the shadows long enough to wag his tail and let me snap a few fuzzy shots.

Say's Phoebe

The warm sunshine had him basking on the porch railing. I found several others that morning near the restrooms.

Green Tree Frog 

This cute fellow had two visitors quite upset, thinking he might be dangerous to their small children. I provoked him to get him to stick out his tongue. 

Garter Snake

Was deeply saddened when I found him run over less than an hour later. I moved the body onto the grass so at least he could be a part of the food chain and not just a greasy spot on the asphalt. 

BJ and Victoria come to visit Nov 20

BJ and Victoria came to visit this morning. Beautiful weather for a drive around the refuge. Gators enjoying the weather, too. Counted 6 around Shoveler Pond alone. 

Driving down to Frozen Point found another 4 along the edge of the canal. This big boy looked very content.

Gators are said to outnumber Anahuac residents 3 to 1. 

Black-bellied Whistling Duck are very common now. 

Anahuac Otters

OMG! They do exist!

Had read the wildlife listing and seen the display at the VC, but didn't think I would ever see them. I had hitched a ride with Judy Bell to look for a large gathering of Roseate Spoonbill on the Jackson Mueller Tract. Had to pass through the East Unit where the duck hunting areas are located. This family of otters was on the road and couldn't decide just where to go. They crossed back and forth three times before diving onto the canal. Mom kept close watch peeping over the tall grass meerkat fashion until we ventured too near. In a flash the entire group disappeared into the thick vegetation.


Imagine my surprise when the next day I observed another otter near the boardwalk on Shoveler Pond. Couldn't get close enough for a photo due to another vehicle in front of me taking photos of every coot and moorhen on the refuge.

Hill Country Diversion

After the EXPO, Alvin and I volunteered to return the borrowed van to Balcones Canyonlands NWR northwest of Austin. After unloading EXPO education materials at the VC on a foggy Monday morning we hit the road about 9 AM. We followed  610 north around Houston to HWY 290, a direct route to Austin. Interesting change of terrain from coastal prairie to rolling hills. After we crossed the Brazos River into Washington County, we were deep in the heart of the Texas Revolution. Lots of small interesting towns filled with world's best BBQ signs. We had lunch in Giddings, not BBQ, but scrumptious homemade chicken noodle soup for me.

Austin traffic is horrible, almost as bad as Houston, but HWY 183 was relatively calm, guess it was the right time of day. We arrived at refuge headquarters about 2:30 PM, made the vehicle switch, gassed up the Ford Escape at set about exploring the refuge.

Balcones Canyonlands is a relatively new refuge, created in 1992 primarily to provide habitat for Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. Currently consisting of 24000 acres, expansion and acquisition of additional habitat is a main priority.

Silly me, I left my camera in the car as I counted B'fly species and attempted to ID numerous UFO's, mostly skippers busily nectaring on purple aster: Gulf Fritillary, Queen, Common Checkered Skipper, Painted Lady, Reakirt's Blue, Grey Hairstreak, Common mestra, Orange Sulphur, Sleepy Orange, Dainty Sulphur, and Bordered Patch. Oodles of hover flies and unnamed moths joined the throng. I think the skippers may have been Fiery, but they never gave me a really good look.

The lovely drive along Cow Creek Road my camera was in my lap.

Much of the land is private ranch land, so finding space to pull over for photos was a trick. 8.7 miles of road with 6 low water crossings, a gorgeous drive any time of year, probably, but fall foliage was breathtaking. A few Cardinals crossed the road with some little flits of blur. A pair of wild Turkey at the intersection was a real treat.

Doeskin Ranch is a jewel of the refuge. A working cattle ranch as late as 1991, the habitat changes from tress covered hillsides to more open savannah.

 I tried for 10 minutes to coax a very vocal House Wren into the open, but only succeeded in calling up Chipping and Lincoln Sparrows. 

Would loved to have walked the 3.5 of trails...

but the darkening clouds and impending weather, said move along now. 

Shin Oak Overlook is the primary area to see Black-capped Vireo, in season, of course.

This area is prime vireo habitat and is actively managed, including trapping of Brown-headed Cowbird. 

I managed to pish up Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Spotted Towhee. 

A real treat was 3 bright Fox Sparrow, don't know if they responded to the pish, but I did manage to snap several ID photos, despite the low light level and the distance. 

The sun was setting quicker than desired, so we dead-headed back toward Austin, finally locating a Day's Inn on Hwy 183, near the intersection of Hwy 290, where we at least enjoyed clean sheets and hot water even though it was mainly occupied by construction workers. 

An added highlight was a noisy flock of Monk Parakeet settling in for the night in the parking lot. 

Back home to Anahuac NWR on Tuesday. Could hardly wait to get back to the marsh. Must be turning into a hermit. 

November 14

Atomic Fireball

 Too much ground clutter for a GREEN FLASH

Sunset colors  linger long, climbing high above the horizon