In the NEWS

Political vs. neighorhood contention has been rampant for a few days, and Bud and I wanted to go inspect the situation! LOL Actually, we only read about it online, and forgot about it until we drove to Port Arnasas to check for migratory birds that are beginning to show up for Fall. And this object of the disruption of the skyline and colossal size on the channel banks would be something I'd not fancy if I were living there in a special, expensive, vacation home. But I don't, and since I don't live there, I thought it just may be okay. Nighttime lights on the object would be kinda pretty...but still:

PORT ARANSAS -An oil rig arrived earlier this week in Port Aransas, to the displeasure and excitement of those who live in the small island community. The sight of a rig heading out to the Gulf or back towards land for work is a normal, but not one that's parked so close to town. The West Sirius isn't needed for production right now, so the rig owned by Seadrill Partners will remain in storage on Harbor Island, just down the way from the Port Aransas ferries. Port Aransas Mayor Keith McMullin says the rig is within zoning parameters for that area of town. However, a member of the neighborhood association is concerned about how long it will be on place. Douglas Daniel told KRIS 6 News he's heard the rig could be in place for two years as the owner waits for a new place to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. He's also concerned more rigs could be moved to the storage site. Residents we spoke with were not so concerned. They commented how all the lights are a new sight for visitors and how unusual it is to get an up-close look at the production vessel. Doug Wessels summed his view up pretty well, "If you don't like looking at it, just turn your head." The reality is the crews working to deactivate the rig bit-by-bit, plus the possibility of more coming, is a bad sign. Lower oil prices continue driving production and exploration companies to lay off employees. 

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As we approached the fishing village, the horizon was filled with a giant object! As shown in the very first panoramic view from a bird refuge near town [above]. It can be seen from miles away!! Bud and I had it pictured in our minds to be farther away from town...but not so. When we read 'down' from the ferries, it actually it isn't DOWN, it's up from the ferries. Right smack dab in front of some beautiful homes that line the other side of the bank. I think I can understand the home owners' objection. Still, if the oil company is in compliance with laws, there is nothing they can do. I walked out on the fishing pier once near the channel and snapped some scenes, making use of the zoom lens for detail. The first in order of the photos is not from the pier, but from the hiking trail some way away from the channel itself, as we turn to look behind us from our walking...



How big are these platforms?
They’re enormous. The BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that exploded April 20 was 400 feet by 250 feet—roughly the size of two football fields—with a crew of 130. Some rigs are even larger. In fact, many of today’s oil platforms are essentially floating cities that employ and house hundreds of people. Massive production facilities sit atop undersea towers that descend more than a mile to the seabed, and they can drill up to 30,000 feet, or about six miles, into the earth’s crust. Rigs are equipped with cafeterias, lounges with pool tables, and even mini movie theaters. Crew members stay on the rigs for two weeks at a time, working 12-hour shifts. These roughnecks and roustabouts, as oil workers are known, earn at least $50,000 a year, in return for a grueling existence in a world of heaving waves, hot metal, reeking chemicals, cramped sleeping quarters, and a blazing-hot sun. Fires and accidents are a constant danger.

OH, AND THE COST? The largest in the Gulf of Mexico is worth $3 BILLION!!! Just imagine the insurance premiums for transporting these that will be idle until needed again. Whoa.

As Paul Harvey once said: "Now you have the rest of the story!"

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The Annual Bazemore Hawkwatch is now underway for the Fall Migratory Season! I was there Sunday morning. I'm sure I was too early for anything special, but it is AND will be a special time for the year. A few years back, the Watch started on August 15th through November 15th. Now they got more funding, so the beginning coincides more with the beginning of the migration; August 1st! This year the total of ALL hawks and kites [and other migratory birds] will be counted by three expert counters, daily, plus record keeping of all birds that pass through the thermals and perhaps, during bad weather, drop down to feed and take shelter. The key speaker for 2015 will be a falconer. Held in September. Hopefully, we will join them on those two days. I'd love to see a kite. Either Mississippi or Swallowtailed. Or BOTH! They're on my list to photograph. lol

Historically, the largest flights of hawks arrive at Corpus Christi, Texas between September 18 to September 30, although large flights regularly occur from mid-August to mid-October. Generally, the peak of the Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) migration is in late August, followed by broadwinged hawks during the last two weeks in September and smaller numbers of Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsoni) in early October. Flocks of Mississippi kites, anhingas (Anhinga anhinga), and wood storks (Mycteria americana) are often seen in the midst of the broadwinged hawk kettles. Weather in the northern and eastern United States is a big factor in determining the actual dates of the flights. 

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While I was there for a couple of hours, after talking with Dane [expert hawk watcher] as he answered a number of my questions, I walked the park road in search of some winged creatures....seeing one yellow throated warbler [no photo], stilts, kingbirds, grackles, mockingbirds, one green jay, black crested titmouse [which I had seen a whole family just a few days previously in the same area and will post photos of the fledglings and parents on my bird blog...follow the link from the top of my blog], cardinals, turkey vultures, caracaras, scissor-tailed flycatcher, green heron, great blue heron, snowy egrets, royal terns and more. The last time Bud and I saw an anhinga in this area was a couple of years ago...I'd like to see more of them this year. Dane's wife was busy setting out several hummingbird feeders amongst the trees nearby and on special lines set up for the season.

By the way, speaking of mockingbirds [the Texas State Bird]...the hawk watch platform in the park is sitting atop "Mockingbird Hill".  --Tra la la, twiddly dee dee, it gives me a thrill...to wake up in the morning to the mockingbird's trill---

Green Jay

Turkey Vulture
Vultures & Great Tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird & Green Heron
Crested Caracara in flight & Tropical [Couch's] Kingbird


THE AUTUMN-SEASONAL SCAVENGER HUNT WILL BE PLAYED HERE. I will set up the list of 10-15 themed items to photograph and post it by the middle of August. The official hunt will not begin until September and there will be 30 days to hunt/link up. THERE WILL BE A DOOR PRIZE FOR one...all who participate will be in the drawing! STAY TUNED.


* * *This post was barely published and then the 1st comment showed within seconds of me clicking publish....and it was a bit nasty!! So...it was deleted. I can't understand why people/bloggers just don't stay away if they don't like the style of bloggers/blogging!!!  So....she* is now on my SPAM listing so I don't have to read those kind of comments. 

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