I'm Back to "Day Trippin'"....

As I sit home [on the first day of November] waiting for the bank to open and taking a break from packing October things away getting out November things, I will share some "day trippin'" with you...
Sunday morning, just after sunrise, I drove to a favorite area of mine to check it out. I must admit it's been a LONG time since I was there last. You see, this particular spot is really "all natural". In other words, there is no "city amenities" to be had. The trails are all grass, the ponds are hidden, and the area is very quiet for the nature lover! Thing is, even tho it's owned by the city of Corpus Christi, the pathways are usually a bit unkempt. They rarely get in there beyond the trailhead gate and mow...making the walkways difficult to trek...sometimes knee-high grasses that tangle with each step you take. When I pulled up off the interstate, I noticed the area to park was actually freshly mowed! Would I be lucky enough to have had them mow the trails? I parked, got out, and entered through the gate and climbed the first hill to inspect....it was clear for take off!!! The peace and quiet is worth the stroll through the trees  [very heavily wooded] that are on each side. There, at the end of the trail, is the Nueces River...pretty. And the two ponds...Pollywog Ponds, which I have posted about often.
Of course my first intent was finding and photographing birds in the area. I heard many green jays squawking at that hour, but the buggers kept in the tree canopies and remained there. I also heard and saw cardinals and doves. I usually spot a hawk or two, but zilch on those raptors! By the time I neared the first of the two ponds, the smaller pond, I spied a woodpecker, several kiskadees, a couple of flycatchers. One particular kiskadee flew off a branch just in front of me, and by the time I got the camera focused on it, it had caught a butterfly in mid-air and disappeared from the viewfinder before I could snap the shutter. Oh well! There is always another time, another place! On the large pond, I saw ONE lone bird, an anhinga sunning itself on a fallen tree clear on the OTHER side of the water and one grebe that dived under water as I neared the banks. Figures.
The river current was still as the morning. The sun up, beyond the morning horizon now, and the reflections were dazzling. I enjoyed being there for the couple of hours and once back to the car, I got in and drove up the highway to the Kingsville Texas exit and headed for another park. At that park, I saw a few ducks, one harrier, and one VERY LARGE Belted Kingfisher that was busy hunting down the breakfast she needed! It was fascinating....I hadn't seen a kingfisher in months!

Here are some photos of Pollywog Ponds' Trail [the two with black outline shows the anhinga at a long distance...I did zoom in and got photos for my bird blog]...

The River....



I will schedule this post to publish on Tuesday morning.