§ A Relection of the Year - Part II

JULY-

Banana trees begin to bloom and fruits form. It's always a delight to see some cool colored [blues & purples] flowers blooming in the heat of the summer. Most often the warm yellows and red blossoms are seen. On my bird expeditions I usually go to parks and areas that are well shaded! This Golden Fronted Woodpecker was spotted perched on a gravestone in the large, oak covered cemetery in town. The Church spire is along the seawall, downtown, where the warm, tropical sea breeze can be felt to keep one a bit cooler during the hot summer day...

AUGUST-

If there are no hurricane threats on the islands near home, I often go to walk along the ship channel and jetties. There is a small fishing village that is popular with tourists....Port Aransas. Port A was hit with hurricane Harvey in 2017 and there is still evidence of damage in 2018. This local bar has now permanently closed. The Salty Dog. Our river flooded a couple of times with heavy rainfall totals! [average yearly rainfall is 30", but this year it's well over 40-45"] Pelicans and shrimp boats are a common sight.

SEPTEMBER-

Feathers fascinate me. I've been known to collect some...mainly hawk feathers [which I now find out it's illegal to pick them up...especially eagle and hawk feathers... and I keep them! Hmmmm.  I've been known to fracture a law or two I guess] I have a framed piece of some of them I've collected since the time I began bird watching.  I have yet to find and save and Spoonbill and Cardinal feather....I'm wondering, since I have NEVER seen either, if they don't eat them when they molt.  It's possible.  Frogs and toads croak early in the morning hours, and after a heavy rainstorm. Fungus grows to Texas-sized quickly!! And, September is historically, the 'wettest month' of the year in the Coastal Bend of our state....storm clouds are the norm.

OCTOBER-

As the air turns Autumnal, the clouds have great formations and the temperature inversion makes for fantastic sunrises in October. Still waters run deep....and reflections on glassy, mirrored ponds capture my attention. While birds are nearing the end of their migration to winter in the warm, tropics -some stop to feed here during the season.  And butterflies begin  to show up....just about everywhere there are birds, there are bird watchers too...

NOVEMBER-

With September rains, if aplenty, the fields outside of town will become, once again, a blanket of yellow. If we have some cold fronts moving in from Canada and the northwest, we will get some Autumn colors, and a lot of fallen leaves. Occasionally it will remain warmer later in the year and then we get Fall foliage later. A plant, Turk's Cap are usually red...the pink ones, blooming at Oso Bay Wetlands, are more than likely a hybrid. One of my favorite Winter Texans is the Sandhill Cranes who spend their Novembers thru Marches here in our local wetlands and fields; sometimes they can be seen with their cousins, the Whooping Cranes. I love listening to them. If you hear them, and think they're nearby....maybe. But, be certain, their calls can deceive you and even tho you can hear them clearly like just yards away, they CAN BE some distance --- like a mile or so.

DECEMBER-

With chilly nights and cool mornings, turtles come out into the sunshine to warm up. A migrant bird flits around wildly and the all too familiar chirp from the warbler tells me I am in for a challenge to get a good photo before it moves quickly from one tree branch to another. It's technically a Myrtle Warbler, but birders seem to stick with a satirical [but accurate] names....the Butter Butt or Yellow Rumped. Winter can be quite drab, but look close enough and you CAN find color!!

This concludes my album of 2018 in photos.
If you missed the first 6 months of the year [January - June], CLICK HERE
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

§ A Relection of the Year - Part I

JANUARY-

2018 started off very cold! It's quite unusual for freezing temps this far south....but, in January, we had FROST!!! Naturally, I enjoyed it being raised in Colorado. Except for the "no icy snow packed highways" and the dry cold air....it was.a perfect way to begin a new year!!

FEBRUARY-

Tho, in the North, it's considered the middle of winter in February...not so here. A few flowers and trees begin to bud...blossoms and leaves. Resident birds begin to be more active and searching out nesting areas and finding mates [some mate for life].

MARCH-

If our area receives a goodly amount of rainfall during the winter months, the Texas State Flower [the Bluebonnets] create a sea of blue along highways and roads; in fields! The yucca's candelabras create a waxy display with their creamy petals, and the scent is a mild delightful fragrance. The Mexican Hat blossoms are highly unique in form and color, they continue to bloom profusely during early Spring through late Autumn.  [to this day, I still don't recognize the pink blossom seen in this group, maybe someone can help identify it?]...

APRIL-

It can be a 'big month' for birders, like me, in April. Migration season has begun in late March, and early April we begin to see some migrant birds in our vicinity. Corpus Christi has been titled "The Birdiest City in America' for over a decade. And, it's a great time to start getting back into an early morning routine; walking! Sometimes I see a return visitor like the masked warbler seen here [Common Warbler], or oftentimes a year 'round resident such as American Coots [the black with white beaks].

MAY-

Around May, the heat begins to build along with high humidity. Some wildflowers have run their cycle and go to seed. Campers mark their territory on the beach to relax and pitch tents to catch the nightly sea breeze to keep a bit cooler over long holiday weekends...

JUNE-

In many ways I become a bit of a hermit in June. The heat builds and I need to acclimate myself before I take long walks. Most days I get out and walk before or at sunrise. By 8 a.m./9 a.m. the heat index builds to the 90 degree mark!!! Along my walks, I might happen to see birds, crabs, turtles, snakes, rabbits...wildlife. Here's a bit of what I find...

part two coming soon