§ Springtime is Showing Signs of Reappearing...

To continue, it was a beautiful, quiet, spring morning. I took advantage, and drove over to the islands to scout out for birds. While walking along one new trail, I happened upon an elusive [uncommon] bird in our vicinity. Excitement and a lot of snapping of the shutter button occurred, up until it disappeared into the overgrowth beyond where I could walk [we are supposed to stay on the trails in order to keep the landscape in pristine condition for the wildlife]. At another stop, I saw that at last, the repair work for the damaged jetty that broke to pieces during the hurricane a couple summers ago... allowing salt water to flow into the fresh water lake at Charlie's Pasture [another wildlife refuge]. Soon? Perhaps in another year's time, they will once again have access for us to walk the boardwalks of the Salt Flats? I also noticed the green finally showing up everywhere I looked. Even the resident alligator [video of it in previous post] was the most active I've seen in decades. Plus a few wildflowers are showing off in all their glory. The drive back home was mostly uneventful except for the mention of the falcon nest platform in my previous post.

I have a cardiologist check-up today, so won't be online much. Maybe, after the appointment, I'll walk the Marina!!

§ Weekend Walk About...

Lately, I've been lacking much energy. I can't seem to get in the grove of even my morning walking ritual. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it one bit. It's almost as if I have to force myself to get motivated. Saturday morning was the last time I got out and did any walking. The day began overcast but cleared out eventually. Naturally, I went to the islands to see the sea. I stopped at my two usual wildlife refuges, but didn't stick around very long. Being the weekend, there were too many people for my comfort zone during the virus pandemic. And half if not more, had no face masks. I then drove to the ship channel behind the village and walked along the channel road to the pavilion at Charlie's Pasture. The park gate was closed for vehicle traffic since the county/state is now [finally] beginning to repair the channel's broken sea wall that was highly damaged from Hurricane Harvey, three years ago! You know how those delays work, what with FEMA and state protocols. The lake behind the pavilion in the pasture grounds USED to be fresh water, but because of the break in the seawall, it has been mixed with salt water from the channel...not good for most  birds. Maybe it will improve in the bird populations after the damage is repaired. Who knows. Anyway, after walking, I parked the car along the channel wall, and returning, I waited for a very large oil tanker to make its way from the port in Ingleside, Texas to where I stood...hoping to see dolphins. There were no dolphins, but an almost tragedy occurred!! Follow the photos and you'll read why...

As I mentioned, it was Saturday. That meant a lot of fishermen and channel spectators were present. I parked the car across from the oil platforms that are back to shore for storage and/or repairs before being utilized out to sea again at a future date. Now, back to the ship, the Nordic Star from George Town -Grand Cayman Islands, approaching us along the seawall. One fellow was listening to Willie Nelson as he fished. His furry companion, a very small, cute, perhaps Shih Tzu mixed breed, doggie was by his camper chair lounging in the sun. The dog moved to the lower edge of the wall and was content to be a distance from its master and enjoying the warm morning sun. The Nordic Star slowly approached nearby. The stern wake [ship's front] was quite minimal. The bow wake [back side] was also quiet. But, think again. While sailing through the channel, the ship's wake forms huge waves crashing into the wall once past the area...and the dog? Yep, you guessed it...one of the waves came into shore and broke high above the wall. And the current of the wave traversing along the wall moves quickly!! I started yelling "The dog!"  "The dog"!  And pointing to the waves coming in. Luckily, the two women who were standing by, watching the ship, ran to the pooch, scooped it up, and rescued the dog from being washed out into the channel; or drowned on shore, just in the nick of time. The fisherman was running as quickly as he could to save his furbaby!! It was an almost tragic scene; but all was well in the end. Scary.   This photo I share of the wave, is long AFTER the ship had traveled down the channel; it takes a while to calm the waters again...you can just imagine how high, strong, and lethal the waves were as the ship was much more parallel to the dog that was lying in the sun earlier, oblivious to the danger it was in.


More photos that day:

§ It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Busiest of Times...

Since 5 a.m. [I'm taking a break], I've been busy taking down and packing away everything Halloween and putting up a few Thanksgiving/Fall items around the house. It's a chore! It takes me weeks to put it all up in October, and when Halloween is over I want it all down...in a day. That means back breaking work. Bud helps, that's good. One very chilly morning [44 degrees on the island], I drove there and walked some. The wind was strong and coming off the water, it felt near freezing. Trust me, I grew up in Colorado, and  40 degrees along the coast truly compares to Colorado's winters of 32 degrees and below!!

Anyway, the ship channel was busy...very busy. While I walked the jetty one ship went out to sea and three others came into port...all within a half hour's time. The dolphins greeted 'em coming in and bid adieu to the one leaving. They're fun to wait for them to breach the ships' bow wakes!!

At Charlie's Pasture, upon arriving I was shocked...the prairie grasses were burned to a crisp! My first thought, after our home town area burned [Cameron Peak Fire] the largest forest fire in Colorado history, "Not us too?!!" Several acres were charred...then, I took notice that there was a pattern to the burned area...some green pasture was framing the blackened areas..."It must have been a controlled burn!" A parks and rec gal was cleaning the outhouses, and when she came out as I walked by I asked her if this was all a controlled burn...she said yes. Phew, thank goodness, I thought sure enough some careless smoker or a campfire got out of control!

Okay, I must get back to work. I have hours of work yet. Here are some photo shares of my day in the cold----


The first photo in the series of four above, is of a new trail they are cutting through the pasture to two other ponds! Can't wait for it to open. The water is Magee Beach and the last one is a fishing pier...one of very few that was not ruined with hurricane surge this year. Then, below, the four following is of the pasture controlled burning. The only consolation is in about a month, new growth will make it all the more ecologically healthier...



I will continue this day tripping in another post, when I'm done with packing things away. We have a movie plan for tonight during dinner of pizza and beer...in memory of the late Sean Connery [passing away at the age of 90 over the weekend]...Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. My favorite of that series of flicks.

§ Friday...

In regards to the many questions I received in the comment section after Thursday's post, I probably should answer them here. To answer the question[s]: "No, I have never taken any classes or have I been trained in art. I did, however, take art class as an elective in high school...but what was covered in that semester was never drawing or painting...it was more studying the art, remembering mostly that BLACK AND WHITE ARE NOT COLORS, like primary and secondary colors...black & white...they're hues or shadows only. Bud and I argue this a lot, and I win. Many field trips to museums, studying classic artists, and crafts like key chains, jewelry, etc. took place in art class." For me personally, I've always paid much attention to colors and shapes of things from childhood...it just grew from there." Trust me, I've thrown more away than ever saved, It's an outlet...a stress reliever more often than not.

Okay, that is out of the way.  Yesterday I finally felt up to taking a nice long walk.  The Gulf Humidity was ever-present tho, so I got over-heated and coughed my head off once back in the car, heading home.  But, the great outdoors felt wondrous.   I ended up walking part of Charlie's Pasture, walking along the ship channel, and a couple of birding spots.  I must tell you, it was a morning of being at the right place at the right time in one instance!!  Each year, I most always have to drive a 50 mile one way trip to find the migrating, wintering, Whooping Cranes.  And, there have been many many years that the trips were worthless...no cranes the time I'm there.  For the last month or so, there have been two Whooping Cranes reported seen in Charlie's Pasture!!  Many many mornings I've searched and searched.  To go home disappointed and thinking "Do I have to drive to Goose Island to find them there?"  Looking from the observation deck, I saw two small white specks about a couple miles off...I used my zoom [I didn't take my scope 'cause it's heavy]...zoomed in and saw the tell-tale red patch and ornate tail feathers!!  The elusive cranes were visible!!!

This photo above was never resized....it's very large to see where I found 'em. What it looked like with the naked eye.

I took photos of them the best I could and called it quits and moved on to search for more birds. I opted to walk a bit along the channel, no ships, but a few dolphins surfaced now and then to blow then dive underwater again. I took the pasture's 'pioneer' trail to finish my step count...[unpaved and natural]:

More of my sketches coming up in next post when I can get it up and pre-scheduled. Thanks for all the positive feedback. You made this ol' gal feel good!

§ Mudflats...

Okay, to continue what I started in my previous post. After sharing the beautiful sunrise, and the fog dying off as the sun dried the air, I began driving again to get to my destination target...birding refuges. I watched all the bird activity a while at one area, then went to a 2nd one. 

Leonabelle Refuge


Paradise Pond

After that, I ended up at Port A's community park and began walking along the paved pathway that leads to the ship channel [no, NOT the jetty] and among the the pasture land. Behind the ball park, there is a pond which you see here in the photo.  There is a covered observation deck and bench to sit and watch the water fowl. Since it's been so dry and lacking any significant rainfall the past month, I decided to venture off the winding paved trail and head onto the natural path. THIS particular path leads through the pasture and ends up at the mudflats. It's a vast area. In normal, seasonal, rain accumulation, the mudflats are filled with collected precipitation...forming a large shallow lake [not the photo]. The lake, attracts wildlife who love to congregate in or near the mudflats.  What I was hoping to find, didn't come true.  NO larks at all, only one Golden Plover and many, many killdeer [which are closely related to plovers].

Now, I mentioned that my step count was very low...only 2 1/2 miles total [round trip] Why? The mudflats [about 4-5 miles radius at this point], tho dry, was VERY soft! I sank with each footfall. Eventually it became a pain, literally, for my lower back. About three fourths into my return to the park's path, I had to stop and massage my back so I could continue.

Being that that is said and done, as I walked, I also saw many many animal tracks. Even bobcat tracks. Thank goodness there were no serpentine trails in the dried up mud! Well, then again, if there WERE snake ruts, I probably wouldn't be having back spasms.  I certainly woulda returned back to the car a LOT sooner. lol

Now you have the story. Here is a look at all that's left:   a look 'behind the scenes'....

An old fence line?


Where there WERE water puddles, the killdeer were aplenty! Everywhere you looked.


Top two prints -Javelina
Bottom two prints - Raccoon [left] and Killdeer [right]

Bobcat

Back at the car, I headed home, stopping at The Willows about the half-way mark. Willow trees hide a small oasis for migrant and local birds, while the Mexican Palm Trees line the street.