§ Choke Canyon Reservoir

Coming on Saturday at noon, I will post the photos of our day trip bird photos at I'd Rather B Birdin'...a day trip to Choke Canyon Reservoir; 70+ miles from home nearly entering Texas Hill Country. The reservoir is on the southern tip of hill country. It began with nearly a 1 1/2 hour drive along Interstate 37; about half way between Corpus and San Antonio. We pulled off the exit ramp at Three Rivers Texas, drove several more miles past the Federal Prison, and entered the State Park...Choke Canyon.

Keep in mind that this reservoir feeds the tap water to Corpus Christi and its suburbs. It's huge!!! Vast amounts of water when filled to capacity as it has been since our rainy season last winter and this spring. We've been there during a drought before, and it's a massive difference in scenery this week as the last time we drove up there!! [link] Once we hit the outhouse[restrooms are clean and fancy in this state owned park] we took all the side trips and park roads, stopping here and there to get out and walk and hunt for birds. I also took one of the nature trails and walked the distance among the many oak trees and wild flowers. A few birds here; there, but most unapproachable with my lens. The Canadian Thistle was the majority of plant life in the brush and trees. Green Jay, Mockingbirds, Doves, and Wrens gave me a musical venture with their song. This is our day in photos:

§ Day Trippin'

Choke Canyon Historical Facts tell us of the prehistoric findings before and during the making of Choke Canyon Reservoir between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas.  Recently, Bud and I drove up to what is now a state park -  a beautiful, scenic, area with the bit unknown 26,000 acre watering hole!!  Its water volume is 695,000 acre feet!!!  It's been dubbed South Plains Texas's secret.  And it is an ideal area to see all kinds of wildlife.  From many migrating birds from the north that come south for the winter and stop over...to resident year 'round birds like jays, vultures, and wild turkeys.  On this particular day trip, Bud and I saw alligators, ducks, ospreys, hawks, egrets, vultures [both black and turkey], doves, herons, white tailed deer, armadillo, flycatchers, sandpipers, sparrows, woodpeckers, and more.

We also found a cache of an ancient palm forest with beds of petrified palm wood!!  This, another little known fact, is the state of Texas's state rock.  Most states within the USA have official flags, fossils and minerals, etc.  I make use of this site listed oftentimes.

I, personally, like to think of this area as the beginning  [or the end of- depending on which direction you're traveling] of Texas Hill Country.  Rolling, gentle sloping hills dot the plains.  Three Rivers flow through....the canyon and state park is just a few miles from the aptly named town of Three Rivers, Texas.  Just outside the town's boundaries, nestled in the dense brushlands, driving the highway toward the state park, you'd find a medium security federal prison [correctional facility], where, right now, a notorious computer hacker is serving a sentence with release date of 2017. 

Anyway, once you get past all this...the highway marks two different entrances to the state park.  South and Calliham.  We drove to Calliham and entered there.  We ended up at 75 acre lake which, in a way, is a bit reminiscent of some of Louisiana's landscape.  Swamp and large trees jutting up from the grassy berms...

Sharing a few other photos, I took during the gray, overcast day-- -- --

Along the banks of the reservoir


Golden Fronted Woodpecker




75 Acre Lake
[last photo is zoomed in of one photo already shared, the next to last in this lake series -of a silhouetted osprey atop one of the tree branches]


Some Bird Life...
Egrets, Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Green Jays