§ Park Deer

Early one morning before rush hour traffic built up, I left in a light fog, heading to Calallen Texas and my favorite park along the river. In hopes of seeing some wildlife. Not only birds, but perhaps some white tailed deer if I got there early enough. And sure enough, just before reaching the gates to enter the park, a hawk was perched on a power pole, but flew off before I got some really good photos. [I will share one photo on my bird blog this Saturday]. No sooner had I entered through the open gates to the park, two white tailed deer were grazing on the grass. But this time they had company! A solo javelina [ha vah LEEN ah]. Once they noticed I had stopped the vehicle, they all ran for shelter in the wooded area behind them. I had only time to take photos with my cellphone.

I spent some time walking and driving along the riverbank, around the circular drive to the ponds, climbing down to the observation deck on the larger pond, and up the hill to the hawkwatch platform. The fog lifted, but it remained gray and overcast. The temp was a mild 66 degrees. All the time while I was walking and climbing I started watching a green kingfisher [I took many many photos of it fishing and will share the string of action photos at another time] that was on the pond diving for its breakfast, I could hear the beautiful calling of a Carolina Wren...which I finally found and also took a photo. Of course, all my bird photos [including the kingfisher next week -not this weekend, but next week] will be shared on my other blog "I'd Rather B Birdin'". By the way on the other side of the river, the trees were lined with vultures. And one area, along the picnic area, so too were dozens of vultures!! Here are a few photos of nature calling to me. As you notice, our "Autumn foliage" happens in the dead of Winter.  The very last photo is a long distance shot of the kingfisher; see it?...

February 4th is National Heart Awareness Day...wear RED!

§ A New Baby in Town....

I went back to Calallen, Texas and drove to the park in hopes of seeing a newborn fawn from the last time I was there spying the pregnant doe with her buck. There wasn't a deer to be seen the whole time I was there. I didn't stick around very long 'cause the hot sun was doing a number on my sweat glands! I did, however, stop and climbed the hawk watch tower because it was before 9 a.m. when they are now blocking it off to no more than the eight people [for the virus pandemic] that do the annual hawk watch for the next three months. Anyway, when I was up there, I can see the watering hole for the wildlife [it's two small ponds with a drip system that runs year 'round]. And while I was there I did see a baby critter!! One of the few javelina families was there, munching on the grass, rooting in the surrounding mud,  and drinking from the ponds. One youngster was very young...still wobbly on its feet, and when the sun hit its pelt just right, it still had a tinge of red like a newborn  [see #4 and #7 in the group below].  In fact, the offspring, like a horse baby is a foal,  javelina babies are called "reds".

Now, some from the many times I've posted photos of the javelinas seen here in Texas, comments are of wild hogs or wild boars. They ARE NOT either. In fact they are a whole family [species] on their own. The only one in the family as a matter of fact. Now, what makes them what they are and not related to pigs is that they have only ONE dew claw unlike a pig which have two dew claws on the hoof, and they have the tell-tale light colored line of hair on their shoulder plus more facts, but the dew claw and the light collar hair is good to know for IDing. Remember they are not hogs or boars or pigs. The family name is Peccary.  A pig [or hog - boar] is of the family Suidae.

Now, THIS is the time you want to stay clear of them...they are murderous and killers when they have young near by. And, it was time for the group of record keepers to show up...at 9 a.m. sharp, the peccaries all left into the bushes to be gone the rest of the day...like they knew the clock!!

§ Yes, I Used to Work at the Chamber of Commerce...

...and I did do brochures, [design, photography, layouts and typesetting] etc. for printing and hand-outs. So, it kinda comes naturally for me to go on and on.

After watching the deer for a while, I started walking again from where I parked the car [this photo is part of the picnic area near the parking spaces]...shaded with oak, willow, palo verde trees and behind this area...a bit hilly with dense wooded spots for deer families to take cover from human invasion each day of the week. The Nueces River is behind this outcropping. The park road runs through it, up the hill and re-enters through the park gate to the hawk watch platform and then, downhill to the two lakes and back to the river...

...many areas for wildlife to graze on the vast open fields of grasses. It's also a good place for raptors to hunt and waterfowl to feed. Kiskadees, Cardinals, Jays, Bluebirds, Caracaras, Doves, Mockingbirds, Kingfishers, Anis, Flycatchers, Martins, Wild Turkeys, Swallows, and a whole slew of waterfowl like ducks, stilts, herons and egrets. It's an excellent migratory area from August through November with tens of 1000s of hawks, anhingas, eagles, and all those heading south for the winter. There is a massive [and every day] hawk watch and count in those months...hence the platform for novice birders and those experts that come from all over the world to track them. During the other months, the park is for those like me, the not-so-experts just making birding a hobby, and mild exercising with hills to walk, jog, climb. Besides, there is much more to this park than just birds. Fishing, boating, rafting for one. Even kite flying is a big thing in Spring. But, still, if you want to see Texas birds [and rare birds occasionally] this is a great spot...

...a river runs through it



...wildlife [besides the deer I saw Sunday]





...Wildflowers

In the Spring after the wet season, the fields between the river and lakes and golf course, the wildflowers bring this area alive with color! The meadowlarks and pipit birds show up this time of year to collect insects that thrive on the blossoms. From yellows, oranges, whites, reds, lavender and blues...it's a cacophony of hues!! In the heat of the summer, not so much except for those wildflowers that bloom off the tree branches and along the river. On this Sunday the morning sunshine made the wild "morning glories" [huge doses of large bine weed actually, and the size of saucers] come alive with shadows and light!!!

I was notified that one blogger had 75 hits from my blog and other people on one post (comments I assumed). My blog may have been compromised. I worked on scanning for viruses & malware most of yesterday afternoon on all electronics that could be vulnerable, and reported the message. If you get multiple comments in high numbers from Hootin' Anni's, let me know. If so...I apologize profusely, and know it's not intentional!!

§ Country Roads....

I mentioned our drive through the farm land recently. This is some of the scenery from the car's interior. All the green in the fields is Sorghum.   Originally the crop was used for flour and human use.  But, now-a-days it's mainly a crop for livestock feed...

Just a couple of weeks ago, the sorghum fields had little but sprouts popping out of the ground. Now, it's about two feet high already. In about another month, these that are now becoming close to mature, they will be harvested and a 2nd crop will come...

We left home early in the morning. The traffic was nearly non-existent, which I really liked. I could enjoy the scenery without having to do the 70MPH speed limit and watch for other vehicles. Eerie in a way, but oh so nice to see the country side in a whole new perspective. But once off the main county road, and onto farm to market roads, the vehicles are always few and far between...

A farmer was working another section of land. I'm sure they do a certain amount of acreage, before moving onto another area so they can keep up with the harvesting; not coming all at once within the season. In another area, another farmer was spraying the land, I didn't get a photo of that tho, I wanted to make sure my car windows were closed...

As Ella and I drove along the back roads, at a very far distance I spotted large, dark, "mounds" out in the crops! What were they? I slowed down to a stop and looked through the camera lens...Javelinas! [ha, vah, LEEN, ahs] Wild animals of the pig family I believe...

At the end of one gravel road, the only way out is to make a u-turn and head back the way we had come. It is a dead end, with chaparral on either side. Wildlife is seen here quite often. One year, during the flooding, the fields were full of standing water, creating ponds for waterfowl...that year, a rare flock of Hudsonian Godwits arrived and stayed around a few days! But on this day, the meadowlarks were singing and doves cooing their melancholy songs.

As I started backing up to get heading for the return trip, I noticed a couple of white tailed deer on the posted land. I got out and took some photos. There is an abundance of deer in South Texas. Early morning is the best time to spot them when they're most active. Not only a beautiful creature, but so quiet and trusting sometimes. Unless of course they're threatened. But these two stopped and watched me watch them. Their curiosity was evident as they eyed me with that big black lens...