§ Due to Coronavirus -Closed!

Just like my other blog states in its name... I'd Rather B Birdin'. 

Listening to the local news at 6pm when we eat dinner off TV trays in front of the TV, the coronavirus cases in our county are sky-rocketing [269 jumping to over 600 in a week's time]. They are considering going back to phase I. I haven't heard what the governor of Texas has stated, OR our county district judge has implemented -or not implemented. I got this brilliant idea...I told Bud: "I'm going to go to Kingsville Texas...that county [Kleberg] only has 26 cases. I will be out in their park, more or less out of harm's way!" So, I stop at Bishop Texas on the way. Walk the perimeter of their park's lake.



Getting hot, and very few birds, I decided to get back in the car and drive to Kingsville from there...a short, less than 10 mile, drive from Bishop. I get off the interstate at the given exit to the park, drive slowly down hill for a way and turn the blind curve...get to the park. The first gate: "Due to Coronavirus, the park is closed" Crap. Now what? I go a bit further...as I scout out the park, no vehicles, no one on the playground. The 2nd gate to the park. Same thing. Locked tighter than a drum. The main gate, near the town's thoroughfare, the gate is OPEN. No signs of do not enter. I pull in, thinking I'm gonna be stopped or kicked out. I park. Get out and walk to the lake.



There are a few people walking. Three others beside me to be exact. I just felt uncomfortable, like I was breaking the law or something. I get back to the car, drink some cold water from my cooler, and see a woodpecker. I grab my camera and get a photo. All the while while watching the woodpecker, I saw from the corner of my eye a Northern Mockingbird doing its "thing". This is part of their courting ritual [or some think it's the male telling the world he now has offspring!] They sing, then, as if on cue, they jump high in the air and swirl around, to land again and begin over and over.

Driving out of the park, I head down the street that will take me downtown Kingsville. I pull into a strip mall, and enter the Dollar Tree...it's open. Next door is Hobby Lobby. I thought what the heck, they may be putting out Christmas things. A new ceramic elf maybe? I get to the door. It's locked, but the sign says open?!! Finally a man comes and unlocks the door, and lets me shop. He tells me I can purchase anything but fabric. Hmmmmm, odd but understandable. I get some little items and scour the shelves for Christmas. Pay and leave. The man has to unlock the door for me to exit. Once I get in the car, I figure as I get back on the interstate for home, "No wonder they have hardly any virus cases!"   It pays to pay attention to the virus experts.  But, wish I woulda known before driving the 70 mile trip.  I coulda saved gas, and time better spent near home.

§ Country Roads....

Bud and I took a leisurely drive over the back county roads, to Bishop, Texas.  While we were stopped at Bishop's town park I walked around the lake then onto the extending path that goes into the dense wooded area following a small river bed.
 
After the little time we spent there we then went on to Kingsville, Texas.

Bishop, Texas...

Just a few feet off the paved path, there is this log constructed feature. Now, in strategic areas, there ARE many owl boxes and a chimney swift 'Chimney" on the lake's edge. I figured this is for birding observation, but not sure. I didn't climb it. Perhaps it could be a play 'fort' for kids, but then again, not - it's quite high up and could be considered hazardous to the young. Also, no safety features and soft, cushioning on the ground below. Besides, the children's playground with tons of playground equipment is on the opposite side of the lake! Who knows.

Across a residential street, the pathway extends to the creek bed and fields of farmland. Hidden in several areas close to the walkway you can find Blue Agave. [This is what they use to make the prime varieties of tequila!!!] And here and there, a few outcroppings of bamboo...

...Kingsville, Texas

We arrived a short time later at Dick Kleberg's Park [Kingsville] with a lake.  We soon left. We drove home, and took different back roads. All in all it was not very fruitful in regards to bird watching, but we DID get out of the house.

[yes, that's Bud]

§ Off to the Park and Ranch...

Since the day was overcast, and the extreme heat of the daylight hours wouldn't be too sweltering, Bud and I took a drive to Kingsville, Texas. I wanted to go to Dick Kleberg Park in hopes of seeing a Green Jay along the trail. Of course, luck would have it, at the time we arrived there, there were hardly any birds at all. We saw flycatchers, a grebe on the lake, one black bellied whistling duck and several mockingbirds, but no jays. We also heard several golden fronted woodpeckers, and a couple flying away from us. Afterward, we then stopped at King's Ranch visitor's center on the property of the ranch, seeing wild turkeys and three of their massive, well-known cattle [a Santa Gertrudis and a Longhorn...plus what appeared to be a hybrid]. We also perused the gift shop 'cause that's what Bud wants to do...looking for any special historical books on the ranch or Old West life. Then, leaving the ranch, we stopped for lunch and headed home....getting back just before the cloud cover broke loose and dumped another 1/2 inch rain!!!

Dick Kleberg Park....






King's Ranch...


visitor's center



Longhorn, Santa Gertrudis [linked], Hybrid and same longhorn chewing its cud.

Seeing these juicy steaks on the hoof, I started getting hungry. If you're a vegetarian, sorry...the only thing grown in the ground around the ranch is cotton...I don't even know if cotton is edible...hope you brought your own brown bag! Steak and potatoes for me!!!!! Dinner bell is a'chimin'!!!!

§ In the Company of Kings!

Texas State Historical Markers

One day, recently, it was a beautiful day. The morning was cool [for South Texas] and the sky was an indigo blue with cotton ball clouds! I hopped in the car and drove to Kingsville, Texas. Kingsville is named for Richard King and the King Ranch. The ranch land stretches from the outskirts of Corpus Christi through several counties south...from the Gulf of Mexico west through other Texas counties....covering nearly 900,000 acres...over 1200 square miles!  I stopped at Bishop, Texas along the way and walked the small town park and back through the creek bottom in search for birds.  I spotted egrets, herons, kingfishers, whistling ducks, and a couple of lark sparrows.

At Kingsville my first stop was the ranch's visitor's center.  They have lots of history books, several feeding stations for birds, etc.  I walked the center's grounds and only saw doves...I was hoping to see the Texas's Green Jay, but it wasn't in the books.  Oh, but I saw some long horn cattle!!!

Another breed of cattle started by the King Ranch [recognized by USDA in 1940], origins of mixing Brahman and Short horns in 1918,  is the Santa Gertrudis -first photo- and a Longhorn -second photo-


A Longhorn and the original King Ranch Chuck Wagon



A man made brook at the Visitor's Center


A replica [?] of a ranch bunk house



The Flying "W" is the King Ranch Brand and looking out on the ranch land for as far as you can see!

Kingsville is also home of the United States Naval Training Base...once the pilot trainers graduate from Corpus Christi NAS, they move on to Kingsville NAS to train flying jets...

After about an hour there, I drove to Dick Kleberg [Dick Kleberg was a son-in-law of Richard King] Park.  Woodpeckers, shrikes, and gulls were the only species there...I continued to walk raising my step count before returning home...