Most of my posts here are about the scenery, the flowers, the day to day walking trails I take, home, holidays, etc. ...and yet, mostly day tripping. But today I want to share about one special bird. I walked a desolated area off the island highway the other day. There is an area, a 'community', that caters to an endangered bird species. The land area consists of 1000s of acres covered in brush, seagrass, etc. This time of year most of the mudflats are cordoned off [roped] for the nesting season of such bird. 
I kept this image above at 50% in pixels so the cordoned-off areas can be seen [click on image to embiggen!!]. Between the stakes and signs, there is wiring to keep people off limits!
As I walked, I saw no birds, fought the slimy mud - the calves of my legs got a real good work-out. But the quiet, stillness of the area was a relaxing time all in all. Once I reached the bay and channel waters, I saw little birdlife other than two egrets, one ibis, one tri-colored heron, and one willet. I also heard hidden calls from other willets but saw no more. The roped off areas are, as I said, for nesting of the "special" bird...the piping plover. In my over a decade of bird watching and photographing the Texas Birds, I've seen them and posted photos on my blog "I'd Rather B Birdin', here, here, here [this post shows one I found that is banded and I received a history of its lifespan up to that year], and here [another banded history nearing the Texas Hill Country]
I kept this image above at 50% in pixels so the cordoned-off areas can be seen [click on image to embiggen!!]. Between the stakes and signs, there is wiring to keep people off limits!
As I walked, I saw no birds, fought the slimy mud - the calves of my legs got a real good work-out. But the quiet, stillness of the area was a relaxing time all in all. Once I reached the bay and channel waters, I saw little birdlife other than two egrets, one ibis, one tri-colored heron, and one willet. I also heard hidden calls from other willets but saw no more. The roped off areas are, as I said, for nesting of the "special" bird...the piping plover. In my over a decade of bird watching and photographing the Texas Birds, I've seen them and posted photos on my blog "I'd Rather B Birdin', here, here, here [this post shows one I found that is banded and I received a history of its lifespan up to that year], and here [another banded history nearing the Texas Hill Country]
- The piping plover lays its eggs on open, pebbly beaches, making them vulnerable to predators and the loss of their habitat. Over the years, encroaching human development has reduced the number of nesting sites and contributed to the species' decline.
source
The "community" is really a nature preserve. The birding enthusiasts/guide maps call it Mollie Beattie Habitat Community. To locals it was previously called Packery Channel Flats. It was renamed after Mollie Beattie:
- Mollie H. Beattie was an American conservationist, and director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2009, she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project. She died in 1996 of brain cancer.
Below: One of my favorite photos of the Piping Plover that I shared a couple of years ago. When I saw it, I was wondering just what was in its thoughts!! They're so small and so subject to predators and humans destroying their habitat.
