§ I See Skies of Blue...And Clouds of White -What a Wonderful World!!!

Sunday morning, early, I found myself walking along the Texas A&M jogging trail that meanders along the Oso Bay inlet that surrounds Ward Island. I try and walk this area only during the summer months and during Christmas break since most of it is campus AND student dorms along the trail. The foot traffic can be busy when students are in classes. Besides, if you get there early enough, most of the trail is well shaded!! Which is a plus in the hot summer months!! There was a slight breeze at the beginning, so the walk was pleasant. Along the trail, it is well lighted, and lined with several covered gazebos -about 8 total- where you can sit and enjoy the outdoors [while studying for an exam?!!]. The gazebos offer some relief to walkers also and most times it's a great photo op. This day was no exception...

The first at top shows the view of two fishermen in the bay.  The 2nd [1st in the smaller images] is the first gazebo you 'hit' from the parking lot.  The 2nd one in the small series is my favorite gazebo....here, you can walk downhill from it to the bay's shore...some hidden gems can be found here, such as a 'cove' where many wading birds are seen year 'round.  And the 3rd is looking toward the NAS [Naval Air Station] on the horizon.

The Sky was beautiful! Such a clear morning...

...from my favorite gazebo [mentioned above], I walked along the shoreline of the bay after dropping down the hill. And, as I walked I saw a bird! No, not a "living" one, but in the cloud. Can you see it too, you know how I love finding objects in the sky. Can you see it? Look. It's either a Northern Gannet or maybe a Brown Boobie in 'take-off' mode; taking flight! No? Well, I'll outline it for you, maybe you can see what I saw!!

I did see birds...many. From the first one, a pigeon on the railing of one of the dorms, to juvenile stilts, herons, egrets, gulls, ibis, sparrows, cardinals, grackles [they're everywhere I tellya!], skimmers, terns of many different genuses [or genera if you prefer], woodpeckers in the palm trees, and more. While traipsing through the vegetaion along the shore, I saw a feather floating aimlessly along in peaceful slience...

Along the trail there are several areas that have patches of Spanish Dagger growing. At one outcropping the dew or remnants of the rain earlier, sparkled like diamonds in a jewelry shop window. And I was happy to see the mangrove [a lifeline for waterfowl] was coming back after the freeze in February. Of course the silver leaf sunflowers are as abundant in Texas as are the grackles...

...and views like these, all along the way. The Masked Fisherman and there IS a heron in the opening of the trees in the other image, sitting on a pipe of some kind:

I walked about an hour and a half before turning around and heading back to the parking lot. By that time, the first gate to NAS was opened and I drove along Ocean Drive and stopped a couple of times to take photos of Godwits and Terns through my car window. I made a U turn at the base's entry gate and stopped at the Farmer's Market for fruit and vegan muffins.

§ June 26th...and a New Blog Tip [Comment Notification Settings]

With comments of popular demand left in my previous post, I show you my homemade cinnamon rolls!!! Sorry, my will power wasn't strong...  I had to bite into the one warm from the oven. Topping mine off with a little bit of 'healthy'...the shelled pecans from last year's crop.

My most recent walk was along the Southeast Campus of Texas A and M. Being June, and most students have left for home, the trail along the bay on the campus grounds are more or less deserted...


The bay looking toward NAS [naval air station] bridge and the bay.


Looking through one of many gazebos along the trail, and campus dorms


Dorm pool and church on campus along the trail.


All total, with the entire trail, there are numerous gazebos at several intervals...one hidden among the tree-line. And, Palms galore.


After walking this trail, I drove along the NAS highway and scouted for birds...here, I completed my 10K for the morning.


Old fencing along the highway - looking toward the air station


An egret and a heron - wildflower growing out of the cement!


A hazy morning, looking toward the city skyline...from across the bay looking BACK toward the dorms.


Sunflowers along the highway boulders

ONE MORE THING! Here is a BETTER way of getting email notifications sent to your email inbox of comments left in your Blogger Blog.  A step by step tutorial...simple, easy, and only takes a couple of minutes....It works like a charm, and you don't have to leave yourself a comment each time you publish a new blog post...

Go to Blogger Admin and click on Settings [on left sidebar]




When the next window opens, find Email and click on it...





On the right side of new window, find Comment Notification Email.  Where your email address is....highlight and delete ["Remove']...save. 


Then redo steps one and two to re-open Email/Comment Notification Email and re-enter ["ADD"] your email address being sure it is CORRECT.
DON'T FORGET TO SAVE YOUR RE-ESTABLISHED EMAIL NOTIFICATION!!!!

§ Texas A&M Trail...

At the End of Ocean Drive, along Corpus Christi Bay, and nearing the Army/Navy Training Base, there is a trail to walk. It's paved and it follows the shore of Oso Bay. The trail is on some of the campus grounds for Texas A - M Corpus Christi [the only college campus in the nation on its own island!]. I don't often walk here 'cause there are several college facilities and dozens of campus dorms which are occupied during the 9 month school year. During the summer months, when most students go home  I will walk here once in a while. Tuesday this week, I did go to this area. I was the only one on the trail, and it was nice and quiet. Just me and the birds, and the bay water glistening like jewels. I mentioned above the campus is on an island, historic Ward Island to be exact with WWII history a big part of the area. [President George Herbert Walker Bush trained here to become a pilot during the war in 1942] Here are some photos of the Oso Bay Campus Trail...

Along the path, bridges, light towers for night-time walking and biking, part of the bay with newly constructed apartment complexes on the opposite side, subtropical landscaping and the last photo in the series....Carizzo Grass [a tall reed-like grass that resembles bamboo]...

Several lighted and covered gazebos are periodically scattered along the trail...

Photos below...looking across the bay, private residential homes dot the landscape.  An inlet with one lone egret wiling the Summer day away.  A macro leaf ...an outcropping of AGAVE [used for medicinal purposes and the making of tequila] can be found along the trail and then, a crossroads on the path...one direction continue on the trail, to the left the bay and another gazebo, to the right...the campus, and you can turn around and go back the way I came...

At this point it was getting too warm and the humidity [again] was building up, I chose to take the left path and head to the shore, then headed back to where I parked and Ocean Drive across from Corpus Christi Bay where I spotted something not seen every day in this area...a shrimper!! As I walked part of the shoreline, I spotted some remnants of what I'd assume is part of the WWII barracks foundation or something having to do with the Army Air Force. You can find all kinds of foundation stones here with NAVY and 1942 dates stamped in the cement blocks.  Also in this series of photos below, I will share a couple of photos of the campus dorms....it's like a resort with swimming pools, club houses and landscaping that'll knock your socks off...

...a hidden 'treasure' of the past, a foundation


...campus dorms & swimming pool with clubhouse


...a shrimp boat; highly unusual in this area of the bay!! [they usually go out in the Gulf!]

That brings me to the end of my morning walk. For my record keeping diary of birding, I post the birds seen in the area: Brown Pelicans, American White Pelicans, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Willets, Barn Swallows, Short Billed Dowitchers, Little Blue Herons, Seagulls, Terns, Great Blue Herons, Sandpipers, Black Skimmers, Tri-colored Herons, Spoonbills, Osprey and probably more I'm forgetting...

Great Egret