Texas - Day 3

To day we headed off before sunrise to Aransas Wildlife Refuge to capture the mammals before the main part of the public arrived. Upon arrival we saw a small group of White-tailed Deer and a small Virginia Opossum. Unfortunately having got there before sunrise the light was to poor for photography. We then made our way slowly around the reserve in the hope of seeing any other creatures that may not be out later in the day but due to the high winds we saw very little wildlife at all and the reserve almost seemed empty.

After having a quick lunch at WhatABurger we headed back to the small pier that we had stopped at shortly last night. Here we saw a wide variety of birds including cormorants on the pier and a fly-by from Brown Pelicans.

Cormorants -  Phalacrocoracidae

Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis

Also at the pier all of a sudden we were joined by a large group of Skimmers which as my Dad described were like a "air show" constantly flying past, as one went past another came in from the side. This went on for around 10 minutes before most of them disappeared and left 2 behind which came and went until the whole group returned. At one time we believe we saw over 20.

Skimmer - Rhynchopidae

Skimmer - Rhynchopidae

At the pier I manged to fill 1 and a half 16GB cards!! We decided after about an hour that we both had enough images of skimmers and continued driving down the coast stopping every now and then for birds in small ponds or on telephone lines. 

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Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor

Reddish Egret - Egretta rufescens

Tomorrow is the day of the Boat trip and hopefully will get some great views of the Whopping Cranes and some of the other birds which we have seen out on the grasslands.

Texas - Day 2

Our first of the long drives, around 4 hours. On the way we stopped off at Aransas National Wildlife Refuse, where we were warmly welcome by the sun to cheer us up after the long drive. After signing in, instead of getting straight back in the car we decided to go on a short walked around the center, where we found a number of small flowers with vibrant colors.

A lot of these flowers  were thistles which were attacting swallowtail butterflies.One thistle had attracted up to 7!! We had stood there taking photos for 5 minutes when suddenly all the males flew off leaving only 2 females.

Swallowtail Butterflies - Papilionidae

After a quick walk around the center we got into the car and made our way around the refuse, seeing a number of different species including Belted Kingfisher, Greater Yellowlegs and a pair of Racoons which crossed the road in front of the car.

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Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca

We also saw some of the same species as yesterday such as the Great Egret and the Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

Along with a number different raptors to add to our bird list including a  Red-tailed Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

The Pier at Aransas National Wildlife Refuse

After our drive around the refuge we headed down to Rockport to check into our next hotel, after which we headed down to the waterfront to find somewhere to eat. Just as we had gone through the main part of Rockport we noticed a pier on which there were several in different birds including white pelicans and an Osprey. We pulled over and both grabbed our cameras and started snapping. Other birds there included Redheads and a Great Blue Heron.

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Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

Male Redhead - Aythya americana

Female Redhead - Aythya americana

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

ME!!

A few photos my Dad took of me yesterday, one of me with all my camera gear, it's a miracle I don't fall over backwards from the weight! the other of me getting to know an alligator.

Texas - Day 1

First full day in Texas and first park. The first on the list is Brazos Bend State Park with a large amount of bird sightings throughout the year and a large number of alligators it was a must!!

Upon arriving at the park we headed down to the nearest lake, 40 Acre lake, after a 50 feet walk towards the lake we found ourselves under the tree canopy which was alive with the sound of Cedar Waxwings and running on the floor were Fox and Grey Squirrels collecting and eating seeds.

Fox Squirrel - Sciurus niger

After a looked at these fascinating creates we walked to the edge of the lake were we had a close view of a Great Blue Heron and a then just before the pier sticking out onto the lake was out first alligator.

American Alligator - Alligator mississippiensis

After a few minutes photographing the alligator we moved onto the pier, keeping one eye on it at all times, and looked out over the lake. Around the edges we saw 1 Rosy Spoonbill, 1 Great Egret and a Cormorant along with a many more.

A Reassuring sign to welcome you to the lake

Walking around the west side of the lake we found a number of alligators laying by the edge of the path to keep us on our toes as we made our way round. We also saw a large array of different bird species my favorite of these was of course the Northern Cardinal but the one that stood out the most was the Great Egret which towered above all the others.

Great Egret - Ardea alba

All around the lake were turtles, they seemed to infest the lake and overwhelm all the other species in numbers, even the coots!!

Slider Turtle - Trachemys scripta elegans

After a walk around the first lake we headed to the Elm Lake and whilst we only walked around half the lake before heading back, we saw 2 snakes (Broad Banded Water Snake, Yellow Bellied Water Snake) Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis and a few Anhinga. 

Yellow Bellied Water Snake - Nerodia erythrogaster

The only two lizard of the day were seen on 40 Acre Lake.  The smaller one of these anoles quickly vanished into a bush.

Brown Anole - Anolis sagrei

One of my favorite shots of the day of a Little Blue Heron sticking his tough out at me, clearly in disgust to my pointing a lens at him.

Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea

All over the park the trees were covered in Spanish Moss, dangling from the trees and often covering the floor below. 

Spanish Moss - Tillandsia usneoides

After our walk around Elm Lake we stopped for a our packed lunch before heading down to our next hotel for tonight in Angleton, Having checked in wedrove down to San Bernards NWT. Where we were disappointed with not only the weather which was now overcast but also the lack of birds. Even when using the car as a hide and moving slowly down the road we managed little photography, However nearing the end of trail we were on Dad spotted a Caracara up in a tree. We moved slowly into position as to not to disturb the bird and started to snap away, not the best of images due to the angle but the sheer size and colors of the bird more then made up for this. 

Caracara 

After this amazing sighting we left the reserve and headed back to prepare for our journey tomorrow to our next location down on the coast. 

HOUSTON!!

I've landed in Houston, checked into hotel and got my first American meal of the holiday, 1 fillet of Catfish, 6battered prawns, 6 battered crawfish tails, amazing! Start bird spotting and photography tomorrow

No Photos

Sadly over the 4 days I've been back in Horsham due to the weather and Pre planned events I didn't get my camera out once! But on the up side this time tomorrow I'll be at Heathrow waiting for my flight to Texas, where I can't complain about the weather at the moment its 28 degrees and sunny!!

Back to Horsham

I'm back to Horsham for a month after the long drive yesterday, I say a month although 10 days is in nice warm sunny Texas!! Will be out taking photos when ever the weather holds off for a bit. So keep an eye out for a change in scenery!!