Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

I went down to the Gulf Coast for the third year in a row this past weekend for a little photo trip.  In addition to revisiting some favorite spots from previous excursions, I also tacked on a new destination -- the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.

My fortunes at NWRs in the past have overall been outstanding, Little River notwithstanding.  Temperatures were warm but light was good as I started out along the trail from the Visitor Center.  Water lilies were in bloom as I cross the boardwalk over the Big Slough.

I was concentrating most of my attention on scanning the sky for birds and the ground for alligators, and nearly blundered right into a massive collection of spider webs hosting an equally massive collection of Golden Silk Orbweavers.

After my initial brush with distress, it was impossible not to see the spiders.  They seemed to own the territory just below the lowest branches of all the trees along the trail -- and often cross directly over it.

As alien-looking as spiders are, I do respect and admire them.  I just don't want to have one inadvertently crawling across my face, thanks very much.

Many wildflowers were still blooming, the prairie sunflowers being the most conspicuous.

I saw several Swallowtails, but none settled long enough for a picture.  One Gulf Fritillary was more accommodating.

The butterfly didn't stay especially still.  But it paused just long enough in just the right light for a pretty solid shot.

Dragonflies were thick along the water's edge, including this Four-Spotted Pennant.

A helpful volunteer in the Visitor Center cautioned me that I wouldn't see as many birds as I would have a month earlier because the refuge was pretty dry.  How dry?  This dry.

The Salt Marsh and Mud Flats had the most water along the Auto Tour.  Consequently, that's where I saw the most birds.  The spot I appreciated the most was this baby Black-necked Stilt.

Actually, two babies!

I've found Black-necked Stilts to be wary parents in the past, and these chicks' mom and dad were no exception.  They stayed in close proximity to their little ones, enabling me to get a fairly close shot if not an exceptionally well-contrasted one.

Not bad for a scouting run.  If I return in the future, I'll try to get there earlier in the season for cooler temperatures and hopefully more photo subjects!