Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, June 2022

The last photo stop on my quick tour of the Galveston area was Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.  Every time I've visited in the past, I'd had some great wildlife sightings and gotten some excellent pictures.  It still surprises me that I've been to other NWRs and literally seen no noteworthy wildlife at all, but I guess I need to keep in mind that these areas aren't intended to provide things for humans to gawk at.  They're intended to provide habitat for wildlife to live, and that wildlife might not care to be seen.

But I'm really glad when the wildlife doesn't mind so much. :)

Great stuff right away at the pond by the visitor center with a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks just taking lazy laps around the water.

A Red-eared Slider enjoyed the summer heat.

Not the best lighting, but I still like the silhouette of this Four-spotted Pennant.

I was already operating in stealth mode knowing that ducks, turtles, and dragonflies are prone to skittishness and taking off if they feel threatened.

Shoveler Pond had been drained for maintenance, so birds like this Great Egret were congregating around whatever water they could find.

I saw a lot more Black-necked Stilts than I have in the past, including babies with watchful parents that were definitely not going to allow me to get too close.

I had to be patient even with solitary adults like this one.

I think I've seen Common Nighthawks on the same stretch of road every time I've visited the refuge.  I especially like this shot because I didn't take it -- Taryn did, since she had a closer view from her side of the car!

I may have gotten pictures early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun wasn't so high in the sky and temperatures not as hot.  But as usual when visiting Anahuac, I was still satisfied with what I saw!

Related Links:

• Anahuac NWR, April 2016
• Anahuac NWR, June 2017: Part I
• Anahuac NWR, June 2017: Part II
• Anahuac NWR, June 2018

Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part III

As the morning wore on at Hagerman, the temperature rose and the birds became less conspicuous.  So I had to look more closely for wildlife, and take more notice of the wildflowers that were starting to bloom.

I found Hairy Vetch along the roadside.

Did I say the birds became less conspicuous?  Not the Yellow-headed Blackbirds along the pad roads.  They continued to be quite obvious.

A small group of White-faced Ibis were foraging in the grass, which had already grown fairly tall.

I thought this large, white flower was a lily of some sort.  Inaturalist, however, says it's a Pinklady.

After about three hours driving around the refuge, I needed to stretch my legs.  A hike on the Prairie Loop trail was just the answer.

What the trail lacked in birds, it made up for in wildflowers like Texas Paintbrush ...

... Prickly Sowthistle ...

... and Bush Vetch.

I decided to drive around one last time in case there was anything I missed, and was treated with a small group of Pectoral Sandpipers picking their way through the mudflats.  

The little birds are apparently somewhat picky about their feeding spots -- and willing to squabble over them!

Five glorious hours soaking up the natural beauty of the refuge.  Why exactly aren't I doing this more often?

Related Links:

• Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part I
• Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part II

Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part II

My day at Hagerman was off to a great start.  Next up was a slow drive out to Pads O, P. and Q.  I say slow intentionally, because from past experience I know the water comes up quite close to the roads and the shores can be full of birds.  Driving too fast tends to spook them. 

This Greater Yellowlegs looked a little sad to me as it foraged.  So I left a lot of empty space in the photo to play into that mood.

These Wilson's Phalaropes were in the same area as the Yellowlegs, but much more energetic.

There were quite a few Snowy Egrets.  I loved the tandem pose I got from these two.

I got out of my car to approach this group of American White Pelicans, and thought I was being quite stealthy about it.  But they noticed me immediately and in unison began swimming away.  It was fun to watch them glide off, since I couldn't actually see their feet moving under the water.  At least they moved at enough of an angle that I was able to see their profiles.

I honestly don't think I'd ever seen a Yellow-headed Blackbird before this day.  It was a real treat to get such a close view of my first one!

And then I got an even closer view of my second.  And honestly, before I knew it I'd probably seen a hundred of them.  They were flocking quite densely along the pad roads, and quite comfortable with my car blind.

Not to be outdone, this Red-winged Blackbird belted out his call while doing an impressive split.  Bonus points for difficulty!

I stopped my car to try and get a picture of a hawk that unfortunately flew off before I got anything decent.  But stopping allowed me to notice a Tree Swallow spending a lot of time around a particular tree.

 

It turned out to not just be one swallow hanging out by the tree, but a pair who seemed to be building a nest!  I always love how time spent in nature can lead to the unexpected. :)

Related Links:

• Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part I
• Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part III

Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part I

After a great experience down in Ennis shooting bluebonnets I was itching to get back out again.  It had been more than three years since I'd been up to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, which was far too long!

The forecast called for about 50% cloud cover at sunrise this past Sunday -- potentially great conditions for a sunrise shot.  Unfortunately, the forecast got the clouds wrong by about 100%.  There was some interesting morning mist, but by the time I found a spot I liked and got set up it had already pretty well burnt off.

Because of my lens flare issues I've started trying to get a good shot of sunrise right before the first rays actually appear.  I've been pretty happy with the results so far.

On this morning I was even fortunate to get a shot with rays and barely a hint of lens flare!  So, two wins. :)

I liked the warm light on this tree at the water's edge, and its ripply reflection.

Pinkladies during golden hour: now with bonus dew drops!

This Dickcissel was singing his little heart out to greet the new day.

The skittishness of ducks still annoys me.  I saw plenty this day, but this shot of a pair of Blue-winged Teals is sadly the best one I got.

The Snowy Egrets were more abundant and more accommodating.  I love the serenity of this one.

Driving from one of the pads I noticed tons of spiderwebs.  The sun was at just the right height to backlight them brilliantly.  This one was my favorite.

Related Links:

• Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part II
• Hagerman NWR: April 2021, Part III

Corpus Christi, March 2021

The bulk of my time in Corpus Christi was spent at Hazel Bazemore County Park and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  But I stopped at probably a dozen other spots in the area to see what I could see.  This is the best of what I saw. :)

Even though the weather forecast called for overcast skies, I still went to Indian Point Pier to try and shoot the sunrise.  I didn't get a sunrise, but I like what I did get.

I got a tip from a wonderful birding couple from Oklahoma that there was a great place to see Whooping Cranes in Lamar.  I went there and they were right!  They were unfortunately too far away for a great photo, and I didn't even notice the little band of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks that were with him until I was processing.

I stopped at Sunset Lake Park on my way back from Aransas.  This Long-billed Curlew was looking for food in the mud, and I was fortunate to get perfect light.

I know Grackles aren't the most beloved birds.  But when sits so accommodatingly in such good light, it gets its picture taken.

A small group of Dunlins were a little skittish, but still stayed close and still enough for me to get a decent look at one of them.

I was running out of sun when I arrived at Pollywog Ponds.  It was still nice to have a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher for a welcoming committee.

There were many Turkey Vultures circling overhead at Pollywog Ponds.  I didn't try to find out why.

I love how the trees had overgrown this trail at Pollywog Ponds.  I'd love the chance to come back and shoot it in different light.

I tried for sunrise again on my second day, this time from Swantner Park and with no clouds.

No clouds takes away some interest, but the moment jjjuuuuusssstttt before the sun peeks over the horizon is always special.

Blucher Park was recommended by several folks.  I heard more birds than I saw, but did get good light and a good view of this Northern Mockingbird ...

.. and this Field Sparrow.

Another whirlwind tour of a new area, with plenty of great encounters in less than 48 hours!

Aransas NWR, March 2021

I set aside most of my one full day in the Corpus Christi area to visit Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  I didn't appreciate wildlife refuges as much as I did national parks for a while, but I've come to seek them out almost as frequently in my travels -- especially if I'm hoping to see, well, wildlife.  Funny how that works.

I'm not a storm chaser by any stretch, but I really like the combination of ominous clouds and bare field in this scene from along my drive.

This Wild Turkey hen along the road seemed stuck on the wrong side of the fence, and quite sad about it.

Upon arriving at the refuge I hiked the Rail Trail, and spotted this American Bullfrog in the reeds.

The trail parallels a long, narrow slough that also has American Alligators.

I don't think I've ever seen a leaf that was almost completely white like this Netleaf Hackberry before.

I also hiked the Dagger Point Trail, and had my usual frustrating experience trying to photograph the songbirds that flitted about the forest.  This shot of a Black-throated Green Warbler was my best effort.

The loop trail itself is nice, and not a difficult walk at only about a mile in length.

I got down to the shore at one point and found more trash than natural scenery.  So I made some lemonade with this visual lemon.

I encountered LOTS of butterflies throughout the day.  Most of them were disinterested in landing.  I was fortunate to get a clean shot of this Monarch, because it didn't sit still for very long.

I stopped at an alligator viewing area where there was, indeed, an alligator.  But I was more intrigued by this Spotted Gar.  There's not enough context to tell from the shot, but the fish looked to be at least three feet long.

I got glimpses of other critters while driving and walking around, including White-tailed Deer, American Kestrels, and Whooping Cranes.  But no other compelling photos of anything.  The refuge did seem quite dry, so I wonder if there's more activity when things are wetter.  Whatever the case, I feel the same way about NWRs as other folks do about fishing and golfing -- a bad day at one is still better than any day inside!