Eagle Mountain Lake

The weather forecast and my schedule both called for a hike on Saturday morning.  The internet pointed me to Eagle Mountain Lake, which had the added bonus of being someplace I'd never visited.  So off I went!

This Question Mark was well camouflaged in some leaf litter along the loop trail.

There were plenty of wildflowers, but only one (Arkansas) Yucca in bloom that I noticed.

Some Cobaea Beardtongue was nicely lit against a shady background.

I appreciated seeing new leaves budding on this cactus.

I was too lazy to switch the lenses on my camera, so I shot this landscape shot of the wildflowers blooming along the trail with my zoom lens rather than my wide-angle lens with its wonderful circular polarizer.  So this shot isn't as saturated as I'd like as a result, especially the sky.

When I hit the South Overlook Trail, it became apparent that the stars of the day were going to be the butterflies.  There were a ton of them in a wide variety of species, including...

(deep breath)

... Black Swallowtail ...

... Common Buckeye ...

... did I mention Black Swallowtail?

Back to the unique sightings!  Sleepy Orange ...

... Dainty Sulphur ...

... Short-Tailed Swallowtail ...

EDIT: The iNaturalist community disagrees, and says this is another Black Swallowtail.

... Variegated Fritillary ...

... and Funereal Duskywing.  Eight different species!

EDIT: Seven, since I did not actually see a Short-Tailed Swallowtail.

A blooming Western Prickly Pear briefly interrupted the butterfly parade!

The parade resumed along the more wooded Shoreline Trail with this Red Admiral.

A hiker carrying his infant daughter spotted this Common Spotted Whiptail soaking up some sun along the trail.  Good thing, because I would have missed him.

Butterfly species #10 -- an Orange Sulphur!  I don't think I've ever seen that many on one outing, which helped make this a most memorable hike!

EDIT: Nine species.  See earlier references to the elusive Short-Tailed Swallowtail.

Colleyville Nature Center: February 2017

A three-day weekend meant time to get out and shoot. And with the forecast calling for rain Sunday and Monday that time was today. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s made for gorgeous conditions as I headed to the Colleyville Nature Center.

The woods here are always full of songbirds.  Getting a clear shot of one like this White-throated Sparrow is usually another story.  Fortunately, I had just enough time before this one flew off to get the shot.

I was hoping one of the resident Barred Owls would be on its nest, and was pleased to find that was indeed the case.

The unseasonable heat seemed to be bothering her a bit -- she was fluttering her neck muscles some.  But here she looks pretty comfortable and alert.

And now I'm pretty sure she's just laughing at me, standing there watching her for as long as I did.  When the owl laughs at you, it's time to move on.

I normally have a terrible time getting solid duck shots, but this American Wigeon gave me something decent.

I think this sleeping Mallard may not have realized I was there until I was pretty close, at which point he decided to just play possum.  He's clearly got an eye on me.  After I took a few shots and moved on, he came to full attention but still didn't take off.

I enjoyed seeing this Great Blue Heron and Great Egret seemingly hanging out together along the shore.

Turtles also tend to scurry off as I approach.  And sure enough after I got this shot and took another step closer the Red-Eared Slider closest to the water turned and swam off.  The one on shore wasn't far behind.

On my way back to my car I got an unexpected close encounter with a male Northern Cardinal.  I wish I'd gotten him a touch sharper, but it was still a nice way to cap off my outing!

River Legacy Parks: January 2017

My Monday morning earlier this week got off to a wonderful start in the fog at Village Creek Drying Beds.  But I was feeling greedy, so I wasn't content to call it a day.  Instead I hopped right next door to River Legacy Parks to see what I could see there.

Right away, an accommodating Northern Mockingbird perched right by the trail and let me get quite close.

It took a short flight to a yaupon tree, and I couldn't resist the chance to shoot the bird among the bright red berries.

Again, it seemed unperturbed by me standing there and clicking away.

The sun eventually peeked through the clouds, and the additional depth of field I gained made this my sharpest shot of the bunch.

Eventually my feathered friend got bored with me and flew off.  I headed down the trail, enjoying the warmth from the emergent sun.  So was this fox squirrel, contentedly snacking in a tree.

On the opposite side of the river I spotted a brown lump I was sure was an animal.  Then it didn't move, and I decided it was just a conspicuous stump.  Then it did move, and I was delighted to discover that it was a beaver!  The first I'd ever seen in the wild, actually.  I couldn't get as close as I would have liked because of, you know, the river.  But I'm still pretty pleased with this effort.

My most surprising sighting of the day was undoubtedly a small fairy village comprised of a few tiny houses, a translucent green sphere, and this little signpost.  I couldn't figure out who was responsible for building and maintaining it.  But I was glad that visitors to the park seemed to respect it.

A yellow oak leaf was nicely backlit, revealing all its veiny detail.

A telltale keening cry drew my attention to trees bordering Village Creek Drying Beds, where I noticed a Red-Shouldered Hawk scanning the terrain.

Extending my outing turned out to be a great decision.  Going from foggy landscapes to brightly lit wildlife was like two photo trips for the price of one!

Village Creek Drying Beds: January 2017

I had my eye on going out to shoot today all through our cold, damp, gray weekend. The forecast had been calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s. Then when things got really wet Sunday night, I thought we might have some interesting foggy conditions early on. So I got up a little earlier than I'd originally planned and headed over to the Village Creek Drying Beds in Arlington, site of successful photo outings each of the past two winters.

I certainly had the fog I thought I might, which gave the marshy area a slightly spooky vibe.

When I first crested the berm overlooking this pond, the water was full of ducks.  Then the ducks all flew away, because DUCKS HATE ME.  So I shot the pond anyway without them.  That'll show 'em.

This little island totally isolated by the mist was exactly the type of moody, ethereal scene I was hoping for.  I can't decide whether I like it better in monochrome or color, even with the very blue cast and muted shades.  Opinions welcome in the comments!

I tried to get a little artsy with these stalks and their reflections.  Not quite as edgy as I'd hoped.

I was impressed by how vivid the reflections were with so little light.

Wildlife opportunities were not abundant.  But if you look hard enough, you can usually find an accommodating sparrow.

I enjoyed the chance to try something a little different, though it would have been nice to spot a bobcat like I had on my first two visits.  When I get out more frequently like I have been lately, I don't feel as much pressure to see everything all at once, though.  That's a good feeling!

Colleyville Nature Center: April 2016

I've been seeing pictures online of Barred Owls at the Colleyville Nature Center. Having the morning off today, I decided to head over and see if I could find them.

The answer was quickly revealed to be "yes."  In fact, this isn't even the first owl I saw.  But the first one was in deep shade high in the canopy, and I couldn't get a decent picture.  I pointed him out to someone else, and was rewarded with directions to the nest of the mated pair!

On my way to said nest I hopped over a small creek, and this one flew practically right over my head as I did so.  Shame on me for being so focused on getting to the nest that I wasn't scanning the trees!  Fortunately he didn't fly far, and I had slightly better light when he landed.

On to the nest site I went, where I watched and waited.  This Carolina Wren stopped by briefly to sing me a pretty little song.

This is the most action I saw during the hour I spent watching the nest cavity.  Catch the feathers there at the bottom?  I believe that's the mom shifting.  They appeared, moved briefly, then disappeared.

My hopes went up a little when the female called and the male answered, and they continued calling back and forth for a few minutes.  I thought some sort of movement would be forthcoming, but that was not the case.  Well, at least I know where the nest is for a future visit.

On my way back to my car the first owl I'd seen was still sitting in the same spot.  The light had improved enough that I was able to get a decent shot this time.

I followed the trail to see if I could get a vantage point with better light, and I did.  And he turned around to continue to watch me.  Jackpot. :)

He flew off again and I followed, but his new spot was partially obscured by lower branches.  Still, I had to take some pictures when he started grooming.

The place was crawling with Fox Squirrels, as normal.  Just a few feet from my car, this little badass shot me some stink eye.

Then he turned a bit and looked curious and adorable.  Funny how just that slight shift in his profile seemed to completely change the emotion I was projecting onto him. :)

I got the great owl shot I was hoping for plus more, and set myself up for future trips.  Great morning!