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

Smith Oaks Sanctuary, June 2022

Next stop on the Summer 2022 Galveston Area Birding Tour was the Smith Oaks Sanctuary on High Island. The highlight of every visit I've made here has been the rookery, and while I didn't expect to see babies this late in the season I was hopeful that there would still be a large population still nesting.

Encouraging signs right on arriving were all the grazing rabbits and nectaring butterflies.  The rabbits stuck to shaded areas that weren't great for photos, but this Viceroy landed in some decent light.

The rookery was, indeed, crowded.  Raucous and fragrant, too.  I was reminded that the light in the morning doesn't come from the best angle, but still got a good look at this healthy Tricolored Heron.

There weren't quite as many spiders as I'd seen in the past, but still quite an abundance of Golden Silk Spiders hanging about.

In more comfortable conditions I might have sat and snapped birds flying in for quite a while.  But it was quite hot and humid, and I still had other stops I hoped to make before driving back home.  I did get a nice capture of a Cattle Egret coming in for a landing.

I was happy to not startle this Cattle Egret who was perched on the near side of the water rather than the far side like most of the other residents.

I would have preferred this Roseate Spoonbill to have been flying from left to right rather than the other way around, but I do really like the clarity and detail in his wings.

I didn't see any American Alligators basking on the shore, but several did have their snouts poking out of the brackish water.

A short visit, but a rewarding one!

Related Links:

• Smith Oaks Sanctuary Babies: June 2017
• Smith Oaks Sanctuary Wading Birds: June 2017
• Smith Oaks Sanctuary Miscellany: June 2017
• Smith Oaks Sanctuary: April 2016
• Smith Oaks Rookery: April 2016

Texas City Dike, June 2022

I'm still warming up for my big summer trips to Colorado and Cape Cod. After a couple of afternoon photo excursions close to home I decided to make an overnight visit to the Galveston area where I've gotten some great bird shots in the past. First stop: the Texas City Dike.

I find the dike a great example of nature's adaptability.  An entirely manmade structure that hosts a great diversity of wading birds like Tricolored Herons ...

... Yellow-crowned Night-Herons ...

... and Snowy Egrets.  Knowing how skittish these birds can be, I had to do a fairly ridiculous squat-walk to get close enough for good pictures without startling them.

 

I spotted a Tricolored Heron making its way toward me down the shore, so I remained in place in hopes of seeing some behavior.  I was rewarded with some little wing-aided hops as it approached.

The bird's leisurely pace gave the appearance of flight right at eye level, and at a slower pace which allowed me to capture sharp images at a lower shutter speed.

When it wasn't hopping the little hunter took very dainty steps looking for food.  I only saw it make one catch when it was still too far away for a great photo, but I'm glad it had some success!

The Brown Pelicans were more skittish than I recalled from my previous visit.  I struggled to get close enough for good pictures without them flying off.

I saw lots of Laughing Gulls and actually didn't realize this was one in different plumage until iNaturalist told me so.

Someone had very intentionally set this little broken pig figurine next to a trash can.  Guardian?  Offering?  There's a story here ...

I love how much white plumage is on the head of this Great Blue Heron.  Juvenile, maybe?

One hopeful but ultimately disappointed pelican stayed seated on a fish-cleaning table while I clicked away.  He did not receive his expected reward for his patience, I'm sorry to say.

I didn't see the same variety of species or overall quantity of birds on the dike as I had on my first visit back in 2018.  But I still got a solid collection of shots in the 90 minutes I was there!

Related Links:

• Texas City Dike, June 2018: Terns
• Texas City Dike, June 2018: Pelicans
• Texas City Dike, June 2018: Miscellaneous

Hazel Bazemore County Park, March 2021

I took advantage of spring break week to take another nature photography road trip.  Having made three enjoyable visits to Galveston I wanted something similar, so I started making plans to extend my driving range a couple of hours and try the Corpus Christi area.

I looked for some direction from the members of the Birds of Texas Facebook group on specific places to check out, and they came through in a big way with more options than I thought I could reasonably fit into two days.  But I was happy to take up the challenge, starting with Hazel Bazemore County Park.

I was lost when I first got to the park, not really knowing where to look.  Fortunately, I soon found a birding couple from Oklahoma who gave me some additional pointers.  The ponds they suggested didn't yield much, but the drip irrigation watering hole seemed very promising.  There were a ton of Northern Cardinals sampling it when I arrived, and a White-winged Dove watching over the entire scene.

After not too long, I saw one of the three birds I was really hoping to catch on the trip -- a Golden-fronted Woodpecker who was quite coy for a while, staying in the underbrush and offering only fleeting glimpses of itself before coming into the clear to grab a drink.

The birding couple stopped and we chatted some more.  The guy had a terrific knowledge of calls and said he could hear Green Jays -- one of the other birds I was on the hunt for -- but after about half an hour of waiting there was still no sight of them.  I decided to move on to some other locations on my list, but kept open the possibility of returning on my drive back home in the hopes of better light and more species.

Foreshadowing -- a sign of quality entertainment!

So yes, indeed, I stopped again two days later.  Morning instead of afternoon, full sun instead of full clouds.  The cardinals were still around, and begging to be photographed on their frequent stops at the drip.

Shout out to this guy who landed on the closest branch to the blind, and offered a gorgeous profile.

I had to look this one up when I got home, and an iNaturalist tells me it's a Hooded Oriole.

The Green Jay I'd been hoping to spot soon made its appearance -- two of them, in fact.

After taking a bath, the oriole stuck around for a while drying off in a nearby tree.  The shot is a little distant, but I like the behavior.

White-winged Dove acting like he owns the place again.  There were also smaller doves feeding on the ground that I believe were White-tipped Doves, and in hindsight I should have gotten pictures of them as well.

Brief appearances were also made by a Long-billed Thrasher...

...a White-eyed Vireo who took several very quick dips in the pool...

...and a Bronzed Cowbird.

The jays actually made several visits over about an hour, but were typically reluctant to spend much time in the clear.

I made one more visit to the ponds and got a fun action shot of a feeding Black-necked Stilt, then it was time to begin the six-hour drive home.

Visiting the same spot twice in one trip is not the norm for me.  I'm still a bit amazed that one simple watering hole ended up being the highlight of my time in the area.  A powerful testament to the benefit of getting insight from real people!

Santa Cruz Island

We had come nearly full circle on our expeditionary cruise around the Galápagos, returning to Santa Cruz Island. Our final afternoon saw us in the island's northwestern corner for a hike to the top of Dragon Hill, so named for being one of the only places on the island where land iguanas could be found.

The sun was quite literally smiling on us, with stunning skies that mirrored the beautiful blue waters. 

I'm not sure who made these tracks on the beach.  Sea lion, I guess?  Whoever it was, I picture a galumphing gait and a bit of a hurry.

Shout out to the Sally Lightfoot Crab who provided a nice splash of color on the beach.

Speaking of crabs, I enjoyed spotting this Ecuadorian Hermit Crab making its way across the sand.

A small group of marine iguanas had headed slightly inland to bask on the edge of a brackish lagoon.

A familiar bird from past visits to the Galveston area -- a Black-necked Stilt -- was also enjoying the lagoon.

We had a second encounter of the day with White-cheeked Pintails, but this time much closer and in much better light.  The end result: a much better picture!

If you were unsure how dabbling ducks got their name, here's a pretty good illustration.  Our friend here was looking for plants and seeds in the soft mud.

The lagoon was apparently bigger during wetter parts of the year.

Dragon Hill was aptly named.  Not so much for its "dragons," but for its prominence relative to the surrounding landscape.

The late afternoon sun provided some nice backlight to the plentiful cacti.

The glow of the spines was nicely magnified when, well, magnified.

The hike was relatively short, and provided a nice view back to the ocean.

Our visit was rapidly winding down.  The next day would see us board a plane back to the mainland.  But we still had one more highly anticipated stop to make!

Click here for more blog posts from my amazing visit to the Galápagos Islands!