Lost Maples

March 22
Last visit to TX I did the Rio Grande Valley, so this time it's the Hill country 

                

and Lost Maples State Park 

 the Sabinal River and Canyon provide the perfect habitat for the Golden Cheeked Warbler nesting.  Another rare to find but not so rare in Lost Maples is the Black Capped Vireo. so with those 2 hopefuls on my list we stopped at the campground and I paid for one night.  We got in late I was tired and mostly we just did lots of dog walks and resting...In the morning got up to a heavy misting of rain with a blowing wind! Great

March 23

It takes forever to do anything in the rain...

especially when you have to walk 3 dogs before breakfast!  But some how we managed to get through camp chores and I went down to the office to inquire about the weather forecast.  Rain with showers in between basically, OKAY then! 

So I paid for one more night and headed for the bird blind where some feeder birds were hanging out...

This park is beautiful even in the rain..it is small mostly its a backpackers dream with lots of trails and back country campsites..

At the blind I was scanning the trees across from it because I heard a Vireo.  I'm familiar with the calls of some but this one sounded a bit off so maybe...Scanned with foggy binoculars, and sure enough there it was! The Black Capped  was right there raised my camera and it just didn't want to focus I snapped anyways and although this sucks you can def tell it's the Black Capped Vireo.  Fantastic reward for birding in the rain!

Would have liked a nice clear shot better of course! But if you look this bird up you will see it's all there the black cap, the bluish back, green wings with white wing bars! I got a pretty good look with my binoculars! I was surprised to even get a shot at it...The camera just wanted to focus on the misty rain...and not what I aimed at but I kept on....it let up a little and I was told to hike the East-West Trail so I headed for that.. 

So pretty with the spring colors in the forest and low shallow flow of the Sabinal River sure made for a pleasant hike even if I struck out!  I crossed the river and just as I did I saw a yellow flash drop and sail across the river right in front of me, and he landed in some cedars...

I got 2 not so good but good enough shots of the Golden Cheeked Warbler...lifer #3 for the trip.  How lucky can you get?

                                     east west trail 

Later on the day cleared with some wind to help push it out and I spent most of the rest of the afternoon in the day use area walking the dogs and  watching the Black Crested Titmouse feed in the trees. 

 

                                         mossy trees

                                                              play time

                                                         early bloomer the red bud

                                              no Casey you can't get out right now but in a few minutes I promise!

Here we are in site #1 This was  in the afternoon the first day we arrived when the sun was out. 

The campground filled up quickly...unfortunately the next morning Saturday started out the same way! Drizzle, wind, and not so good!  So I loaded up had breakfast in the day use area and left...taking Hwy 83 South to Highway 90...then turning due west.  The rain cleared off about mid day I enjoyed stopped to see roadside wildflowers like the Texas Blue Bonnet..and yellow Poppies. 

Pine Siskin...

One rest area stop for the "kids" to get out and stretch their legs we saw a bright House Finch and a cactus growing up on a tree!

I wanted this to be a Trogon, but....to be honest Im not sure what it is I went with weird house Finch. 

we passed this the Breaking Bad fans will know the significance of it...

And the Famous Kincaid Hotel...in Uvalde, TX

We continued West to our camp for the night and that will be up next...

In real time I have arrived in Colorado and spending my days with MOM..she is doing excellent although her mind is not as sharp as it once was she still is strong and has her sense of humor intact...Hope to share some photos of her later...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Louisiana and Texas Again!

Sorry about the radio silence....without any internet it's catch and miss kinda of thing...and in my case it was MISS!  One night the park had Wifi Google would not connect to it....I know I was in Mississippi at a  rest area when last I blogged, and later that day the sun came out a little...This was March 18th.

Next day the rain stopped and it got steamy and warm...driving across Louisiana I noticed some rice fields along the frontage rd just off I-10

...and was amazed at how many waders were taking advantage of that shallow water look wayyyy back on the right side see the white?

Along with all these White Ibis, were lots of Egrets, Glossy Ibis, and you don't see any here but tons of Laughing Gulls.  

We ended up staying at Sam Houston Jones State Park, in Lake Charles Louisiana we got there kind of late so I didn't see much there is a nice marsh there...I heard Barred Owl and Screech Owl that evening when I walked the dogs along with the huge sound of Bull Frogs!

The next day we headed south  and hooked up with the Creole Scenic Trail...Highway 27 South out of Lake Charles.  It's basically a loop of the scenic gulf shore of LA before you go through Port Arthur and into TX.  I stopped at the Cameron Prairie Wildlife Refuge, 




and had plans to do the Pintail Loop Wildlife Drive but got there and the majority of it was closed for a scheduled burn! Damn! 

So I saw what I could ....Some Snow Geese and a few were the Blue Phase...which was a first for me...I tried to tell this guy from Ontario about it he nearly cut me off in mid sentence...LoL he said he sees that on the daily.

Also around were Black Necked Stilts, Ibis: White, Glossy, and White Faced!  

Plenty of Blue Wing and Green Wing Teal in the mix too...and some Greater Yellowlegs.

gr yellowlegs

walked the board walk found this Common Gallinule in the thickets...she barely stuck her head up for me...

After the smoke drifted more in my direction we headed across the road to another area, and the dogs loved it...

Then headed on down 27 South stopped at this old cow pens on the side of the road, and found more of the above mentioned along with about 5 Roseate Spoonbills! 

wood duck 

blue winged teal on the wing  Flickr Ate My Photo

We had to ride a small ferry the Cameron II cost $1.   Pretty cool...lots of Laughing Gulls around to watch us ferry over.

Once we got off the ferry we were now on highway 87 heading south to

Sea Rim suffered some hurricane damage and one road was completely washed out...but beach camping was still available so I headed for that...we got in sort of late so I didn't see much that day...I was pretty tired to be honest! 

The boardwalk is still in pretty good shape a few loose planks here and there but still beautiful...I saw lots of cool birds, as shown below!

                                         White Ibis Immature

Some gators too of course...

Down on the beach that evening it was fun to have all this going on right by us I strolled around till the mosquitoes drove me inside.  I got about 1,000 bites on my 2 untanned legs! 

                                            gulls and terns

                                                Dunlin


                               white tailed kite hunting

                                        female Black Bellied Plover

     American Avocet with the Dunlin in the foreground, and Laughing Gulls in the back

And a flock of about 16 Semipalmated Plover showed up...also had some least sandpiper in with the mix...

                                       SEPL and a Sanderling

 Sun going down...

That night when I walked the dogs under the nearly full moon we saw a wild hog wading in the moonlit surf on the beach..really an awesome sight...

Next Morning....
 

... after the night on the beach I headed to the day use area to make coffee and breakfast on the paved ground instead of tracking sand in and out and right away overhead a lifer landed in the parking lot and I was beyond thrilled!

Long Billed Curlew

                                       Long Billed Curlew

I was just standing there brushing my teeth when he flew in! First lifer of this trip.

#420

Later I headed over to McFaddin NWR Wildlife Drive it's only a mile or 2 up the road,,,,and did see this Clapper Rail out in the open...I spotted a Sora at Sea Rim just off the boardwalk, but she was too quick for a photo...

                                         clapper rail

Had one Spotted Sandpiper at the boat ramp area...

 And some ducks at Clam Lake..I was there before the fishermen! Mostly American Wigeon and some Blue Winged Teal. 







Had a scissor tailed flycatcher up on the power line

And the Osprey...

Looks like he had some breakfast in those talons. 

And the wire continued to be productive with a Peregrine Falcon!

On the beach later lots of Bonaparte's and Laughing Gulls along with Foresters, Caspian, Common, and Sandwich Terns.

   

The beach birds were rounded out with Sanderlings, and Brown Pelicans, 

and later on the off boardwalk we had a flock of Long Billed Dowitchers...

I always want to stay longer at Sea Rim....so much to see there.  

                                maybe some shorts mixed in...

We had lunch on the public beach and then a little shelling and beach-combing...

pelican bones?

Caspian Tern

Sandwich Tern

A Sanderling looks UP! 

And the ever present and popular Great Tailed Grackle!

Spent 2 nights and 3 days here then headed due WEST! Passing though Houston, and then across to San Antonio and to the Hill Country of Texas. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.