Just a Touch of Sun

(December 5th) I haven't mentioned it on the blog, but last time I was in Texas, I was dying to see a Bobcat. I never did though. This time as well, it was one of the species I was targetting. It seemed like everyone else was seeing them. Yesterday I set out in the last couple of hours before dusk to try and find one that some people reported seeing at Estero Llano State Park. Several miles of wet trails later, nothing. I was quite surprised to see one in my first few minutes of Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. It was before the sun had come up, and it was strolling down the road between two lakes. It noticed my car and walked away before disappearing into some cover even though I remained at big distance. I may not have gotten the nice close shot I was hoping for, but I was excited to see the animal and I kind of like the mood of the only photograph I took of it as it walked away in the dim light. The picture breaks many of the "rules" I usually go for - animal small in the frame, animal looking away, human-built objects in the shot - but somehow it still works for me.

Brazoria NWR like many refuges that have been established to protect waterfowl is a big complex of marshes and ponds. One of the reason I came here was to see the large flocks of Snow Geese which winter here. I found out since Hurricane Ike pushed saltwater into the normally freshwater system miles inalnd, the wetlands haven't recovered yet. So the Snow Geese winter somewhere slightly off the refuge these days. So instead I saw them flying overhead at a distance. The marshes are quite pretty though and I suspect they will be back to full form in a few more years.

Today started out quite cold with a thick frost over everything, but for the first time in many days the sun broke through in a mostly sunny day. The light was gorgeous too. Pied-billed Grebes are in most of the freshwater ecosystems you go, but these little birds always have great poses. That fact combined with the wonderful light is an automatic picture in my book.

Today I achieved a photograph I have been trying to get for quite some time. Meadowlarks are beautiful birds, often perching up on fence posts to sing. I've seen them quite a few times, but they have always flown off their perches anytime I am around. I was fortunate enough to find a cooperative bird in Brazoria. Standing behind my car and using it as a blind, I was able to wait until one landed close and gave me some good poses. I'm still waiting for that perfect shot when it sings with its melodious voice, but for now I'm quite happy to have some good shots of an Eastern Meadowlark.

Brazoria had a lot of raptors. Texas as a whole seems to have a lot of raptors. Many of the ones I saw today were flying overhead or perched far from a road or trail. I saw an adult Red-tailed Hawk try to get a Turkey Vulture drop whatever it was holding - strange to see a hawk doing the mobbing rather than the one being mobbed. The best raptor photographs I got were of this perched American Kestrel. This bird barely gave me a glance and most of the time was scouring the land looking for prey. I was joined by a friend who is living in Texas for my last few hours in Brazoria. I hope I didn't bore him too much circling through the refuge, but it was great to see him. With the bizarre weather, my Texas trip was far from the great possibilities that I know south Texas usually has, but I still had a great time and saw some fascinating wildlife. I look forward to returning sometime, hopefully with better weather!