Elm Lake

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We finished off our visit to Brazos Bend State Park with an hour-long walk around Elm Lake, where we were greeted by an Anhinga which was perched on a snag and drying its wings.

Nearby a spider was busy wrapping up a dragonfly that had strayed into its web.

Most of the ten or so alligators that we spotted were small juveniles but a couple were mid-sized adults.

We came across few large wading birds except for a Little Blue Heron standing motionless next to the path.

We stopped to watch a Green Heron but it took umbrage at our presence and flew off. Judging from the fact that it had a definite crest, I assume it was a juvenile.

As at 40 Acre Lake, the most numerous birds were Common Moorhens. A few adults were paddling about by themselves but most were accompanied by their families.

One pair of adults had two of the youngest chicks I have ever seen.

Moorhen chicks do not have the beautiful plumage  of their parents but they make up for this by having huge legs and feet!

P.S.
I won't be posting as often as usual over the next two weeks because I'm going to be too busy with work to do much birding. However, I'm ending the month with short trips to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Glacier Park in Montana. I'm looking forward to the trips because they'll provide a welcome break from the heat - and from the flat landscape around Houston. Both parks should have some interesting birds and, if I'm lucky, I may even see bears in Glacier.
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