Some Last Visits

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Now that our move to Spain is approaching, Dee and I have been making what will probably be our last-ever visits to some of our favorite birding sites. We made one such visit to Sheldon Lake State Park last week.

It was a very hot day and birds were pretty scarce. However, the ponds were looking lovely, many covered in beautiful water lilies.

Green blue and red dragonflies were everywhere.

Half-a-dozen Little Blue Herons flew off too quickly for me to get photos, as did a Tricolored Heron and a Green Heron. Yellow-crowned Night Herons in several of the ponds were less skittish.

One of them was too involved in eating a crawdad it had caught to pay us much attention.

We've visited Sheldon dozens of times over the past 13 years and it's certainly going to be one of the wildlife sites that we miss most when we leave for Spain.
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Sheldon Lake State Park

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As the weather forecast for Sunday morning was good, we drove over to Sheldon Lake State Park. The weather did turn out to be excellent but, partly because of this, the park had many more visitors than usual and this seemed to make many birds keep their heads down.

We started off with a quick stop at the old parking lot at Carpenter's Bayou and were delighted to see that the water there was no longer completely covered by vegetation. I was hoping to see Wood Ducks but had to be content with Anhinga, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, American Coots, Common Gallinules and Blue-winged Teal (below).

When we reached the main entrance, we were greeted by a beautiful Eastern Bluebird.

Further along the entrance road the ponds had Black-necked Stilts, Greater Yellowlegs, Snowy Egrets, Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. Even more exciting, there were three Red-breasted Mergansers, one of our favorite bird species.

The ponds at the environmental center had only a few birds. We saw half-a-dozen Yellow-crowned Night Herons.

Eight Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were hanging out in one pond.

In another a Little Blue Heron was posing amid the reeds.

One of the highlights was when a Bald Eagle circled overhead in the company of three Broad-winged Hawks.

Another highlight was spotting a Great Kiskadee. I had heard this bird on my previous visit but hadn't managed to see it. This time both Dee and I got looks at it and I even got a (not very good) photo.

If birds were scarcer than usual, other wildlife was not. This little chap popped up right in front of us.

Two of the ponds each had an alligator.

When we passed one pond, Dee noticed that a broad-banded water snake was resting on a log. 

When we passed the spot a little later, we saw it had been joined by a larger relative.

I'm not sure how many red-eared sliders we came across but this was the handsomest of all the ones we saw. 

When we leave Texas for Spain this summer, I'm afraid that birds won't be the only wildlife that I'll miss!
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Sheldon Lake

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Sunday morning I was out bright and early on my way to Sheldon Lake, which has now become a state park. The site has a new entrance road, which runs south from Garrett Road a mile or so east of Beltway 8.

Last time I visited, the field by the entrance road had scores of White Ibis and Little Blue Herons. This time there was just a solitary Northern Mockingbird around.

One of the ponds further along the road had a Yellowlegs and a Snowy Egret (below).

This bird was not doing the usual Snowy Egret routine of dashing around in the water so that its yellow feet would stir up prey. Instead it would dip one foot daintily into the water and gently draw circles with it.

The ecology ponds were largely overgrown and, while beautiful, had few birds. 

A Belted Kingfisher at one pond flew off before I could raise my camera. A Great Egret was more cooperative, perching proudly on top of a snag.

I watched for several minutes as an adult Little Blue Heron crept across the lilypads as it hunted for its breakfast.

 

I made a quick trip to the top of the 3-story observation tower. (It was quick because the elevator was working!) From the top platform you get great views over the lake.
 

 

 

Back on the ground, I got into the car and drove over to boat ramp near the end of Pineland Road.

A walk along the edge of the lake turned up hundreds of dragonflies.

Gulf Fritillary and Common Buckeye butterflies were plentiful also.

At the fishing jetty, I was able to watch several Common Gallinules and two Pied-billed Grebes (below).  

Some juvenile Neotropic Cormorants were fishing nearby. (I could tell they were Neotropic rather than Double-crested because their lores were dark rather than orange.)

 
 Across the water, an Anhinga was drying off its wings while a few yards away, a Little Blue Heron was preening. I felt privileged to get to share part of the morning with them

 

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Wordless Wednesday: Sheldon Lake

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Pileated Woodpecker

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Cattle Egret

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Carpenter's Bayou

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My visit to the Sheldon Lake nature center wasn't very productive. So after 30 minutes there I went back to Carpenter's Bayou (on the north side of Garrett Road).

I was worried that most of the birds might have moved on, but they hadn't. There were dozens of Great Egrets and at least ten Great Blue Herons.

There were several White Ibis grazing in the shallow water.

There were Little Blue and Tricolored Herons also.

Four Roseate Spoonbills were present. 

However, the Spoonbills disappeared when I approached the side of the bridge.

I was delighted to see a solitary Wood Stork, a nice addition to my year list. Unfortunately, it was perched quite a distance away.

So I was pleased when it decided to fly off, giving me rather better looks. 

My final birds at the bayou were some Black-bellied Whistling Ducks that flew overhead, whistling loudly as they went.

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