November, 2017 trip to Houston
In November, 2017 I made another quick (family) trip to Houston, TX. This was a Thanksgiving family trip and my only outing was to Brazos Bend State Park, my favorite park around Houston. (Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
I did not really expect to see a lot more than the usual, but my first sighting -- almost immediately after I got out of my car -- was the most exciting: a River Otter which I had never seen before! It was quite far and quickly disappeared into the lake, and my picture isn't very good, but I was excited to see it nonetheless.
River Otter
My second encounter was also mildly exciting -- a Hermit Thrush, while not rare, it was nice to see and get a good photo of it, as I mostly expected to see waterfowl and shore birds.
Hermit Thrush
My next series of observations were not about birds or wildlife but the environment in general. It was obvious to see in the trees that the high watermark was more than 6 feet above ground -- the place was obvious innundated during Hurricane Harvey.
High Water Mark
But at this moment, everything looks serene. The scenes at 40-acre Lake and Elm Lake were peaceful and beautiful.
40-acre Lake
Elm Lake
I noticed some of the Cypress Knees by the water.
Cypress Knees
At the Brozos River, although the water has greatly receded, Harvey's footprints were plain to see.
Brazos River
Of course, there were the birds.
American Coot
Blue-winged Teal
Common Gallinule
Snowy Egret
White Ibis
White Ibis
White Ibis
One of them was a Muscovy Duck, apparent of domestic stock. But it was a wild bird, swimming in 40-acre Lake. For the record, I don't even count Muscovy Duck on my life list (I have not seen the true wild subspecies), but don't tell the bird it does not belong.
Muscovy Duck
Other wildlife include a brilliant Cloudless Sulphur, and of course, the obligatory Alligator shots.
Cloudless Sulphur
Alligator
Alligator
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