Birds and Cannibalistic Tales...

On a gorgeous, sunny, warm, morning this past week, Bud and I walked the paved trail at Indian Point Park in Portland, Texas. The area is surrounded by two bays with a freeway in between. There is a lot of history in this area, one of which deals with a devastating hurricane that hit Corpus Christi, and also quite a sorrowful tale about Indian Point ...a mass grave was here for the hurricane victims and there is a marker along the path in memory. The name Indian Point [where the park is situated] has a bit of historical background, a couple of which are about an oyster bed that was used as a means of crossing the bay by horseback or wagons [and later the earliest of autos] with the low tide from Portland to Corpus Christi BEFORE the highway was completed.  Also,  Karankawa Indians were reportedly in this area...and they WERE cannibalistic! Eventually, the tribe became extinct...y'think?!! Eating their own would probably cause their demise. The Port of Corpus Christi is nearby in North Bay and while walking the trail and spotting water fowl in the tidal basins you can look beyond the ponds and see the Corpus Christi skyline and the Gulf of Mexico; watching cargo ships and tankers come into [or leave] the port of call. To the west, there is a large fishing pier for fishermen and the sport, and Harbor Bridge that crosses the port entry....the 2nd tallest bridge in Texas.

While trekking in a whole other area this week, we decided to drive over to Robstown, Texas from our first stop at Tule Lake where we saw quite a few of the wading birds, spoonbills, egrets [tri colored, cattle, and snowy], some herons [great blue and young yellow crowned night], some wood storks, sea gulls, stilts and curlews...we then hit the Hazel Bazemore Park to see if any recent sightings of the hawk migration has begun [see sidebar]. While there, in the few fresh water ponds, I was perusing the water's surface with my binoculars along the banks, and thought I saw way off in the distance a very dark ibis. I was hoping it was the glossy ibis 'look-alike' that is found in the Texas area. And sure 'nough it was. We hopped in the car from where it was parked and drove through the twisting and turning drive to the other side of the pond. Trouble was it had turned cloudy and threatening rain, but I got out of the car to make sure of my ID...it was a white faced ibis. Tho, the photos I got were not too good, I'll get them up to share some day soon.

In the meantime, I share these photos from previous outings...

GREAT BLUE HERON

photo taken: Leonabelle Wildlife Refuge - Port Aransas, Texas

Habitat Range:

TRIVIA: The oldest Great Blue Heron, based on banding recovery, was 24 years old. 

LONG BILLED CURLEW

photo taken: Indian Point Park - Portland, Texas

Habitat Range:

TRIVIA: The female Long-billed Curlew's bill is longer than the male's, and is a different shape. Hers is flatter on top with a more pronounced curve at the tip. His is gently curved throughout its length. 

LESSER YELLOWLEGS

photo taken: Indian Point Park - Portland, Texas

Habitat Range:

TRIVIA:   The female tends to leave the breeding area before the chicks can fly, thus leaving the male to defend the young until fledging.

LEAST BITTERN

photo taken: Leonabelle Wildlife Refuge - Port Aransas, Texas

Habitat Range:

...ready set...ACTION!

This is a trio series of the Least Bittern fishing at Leonabelle Wildlife Refuge. In Port Aransas Texas, the pond was loaded with a lot of Least Bitterns the other day when we were there! And they were very active. One photographer with a huge lens on his digital camera and tripod was there when we arrived and he was telling me that there were two baby Least Bitterns in the tall reed grass just off the boardwalk and the mama Bittern would fly in to feed them with her mouth full of fish. The chicks, he said, still had down on their backs. I never did see them tho. But I watched several other Bitterns foraging for fish around the entire pond, everywhere I looked they were in there, busy with breakfast. It's really amazing to watch. They're actually quick... a broad, yet short, stocky bird. But their ability to adjust the breadth of their bodies is phenomenal. This little tidbit from Cornell's Lab was proof positive: "John James Audubon noted that a young captive Least Bittern was able to walk with ease between two books standing 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart. When dead, the bird's body measured 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) across, indicating that it could compress its breadth to an extraordinary degree."

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