South Padre Island

Threatened Species

As you leave the mainland heading to South Padre Island on the Queen Isabella Causeway it is easy to think that you are headed to a typical barrier island with great beaches and high rises catering to tourists.  In reality Padre Island is one of the longest and least developed barrier islands in the world.  The area composed of  Padre Island, the Laguna Madre (one of only five large hypersaline lagoons in the world) and the Laguna Atascosa NWR contains 17 endangered or threatened species.  The most endangered sea turtle in the world (Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle) nests on the beaches here.

The Laguna Atascosa NWR lies along the shores of the Laguna Madre and is known for its work in preserving disappearing species.  It is working hard to preserve the ocelot which breeds in the refuge.  Earlier this year a female ocelot was killed on the main driving loop by a car driving too fast.  The drive now opens an hour later and closes an hour earlier in the hopes that this will minimize ocelot-vehicle tragedies during the hours the cats are moving.

This is hawk country.  The resident birds have to share space with wintering hawks from the north along with birds drifting up from Mexico.  This mixture makes raptor lovers giddy since you can't drive a mile on the area roads without spotting birds of prey.  One of the rarest is the Aplomado Falcon.  It disappeared from the Texas landscape but is now being brought back by releases of birds raised in captivity.  I was fortunate enough to watch one make a kill and even more fortunate to have it pose for some photographs.

Another handsome hawk is the White-tailed Hawk.  This species is also making a comeback.  I found this adult finishing up a rather large rabbit meal.  You can see the distended crop.  Normally hawks will fly off at your approach but they are reluctant to leave a kill and will often give you time to get off a few shots.

Rear-ended in Roma
The insurance company finally caught up to us on South Padre.  Our trusty truck had been viciously attacked from behind by a Ford Super-Duty.  The Sunday, Pearl Harbor-like impact was enough to give both Edie and me identical headaches for an hour and sore neck muscles for a couple days. Our rear bumper was toast and the truck bed had been pushed far enough ahead to tweak the back of the cab.  Nationwide came out and wrote us a check to cover all damages plus a rental for a week.  Since our truck was eager to keep on schedule and functioned fine we decided to wait until we get back to Michigan to get it fixed.

Dirty Al's  (http://www.yelp.com/biz/dirty-als-restaurant-south-padre-island)
There are a lot of seafood restaurants on the Island but within hours of arriving here we can always be found at Dirty Al's.  It is located within walking distance of the park and true to its name appears to be ready for a shut down by the health department.  The food is fantastic, however, and apparently everyone else agrees since Dirty Al has been opening other successful restaurants all over town lately. 

Weird Winter Weather
We haven't had any rain since Falcon but the pattern seem to be one in which every warming trend ends with a cold front that comes racing down once a week and we start the pattern all over again

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park

This state park use to allow "winter Texans" to camp inside the park.  During that time almost every campsite had feeders for the birds and it was one of the best places to photograph birds in the Valley.  Today you cannot drive into the park-you must hike, bike or wait for a tram.  Visitors stop at the adjoining World Birding Center to pay entry fees and get a wrist band.  Photographers then take a tram or go under their own power.  With heavy lenses and tripods this takes some planning.  Volunteers fill up feeding stations scattered around the park-a continuation of sorts from its past history.

A good technique is to pick an active station in good light and wait.  This proved to be very successful the first morning as two Mexican rarities (Rose-breasted Becard and Clay-colored Robin) were photographed.

Rose-breasted Becard

Clay-colored Robin

Green Jay

Great Kiskadee

Falcon State Park

Rain, rain, and more rain.  Falcon State Park is a desert environment on the Mexican border and wet weather is usually the last problem you expect to deal with here.  After a cool but sunny Sunday it either drizzled or rained for five straight days.  Edie finished a huge task organizing family photos while I plowed through computer files.  The last three days were more typical and I did the majority of bird photography then.

The park is on the south end of a sixty mile long reservoir produced by damming the Rio Grande River.  The surrounding area is thorny brushland dominated by mesquite, huisache, Mexican olive, and various cactus.  The birdlife is great in winter and the majority of campers here appear to be birders as everyone walks around with binoculars or cameras.  The second group of human inhabitants is the fishermen who fish the reservoir.  The last group seen are the border patrol who are either speeding down back roads and the campground itself or sitting quietly watching.  Helicopters can be heard at night patrolling the border.

Since many campers feed the birds it is usually easy to see and photograph Pyrrhuloxia, Northern Mockingbirds, Curve-billed Thrasher, Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Common Ground Dove, Greater Roadrunner and many others.

Roadrunners often sit in the sun exposing black back feathers to warm themselves in the morning.

Northern Mockingbirds are one of the more conspicuous inhabitants.

Pyrrhuloxias are a Cardinal like bird which are as common as sparrows at the park feeders.

Vermillion Flycatchers were found near the reservoir.

Altimira Orioles are one of three possible orioles in the park.

Curve-billed Thrasher

Groove-billed Anis are one of the rarer finds.

San Antonio, Texas

Edie and I arrived in San Antonio Monday afternoon. The massive cold front is expected to move into the area late tomorrow and residents seem almost panicky. The local TV people are pushing their 3 "P's"-people, pets, and pipes. Schools talk of closing or opening early in the morning so kids are not outside too long.  Heaters and pipe insulation are all sold out. Viewers are instructed in how to wrap pipes in still-available bubble wrap and duct tape. All this for temperatures which will land in the twenties for the next few days.

We decided to take an all day Alamo tour on Tuesday.  Our leader, John, was raised in Iowa, fought in VietNam, and married his best friend's fiance.  John seemed a little disappointed that he only had three customers.  We picked up four more people in the afternoon portion and John's enthusiasm suddenly picked up. 

We started with a visit to the Japanese Sunken Gardens-another one of those great gardens which started with a quarry pit. 

The gardens were followed by a tour of the Institute of Texan Cultures which features 27 cultures that played a part in the development of present day Texas.  Surprisingly the Dutch were one of the contributors.

The next stop was a taste of the Old West at the 1881 Buckhorn Saloon and Museum.  Much to my surprise Edie was very interested in the world record wildlife exhibits.  They had over 500 species from around the world.  In addition to the taxidermy were artifacts from Texas History.

One of the most recognized landmarks was, of course, the Alamo.

The Mexican Army burned the bodies of the slain Texans after they overran the Alamo.  The ashes of the Alamo heroes including Bowie, Crockett, and Travis are purported to reside in the SanFernando Cathedral
although some historians believe they were buried nearer the alamo.

After lunch we visited Mission San Jose, Mission Concepcion, and the El Mercado or Mexican market.

On Wednesday we traveled to Fredericksburg, a German tourist town about 75 miles north of San Antonio.

Edie went shopping while I visited the National Museum of the Pacific War.  I did not know what to expect but was blown away by the size and impressiveness of the museum.  It leads you through a winding complex of well-done exhibits starting with the Japanese-Chinese-Russian events which led up to war and concluding with the signing of the treaties.  It would take two days to do the museum justice.  In addition the Museum has an off-site location housing planes, tanks, and a restored PT boat.  In the summers they hold battle reenactments of the allies attacking a Japanese stronghold.  The Japanese always lose in these battles.

Due to the cold weather the off-site museum had two former veterans to lead one interest history buff- me!

The Japanese-Allies Battle Reenactment Area

After lunch at the German Lindenbaum Restaurant, we traveled to Luckenbach.  Despite the off-season and cold the Willy Nelson types were still singing and strumming around the woodstove in the bar.

Our last stop was a visit to the L.B.J ranch, which is now run by the National Park Service.

LBJ's Western White House

On our final day we drove downton with two goals in mind.  Explore the Riverwalk and have lunch at one of the oldest hotels in San Antonio-the Menger Hotel.  Teddy Roosevelt recruited men for the Rough Riders at its bars and folklore says it has many resident ghosts http://www.legendsofamerica.com/TX-MengerHotel.html.  The hotel buffet was fantastic but the riverwalk was a much more unique experience.  With record low temperatures it was practically deserted except for workers.  Apparently once a year all city workers converge on the area,  dam the river, and begin cleaning and maintenance of the river walk.  Although it was interesting I could only imagine what it was when warm and crowded with revelers.

We finished the day by watching the IMAX production "Alamo".

Socorro, New Mexico

The last time I was forced to visit Socorro I was in no position to appreciate its history and culture.  Edie did a little research and led me on a regional history tour.  We started out with a visit to the El Camino Real International Heritage Center south of town.  The El Camino Real or Royal Road was the equivalent of our interstates.  Starting in the 1500's and lasting for 300 years this was the trail through which materials, people, and culture passed between Mexico and New Mexico.  The center stands at the edge of the Jornada del Muerto-the Journey of Death-which was a 100 mile stretch of waterless trail.

The Original Hilton Hotel in San Antonio?
The Owl Bar and Cafe is now known for some of the best green chili burgers (if you don't like "hot" get your green chili on the side like Edie did) but it's bar is actually from the original Hilton Hotel which was down the street.  Conrad Hilton, founder of the great chain, was born in San Antonio, New Mexico, a one-light intersection town.  His parents turned their home into a hotel and store for travelers.  It is not known if Paris Hilton has ever visited.  It didn't seem like her kind of place.

The Juan Jose Baca House

Built in the 1840's by Juan Jose Baca as a residence and store it is now the Stage Door Grill serving great meals at great prices.  We had the fish tacos which turned out to be a delicious choice:

One of the most notorious gunman in old West history, Elfego Baca, started out as a clerk at this store.  His reputation as a gunman was so great that as a law officer, he often only had to send a message to miscreants that he felt justified shooting them on sight if they didn't turn themselves in.  Many meekly did just that.  He was featured in a 1958 Disney Productions called the "Nine Lives of Elfego Baca".

Socorro "Wheel of History", begins in 1598 and tell the history of the town.

Bosque del Apache NWR

One of the most well known wildlife photographic sites in the Southwest is the 57,000 acre Bosque del Apache NWR.  Lying along the Rio Grande River south of Socorro, New Mexico, it is the northernmost reach of the Chihuahuan desert but also contains farmlands and riparian forests.  The rich bottomlands, coupled with a relatively mild winter climate makes this a winter home for thousands of ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes.  While the birds take top billing the sanctuary also contains elk, deer, bobcat, coyote, javelina, and recently mountain lions.  

Edie and I had visited the refuge five years ago for a short visit on the way to California, and I had promised myself I would get back as soon as possible.  I had missed several opportunities after that so I was getting excited to finally return.  We left Michigan on Monday and arrived at the Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park Wednesday afternoon.  The park is nothing fancy, owned by a cute little white-haired grandmother, and best of all is located right next to the sanctuary.  After setting up I drove into the park to familiarize myself with the opportunities.  The areas that worked well before, such as the flight deck, had very little activity.  It became apparent I was going to need to do a lot more exploring in the next few days to locate the best shooting sites.

I had hoped to get some beautiful blood-red sunrises, colorful sunsets, or best of all "fire in the mist" images but every morning and evening except one were rather ordinary, cloudless, and sunny skies with little interest.  The one cloudy morning yielded a bit more interesting image but without the fiery shades I wanted.

North winds blew the entire time which limited the best flight photographic conditions.  The Snow Geese congregated at the two north crane ponds before sunrise and then would leave within the next  hour after sunrise.  Only once did they leave with any sort of "Blast-off".  The "Blast-off" is a much anticipated event that occurs when some event disturbs them.  It could be a coyote, noise, or just some quirk of goose psychology.  Sounding like a freight train, they leave enmass.  Within seconds it is all over.  It is one of the great spectacles of nature.  The worst situtation, especially if you want to photograph the blast-off, is when the geese leave in small groups until they are gone.  Once gone the geese spread out to feed in the fields.

Once the sunrise blast-off has either occurred or gone bust the usual procedure is to return to the main sanctuary and look for other opportunities.