Matagorda Bay Nature Park-Undiscovered or Unwanted?

Matagorda Bay Nature Park seems to be a bundle of contradictions.  Located where the Colorado River enters the Gulf, it has the river along with beautiful beaches, jetties, fishing pier and new facilities.  Most Texas Gulf areas are filled to capacity with the "Winter Texans", but here the RV park was about twenty percent capacity for the entire 9 days we spent here.  A brand new bridge was built a year ago replacing the old swing bridge over the intercoastal waterway providing  hassle-free access.

After crossing the new bridge there is a six mile drive along the river past cottages before reaching the Nature Park.  The RV park adjoins the visitor center.

So why are the RV's staying away?  The six mile drive from Matagorda on the mainland should not be a factor.  Perhaps it is the lack of stores and restaurants at the small village of Matagorda itself.  There is only one all-purpose store at the single four-way stop and only a couple restaurants in town-one of which is located in a house.  The only restaurant close to the park was not especially rewarding.  Although it had a nice location on the river, the higher prices and mediocre seafood determined that our first visit would be our last.  Most people drive the 30 miles to Bay City for groceries and restaurants.

Perhaps construction on the new east jetty was keeping people away.  The last hurricane had rearranged the landscape tremendously moving a lot of land from the west jetty and moving it onto the east side.  The construction closed the jetty and pier and a section of the beach.

All the sand in the picture was moved there by the last hurricane.  The west jetty is in the background.

The beginning of the new east jetty due to be completed in 18 months.

Another contradiction for me was the lack of good bird photography despite the great number of birds present.  In my opinion there is too much good habitat and the birds are very spread out.  Great for birders but not for photographers.  I watched large flocks of shorebirds, skimmers, pelicans, and gulls at the mouth of the Colorado but that area was all closed off because of the construction.  When the jetty work is completed perhaps good opportunities will present themselves to the photographer.

View from the back of our RV.

Beaches and Shells

Since a nearby site had the highest Christmas bird species count in the country for several years running I thought I would see a lot of winter birders here, but I never did see anybody carrying binoculars.  Instead the park's inhabitants were into collecting shells.  Picnic tables by many RV's were covered with shells.  So, following the adage "When in Rome.....", we paid $10 for a yearly truck permit, pushed the four-wheel drive button, and hit the beach.  Edie was a little apprehensive at first since you can drive for miles and a few places were soft but she soon became the "Shell Queen" and wanted to collect at every low tide.  I always thought of Sannibel when collecting shells but this was much more fun.

Those are all shells-not stones!!!

There is a lot of infrastructure work here and a couple more years may produce the answer as to whether this becomes a winter magnet for northeners.

Brazos Bend State Park

Brazos Bend State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/brazos_bend/ is located a short drive southwest of Houston.  This proximity to a major city along with 6 lakes and miles of hiking and biking trails makes it a popular destination on weekends.  Alligators are common and bird are somewhat habituated to humans especially around the well-used lake routes.  Many programs are run for visitors and Houstonians drive the short distance to take advantage of them.  We attended a raptor program with free flying birds which was well attended by home-schooled students and their parents

We arrived on the weekend with all the activity but once Monday arrived the park seemed almost deserted.  The gigantic lots for each RV added to this feeling.  Perhaps the cold had something to do with this as two mornings produced a little frost on ground.  The days, however, warmed up nicely.

Where are all the R.V.s?

Out 5thWheel was being attacked daily by a pair of Tufted Titmice who saw their reflections in the windows but since I had many images of them I was trying to get photos of a Carolina Wren that had a favorite singing perch nearby.  I spent an hour in my blind wondering why he wasn't showing up.  I finally packed up and walked back to the truck.  The bird apparently had flown into the truck through an open window and needed my help to get out.  I got a picture but not the one I wanted.

Rockport

Rockport, Texas has a lot going for it.  Not only is it a destination that draws birders from all over the country (and foreign locations also) but it is a resort town and home base for part of the Gulf shrimp fleet.  The birding here is some of the best on the Gulf Coast.  The endangered Whooping Crane, the tallest bird in North America, winters in the nearby Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  The latest census puts the population at 263 birds.  There is a business built around the birds and especially the Whooping Cranes as several companies (http://www.birdrockport.com/) take birders out in their boats to see the birds.  It is the easiest and most reliable way to see the birds since they give a money-back guarantee if you do not see them.  Edie and I had taken the boat "Skimmer" to see the birds on our last visit but I wasn't satisfied with my images.  This year I located a group of eight cranes on the Lamar Peninsula and from land was able to get the following pictures.

We stayed at Goose Island State Park (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/goose_island/), a place where you can back your RV within a few feet of Aransas Bay, or if you prefer stay in the live oak wooded section.  It doesn't take long before you realize this is a park for birders and fishermen.  The fishermen love the long pier and boat ramp.  Birders are led by "bird guides" who camp in the park and lead morning walks or evening "owling" hikes or give interesting lectures in the recreation hall.  Recent topics included Birding 101, Shorebirds, The Whooping Crane, and Short-eared Owls.  Edie slept in one morning only to find the following group in her backyard.

The Rockport Beach Park is a favorite spot of mine since they have a fenced off breeding colony of Black Skimmers and Laughing Gulls.  Since it was still February the colony had not started nesting and the birds were loafing getting ready for their upcoming parental duties.

Wintering American White Pelicans are also common.

Weather continues the same pattern as before- a few good days followed by cold cloudy ones.   Temperatures have been about 20 degrees cooler than normal and Northern Texas is getting snow while SanAntonio got hit with another frost.  With warm-temperature activities curtailed, we have a good excuse to visit the area restaurants in our quest for good seafood.  So far Joe's Crab Shack in Corpus Christi has the best lunch (http://www.joescrabshack.com/ ) while the Bakery Cafe should be passed up by everyone.  Charlotte Plummers in Fulton has a great view and great gumbo while the Big Fisherman (http://www.bigfishermanrestaurant.com/)  draws the largest lunch crowd of what seems to be composed entirely of retired RV winter Texans from almost every state.  It opens at eleven and the line goes out the door.  Before you get inside you get to keep company with a bunch of tame cats which seem to think they own the place as they run along the porch railing-definitely a negative for me.  One dollar margaritas are served while you wait which allowed me to tolerate the cat population better.  I think most of the patrons were drawn there by their advertised $5.95 lunch specials but Edie and I passed on that for the broiled mini-seafood platter which was a little disappointing although the Texas gumbo was very good.  The table next to us ordered the $3.95 "all you can eat chicken liver and gizzards", which drew more than a few negative comments from my wife, a chicken-farmer's daughter.  Something about "pieces and parts which should be thrown away".  Come to think about it-that may explain the cats.

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".