Whoopers

Yesterday we headed off to explore the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. This is not a new place for us as we visited at least once during each of the past two years. Click here and here to read journal entries from those earlier visits.

It felt good to get out with the cameras and binoculars again but we discovered much of the wildlife was out of sight -- probably hunkered down and burrowed in to stay warm on this cooler than normal day. Compared to last year, when the area was under extreme drought and dry as a bone, there was a lot more standing water in the ponds and marshy areas after the, thus-far, wetter than normal Winter. This is a good thing and much closer to what could be called "normal" for the Refuge. It certainly makes surviving easier for all the fur, feather, and scale covered denizens that call this place home.

We did see a few Whooping Cranes... the 5 foot tall "rock stars" of the Refuge. These big birds are very wary and really prefer a solitary existence, grouping up only during the Spring and Fall migration to and from Northern Canada, and during times of stress. Last year, during the drought, when food was hard to find, they grouped up around survival feeders set out by the Refuge... something that would never happen in less stressful times. According to the Refuge biologist, there are 264 "whoopers" at the refuge this year. We found one pair near Lamar -- outside the Refuge boundaries to the south -- which we could get much closer to than any before. From the observation platform in the Refuge we saw a few more... but quite distant. Binoculars or a spotting scope are a necessity if you really want to see something more than a white spot in the distance.

Besides the cranes, we saw a bunch of deer and all kinds of birds. But no alligators, no wild pigs or javalina, and no armadillos, which are normally out in big numbers along the Refuge roads.

Dar works at the hospital today and tomorrow. And I'm thinking about running into Corpus Christi today with a couple other guys from the neighborhood... someone needs to go along to keep them out of trouble. The near-term weather forecast includes rain, potentially heavy, Thursday night and Friday. So getting out today will help delay the onset of camper fever that could result from spending too much time indoors these next few days. Rain might be good for the wildlife around here, but I'm ready for more sun and warmth.

Bailing bucket in one hand and a cup o' tea in the other...
Thom