One of the Snowey Egrets trying to keep warm.

These two are standing on discharge pipes waiting for the little fish to come through for dinner.

It's been a bit damp here and the ducks are feeding in the parking area.

Our Red Belly Wood Pecker is still hanging out here. According to the bird books he should not be here.

The Swallows are coming back and starting o build their nests again.

The VIS Bunny is becoming really friendly and doesn't mind a close up.

A big Red Ear taking in the Sun.

Some fields being burned off to get ready for planting.



Thursday night Sunset

And  another day on the Refuge is done.

A change in the weather

      I know that I had wrote about the beautiful spell  of warm 70 degree days we had and that all the critters were finally coming out and then nature decided that a rapid change would be nice. Yesterday and today both started out in the low 30's and just 15 miles north of us there was once again some freezing rain and some sleet this morning. We had Bird Banding on the schedule for this day but 33 degree temperatures and a howling wind put and end to that today. Good thing as wading around in chest deep water would have been just plain miserable. The forecast here for next few days will improve and by Friday we should be back in the 60's with a dryer forecast. The locals say this is one of the coldest winters they can remember but they are welcoming the rain as this is one of the dry areas in the Country. This is the most rain they have seen since Hurricane Ike passed through 6 years ago.  It is much needed to purge the soil of what's left of the salt from the Tidal Wave that ran across the Refuge and surrounding Farm fields. Much of the surrounding area and a good number of buildings are still damaged and there are still piles of storm debris on a number of properties. We took a ride down to one of the areas where the fishing boats run out of and they are just now putting in new moorings and restoring the utilities to them. So much for progress when the government is involved with wetland regulations and such but I guess there is a need for some over sight in some cases, good or bad. On the good side the new Visitor Information Station is 99 percent complete and we should be moving into it by the end of the month. Our little Garden Shed that we have grow fond of is really starting to show its age and in need of a good overhaul .                                       G

We did some sigh seeing last week and we went back to the battle field that made Texas an Independent Country and free from Mexico.

The Monument Texas erected to show their state pride. It's taller than the Washington Monument.

The Monument to the Texas Founding Fathers with the WW1 Battle Ship Texas in the back round.

It seems all of the Texas founding Fathers were also Free Masons.

The Texas was big for her time but really small compared to today's Navel Vessels.

Was doing a little side project and had a very small helper come by.

The contractor for the new VIS hydro seeded and what  birds do when seed is on the ground they had a good feed.

Another day of good fishing.

Sunset three nights ago.

What Kitty's do when the sun goes down.

          Well we have had a nice run of over 70 degree days this week and all the cold blooded creatures are finally showing up in numbers and it's nice to see them. Some of the small Gators that hatched out last Season are back where they were born and they have grown to almost twice there size since we left here last year. The string of warm days has inspired a number of animals to start pairing off and except for a little cool front that passed through two nights ago even the evenings have been in the 60's here. The Snow Geese are starting to move on and the flights of ten thousand birds at a time and now we are down to only a few hundred birds at a time but now the song birds are starting to come in in small numbers and soon there will be some good shots of them from around the Refuge.                                                                                    G

The Warm weather has the critters coming out

The larger Gators are coming out.

A Red Tail hunting on the marsh.


 

My first snake of this season and yes they can cast a Shadow

All turned into the Sun

Very proud

The big Red Ears are coming out now.

Two just sunning.

nice weather

It was just to warm to do anything.

Day two of the Vultures working the road kill hog.

Snow Geese on one of the Rice fields near the RV pads.

We never get bored watching the Geese moving around.

The little guys sunning themselves.

Crabbing for beer bottles off the board walk at Shoveler Pond.

Good fishing.

Last nights Sunset.

It's getting warm in Anahuac

A Mocking bird finds a worm on the road.

Eating the worm in the tree across from the VIS.

Giving me some attitude about taking her picture

We been in the mid 70's for a couple of days and the warmth is bringing out the gators.

A couple of the little ones I had posted pics of last season. They came back to the area where they were born.

Still a little slimy from their semi hibernation, they really never go completely to sleep.

Hard to see but there are two big turtles that just came out of the mud, still covered with green growth.

Some Spoon Bills walking on the wave dike in Shovelers Pond.

This wild pig didn't make it across the road but like all things here there will be no waste.

One of natures clean up crew arrives.

There will be just bones by the end of the day. At one point we saw seven Vultures working the remains, these birds are really hard to capture as they spook really easy when you approach them.