The emphasis in the previous post, "Ecosystems Are Not Abstract Concepts," was clearly on the wildflowers currently blooming along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. The riparian habitat restoration began with the reconfiguration of the geomorphology of the river channel. This was quickly followed by establishing a diverse growth of vegetation to stabilize the soil and provide food for a wide variety of fauna.
As I pointed out in the post on Sunday, February 3, 2013, "The Measure of Success, A Sunday Special Edition," both the total number of birds and the high diversity of their species now living along the river are among the best indicators of the effectiveness of this process thus far.
Also, one primary objective of the restoration process is to provide habitat for the migratory birds along the Central North American Flyway. The Blue-winged Teal and Yellowlegs are two birds that are in this category.
Here are four of the numerous species of birds I encountered on my walk yesterday:
- The first three photos are Blue-winged Teal. These teal will soon likely be headed north for the summer, but a few are content to remain in the area year-round.
- The fourth through sixth photos are a Lesser Yellowlegs. This is another bird that will likely be searching for cooler weather to the north for the summer.
- The seventh through the ninth photos are a Killdeer. The killdeer are content to put up with our crazy weather year-round.
- The tenth through fourteenth photos are a Great Blue Heron. The great blues also stay year-round. From what I have seen, these birds are the most territorial of all the river birds. I have a feeling they put up with our weather all year simply because they aren't about to risk losing a prime nesting site to any other bird. Whenever I see a great blue up fairly close, I always get the impression they are the "angry old man" shouting "Get off my lawn!"
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