A much needed widespread, soaking rain fell overnight and into this afternoon. I took a much needed day off from a walk today. In case you haven't noticed, we do tend to celebrate some of the small things in life here, like rain. Water, after all, is one of the four necessary requirements (water, food, shelter, space) in a habitat.
The water level in the oxbow lake on Leon Creek was higher than I had anticipated it would be this past Monday (April 1, 2013). In spite of the lower than normal rainfall this year, the water table seems to be remaining reasonably well saturated. Where there is water in Bexar County, there will likely be a diverse range of fauna:
- The first two photos are a small slider turtle that has climbed fairly high up a branch that had fallen into the water.
- The third photo is a male Gadwall. Its mate was just a little too far to the side to get both in the photo.
- The fourth photo is an "armada" of slider turtles, some with only their heads sticking up out of the water.
- The fifth and sixth photos are an American Coot on the left and a Pied-billed Grebe on the right.
- The seventh photo is a closer view of the Pied-billed Grebe.
- The eighth through tenth photos are the American Coot.
- The eleventh through fourteenth photo are a male Black-bellied Whistling Duck. He apparently wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon as he pulled his right leg up and tucked it out of sight against his body.
- The fifteenth photo is the male Black-bellied Whistling Duck with its mate to the right in this photo.
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