McAllister Park, Walk #4, Anderson Pavilion Trailhead, North Along Mud Creek

Today's photos:

One thing is certain (he wrote stating the obvious), white-tailed deer are to McAllister Park what egrets, herons and cormorants are to the San Antonio River trails. If one is at all alert, it won"t be very far along a trail before one starts to see them.

As a matter of fact, I had seen many along the trail when I had just walked through a small, empty clearing beside the creek bed. I stopped, realizing it was time for me to head back toward the parking lot. I literally laughed out loud when I turned around and there were three deer now grazing in what moments ago had been an empty clearing.

The closest one was less than fifteen feet away form me. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, deer have a way of moving through even dense brush without making a sound. I hadn't heard these three enter the clearing after I walked through it.

Probably the highlight of today's walk was the golden-fronted woodpecker. I frequently hear the woodpeckers, but they seem to have had a way of staying out of sight.