Memorial Day Weekend Tribute, Salado Creek Greenway, Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead, Northwest

Beginning just to the Northwest of the Lady Bird Johnson Park trailhead is a section of the greenway that is especially appropriate to feature on Memorial Day weekend. The Morningstar Boardwalk is a section of the trail 0.64 miles long traversing a wetland channel of the creek. The  boardwalk is dedicated to the memory of Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Morningstar.

The text on the sign reads:

"As long as… stars graze in the vault of heaven so shall your honor, your name, your praise endure.  -  Virgil"

"The Morningstar Boardwalk honors Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Morningstar, a son of San Antonio and a soldier loved and respected by the troops he led. On February 5, 2006 in Husayniyah, Iraq, SSG Morningstar, 27, gave his life for his country and the democratic ideals he cherished. His sacrifice will never be forgotten."


Considering San Antonio is experiencing a prolonged period of severe drought and this past March through May has been the second driest on record, the creek channel is still surprisingly moist and green with abundant wildlife.

The photographs I took today are divided into at least two parts. The next set will be posted on Tuesday next week. On Monday, spend some time remembering those who have given their lives for our country and our freedom.

Brackenridge Park, Part 2

On the San Antonio River, Friday, May 20, 2011

All of the typical park type activities: picnic areas, playgrounds, the zoo, ball fields, etc. are located along the San Antonio River at the North end of the park. This is where the human impact is most definitely present. At the same time, this section of the river has one of the most diverse wild bird populations that can be found anywhere in San Antonio.

When I returned to my car after walking the nature trails, I couldn't resist spending some time photographing along this section of the river. All of the birds in the photographs below are wild and native to South Texas. Some of the birds that one may see along this stretch of the river are migratory. The black-bellied whistling duck that opens this series is one of these, however, its habitat is expanding northward. It is spending longer parts of the year in South Texas than it did just a decade ago.

This is probably as good a time as any to point out that, while I know the common names for most of the fauna and a good part of the flora that appear in my photographs, I am intentionally not including them in my posts except when it is necessary to make a specific point. When I am photographing I am enjoying their presence, not thinking in terms of, "Oh, look. That is a ground skink."

As I have written elsewhere, my photographs are not documentary in a strict ecological sense, but are more in the tradition of Alfred Stieglitz's Equivalents. Or to express it another way as John Daido Loori aptly explains it in his book The Zen of Creativity, I am as much in the moment as I can be having a direct interaction with subject.

So, sit back, relax, and leave yourself open to allow wonder and delight to take hold and mature:

Salado Creek Greenway, Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead, South

For today's adventure, we begin at the Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead and walk south towards Loop 410. As can be seen in the photos, this section of the trail consists primarily of old growth forest with large oak, elm, and pecan along with many other types of trees. For the first half mile or so, the trail is opposite the creek from a very high cliff typical of the hill country.

The birds were numerous. However, other than a surprising number of cardinals that were a bit more amenable to being photographed than I have previously experienced, the other birds managed to stay mostly out of sight. Their presence was made known by their songs echoing off the cliff. A red shoulder hawk could be heard high up in a large live oak, but it did not take flight staying well hidden in the dense foliage. What appears to be a black dot in the sky of one of the photos, when magnified, is actually a bird. It appears to have the wing conformation of a swift, but it is difficult to tell for certain.

The photos tell the rest of the story:

If things go as planned, Friday's walk will be on the Lady Bird Johnson trailhead walking west toward Wetmore Road. This is a very different section of the greenway than the previous entries. I am uncertain about the photographic possibilities, but am certain I will have something to show. Hopefully, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Tomorrow's post will be Part 2 of the Brackenridge Park walk last Friday.

Deep in a Hackberry Thicket, March 2009

The history of the Olmos Basin has been well documented elsewhere, so I will only include a brief summary here. Over the past hundred fifty years or so, the land that is now under the care of the Headwaters Coalition just east of the Olmos Dam has been cleared multiple times primarily for use as pasture and farming.

The current woods are about thirty to fifty years old.  When land in this part of South Texas and into the Texas Hill Country is allowed to grow over, hackberry are usually the first trees to grow in abundance. Much of the floor of Olmos Basin on both sides of the dam are now covered with hackberry thickets.

At the end of March 2009 a few weeks after my trek along Olmos Creek, I made my way into one of the densest of these thickets. Following are some of the photos I took on this adventure:

This is a 180 degree panoramic.

Salado Creek Greenway, Robert Tobin Park Trailhead

The Robert Tobin Park trailhead is located on the south side of Loop 410 between Harry Wurzbach and Starcrest. The only direction one can walk at this point is south. The path to the north that will connect to the Lady Bird Johnson Park trailhead is currently under construction.

This trailhead is at street level, unlike the Oakwell trailhead, so the path begins with a twenty-five to thirty foot descent to the creek level. Of course that also means there is the same ascent when returning. This isn't a problem for most people in reasonable shape, but the grade is a bit steep for someone using forearm crutches.

I mention this just to the make the point that "getting into the moment" can sometimes be a challenge. Adding to the challenge of the terrain this morning was the fact that my mind was still overwhelmed by the news of the devastating tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri yesterday evening. I didn't begin photographing until I finally reached relatively level ground and was able to pay more attention to the surroundings. And I'm still not certain how all of that distraction influenced my choice of subjects to photograph.

I was pleased to finally get a photo of a cardinal. Cardinals have always managed to elude my attempts to photograph them. Smaller birds are much more difficult to photograph than large birds because they generally have more skittish behavior than the larger birds.

The weather this morning was perfect for a walk. The humidity was exceedingly high, but there was a very nice breeze that counteracted its impact. I guess the heat index was offset by the "breeze chill index." In the end, it did turn out to be a very pleasant experience.