On the Yanaguana Trail Approaching the End of the Year

Friday, December 28, 2012

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Mission San Juan Capistrano,
Yanaguana Nature Trail

Today's photos:

Following a couple of cold days, this was another very pleasant mild one. There is another weather related saying here in South Texas. We have two seasons: summer and winter. They sometimes alternate days in the same week. That has definitely been true this December.

This set of photos very effectively communicates my experience of this walk. I only have two side notes to add.

The orange Japanese ladybug (Harmonia axiridis) is native to Asia and was introduced to the United States in the early 1900s apparently to control a major aphid infestation. They were reintroduced on a larger scale in 1979 and 1980 by the USDA to control another aphid infestation this time that was destroying pecan trees in the southeastern part of the country.They have been very prolific in South Bexar County this fall.

The other item I find of particular interest is the abundance of Texas baby blue eyes currently in bloom along the Yanaguana trail. According to the Native Plant Database at wildflower.org, the Nemophila phacelioides, Nutt. are annuals that bloom in March, April and May: "This plant blooms early and dies by summer." So, I guess even the wildlife is having difficulty keeping track of what season it really is here.

Something to Brighten a Dreary, Grey Day

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Here in San Antonio, today has been a grey, overcast day, much cooler than forecast. As a matter of fact, the high temperature was about five degrees cooler today than yesterday.

Monday (December 24), when I walked the Eagleland Reach of the San Antonio River, the cold front had not yet arrived. It was a bright, sunny, warm afternoon. This is the remainder of the photos from that walk.

The mockingbird tried to steal the show (as mockingbirds frequently try to do), but it's difficult to upstage a great egret:

Hawk, Heron, Cormorant

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Confluence Park Trailhead upstream

Today's photos:

This was one of those days when a walk almost didn't happen. Between a holiday altered schedule and the rather cold weather with a high temperature of 51º F, it would have been easy to call the walk off. But once again, I found myself on the River for a short, brisk late afternoon jaunt.

The great blue heron and double-crested cormorant are River regulars, easy to identify; the hawk, not so much. I'm taking something of an educated guess it is a broad-winged hawk, but my level of certainty with that one is at best tentative.

An American Coot, A Wednesday Morning Supplement

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

An American Coot, A Morning Supplement

I do have a lot of photographs from previous walks that I have yet to publish. "A Morning Supplement" is a new feature I am adding to While on a Walk to publish some of these photos. It will be an occasional supplement published as time allows (so probably, very occasional).

This set of photos of an American coot was taken on my walk along the Eagleland Reach of the San Antonio River this past Monday, December 24.

The American coot is a fascinating bird in that it looks very much like a duck, at least when it is swimming, but it's not a duck. For one thing, it does not have webbed feet. Coots don't look much like a Rail, but are actually in the same taxonomic family: Rallidea:

A Holiday Greeting, 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

During this special holiday week, take time to celebrate all that is truly meaningful in life:

Photo of a Northern Cardinal taken at Crescent Bend Nature Park,

Monday, December 17.

Christmas Eve, Chasing Butterflies

Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, 2012

San Antonio River, Eagleland Reach, Blue Star Trailhead downstream

Today's photos:

All I can say is, there is nothing quite like chasing butterflies (literally) on Christmas Eve. It isn't exactly what I expected to photograph as I drove to the River, but then I never quite know what I will encounter. What I encountered today was another abundance of butterflies, especially the gulf fritillaries and orange sulphurs, and other kinds of butterflies as well.

Flying Beyond the Beautiful, A Sunday Special Edition

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Flying Beyond the Beautiful

"Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language."  -  Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

This set of photos of a great egret was taken on my walk along the San Antonio River on Wednesday, December 19.

A footnote: I would love to get feedback from someone who is both an experienced birder and an experienced pilot on this series. What isn't obvious is the egret was flying into a wind gusting up to 25 mph out of the south as it landed. When the egret approached the weir dam, it had to adjust for the wind gusts and lower its air speed to land. I have no doubt it is completely routine for an egret, but it was awesome to watch. The total elapsed time from the first photo to the one where it's standing on the weir was 2 min 42 sec.