Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Rivers flow not past, but through us; tingling, vibrating, exciting every cell and fiber in our bodies, making them sing and glide. – John Muir *
This set of photos was taken on my walk this past Wednesday along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River from the VFW Blvd trailhead to the water edge landing downstream from the Mission County Park pavilion.
The Mission Reach ecological restoration project is a generational process that will take about 75 years to fully mature, so this is just the initial phase of the restoration. As the restoration matures the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) will allow the river channel to evolve within the limits of its primary function of flood control.
The section of the river pictured above is an excellent example of the natural evolution of the river channel. Through time, the channel will find its own natural course. Alterations naturally occur through the processes of erosion and deposition. This process is explained by Lane's Balance which deals with the relationship between the size and quantity of sediment carried by a stream versus the slope and flow rate of the stream.
The science aside, this is what the river is supposed to look like; the river healing itself.
* This quote from John Muir is from SARA's 75th Anniversary Documentary film: Sustaining and Enriching Life in South Texas; The Story of the San Antonio River.
Cattle Egrets (Bulbucus ibis) are fairly recent arrivals to the Western Hemisphere. They first arrived in Florida from South America by way of the Caribbean Islands around 1953 and have rapidly spread north and west since then. Cattle Egrets are now well established year round residents in South Texas.
These birds are generally found in large flocks in upland areas particularly where cattle grazing is common as they have a commensal relationship with large, grazing herbivores of all kinds. It is not unusual, however, to find their breeding rookeries close to streams and lakes. With the ecological restoration beginning to take hold along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, flocks of Cattle Egrets are beginning to be sighted on and near the banks of the river:
There are at least three distinguishing characteristics that differentiate the Cattle Egret from the other two white egrets, the Great Egret and Snowy Egret, that are also commonly seen along the Mission Reach. Cattle Egrets have red-orange feathers on the top of their heads and the top of their backs. Cattle Egrets have yellow or orange beaks, yellow legs and yellow feet. And Cattle Egrets are almost always seen in large flocks while the other two egret species are generally solitary or in pairs. For comparison, here are a Great Egret on the rock to the left and a Snowy Egret just past the weir to the right:
I probably should note that in the photo of the pair flying close together, it appears as if their feet are black. This pair had just taken off from the muddy river bank, so their feet still have a thin coating of mud on them making them appear darker than they really are.
This set of photographs was taken on my walk along the Mission Reach on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 about a third of a mile or so north of the Loop 410 bridge.
