Riparians

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Apparently, the soft-shelled and Red-eared Slider turtles came together for an afternoon convention on the top of Espada Dam this particular afternoon. I can only imagine what topic they discussed. It may have had something to do with the current state of the river, or perhaps the state of the river current. Who knows what turtles think about and silently discuss as they bask in the warmth of the early Spring sun?

Meanwhile, the Creeping Opposite-leaf Spotflower is flourishing along one portion of the river bank and the Great Egret, living a territorial solitary life, isn't about to become involved in any turtle conference:

These photos were taken on a walk on the Acequia Park loop trail along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.

Click on the first photo in a post to open the photos in a slideshow view.

Meditations Along the River

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

ten meditations

arising within a riparian domain

"We must begin thinking like a river

if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life

for future generations."

- David Brower

These photographs were taken on a walk on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. The walk began with a short segment of the loop trail at Roosevelt Park. The majority of the photos, however, are from a longer walk a bit later in the day between Confluence and Concepcion Parks.

A Stampede of Cattle Egrets

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. 

Watching Intently Over the Weir

I have no idea what this Great Egret was watching, but its gaze was intense as it stood motionless on top of the weir:

This set of photographs was taken at the Roosevelt Park Trailhead on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Thursday, January 2, 2014.

A Beauty That Never Grows Old

Knowing winter was forecast to arrive Thursday morning and we would be in its firm grip at least through the weekend, I spent a couple hours Wednesday walking along the Mission Reach. As I anticipated, I took enough photos to keep publishing for another week or so. I can always rely on the San Antonio River to provide the magic of its dynamic, visually rich environment.

Witnessing the sheer beauty of the large birds in flight never grows old:

I realized while watching this Great Egret take flight that they typically circle the river channel a couple times to gain altitude if they are going to fly more than a short distance. This egret was on its second circle over the river before flying off downstream. The egret I posted in "Grace" had taken off and circled a couple times the same way this one did.

One of the things that really amazes me about many of these large birds is how lightweight they are. A typical adult Great Egret with a wingspan of about four feet weighs a little less than two pounds.

This set of photographs was taken along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River at the confluence with San Pedro Creek on Wednesday, December 4, 2013.

Birds at Elmendorf Lake, Autumn 2013, Part 2, Bird Island

All the photographs in this series were taken from the northwest end of the large island looking across the lake toward Bird Island. There were only a few Great Egrets, one Great Blue Heron that was being extremely camera shy and more Cormorants than I could count. The only Cormorants I could clearly identify were Neotropic, but I suspect there were quite a few Double-crested ones as well:

This set of photographs was taken at Elmendorf Lake Park on Thursday, November 21, 2013.

Part 1
Part 3

When Subject and Setting Come Together Perfectly

This Great Egret had been standing on the bank of the island in Elmendorf Lake. I was walking toward it to try to get a better angle for a photograph, but it decided I was getting too close. The egret flew across the lake and landed in a Bald Cypress on the opposite bank:

This set of photographs was taken at Elmendorf Lake Park on Thursday, November 21, 2013.