Medina River Greenway, El Chaparral Trailhead, East

Today's photos:

I was quite pleased to see the impact the recent rain and cooler temperatures have had on the Medina River basin. What was becoming dangerously dry on my previous visit to the greenway Monday, September 5, is once again green and vibrant.

It occurred to me that here in South Texas in most years we have a "second spring." Plants that have dried out in the typical summer heat and dry spell begin to send out new growth in the autumn when the rain returns and temperatures drop.

Today I managed to walk from the trailhead in the Medina River Natural Area to where I had turned back on my walk on Friday, August 19, so in two walks I have now covered the entire distance between the El Chaparral Trailhead and the Old Applewhite Road Trailhead, a total distance of 2.83 miles (one way). And once again I have so many photos from today's walk, it was a challenge editing them down to what will fit in a single post. I will be posting one additional set from this walk in the near future.

This section of the greenway trail is on the high ground well above the Medina River's channel. It is a very different ecosystem from the riparian environment of the Natural Area's lower trails. Today, the cool air with the brisk west-northwest wind added to the experience of the walk.

The Ospreys, Part 2

I had first encountered the ospreys along the San Antonio River during my afternoon walk Friday, September 30. When I returned to the river the following Wednesday, October 5, the ospreys were still present flying along the river looking for fish.

On this walk I had a remarkably close encounter with one of them. At one point, this very large bird with a wingspan of about five feet was flying straight at me and came so close I wasn't sure what was about to happen:

An eye to eye encounter with an osprey is by far the most intense, unforgettable experience I've had on my walks to date. It is hard to fully comprehend an osprey's size when it is at a distance. When it is a few yards away, it's size is absolutely astonishing. Its agility in flight is especially remarkable for a bird this large.

When I posted the first part of this series I thought I would combine the photos from this post with the ones from my subsequent walk on October 7. After taking a closer look while editing, I decided this needs to be a three part series, so there will be one more osprey post next week.

Jack Judson Nature Trails, Olmos Basin (in Alamo Heights), A Return Visit

Today's photos:

As I had mentioned in the post for my walk of the Judson Nature Trails on Friday, June 24, the trees and tree canopy in this location are genuinely awe inspiring. With the rain we have had in the past six weeks or so, the canopy is even greener than it was in June. The trees here are some of the tallest in Bexar County giving one an overwhelming experience of the vertical.

Perhaps my love of trees dominates what I see along these trails. Since the trails are maintained by the San Antonio Audubon Society, I have hoped to at least catch a glimpse particularly of some of the smaller birds that live in the area. So far, no such luck. I did manage to get a photo of a cardinal on my walk in June.

Today, I caught a very brief glimpse of a cardinal and two red-winged blackbirds and I heard a bluejay hiding somewhere in the foliage, but no birds made an appearance long enough for me to get a photo. I have a suspicion that the birds are more numerous and visible in this area in the early spring.