Hooded Mergansers chill out

I was walking the trail and the Hooded Mergansers were floating in the canal when we noticed each other.

While I admired their fancy feathers, they swam quickly the other direction.

Then the ducks took off.

I guess the admiration wasn't mutual.

Mustang Island is quiet during December

If you want the beach at Mustang Island State Park all to yourself, go on a chilly, overcast December day.

You can drive on the beach to choose a camp site.

Jetties along the north end.

What a clean beach.

Overwhelmed by the Big Tree at Goose Island State Park

What was happening on the Gulf Coast in the year 1015? Did this tree start as a sapling near a Karankawa fishing camp?

When I saw The Big Tree of Goose Island State Park my brain couldn't comprehend that I was looking something 1,000 years old.

I know there are older trees in the world. But this one caught my attention.

Your imagination cranks up when you think about what has happened during the past thousand years around this tree with the big, crazy trunk and crooked branches.

It was an overcast blustery 50 degrees but the grass was still green in early December at Goose Island State Park. Birders were looking for Sandhill Cranes, which I heard but never saw that day.

I enjoyed looking at the tree.

There are lots of bumps and scars on the tree, which survived hundreds of years of floods, fires, droughts, careless humans and up to 50 hurricanes.

The height of 44 feet has been stunted by the Gulf breezes, but the tree's impressive girth is 35 feet around. It is 89 feet across the crown.

The tree has also been called the Lamar Oak, named for the town that was mostly destroyed by a Union naval bombardment in 1865 that started fires. It is also known as Texas State Champion Live Oak and Bishop's Tree, for the Catholic retreat near  Lamar.

The state of Texas acquired private lands from 1931 through 1935 to create Goose Island State Park and now cares for the tree, which outlasted so many others without any help.

The Big Tree's younger relatives look slim compared to the old-timer.

Skippers along the trail

Some grass skippers spotted during a fall walk.

These little butterflies about an inch wide and fly close to the ground.

Fiery skipper

Southern skipperling

Clouded skipper

My bug hotel: Rest your antenna here

My bug hotel is still under construction, but guests are welcome to check in.

I was inspired by posts online about insect hotels designed to attract beneficial insects.

This insect lodge near the back fence is made of stuff that was stacked around the yard, including weather-beaten birdhouses that my dad made but were no longer sturdy enough for birds. The only thing I bought were cinder blocks to stabilize the layers.

I am still finding material to fill the spaces, but the McBerk Bug BnB is open for guests. I hope I don't have to evict any unruly ants.

On the look out for river otters

Here is something I wrote for the Galveston Bay Area Master Naturalist newsletter.
.......

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department photo of a river otter.

Spotting a river otter in the wild is something special.

Mark Kramer remembers the first time he saw a river otter at Armand Bayou Nature Center.

“I began paddling the bayou in my youth in 1972, so when my first otter sighting occurred in 1995, it meant a great deal to me,” Kramer wrote in reply to GBAC-MN email questions.

“I happened to be near the water’s edge throwing a cast net when I heard a call/vocalization that I didn't recognize. I lay on my belly at the edge of the water waiting for the animals to swim past — a mother with three pups! 

“I was so moved that I wrote an article in the ABNC newsletter about it,” he said. “They are simply the most charismatic animals on the refuge.”

  

ABNC stewardship coordinator Kramer, who is on the water a lot, said he sees river otters eight to 10 times a year. He was paddling in his kayak for his last sighting.

Marissa Sipocz, who has been leading wetland restoration at Sheldon Lake State Park for the past 13 years, was excited to see a river otter a few months ago crossing Park Road 138. She has seen otters only two or three times previously.

“I was totally shocked when I watched him hop across the road, thinking: ‘Oh my goodness, that's an otter! How cool! So adorable!!’ "

Sipocz and Kramer believe the sightings indicate a healthy habitat with abundant food and a quiet place to relax and raise their young.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s river otter specialist agrees. Gary Calkins, district leader for Piney Woods ecological area, has been on river otter watch for 12 years and collecting sightings the past nine years for a study.

Our river otters (Lutra canadensis) are indicator species and opportunistic hunters, he said. They eat fish but especially like crawfish, frogs, tadpoles and blue crabs, which are sensitive to pollutants. They often feed at dawn or dusk.

River otters generally live in hollows near water. They can live eight to nine years in the wild. There are one to six pups in a litter.

Their slender bodies with short necks and legs covered with glossy dark brown fur help make them acrobats in the water. They can hold their breath up to eight minutes underwater. Members of the weasel family, they weigh 11 to 30 pounds.

They live in fresh water but will hunt in brackish water and along the coast. Calkins notes that sightings have been reported at the Kemah Boardwalk.

River otters make an impression when spotted because while they are secretive, they can appear playful and will interact with people up to a point, Calkins said.

The good news is that TPWD research shows the web-footed mammals have been spreading rapidly back into their historical range in Central Texas since the 1990s. The numbers had been down due to trapping and habitat loss. 

Calkins has recorded sightings in the San Antonio and Wichita Falls areas, well beyond the Eastern corner of the state where many of the state’s otters reside.

However Calkins says it is impossible to get accurate population numbers because otters are elusive. Biologists collect information from legal trappers, indicator surveys, road kill and signs of tracks and scatter.

Personally Calkins has seen only four rivers otters in the wild. His first sighting was in the Jasper area. “I was pretty jazzed,” he said.

Sharon Schmalz and staffers at the Wildlife Center ofTexas get up-close with two to five river otters every year. 

They bite, warns Schmalz, WCT executive director.

This year two young ones have arrived at WCT for rehabilitation. Each case is special, she said.

One of the river otters was found by someone who kept it for eight weeks before taking it to WCT. “At that point he was very underweight and severely malnourished and in poor condition overall. His case was a testament to why we ask people to bring animals as soon as they can for the best care possible,” Schmalz said.

The second one was found orphaned on a beach by a Good Samaritan who took it to the center..

Both animals went through WCT rehab and were transferred to a rehabilitator near Tyler who will care for them about a year before releasing them into a habitat on her property.

River otters are little contradictions, Schmalz said.

“They are very intelligent, playful, and social; all qualities humans possess. So it's natural for those of us working with them to respond to those qualities,” Schmalz said. “However otters are by no means tame.

“Mother otters discipline their young by nipping at them and siblings nip at each other when playing. So when handling them they have a real tendency to bite a lot. And they have very sharp teeth and strong jaws.

“They have these adorable faces and personalities, but their demeanor and energy level make them one of our more challenging patients. But of course, our staff and dedicated volunteers love every minute.”

3,000 prairie plants ready to be planted Saturday

If you want to get muddy, sweaty and doused with mosquito spray, join the volunteers 8:30-noon Saturday Nov. 14 for the annual Plant-a-Thon at Sheldon Lake State Park.

Plus you'll get a T-shirt.

See the flyer below for sign-up information.

Leopard frog keeps us company while we stage the plants for Saturday's planting.

Smallest butterfly of North America plays big role

Tiny Western Pygmy-Blues were the stars of Baytown Nature Center's October butterfly count.

The butterflies with a wingspan of about half an inch love the glasswort and purslane along the road near the pavilion on the hill.

During that Saturday afternoon 146 were recorded for the count.

Here's a list of the butterflies submitted to the North America Butterfly Association.

Pipevine Swallowtail 3, Giant Sw. 1, Spicebush Sw. 5, Cloudless Sulphur 2, Little Yellow 25, Dainty Su. 7, Gray Hairstreak 5, Red-banded Ha. 2, 1W. Pygmy-Blue 146, Ceraunus Bl. 1, Gulf Fritillary 25, Phaon Crescent 4, Pearl Cr. 1, Question Mark 1, Red Admiral 1, Com. Buckeye 26, Goatweed Leafwing 1, Tawny Emperor 3, Monarch 4, White-striped Longtail 3, Horace's Duskywing 1, Com. Checkered-Skipper 9, Tropical Checkered-Sk. 8, Clouded Sk. 7, S. Skipperling 7, Fiery Sk. 8, Whirlabout 1, Dun Sk. 1, Salt Marsh Sk. 1, Obscure Sk. 1. Total 30 species, 310 individuals. Immatures: Giant Sw. 1 egg on Myer Lemon Tree; Gulf Fr. 27 eggs 39 caterpillars 2 pupas on Purple Passion Vine ; Monarch 5 caterpillars on Mexican Milkweed. Field Notes: 1The numbers of Western Pygmy-Blues in the saltmarshes of the Baytown Nature Center is a sight to behold!

Frogs and snakes at the potting shed

Today's guests at the potting shed at Sheldon Lake State Park.

I took several pics of the ribbon snake with my iPhone, but wasn't able to catch a shot of his red tongue flicking.

A little bullfrog. There were lots of frogs hopping around. I guess they appreciated the rain we had gotten the day before to end three weeks of dryness.

Shore birds wading around

Walking a trail at Baytown Nature Center I noticed that the alligator was still in its pond. (see below). Not much was happening around the alligator's outpost.

However two ponds down the trail a bird party was in full swing. No gators allowed.

Great Egret leaves behind its birdbrain buddies.

Roseate Spoonbill, often called a flamingo by school kids.

A White-faced Ibis joins his White Ibis cousins for some foraging.

Butterflies in the tree

Tawny Emperor looks down on its subjects from the limbs of a hackberry tree.

Tawny Emperor

Praying mantis: brown or green?

When a praying mantis turns its head, you've been seen.

The tan praying mantis was almost stepped on. The green praying mantis was easily spotted on the fender of black truck and given a hand to a greener spot.

Is that an alligator? Yep

Could be a log but it's not.

We were looking for butterflies along the trails at Baytown Nature Center when someone noticed an alligator.

It was my first gator sighting out there. The water on the peninsula is mostly brackish, and the point is surrounded by three bays that lead to the Gulf.

This gator was in a pond along the Crystal Bay side.

It surfaced to take a look at us.

Not a big one. Maybe 4 feet long.

Hey, gator, have you seen any interesting butterflies? Nevermind. See you later.

First butterfly count

Marcus gets an up-close look at a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar.

I wasn't the only one tagging along on my first butterfly count. Three-year-old Marcus came with his parents.

Dad: "What's your favorite butterfly, Marcus?"
Marcus just stares at me.
Me trying to help: "Is it orange? Is it yellow?"
Marcus: "Viceroy."

What the what?

Marcus was a ringer. It seems he is a butterfly fan and likes to pore over butterfly books. This kid knew more than me.

Marcus' mother says his favorite changes every 5 minutes depending on trivia he discovers about a butterfly. 

Too bad we didn't see a viceroy during this outing.

Gulf Fritillary

Patrol dog sniffs out toad and lizard

Freddie looking for trouble.

The temp on this Oct. 2 morning was a delicious 68 degrees and Freddie the dog was looking for something to chase.

Then in one spot she found a lizard and a toad. What luck!

However there was no chasing because the reptiles just ignored the dog. So the dog just stared at them.

Generally Freddie's dog brain thinks one of her humans should inspect intruders she finds. 

So I got up, documented the suspicious characters and told Freddie she was a good dog.

Then when I reached down to pet her, I realized the hair around her neck was stiff and smelly because she had been rolling in something nasty. Ick! Bath time.

Watchful anole isn't in a hurry to jump to the next plant.

This Gulf Coast toad was not impressed by a sniffing dog.

Grasshoppers find each other

These grasshoppers on a plastic container aren't exactly hiding.

Hummingbird gets possessive

Back off

This is the bully.

Not many hummingbirds have stopped by my yard this season, but any visitors have been chased away by a single hummingbird that guards the feeder.

Show off

Shake it off

Getting schooled on cast nets

After about 15 frustrating minutes of getting into the swing of tossing the cast nets and pulling up nothing, the students hit a school of mullet. Yay!

The ninth-graders were part of Baytown Nature Center's Back to the Bay program, which opened again this week for the fall semester.

The only two girls in the group were the first ones to haul in a couple of fish. Girl power!

But the boys caught up. About 10 mullet were caught before the aquatic organism collection session ended.

The fish went back into the water, and the students had to return to campus for more schooling.

Watching for hummingbirds

I've only seen a couple of hummingbirds in my yard this season.

Some say the hummingbirds are late this year. Or maybe they found a yard they like better.

Bald-headed blue jay looks freaky

Dude, what happened to your head feathers?

This bald-headed Blue Jay looks bizarre, but it is just molting.

According to Feederwatch:

Many of these strange-looking birds may be juveniles undergoing their first prebasic molt, which produces the first winter adult plumage. For Blue Jays, this molt pattern is considered normal ...

The baldness only lasts about a week.

This baldy just come in for a quick bath.