A Trip to the Gulf – Part 1

Having had about enough of sitting home waiting for the coming apocalypse, Karen and I decided to take a weekend trip down to Port Arthur Texas and social distance at some state parks and nature reserves. We checked into our hotel on Thursday night and looked forward to getting up early and chasing the sunrise the next morning at Sea Rim state park. However, checking the web site we learned that it’s new hours of operation had it opening at 8am, a couple of hours past sunrise. Plan B: look for an open place on the beach where we could watch the sun rise.

We woke up early the next morning and made the 30-minute drive to the coast. We finally found a couple of open beach areas, but then realized that due to lack of planning on my part, the sun was rising over the land, not the water. Oh well, Karen grabbed this shot and we still enjoyed our time outside.

Photo by Karen Hampton

After the sunrise, we cruised the road that follows the shoreline to see what we could see. There were lots of people fishing, and a few birders checking out the local birdlife. We followed the road to the end just to see what was there. We heard several birds, but didn’t get glass on any to speak of. Karen did however catch this sight.

Photo by Karen Hampton

We had planned ahead and gotten our reservations for Sea Rim state park, as they are only allowing a certain number of people in each day. When we arrived there we found out that the major trail/boardwalk which we were looking forward to hiking had been destroyed by a hurricane in 2017–thanks Harvey. They told us that it was plastered on their web site, but looking back at their web site now, the only thing plastered there is concerning covid and social distancing. In fact the trail is still on their maps which are dated 2020. Needless to say we were disappointed.

We saw what we could see there and departed since it appears that the main attraction at that park right now is camping.

Photo by Karen Hampton

Asking around, we found that there was a popular birding area just down the street, so we headed that direction. We found the Sabine Woods area, which is associated with the Texas Ornithological Society. We parked the car, and “Off-ed” ourselves to prepare to head into the woods. No sooner had we entered the area we found ourselves swarmed with these large, biting/stinging flying creatures. The deeper we got into the woods the thicker they became. Needless to say, it didn’t take us long to turn tail and run out of there. Karen is convinced they were attracted to the Off, but who knows. This would not be our last interaction with these critters.

At this point, disappointment was beginning to set in. Karen was beating herself up because she had planned this trip, but it wasn’t her fault. These situations were out of her control. Since I had been in the area before with my friend John Tucker, I suggested that we head over to the Smith Oaks rookery on High Island. It wasn’t that far away and at least it would be something to do. So we did.

On our drive over, we were stuck in traffic long enough to witness a guy doing some crop-dusting. It looked like at least he was having some fun.

Photo by Michael Hampton

As we left the traffic jam, I noticed a sign for the Anahuac Wildlife Preserve and remembered that I had been wanting to go there someday. File that away for now…

We arrived at the Smith Oaks rookery, only to find that they were doing construction and the main entrance was closed. However, there was another entrance. It just required a bit more hiking to get to the actual rookery area. We gladly took the hike.

Photo by Karen Hampton

Once inside the rookery there were numerous places to view the birds and their activity. This scene took me back to when I took an award-winning photograph here of a Great Egret with 3 young chicks in the nest called “Egret Family Values”. Well, it seems that peaceful scene changes when the chicks grow up. Maybe I’ll call this one “Egret Sibling Rivalries”.

Photo by Michael Hampton

There were lots of other birds here, including this Rosette Spoonbill feeding its “young”. Some of the behavior we saw looked as if the parents were getting tired of feeding the adolescents and trying to get them to strike out on their own. The younger ones didn’t seem to want to do that. Notice this one has its bill shoved all the way down the parent’s neck!

Photo by Michael Hampton

When we got to the end of the trail we were greeted with this sign…

Photo by Michael Hampton

Well, of course I want to see the alligators!! And I pointed out that the sign did not specify that the trail was closed to “Michael Hampton”, but Karen convinced me it was an all-inclusive sign and we shouldn’t proceed in that direction, so we headed back. It was then that Karen shot me on the trail! Yes, at my age I’m still hiking and packing my big lens and tripod.

Photo by Karen Hampton

To finish out this post, here are a few more of the birds at Smith Oaks…

We left Smith Oaks and I took Karen for a drive down the Bolivar Peninsula for lunch and across the ferry into Galveston where we drove down the beach road, turned around, and headed back out of the crowded city to ride the ferry back once more.

Photo by Michael Hampton
Photo by Michael Hampton
Photo by Karen Hampton

On our way back up the peninsula, I spotted a Crested Caracara sitting on a pole. I have yet to get what I would consider a great shot of this bird, but this is by far the best I have gotten to date. It continues to challenge me.

Photo by Michael Hampton

From here, we decided to stop at the Anahuac area, but I’ll save that for the next post as this one is already pretty long.

Until next time…

Michael & Karen

All words and photos copyright 2020 MHampton Photography 
Equipment used: Assorted Canon bodies and lenses

Back to LLELA

Continuing on my quest to find and photograph a Painted Bunting, I returned to my local wildlife center, the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area.  I knew these guys were there because I could hear them singing in the tree tops most of the time I was there hiking around the woods.  They were very stealthy though and I never actually got to see one.

So I arrive early, close to 7am and begin the hunt.  Again, I can hear them, but I see nothing.  Hiking down the Cottonwood Trail, I catch a glimpse of a hummingbird, but it is gone before I can get my lens on it.  Then I come across something a bit slower that I can warm up with.

This “garden spider” was about the size of my hand, but it was just hanging out on the side of the trail waiting for some insect to come along.  It didn’t bother me so I just made a photograph and continued on, hunting the elusive bunting.

Continuing on, I came to the beaver pond where I saw several herons and egrets.  I’ve got lots of pictures of them, but I did notice this young Great Blue Heron flying by and took the opportunity to practice my bird-in-flight photography.  Pretty happy with how this one turned out.

I completed the trail with nary a Painted Bunting to be seen.  I heard them, but they remained out of my sight.  Then, as I was checking out some scissor-tailed flycatchers on the power lines, a LLELA worker stopped and talked with me.  I told her what I was looking for and she suggested I try the Bittern Marsh trail.  I thanked her and headed that way.

Now, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, perhaps you remember that this is the trail where I ran into (almost stepped on) Mr Cottonmouth.  This is someone I do NOT wish to run into again.  But the call of the Painted Bunting is strong so I push my fears aside and head down the trail.

I get no farther than a couple hundred yards down the trail when I see a “stick” across the path up ahead of me, except this stick is pretty smoothly curved.  I stop!  Then I look through my telephoto lens and see this.

Okay, I know enough now to realize this is not a cottonmouth, but a “harmless” variety of snake.  Still I wait, then approach very slowly.  Finally, it notices me and slithers back into the grass.  Sorry I disturbed its sunbathing, but not sorry it’s now off the path.  I continue.

I come to the beginning of the marsh area and see a Great Egret “fishing” in the water.  Thanks to some local Eagle Scouts, there are now benches on the boardwalk, so I sit and observe for a while.  It’s now over 100 degrees, but in the shade and near the water, it actually isn’t that bad.  Still, I’m glad I packed water with me.  I watch the egret and make several photographs.  I enjoy the white bird and its reflection against the green water.

I’m not saying that I was scared or anything, but I just wasn’t ready to go to the part of the trail where the “incident” occurred.  I head back on the trail the way I came.

Then, about a hundred yards from the trail-head, I hear the song of the Painted Bunting.  Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright red flash!  I stop and stand very still.  I scan the trees, and then, just to my right, I see a Painted Bunting sitting on a branch, just watching me!  Of course, before I can turn the camera, it is back into the trees.  I have just made my first personal sighting of this bird and I’m not ready to give up.

I wait.  I even use my Android to play the bird’s song in hopes to lure it out of the trees.  I’m waiting.  I have my camera ready and aimed to where I think it will come down.  Nothing.  I wait some more.  Nothing.  Now it’s starting to get hot.  I turn around to check my surroundings (I’m not far from where I spotted the snake earlier).  Then, I see it.  BEHIND ME!  It’s just sitting there on a low branch, watching me.  Slowly, I turn the tripod around, aim, and FIRE!  I was able to get about 6 shots before it flew away back into the trees.  Then I notice that my flash had somehow gotten bumped to a higher power than it should have been.  Luckily, with the help of Lightroom and the fact that I shoot the RAW format, all was not lost and I was able to recover most of the photo to a decent degree.  So, after about five months and hunting and watching for a Painted Bunting, and five hours of this day in the heat, I present to you, my first!

Not a perfect shot, but for now, I’ll take it!

Now for the next challenge: the Bobcat!

Photos created with the Canon 7D and Canon 600mm f/4IS lens