view

view
Along the Natchez Trace

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Pond


It's been really quiet here...  we haven't had any traffic to speak of in over a week.  In fact,  in the past week we've had less than a dozen vehicles come through the gate.  So...  no dust, no noise....  and lots of birds.

We've identified 32 species so far.  There are a few more that we've seen but not made a positive ID.

There is a pond just up the road from our site.  It's about a 10 minute walk from our rig, but it takes me at least a half hour to get there because I'm always stopping to check out the wildflowers, the cactus, the birds or whatever I can see.

The pond is very low now...
It isn't a huge pond, but it has quite a diversity of wildlife that visit it frequently.  
The other day I saw a couple of deer drinking at the edge.  But most frequently I see...
 Green Heron
There are 2 that hang out here all the time.  One stays on one side of the pond while the other seems to prefer the other side.

 I see several frogs...  HUGE frogs!  They remind me of seeing just the eyes of alligators in the Louisiana bayous.

 Speaking of huge...  the turtles are about the size of small washtubs!  They are really hard to get a photo of because they sense my arrival before anyone else and slide quickly into the water.

This willet was a newcomer to me...  saw it for the first time yesterday.




The Great blue heron is also elusive...  he always flies off when I arrive on the scene.
One of my favorite evening birds is the Nighthawk...

I love watching their aerial displays each evening.  Sometimes they come in pairs or more....  sometimes alone.  But there are plenty of insects for them to snatch up.

 I usually walk up to the pond twice a day.  But no matter how often I go there is always something to see.
The End

That's All For Today!



13 comments:

  1. I've wanted to get a picture of a green heron! Did see a ringneck pheasant the other day, but was without my camera at the time (dumb of me!)

    That's a neat location you have there, and with a little time to get out and about, you're making a lot of wonderful bird observations and getting some great photos. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is so much beauty around us. All we have to do is take the time to look.

    ReplyDelete
  3. For some reason all of your wildlife shots always so up incredibly blurred when I read your blog. It didn't seem to happen when you were in Spain, but it sure does in Texas and Maine. :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. There are birds wherever you go and you're so good at identifying them. You must have some good bird books. By the way, have you been keeping a birding life-list?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gorgeous photos - a couple of the first ones were blurred on my screen, but the rest were very clear. I love getting good clear shots of birds (or any living creature), but my favorites are when I get a bird in motion. That's so much harder for me. You have some really nice ones here. :)

    PS - I just looked back at your photos - I thought the frog photo was of TWO frogs, and just realized it's only one. It sure is huge!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The hawk in flight is awesome!

    They sure grow 'em big in Texas....frogs and turtles anyway!

    So glad you have all this wonderful nature around you to enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Snakes? I love to explore, but once it gets warm here I am leery of names. I don't know if I would enjoy the solitude for so many days. Is it a challenge for you?

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow catching up ... loved that big curly horned goat! Texas never ceases to amaze me... at least you got a pond!

    HUGE frogs ... I thought that was an alligator at first glance... WOW

    ReplyDelete
  9. Typical well activity. It can be scary busy and then dead. Our sites aren't fenced or guarded . We do have some theft but not anything serious.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would love to see a Green Heron! It's still on my wish list.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Funny how we pass up things in life just because we're not looking. "A little pond" most people would say and you guys found a treasure trove.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Green herons? I didn't know they existed-- wonderful! I hope that pond goes no lower, I would hate to see it dry up and lose that wildlife extravaganza.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the walk around the pond - sure lots of wildlife to see for such a little pond. Great pics!

    ReplyDelete