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Along the Natchez Trace

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Sabado....

The internet has been going crazy here lately...  can't depend on it at all.  I was disappointed because I couldn't listen to Prairie Home Companion last evening.  I usually write my blog the evening before I post, describing the day.  It's Sunday morning and this may be pretty short as I head out for 7:00 mass in about 40 minutes.  So...  on with some photos....

A bougainvillea bush along the river path...  beautiful colors!

Little Green Kingfisher...
His head is darned near as big as his body...  they are only in very south Texas in the USA so they are a delight to see down here.

The river got blocked up again...  the sea was so rough and so wild it pushed sand across the inlet.  All the marshy area was flooded and in places the water came clear to the edge of the river trail.

Saw these Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks...
First we've seen along these river banks.  Again...  this is a bird we do see in South Texas so while it's not a "new" bird, it's always fun to see again.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron....
Probably wonders what happened to the brushy area it sat on yesterday...

The sea was roaring!
Huge waves...  pounding surf!  
The sand was washed clean clear up to the edge of the paved gazebo area.  

This tree trunk is about the size of a Volkswagon!
How in the world did it get washed up on shore?  The force of water is amazing!!!

This Great Blue Heron is strutting along... between the surf and the flooded river area.  That's ugly foam behind him...  guess the sea churned it up and it just kept piling up.

These terns found a shallow spot to hang out...

We did too...  Bill and I bought a couple of cinnamon and caramel rolls from the morning market.  They were delicious!  Notice Bill's bare foot...  we had to take off our shoes to keep from getting soaked while walking along the beach.

It was fun watching these guys fish...
They tied fishing lines onto a coke bottle (that's the fishing "rod" handle)...  the sinker was an old spark plug...  they just use small pieces of little fish for bait... bait the hook...  and toss the line Waaaayyyy   out into the river.  That guy in the lower right could sure toss that line (with the spark plug on it) out a long way.  


 On the way back down the path we saw this...

Great Black Hawk

And... another shot...
He had caught something for lunch and was happy enough to sit there and eat it, so he stayed there while I took a few photos.

We walked the trail again later that afternoon and saw him in about the same place.  Must have been a good hunting area.

One last picture of the sea....
Here, it's pounding against the rocks way down the coast...
The spray would splash 10 -15' into the air.  You can see a couple of pelicans flying around in the spray.  The noise of the surf was so loud...  we can hear it long before we ever get to the water.

We love that walk...  don't think we'll ever tire of it.

That's All For Today!


8 comments:

  1. Great shots and amazing seas. I wonder if you should rename your blog "El Ensayo Extraño"

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  2. Nothing like the roar of a pounding surf, I have so many memories of years by the water on the the great lakes.

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  3. Love the kingfisher, and the strutting heron. I see them as mincing along; your fellow has some pride of being.

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  4. You could try to hear PHC by the "old school" method: on the radio. I've been pleasantly surprised by how many NPR stations there are as we travel around the country. For some reason, they are almost all in the low 1/4 or 1/3 of the FM dial, not much to scan thru.

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  5. Always liked to walk on the beach along an ocean. It is amazing what all you can find and see.

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  6. Those little green kingfishers are a treat to see.

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  7. Your photos are something else this time. The strutting Great blue is awesome! The ocean photos unbelievable. Love them! The surf and sand one especially and your last photo in the post. Stunning photos.

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