Texas Coast Christmas 2013
12/27/13
After a fun Christmas with our sons, they headed back to
their places and we packed the Trek.
Left about 9:15 AM, 49 degrees, and headed down 288 toward
the coast. After we got out of the
Houston area, past Alvin and southeast we began to see a few hawks, geese and a field of
sandhill cranes. There are many fields used for growing rice and corn in this area, which attracts lots of birds.
There were also interesting fossils, minerals and carvings,
a huge butterfly collection and local archeological finds. Many items were part of donated
collections. We had an interesting
discussion with the man in charge, who is a shell collector and he passed along
some information on Texas beaches, along with a handy map.
From here we headed further south and east to San Bernard
National Wildlife Refuge on the coast.Saw thousands
of geese here, along with red-tailed and white-tailed hawks, the ever-present
turkey vultures and black vultures, coots (black & white ducks), doves, cardinals and other unidentified birds. Along one trail we
spotted an alligator (about 6’ long) who was about 10 feet away, down a small
hill and up to his eyes in water. We
watched him and took a few photos till he raised himself up and gave a nasty
hiss. We got the message and quickly
moved on!
On the way out of the refuge, two beautiful bobcats crossed the road ahead of us and disappeared into the brush. Couldn’t get to the camera fast enough!
Next we headed down the coast to Matagorda Peninsula which is more like a barrier island. (Actually, Matagorda Island is a bit further south.) There is a bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway which was quite busy with barges and such. We arrived at Matagorda Bay Nature Park about 4:30 and camped near their fishing pier and picnic area. We walked out the pier , onto the jetty and back before firing up the generator and heating up some brisket and beans left from Christmas eve dinner.
Rough surf at Matagorda Nature Park.
Next morning we bundled up a bit (46 degrees and windy) and
walked the beach. There was quite a
variety of shells, star fish and driftwood as well as some beautiful primroses, sea oats and grasses on the dunes. I couldn’t resist collecting some shells.
We had been to this refuge a few times before but usually
just did the auto trail. Today we tried
the Heron Flats trail, Birding Trail and a few others. Not a lot of animal activity, but it turned
out to be a nice day with some sunshine and temps hit 62. Many people come here
to see the Whooping Cranes. Texas has the largest population of wintering
cranes of any of the states. The population
was down to 15 back in the 1940’s but has rebounded nicely up to 250. We saw many great herons, which are
almost as tall as whoopers (46” vs 52”), snow geese, white pelicans, curlews and other
shore birds. But no whoopers L
Saw a few deer, no javelina or gators, which we have seen in the past. This refuge is very popular with birders and
we did see many of them, binoculars and huge camera lenses in hand.
From here we continued south to Goose Island State Park,
near the quaint town of Rockport. We
splurged on electric hook-ups, had a nice campfire and enjoyed a star-filled
sky. Nice neighbors, couple new to
camping, offered home-made clam chowder but we, unfortunately perhaps, had
already eaten. We went to bed anticipating a steamy shower in the morning!
Campground at Goose Island State Park.
12/29/13
Great hot shower in the morning and then we explored the park a bit. Lots of birds, including a roseate spoonbill and several egrets.
There was a long fishing pier and several fishermen. You could see many sizable sheepshead and occasional schools of other fish from the pier. Several pelicans, both the larger white ones and brown ones were near the boat launch.
Sheepshead
Pelican
After leaving Goose Island, we joined several folks using computers at a McDonald's in Rockport and did some blogging while having lunch. We continued south, through Corpus Christi and out to North Padre Island National Seashore. After visiting the welcome center, we drove a few miles on the beach, and then headed to the campground at Malaquite Beach.
We walked the beach which had many birds, mostly willets, and very few shells. Also several groups of sanderlings - those tiny hyperactive birds that run into and out of the surf.
"Bully" willet kept chasing this one.
George, quite photogenic heron. Stands about 40" tall.
Another heron on the dunes.
There were a couple of fishermen in waders, and one looked somewhat familiar because he had a great heron standing watch by him. Turns out he is the same fisherman we saw several years ago on New Year's Eve (74 and going strong). There was a heron with him then too, named George. He said this was George, although a ranger confided later that there are "several Georges".
It was very windy and sprinkling a bit, so we tucked in, had dinner and read. Greg was finishing a book on Genghis Khan and I was finishing "The Goldfinch". Took a break and walked down to the beach in the dark - the surf thundered and a sprinkling of stars lit the night.
12/30/13
Next morning we went on a birding tour with a guide named Karen who volunteers here with husband Tom during Winter. They are from Wisconsin. She drove us to several different spots with marshes and ponds, and even onto the beach. Very knowledgeable and we saw at least 20 different kinds of birds! Most were ducks(redheads, teals, shovelers…)and other water birds, but we did see Harrier and White Tail Hawks, a Caracara, Kildeer and some beautiful small yellow warblers.
reddish egret
crested caracara
After the tour, we headed further south, through Harlingen, to Port Isabel and South Padre Island. The rain that began this morning gathered momentum and continued through the night. We decided it probably wouldn't be good to camp on the beach, so joined a few other campers at the Walmart in Port Isabel. Bought a roasted chicken and some potato salad for dinner, and spent another evening talking and reading.
Port Isabel esplanade.
We've seen towns with painted bears, horses, groundhogs, cows - and now dolphins!
The museums featured a lot of information about the history of the area and famous local shipwrecks, mostly Spanish in the 1500-1700s. There was also an interesting history channel film about treasure hunting.
early nautical accessories including hour glass
pieces of eight
When we finished, it was still raining and the forecast looked pretty bleak - 40's and more rain - so we decided to cut things short and head for home. At this point we were very near Brownsville (US) and Matamoros (Mexico) but not interested in going to Mexico with all the recent violent activity there. There are quite a few parks and preserves in "the valley", a World Birding Center, citrus orchards, etc. but we decided to leave them for another trip. We headed for home ( buoyed by a lot of CD's) by a more direct route and arrived safely about 7 hours later. The rain stopped about 2/3 of the way home but it looks like it will catch up with us in a day or two.
Happy New Year!!
12/29/13
Great hot shower in the morning and then we explored the park a bit. Lots of birds, including a roseate spoonbill and several egrets.
There was a long fishing pier and several fishermen. You could see many sizable sheepshead and occasional schools of other fish from the pier. Several pelicans, both the larger white ones and brown ones were near the boat launch.
After leaving Goose Island, we joined several folks using computers at a McDonald's in Rockport and did some blogging while having lunch. We continued south, through Corpus Christi and out to North Padre Island National Seashore. After visiting the welcome center, we drove a few miles on the beach, and then headed to the campground at Malaquite Beach.
We walked the beach which had many birds, mostly willets, and very few shells. Also several groups of sanderlings - those tiny hyperactive birds that run into and out of the surf.
There were a couple of fishermen in waders, and one looked somewhat familiar because he had a great heron standing watch by him. Turns out he is the same fisherman we saw several years ago on New Year's Eve (74 and going strong). There was a heron with him then too, named George. He said this was George, although a ranger confided later that there are "several Georges".
It was very windy and sprinkling a bit, so we tucked in, had dinner and read. Greg was finishing a book on Genghis Khan and I was finishing "The Goldfinch". Took a break and walked down to the beach in the dark - the surf thundered and a sprinkling of stars lit the night.
After the tour, we headed further south, through Harlingen, to Port Isabel and South Padre Island. The rain that began this morning gathered momentum and continued through the night. We decided it probably wouldn't be good to camp on the beach, so joined a few other campers at the Walmart in Port Isabel. Bought a roasted chicken and some potato salad for dinner, and spent another evening talking and reading.
12/31/2013
Woke to a cold, windy day with on and off sprinkles of rain. Not ideal for doing things outdoors. We decided to tour the lighthouse, keeper's house and a few small museums and since they didn't open till 9:00 and 10:00, we looked for a spot for a leisurely breakfast. We stayed in Port Isabel rather than crossing the causeway to Padre Island (fancier, more touristy) and found a place that looked very busy. Cash only, locals, packed, good food and good prices!
Next we tried to tour the lighthouse, but it was closed due to the weather - I guess they don't want anyone blowing off the top! The keeper's house was open and gave some interesting history - built in 1840's, captured and re-captured during the civil war. Don't think too much of this area when you read about the civil war but there was quite a bit of activity. The final battle of the civil war was just west of here (Palo Alto) - after the Confederacy surrendered.
The museums featured a lot of information about the history of the area and famous local shipwrecks, mostly Spanish in the 1500-1700s. There was also an interesting history channel film about treasure hunting.
When we finished, it was still raining and the forecast looked pretty bleak - 40's and more rain - so we decided to cut things short and head for home. At this point we were very near Brownsville (US) and Matamoros (Mexico) but not interested in going to Mexico with all the recent violent activity there. There are quite a few parks and preserves in "the valley", a World Birding Center, citrus orchards, etc. but we decided to leave them for another trip. We headed for home ( buoyed by a lot of CD's) by a more direct route and arrived safely about 7 hours later. The rain stopped about 2/3 of the way home but it looks like it will catch up with us in a day or two.
Happy New Year!!
