ארכיון יומן של נובמבר 2018

נובמבר 5, 2018

No Monarchs

As it has warmed up a bit after the front last week and the rain this weekend the pollinators have returned to the garden. I'm a bit under the weather and cannot stand in the street as long as I might like (and the camera batteries ran down too). So here was Monday - No Monarchs, but quite a few Queens. There are fewer of the showy guys. I didn't even attempt the other flies.

I'll keep checking until the blooms are gone. Good to have something to pull me outside - even for a short few moments.

הועלה ב-נובמבר 5, 2018 06:29 אחה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 10 תצפיות | תגובה 1 | הוספת תגובה

נובמבר 8, 2018

Alcohol and Food Were NOT Enough (I had to stalk pollinators - before the next cold front)

11-7-18

My virus is still slow to leave, but I needed to get out and about with Z and VM. It was humid to start the day. Dew clung to the spiderwebs - disclosing almost a carpet of webs (it is a good thing arachnophobes do not see this). It was a lovely day - 2 GBH and 1 Red-shouldered Hawk.

The park cats were everywhere (but you will have to check the blog for those photos. Texas sage is blooming again, along with enough fall plants to send me out to pollinator gardens from Belton to Georgetown.

The final trip was to check the ponds on Witter Lane. I knew I was too late for much, but then THERE IT WAS - something in the road. It was a turtle and I hustled to park and see if someone had hit it. No, it was only sheltering in place so (for the third - maybe 4th - time along this road) I moved the turtle to the side of the road in the direction it was traveling. I snapped some photos and suppose this may be one of the stories the JMN will hear when I talk about reptiles in February.

Even as I listened to the radio news, the wild was healing.

הועלה ב-נובמבר 8, 2018 07:03 אחה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 49 תצפיות | תגובה 1 | הוספת תגובה

נובמבר 10, 2018

Standard Walk at Yettie Polk

Zelda and I walked, but our walking buddies couldn't come. So we walked the edge of the creek and looked for little things. Big prize was Purple Leatherflower with LOADS of seeds (gotta wait for them to dry). We saw the park in a different way and scoped out some trails we may need to try. I saved a few seeds. It's okay - plenty were left for the next guy.

הועלה ב-נובמבר 10, 2018 01:21 אחה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 44 תצפיות | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

נובמבר 14, 2018

FROSTWEED! -- A good day in the park.

Okay. My photos aren't all that exciting. But it is the first time (no jokes here). https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/18392781

Zelda and I found the frost weed and got back indoors before we were completely chilled.

The whole story:
https://walkinthepark-padimus.blogspot.com/2018/11/here-hold-my-dog-and-watch-this.html

הועלה ב-נובמבר 14, 2018 05:33 אחה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 2 תצפיות | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

נובמבר 15, 2018

Birds, birds, and more birds

I was a little giddy after seeing the Frostweed. I grabbed my camera and wandered down Witter Lane and Shallow Ford Road on the way to the Art Barn. I got lucky on Shallow Ford - Kestrel, Crested Caracara, sparrows, mockingbirds, heron, egrets, cormorants, ducks, grebe?, and seagulls? I don't know what all was out there. I'll do my best with some good and many bad photos.

The new camera is making a difference and I am enjoying it - when not getting frustrated by birds entirely too far even for the new camera, by my shaking hands, and by my lack of experience. Hope the photos continue to improve as time goes on. I'm pretty proud of some of today's.

הועלה ב-נובמבר 15, 2018 05:07 לפנה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 18 תצפיות | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

נובמבר 19, 2018

Two Outings - tired, but happy

We spent 3 hours at Peaceful Springs, part of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. Interesting hike. I might like to go back in the spring. Took photos. Nothing I've not seen before, and closer to home.

Our next stop was Mankins Crossing where troopers were ticketing some kids in kayaks and other kids had waded out to a sandbar to skip stones. We chose to skip observations there.

Final stop was Berry Springs Park. We were there for our monthly Amphibian Watch. We observed one Narrow-mouthed toad, one Rio Grande Leopard Frog, and two Blanchard's Cricket Frogs. We also observed one dead Plain-bellied Watersnake. I spent over an hour wandering and observing other things at 2:00 so some of these photos are going to be in daylight and others in dark. We also observed the insane invasion of hundreds of Great-tailed Grackles and tens of European Starlings.

The best part of the day was introducing 6 youngsters to amphibian watch. They were in the park for a family party, but were curious about what the old folks in the park were doing with buckets, flashlights, and nets. They got to see and touch the frogs and learned a little about why we come out to the park once a month. We plant seeds with every kid who discovers the out-of-doors...our future.

All observations from today show today's date, but I "associated" only a few from Berry Springs.

הועלה ב-נובמבר 19, 2018 12:45 לפנה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 9 תצפיות | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

נובמבר 25, 2018

Cedar Creek Wildlife Management Area

I have a few "dog walking" friends. One moved away but has started coming back once a month the run in the wilds of our county with a couple of old dogs (no not DH and me - he brings two dogs). We also have some friends looking for accessible hiking locations. So we have headed out to Cedar Creek twice in the last week.

This was a little of what we saw.

הועלה ב-נובמבר 25, 2018 12:46 אחה"צ על ידי alflinn329 alflinn329 | 11 תצפיות | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה