Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Goose Island State Park - Mar 26
We left Fulton Oaks RV Park and moved about 8 miles north to Goose Island State Park, in Lamar, TX. It is the park where we have done so much birdwatching. It is a beautiful park with campsites both in the wooded Live Oak area and on the bay front. We chose a lovely, secluded wooded site, but it was a tough choice. The bay front is quite windy and the sites are pretty close together. We have been here since Tuesday, March 21, and will be leaving to head further north tomorrow.
Early last week we had about 8 inches of rain in one day, which flooded a lot and really filled in the wetlands. We had a 4-inch deep puddle (small lake!) all around our campsite and were marooned for a day. After that, an amazing quantity and variety of frogs appeared. You can't see many of them, but they sing in large choruses at night. I have never heard anything like it. They are still singing away here at the campground. It's almost loud enough to keep you awake at times.
Since we wrote last, we have eaten lots of fresh shrimp and also some freshly caught red snapper. It was all delicious! The shrimp we just boil & eat -- nothing fancy, just wonderful.
We went to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge again last week. What a difference a lot of rain made! The alligators were no longer lying around in sluggish piles; they were quite frisky. Gave us a good scare a couple of times. We saw some large bullfrogs -- trying out for the Budweiser ads by singing something very like the theme from Jaws. Very disconcerting when you're always looking around for alligators anyhow. We saw a couple more Whooping Cranes very far away, a beautiful Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher and a Sora (a type of Rail -- conveniently on the Rail Trail!). Incidentally, Aransas NWR is near Refugio, TX, which I bet no one pronounced correctly -- it's reh-fur-ee-oh. Don't ask us what happened to the G.
Yesterday (Saturday) a group of three Whoopers flew into the State Park. It was a family group -- Mom, Dad & Junior. Whooping Cranes form family groups and the young crane will stay with them for a year. Then they are kicked out and hang out with other adolescent Whoopers until they are old enough to find a mate. These three landed quite close to the viewing area. We were able to see them well with our binoculars and also through other birders' spotting scopes.
We have met some really nice people here and hope to keep in touch with them via email. We are all speculating what will happen on Census Day, when we are supposed to be counted. If all goes according to plan, we will be in a state park in Louisiana by then. We'll let you know what really happens.
Early last week we had about 8 inches of rain in one day, which flooded a lot and really filled in the wetlands. We had a 4-inch deep puddle (small lake!) all around our campsite and were marooned for a day. After that, an amazing quantity and variety of frogs appeared. You can't see many of them, but they sing in large choruses at night. I have never heard anything like it. They are still singing away here at the campground. It's almost loud enough to keep you awake at times.
Since we wrote last, we have eaten lots of fresh shrimp and also some freshly caught red snapper. It was all delicious! The shrimp we just boil & eat -- nothing fancy, just wonderful.
We went to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge again last week. What a difference a lot of rain made! The alligators were no longer lying around in sluggish piles; they were quite frisky. Gave us a good scare a couple of times. We saw some large bullfrogs -- trying out for the Budweiser ads by singing something very like the theme from Jaws. Very disconcerting when you're always looking around for alligators anyhow. We saw a couple more Whooping Cranes very far away, a beautiful Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher and a Sora (a type of Rail -- conveniently on the Rail Trail!). Incidentally, Aransas NWR is near Refugio, TX, which I bet no one pronounced correctly -- it's reh-fur-ee-oh. Don't ask us what happened to the G.
Yesterday (Saturday) a group of three Whoopers flew into the State Park. It was a family group -- Mom, Dad & Junior. Whooping Cranes form family groups and the young crane will stay with them for a year. Then they are kicked out and hang out with other adolescent Whoopers until they are old enough to find a mate. These three landed quite close to the viewing area. We were able to see them well with our binoculars and also through other birders' spotting scopes.
We have met some really nice people here and hope to keep in touch with them via email. We are all speculating what will happen on Census Day, when we are supposed to be counted. If all goes according to plan, we will be in a state park in Louisiana by then. We'll let you know what really happens.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:57 PM 
