Brazos Bend

(This trip took place on October 30, 2011)

I never get tired of going to Brazos Bend State Park, as with my previous visits, I know I can always count on seeing (and taking pictures of) a lot of wildlife.

So, after getting swamped by mosquitoes at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, I decided to go to Brazos Bend. As it turned out, there were also a lot of mosquitoes here, but not so many as at the refuge; besides, there is safety in number — there were many more visitors at the state park, and those succulent babies in strollers probably diverted a lot of attentions from the mosquitoes away from me

At 40-acre Lake, there were many waterfowls and wading birds, such as this immature black-crowned night heron:

And many white birds, such as this bird which I thought to be a little egret, but which turned out to be an immature little blue heron:

and this great egret:

Along the trail between 40-acre Lake and Elm Lake, I also saw many smaller birds, such as this savannah sparrow:

and some big ones, such as this red-shouldered hawk:

At Elm Lake there were more birds (no surprise here), such as this little blue heron (a mature one this time):

And alligators:

On the way back, I saw a white ibis catching and eating a frog:

which, of course, made him (?) a very satisfied white ibis:

Other birds that I have seen but not shown here include: white-crowned sparrow, swamp sparrow, indigo bunting, eastern phoebe, American crow, American robin, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, red-bellied woodpecker, common moorhen, greater yellowlegs, blue-winged teal, American coot … there are just too many to list.

And this is after a prolonged and severe drought. In fact, one of the lakes, Pilant Lake, was completely dry. I can only imagine how abundant wildlife will be in a wet year.

I returned to 40-acre Lake for the last glimpse. The birds, such as these pied-billed grebes, were lazily basking in the setting sun:

Last but not least, just then a great-tailed grackle flew by to rest on the railing of the wooden viewing platform:

This is a very common bird, almost ubiquitous all over the state, in some places it has even become a noisy nuisance. But who says it is not good-looking with its iridescent feathers glistening in the setting sun?

Adios, 40-acre Lake; Adios, Brazos Bend! But in my heart I know I will be back again.

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