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Wildlife on the Side Part II – Looking for birds in Texas
As I left NASA/Johnson Space Center, which was my final business appointment in Houston, it was just about 3pm. Not a lot of time, but just enough to get my feet wet and do a little whirl wind birding if possible. My luck panned out as my GPS device indicated there was a nearby area that could prove fruitful in regards to observing nature. The Armand Bayou Nature Center seemed like the perfect spot and well worth the sacrifice considering I was in the exact opposite of proper attire for walking trails and hiking through a forest.
As I entered the gates and drove down the long narrow road, a white-tailed deer leaped across the pavement and instantly disappeared into the thick, tall grasses. I guess I was indeed in the right place. I was warmly welcomed in the visitor center and assured my attire would not be too limiting if I stuck to the brochure’s Discovery Loop trail. And that is exactly what I did…for the first hour.
The self-guided tour began on a wood plank path that straddled a small pond on the right and a raptor house to the left. And as I continued to pass the planks, I came upon a duck weed laden pond completely alive with turtles. I studied every ripple looking for a pair of surfacing eyes that would signify my first ever wild alligator sighting. Yes, being a native Californian this is just one of a host of species I was looking forward to spotting while in the bayou. I should also mention that there was a lack of bird activity eerily similar to that which I experienced at Russ Pittman Park. Maybe the impending thunderstorm was the reason? Well, here is a photo/video log of my 2 hour visit as I wandered from marsh land to prairie to forest ecosystem.
As mentioned in part 1, the birding trip had manifest itself into a lesson in entomology as you can see.
By the way, I managed to avoid almost all birding activity, but from the bird blind and photos that adorned the visitor center I know they do exist.
Feeling a bit more adventurous, I made a decision to leave the recommended trail and head off into the forest. Within 5 minutes my hears caught a rustling of the leaves just off the path. Could it actually be a bird, or yet another deer? Nope, I couldn’t believe my eyes as I just encountered the epitome of Texas wildlife. It was my first wild armadillo! But, the sighting came at a price that could only be paid in blood. As I stood filming the armored mammal a swarm of mosquitoes had latched onto me. By the time I awoke on Friday morning the bumps and surfaced all over my head and hands.
And as the center closed its doors for the evening, I was elated to have been given the opportunity to take time from work and experience a little ‘Wildlife on the side.’
Check out Part I of Wildlife on the Side – Looking for birds in Texas
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[...] Check out Part II of Wildlife on the Side – Looking for birds in Texas [...]
Looks like you have a great day in nature despite the lack of birds. Congrats on the Armadillo sighting and capture. I have only seen pictures. Hope those mosquito bites didn’t last too long!
Alligators, bison, armadillo, bugs – great birding trip you had there. I’ve had birding days like that too, but even without the birds, there’s always something interesting in the woods!
Pat Bumstead´s last blog ..Trivia Tuesday: Mimicry
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@Debbie – To be honest it was the last thing I expected to be rummaging in the leaves. I was quite excited and had to call my wife from the forest after grabing the video. I needed proof so she would believe me. It was quite a find for a native Californian (I thought).
@Pat – I cmpletely agree. I began to focus in on other activities since the birds were avoiding me. Still not sure why, but there was a pending thunderstorm that put a damper on things.