Dense fog this morning has turned the world into mostly shades of gray. And with a moderate 63° outside air temperature, it’s really hard to anticipate the low 30s the prognosticators are foretelling for the end of the week.
Well I took my birthday road trip yesterday, and I must say, I saw the fewest number of birds I think I have ever seen on one of my road trips. There were even less than I normally see on a rainy winter’s day. Sitting on Surfside Beach I didn’t see a handful of shorebirds. Driving across the intercoastal canal, I only saw a couple of handfuls of birds. The biggest grouping I came across on my drive was a half dozen vultures sitting in the road of the driving tour at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.
At the refuge I saw more mud flats than ponds. Very few swimming birds with quite a few wading birds. I even saw a rosette spoonbill. But it was so far across the way I couldn’t snap a decent shot.
By the time I returned home at lunch time, the clouds had pretty much closed in. Till this morning when the clouds have fallen to the surface.
Well it’s a day for the chores. So I better get moving, since the coffee is gone… Y’all stay safe, stay healthy, and pray for the nation and the world.
Have a pleasant day.
Sorry there were so few birds to enjoy. When I was there on Sunday, I found a few, but no wading birds, except far, far away. The big pond at the end of the loop, at the turnaround, was full of seagulls, but that was the largest group I saw. The most interesting sight was some controlled burning being done on FM2004. I was watching from the refuge when they lit off the first one. By the time I got to 2004, that one had died out and another one had been set. I think they were on private land, and they were relatively small. The guys who were working them obviously knew what they were doing. Their cattle weren’t concerned; they’d been moved to the other side of a canal, and were munching away.
It was a bit sad. I usually spot a paintbrush or two on my trip… And this trip nary a one was out… I did see blackened earth in a number of places but no burning fires for a change.