A note

I realize the formatting is messed up. But I don't have the time to fix it, and would much rather get posts up in a timely manner than to fix them. Once I get back I will fix everything I promise. As it is I can only do this on the small times I receive wireless internet. So please excuse me

The watching eyes beneath me

September 28^{th, 2010}

With the swamp slightly underwhelming and warning banjos going off in my head, I decided to skip Mississippi, Alabama, and end up in Florida instead. So I began my 4 state 8 hour journey early the next morning.

I never realized how long Louisiana actually was until I found out 6 hours or more of this days journey is Louisiana. Only an hour or so of that are to get you through Mississippi and Alabama.

Louisiana is always a fascinating state both good and bad. While it does seem quite backwoods, it's culture is fascinating and distinct. Case in point, while driving in no mans land between Lake Charles and Baton Rouge I heard a political ad completely in Cajun. Not a cheap gimmick, but a full blown 30 seconds of political rambling in Cajun. Adam later would tell me he believes they are the nations most unknown repressed peoples. I don't know if I believe that much, but it definitely is more than just a stereotype that movies grab on to.

By the way, when I called it a no mans land between Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, I meant it. Somewhere in the middle there exists a 20 mile swamp, so uninhabitable that Louisiana just put a bridge over it with only 2 exits on or off of it.

So uninhabitable they didn't let me exit to take pictures of it. Lame

Quick note on Louisiana, while I left it fairly quickly I do want to spend more time there. Maybe with friends or someone close to me.

By the time I landed in Mississippi, I was quite ready to get out of the car, and decided to stop at Mississippi Sandhill National Wildlife Refuge. This was the refuge Adam previously worked at, and as he loves Mississippi because of that job, I thought it would turn out to be a good experience. Instead I kept wondering if I was missing the rest of the refuge. The main visitors center was free, but the refuge itself only contained a ¾ mile trail, and an overly excited volunteer trying way to hard get me to watch the video of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes.

These cranes are ESA listed and sub-species of the unlisted Sandhill Crane. Mississippi's have slight morphological differences from their father species and never migrate. This warrants them special treatment from the federal government. It's rarity is such that this refuge maintains the population mainly by rearing the young and keeping a close eye on the population.

The habitat is Pine Savanna, a common site in protected areas of the gulf coast. Like most savannas, including our very own in central Texas, Pine Savannas are fire controlled, and require it for the health of the habitat.

Here are the few photos I took while walking the trail.

These pitcher plants are native to the region. The poor soil leaves them seeking another outlet for many of the nutrients they require. They solve this by trapping insects in their funnel like extension. Once at the bottom they secretes enzymes to break down and absorb the bug.

The pine savanna. This habitat runs mostly along the gulf coast through the panhandle of Florida. Fire runs through it regularly, keeping the non-fire resistant trees from overtaking the pines.

After excruciating amount of hours in the car, I finally arrived in Florida. I exited quickly into the Florida Vistors center to check out my camping options for the night. I know Florida as a retirement community is a cliché joke, and should be left to terrible comedians, but is it sad the visitors center felt like it catered to old people passing through? The center contained an over abundance of the same 20 brouchers, spread confusingly throughout the huge center. In the middle of the center was 4 or 5 couches done in a tacky bright blue and flowery pattern. The lady at the counter was serving orange juice and cranberry juice for everybody. Now I get that Florida is a sub-tropical area that prides itself on orange's and apparently cranberries, but really? Old people resting on badly patterned couches, while drinking orange and cranberry juice? Maybe that's not the visitor centers fault but actually why Florida is a favorite of seniors.

The visitor center desk lady was very kind and pointed me to a good park only 20 minutes away: Big Lagoon State Park. Let me tell you, Big Lagoon definitely delivered. The campsites were private, and it sat right on a marsh between the mainland and barrier island. Not only that, it had nice hot showers and a real water spigot at my site. What luxuries.

I set up my camp as quickly as I could and went for a hike around the park. The only trails they had were two trails heading to the water, but the habitat offered was well worth it. Being the mainland and not the barrier island, there was no beach at the park, instead flooded marshes with beautiful inlets and shallow sandy coves. The park clearly new what beautiful scenery they owned, and set up benches, pavilions, and even observation towers all over the tiny park.

Here are many of the photos I took along the way.

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I arrived so late, and enjoyed it so much, that by the time I started home it was night time. With my headlight on, I started back in the dark. When suddenly. I heard the beautiful sound of owls in the distance. I followed towards them, and luckily ran into them on either sides of the road. There sitting on two snags, out in the open, silhouetted against the just setted sun, were two Great-horned Owls. Great-horned Owls are staples of many neighborhoods around the nation including Central Texas, heard. These are giant birds that contain a heart wrenching stare and gorgeous face. To see one is like seeing the most beautiful part of the night. While I don't have pictures for you, I did manage to get a nice recording of them. In this clip you'll hear them respond to each other. While it is a territorial call, these two are a pair and regularly play off of each other. It's very anthropocentric of me, but I think it's kind of romantic and cute. (this will be up when I figure out how to do it)

Florida had one more surprise for me. After dinner I went off to the bathhouse to brush my teeth before bed. As I sat there brushing my teeth,

I looked down, and saw two eyes starring back at me through the overflow hole in the sink. And with that ladies and gentleman, I give you the cute picture of the day:

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The birds in the area were a little scarce. There were a few egrets, mainly Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets. The most exciting for me was getting a good look at a Brown Thrasher. Which was a life bird for me.

The real swamp rats have masks

September 27th, 2010

So slightly anxious and nervous, I left Bay City to drive up the Gulf Coast. I drove on without a single plan on where I was going. I knew where my end point was (Greenville, North Carolina) but I had no idea what I was going to do between. With it being my first real night on this trip, and the first night camping since I was a kid, I decided to stop early in western Louisiana. Thanks to my Iphone, I decided on Sam Houston Jones State park near Lake Charles, LA

The website for the park included many upsides such as long hiking trails and fantastic birding. The reality left me a little wanting. The whole place felt more like a local park and RV park. While the tent area was fairly empty, the park itself was filled with screaming kids and parents. The whole place felt like Lake Charles amusement park, with attractions including, playground, petting zoo, and convenient boardwalk for your children to ride their scooters on. This was not exactly the environment I imagined when I dreamed about this trip.


Slightly jaded, I unpacked my car and attempted to set up my camp for the first time. This was made harder by the fact I had only put up this tent once before and it clearly takes a little finesse. It took a couple tries and a little cussing, but I finally got up my tent, and got it looking half respectable. With that I decided to check out the rest of the park. The part hopefully away from all the people.

Even with the trail I took being 3 miles, I still managed to find grandmas, couples, and women walking the trails like a local park. While I realize people will be on trails in state parks, my evidence that this is different resides in the fact most of these folks were power walking, and didn't spend the night.

While the swamps are dramatic and stunningly contrast from most forests I was used to, the swamp still left me a little underwhelmed. While it was good to stretch my legs, by the end of the hike I was ready to get back to camp. I will admit it might just have been the lack of wildlife I found

Here were a few photos from the walk:










This is a good picture of the Louisiana swamp and bayou. What's filling up most of this picture including the middle is swamps filled with small pla













More swamp

















I wouldn't call this a swamp, but more of a bayou. The water is very dark, like most of the swampy habitats in the south. The leaves and other plant material sit on the bottom of the river, collecting. What happens is the pigments in the stale water stain the water a deep brown, coloring it.




Now's a good time to explain one questionable issue about the park and why I said it was a petting zoo.They feed their animals. This is a concept I know is frowned upon in most of the biological world. When animals become dependent on humans, they change their innate behaviors and can either turn dangerous or obnoxious.

What happens at this park is that it turns into a petting zoo with families coming out from the nearby areas to feed the animals. The park does their part by leaving out tins of food on the ground. While this leads to a collection of cute deer your child will enjoy feeding, it also leads to more dangerous animals like raccoons.

Now don't get me wrong. Raccoons are some of my favorite animals, and some of the cutest. I just don't want a wild animal near me, especially when he's hungry. Which is exactly what happened.

This is your cute picture for the day. As I knelt down to take a picture of the family of raccoons feasting on the state parks offer to the gods, this little guy snuck up on me. By the time I lifted my head up from the camera, I had a raccoon a foot away from me. I wish I would have named him, and part of me wishes I would have pet him, but that would have been a bad idea.

Within a minute of taking pictures, I started attracting attention. There were 15 people enjoying the animals, but only 1 (me) paying any attention to the raccoons. Whether it was the neglect or the greed inherent in raccoons, I soon came face to face with the zombie horde of raccoons. And quickly became the most popular person around. As the onslaught of cute began its way towards me, they started getting meaner and meaner. Eventually fights started breaking out for who would get to meet me, and arguments ensued.

I'll admit it's good to feel loved. And I'll admit its good to be the mayor of Raccoonville, but I wasn't feeling it was time to get my rabies shot, and quickly got up to leave the scene.
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Zoom in to see the saddest raccoon


Later on my trip to the bathroom, I was given a little knowledge on the situation:

And this sign was explained further, by the 10 raccoons ransacking my neighbors campsite. Food, item, and camping items were spread throughout their campsite.

I even managed to find one checking out my campsite, who I quickly chased up a tree and harassed him with photos. That'll teach him. And yes that's my head lamp adding light to the scene.


To celebrate my victory, I cooked my first dinner on my sweet propane grill. The design of this grill is so genius and so cheap, that I marveled at my ability to find it. Who needs fancy burners and a container, when all you really need is a propane tank and a piezoelectric switch? Genius I say, Genius.

With night falling and the campground quieting down, I decided to talk a walk on the nearby boardwalk that lay over the surrounding swamp. The kids were gone to bed or back to Lake Charles, and the night was much more peaceful. The cool air, bright stars, and singing crickets helped ease some of my first day anxieties. I slept more peaceful than I anticipated.

The morning turned out to be a good one too, with the air filled with birds. Prothonotary Warblers, Pileated woodpeckers, and even a Louisiana Waterthrush were a few of the birds that joined me for breakfast. I though twice about leaving, but decided it was time to get back on the road. So by 10am I had my stuff packed away and started my next long drive.

Who lives in a city with the name "Bay" that isn't actually near water?

September 26th, 2010

I drove all the way from LANWR to Bay City, currently the longest drive I'd had, at around 5-6 hours. My mission? To find the lost Doug Devos. And I found him, right where I left him 9 months ago. The highlights of this drive both being bird related.

The first was the emergence of a large Kettle of Hawks flying south. A 'kettle' is a term for a flock of hawks traveling together. Hawks migrate mainly by 'thermaling' which means to ride the thermal updrafts, spiraling up high in the sky, then using the height to glide as far as possible before riding the next updraft. This is much more effective than you may think, as this particular kettle of over 100 hawks disappeared within minutes. I believe they were Broad-winged Hawks with a 10 or 20 Mississippi Kites mixed in with them. Now for anyone that's paying attention, you'll notice a week ago on Facebook I called them Zone-tailed Hawks. But after hitting the books again, I think it makes much more sense for them to be Broad-winged. Unfortunately, hawks are not my area of expertise, so I can't be right all the time.


A second highlight was a field full of thousands of Cattle Egrets. As I am traveling on the tail end of fall migration, these egrets might have just landed in Texas. They call Texas home in the winter. Maybe, maybe not. Fun fact, Cattle Egrets did not call the Americas home till recently. They weren't introduced, they just found their way here in the late 19th century.

I arrived at Doug's late in the day, and the night consisted of mainly grilling and talking. Unfortunately, this was a short visit and I had to leave early the next morning.


I leave you with one last picture. Doug's cat, Tabitha, Queen of the Sea Cows.

A walk on the wildside

September 25th, 2010
On my last day, Jacquie and I decided to hike around the refuge and find what we could. It turned out to be a good day, though we didn't find much. I apologize for the lack of pictures, as I was much more interested in bird watching than clicking that day.

The great thing about this area of Texas is its Avian inhabitants. These include the gorgeous Green Jays, strange Chachalacas (said basically like it's spelled, Cha-Cha-La-Ka), and vibrant Harris's Hawks. Unfortunately I didn't get many photo opportunities with these birds, I linked them to the University of Cornell's page about them so you can check them out.
As follows is a collection of the photos.
A gorgeous Crested Caracara. Sort of like a Mexican Vulture, but obviously much better looking than any common vulture.







Again I apologize, as these pictures do not accurately depict Laguna Atascosa at all. But as these are the pictures I took, it will have to do for now. Until I go back :)

Movin on down, to the southside.

September 23-24th, 2010
So I made it to Laguna Atascosa NWR. Why you ask? Where is this you ask? It is a national wildlife refuge located at the southern tip of Texas, between Harlingen and South Padre island.

It's main claim to fame is it's resident, the rare (atleast in the States) Ocelot. Which is a small feline located mainly in Mexico and South America. It declined due to loss of habitat, roads, and ranchers killing them, pushing it almost entirely out of the U.S. My friend, Jacquie, just started as an intern working on the Ocelot project down at LANWR. I went down to visit her and check out the refuge.
For more information you can check its wiki page.

There are two important points to know about this visit:
1. With the tropical storm hitting right in this area, and the thick vegetation added to an already marshy area, this created the worst infestation of mosquitoes I have yet been witness too.
2. Despite #1, fell in love with this area

Almost immediately as I arrived at the refuge, I had to get field ready, as I was joining Jacquie to night track Ocelots. This turned into quite an interesting night as we walked around surrounded by the bomber-plane like buzz of hundreds of mosquitoes coming to feast on us. Even with gallons of bugspray, the whole experience becomes a full on psychological nightmare.

The good side to the night also turned out to be the bugs. As we roamed around the paths in the dead of night, through the scrub land, the lightning bugs joined us. And not just a few, but easily as many as there were mosquitoes. As you turn you see 10's of lightning bugs going off in random sequence in any direction. It clearly is something to experience.
Other notables were:
The Texas Tortoise and his adorable inability to run away from me fast enough before I caught him (sorry no pic provided)

The Pauraque's sitting in the road, flying up quickly as you drive by. Pauraque's are insect eating birds very similiar to Chuck-Wills Widdows. This happens to be more common than I imagined. As other nightjars do, they enjoy sitting on the ground, and what better place than a clear road.

The parks rabbit problem, as everywhere you look there are rabbits scurrying back into the brush


The next day we went down to South Padre to check out the beach. Now I've spent most of my teenage summers down at Port Aransas, so while this was only a slight upgrade, it still is always nice to go down to the beach.














The highlight is our friend the Willet deciding to join us. (Try the zoom in for better effect)


That evening, Jacquie took me to her favorite spot to watch the sunset. There sat a small gazebo overlooking a large lake (whose name escapes me), with the banks of the lake surrounded by tall grass and small trees. As we sat there, 20-30 dragonflies flew around the gazebo feasting on any bugs that may have hindered the moment. It truly was one of the most peaceful things I've experienced. The world seemed to move slower, as the clouds slowly moved past the setting sun:
Continues I will post some of my favorite pictures from that night:
















































Here's what Windows Live Photo gallery did with all the photo's together. Not too bad, though I had to do some cropping. You have to click on it to truly enjoy it.

It begins

September 19th-15th, 2010
I started my journey Sunday September 19th. My car was packed to the brim, with more stuff than I really needed. But I was finally off none the less. My first destination was down to my friend Morgans in Port Aransas, Tx. Where I surely would spend the next four days contributing nothing to society. Frankly, that's what friends are for.

On the drive down I quickly ran into a tropical storm hitting near the South Texas and Mexico border. This resulted in catastrophic flooding in Corpus Christi. Many exits were too full of water to drive across and cops were sitting at certain places on the highwaykeeping people from driving through the ever creeping water. I learned later this is a normal occurrence as Corpus floods every time a tear is shed.

As my little Mazda 3 hydroplanned all over the road, I pulled off to meet Morgan at Buffalo Wild Wings. Riding along the access road, I drove across many questionable roads covered in water and even witnessed a woman get stuck. This happened as I let her go infront of me. Effectively using her as a test dummy. She got out, I'm sure.

But I finally made it and had a good time watching the sunday NFL games.

The remaining days with Morgan were spent inside because of the rain. Luckily, we had video games and pizza to fill our times. Like I said, that's what friends are for.

When we did go outside, we spent it wisely hitting up the local candy shop, Winstons. This is a favorite destination of anyone I go to Port Arnasas with and never a let down. It seems to get more expensive everytime I go. As when I was 16 I could buy my bag of candy for less than $5 but gas and sodas were cheaper then as well.






But as fast as it came, it was time to go. So fatter than I was before I left Thursday morning for Laguna Atascosa NWR