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I have probably seen these ducks before, but this is the first time I've ever identified one in Brazos Bend State Park.
Yesterday morning I got a very brief look at a bobcat at Brazos Bend State Park. I was pretty far away and the time was short, but I was able to get a few shots off. Not great photography, but a lot of fun. 10/18/2016
It was cloudy until just before the sun set. The western sky cleared and the low sun lit everything up. It bounced off of the clouds in the eastern sky and created a very interesting glow for a few moments. Then it got dark. Somewhere in there I shot a few frames.
Female Golden Silk Spider (aka banana spider) and a smaller male. These spiders usually appear about this time (mid June) in Brazos Bend State Park and can hang around until late November or early December.
Young osprey taking off from a perch. There were several hundred black-bellied whistling ducks on the water below this tree and they panicked when the osprey took off.
Brazos Bend State Park
Texas
Here's one the gators that I shot. Both granddaughters got lots of photos from the outing and Gene did too. FYI - The alligators at Brazos Bend are not enclosed behind fencing. They, and all the other inhabitants of the Texas State Park, roam free. When you visit it is strictly at your own risk so you know to keep your distance; however, it's fairly easy to get reasonably close to the gators. They're generally not interested in human tasting but with the drought and dry conditions it's good to adhere to "don't go near the water" if there is any.
FYI - we stayed at least 15 ft. from the gators; farther away from most of them than that. There were plenty of waterfowl on the banks - much easier target that humans.
Black-bellied whistling ducks swim beneath a bald cypress tree in Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park.
My past three early morning photo trips have started out like this. I love a foggy morning, but not every time:) This was 7:30 AM, and the temp was already about 80 F.
A hot, steamy morning in SE Texas. Brazo Bend State Park, 7/2018
Gulf fritillary butterfly feeding on coral honeysuckle beside the nature center in Brazos Bend State Park
This morning at Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. I was able to get quite close to this bird. I like the portrait, but am not too crazy about the background.
A pair of young alligators - one about a year older than the other - beside the bank of 40 Acre Lake, Brazos Bend State Park
We stared at each other while I made a few shots. When I started to walk down the trail, he swam alongside of me. When I stopped, he stopped. When I started again, he started. I guess he was very curious.
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas
Brazos Bend State Park
Recently, hundreds of frogs have been coming out at night and sitting on the main road into the park. They’re surprisingly calm; this one let me put the camera within a few inches of his face.
Yellow-crowned night heron on the lookout for edible food items in Pilant Slough in Brazos Bend State Park
Seven-foot-long alligator beside the Spillway Trail at Brazos Bend State Park. About fifteen minutes or so after I passed by this beauty I returned, to find that it had changed position to face the other direction. It was a warm afternoon, so it may have been contemplating moving into the water.
Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes, a.k.a. banana spider and golden orb weaver) chowing down on a dragonfly
Orb weavers get their name from the shape of the webs they spin. The webs have silken spokes radiating out from a more-or-less central point, with spider silk joining the spokes in concentric circles. The classic spider web, in other words. Many kinds of spiders don't spin webs like that.
Small wildflower growing beside the trail from the nature center to Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park
Mr. and Mrs. Banana Spider, a.k.a. Golden Silk Spider, a.k.a. Golden Orb Weaver
The female is the larger of the two, which is the case for most spiders. The male usually keeps on the opposite side of the web from the female, as she often eats him after they mate. Such is the fate of the males of many spider species.
The American lotus is a large flower, probably the largest wildflower in Texas, with blooms up to two feet (60 cm) in diameter. It grows on a stalk high above the water, with a seed pod in the blossom's center. When the flower dies, the stalk bends over, allowing the seeds to fall out of the pod so they can resume the cycle next year.
Credit goes to Gene for this one. This was one of the larger gators that we saw at Brazos Bend. According to one of the park staff, it was hunting at the time. They drive their prey into shallow water and corner them. He did give Gene that come on down look though.
The green, algae looking stuff, is actually a plant that is named duckweed.
Oh, and finally summer is over!
Wilted wildflower beside Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. I don't know what these flowers are, but I think this wilted look is normal for them.
I wasn't paying very close attention when this gator walked out in front of me, crossing the Spillway Trail from Pilant Lake to Pilant Slough in Brazos Bend State Park.
American coot perched on a piece of driftwood in 40 Acre Lake, Brazos Bend State Park
A close look at the bird's toes reveals flaps of skin attached to them. When it swims, the flaps flare out when the bird pushes back against the water, helping to propel it in much the same way a webbed foot does. Many people see the birds swimming on top of the water and assume they're ducks, which they clearly aren't.