View allAll Photos Tagged brazosbend
Lots of people refer to these black-bellied whistling ducks as tree ducks. Indeed, another name for them is black-bellied tree ducks, as they can often be seen perched in trees. They like to make their nests inside tree cavities and boxes.
Three young alligators, approximately the same age, at water's edge in Creekfield Lake at Brazos Bend State Park. Given their similar age, and given that young gators tend to stick together for their first few years, these probably hatched from the same clutch of eggs.
Golden silk spider, a.k.a. banana spider, prepares to make a meal of a beetle at Brazos Bend State Park.
A couple of alligators sunning themselves beside the water in Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park. Although the smaller gator's open mouth might look like a threat display, it's almost certainly a case of thermal regulation, as alligators will do that when conditions warrant, as they did here.
Gators often hang out together this time of year since mating season will soon be upon us - and them. Mating usually happens in March and April, preceded by a short period of courting. Given the disparity in sizes of these two, the smaller one is probably a female.
Note, also, the red teeth, which means they have probably eaten something recently. They can and often do go the whole winter without eating, so they likely have just broken their long fast.
This small gator (about 5 feet, or 1.5 m) had caught something and was engaged in swallowing it. I had had my camera pointing at something else when I heard the splashing that accompanied this, so I missed seeing what it caught.
Spider lilies near the entrance of Brazos Bend State Park. Unfortunately, I waited too late to catch them at their peak.
It may look as though this small gator is sneaking up on the turtle on the log, but the turtle is actually too big for the gator to eat. They coexisted on the log quite contentedly.
The only bird that even attempted to cooperate with me last night. Unfortunately, the trees shaded him from that beautiful low evening sun.
but the livin' ain't easy. Well - parts of the Gulf Coast had some rain yesterday and that made the livin' easier anyway. On the other side of the coin, drought gives some beautiful, sunshiny days.
Golden silk spider (a.k.a. golden orb weaver, banana spider) beside the trail around Creekfield Lake at Brazos Bend State Park
Golden silk spider (a.k.a. banana spider, golden orb weaver) in a web above a trail at Brazos Bend State Park
Standing on a pier with the bright sun behind me, I noticed that I could see the grebes underwater. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas
10/2015
Young - about two years old - alligator in the shallows near the edge of Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas
Some of the things I saw while camping at Brazos Bend State Park during Thanksgiving week.
Brazos Bend State Park
Needville, TX
Same bird and location as the TCH I posted a few days ago. This image was made a day earlier.
SE Texas