View allAll Photos Tagged brazosbendstatepark
It can be tricky to glimpse a Brown Thrasher in a tangled mass of shrubbery, and once you do you may wonder how such a boldly patterned, gangly bird could stay so hidden. Brown Thrashers are exuberant singers, with one of the largest repertoires of any North American songbird. (all about birds)
Well, not fall in the swamp literally - that's fall as in the season. Believe it or not, this is a lake. The ground looks deceptively land-like doesn't it? This is Elm Lake in Brazo's State Park, and it is beautiful in its own marshy way. Though, it is not recommended for swimming unless you'd like to have an up close and personal encounter with an alligator.
So happy that I finished my last project today. And with that, I am closing up shop for the year (what is left of it) and will only take those gigs that appeal to me. I may collaborate with an upstart web based fashion consignment business with product shots and stock shots - which totally appeals to me.
A little blurb about the viewing platform I was on:
This 240 square-foot, fully ADA accessible platform located at the lakeside in the Elm Lake picnic area, will elevate visitors above one of the park’s largest lakes, giving them an increased opportunity to view various species of wildlife including birds engaging in the their daily activities. A future addition to the platform will consist of identification panels of common bird species. The platform’s elevation will also make it easier to view basking alligators on nearby islands, not normally within view from ground level. The platform compliments the Creekfield Lake All-Access Interpretive Trail, plus the Elm Lake and 40-Acre Lake Trail System in providing nature viewing opportunities for all. Handicap-accessible fishing piers, picnic areas, and campsites are also available to park visitors.
Brazos Bend State Park is a 5,000-acre “island of natural diversity” southwest of Houston that managed by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to conserve natural and cultural resources, provide recreational and educational opportunities, and fosters an understanding of the diversity of Texas' lands and heritage for all generations.
How I could live just an hour and twenty minutes from such an amazing place for such a long time without visiting Brazos Bend State Park, I’ll never know. Today, I hopped in the car and made the drive through the city, down beautiful country roads and into the park. Within five seconds of exiting my car with my camera, I knew I had made the right decision of how to spend my Saturday. Why is that? Just across the two lane road from the Nature Center where I parked, I spotted not one or two does grazing in an open field – but five!
This is in front of the Nature Center in the park. A little blurb about the park:
Brazos Bend State Park is a 4,897-acre (1,981.7 ha) state park along the Brazos River in Needville, Texas, run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park is a haven for a diverse mix of native wildlife and plants covering an equally diverse range of ecosystems. Brazos Bend contains areas of coastal prairie, bottomland forest, and a wide range of wetlands including open and semi-open lakes and transitional marshlands. Highlights of the Park's numerous inhabitants include over 300 species of resident and visiting migratory birds and mammals like White-tailed deer, Nine-banded Armadillos, Raccoons, and North American River Otters. The most noteworthy and popular residents of the park are the relatively large population of American Alligators.
The park is also home to the George Observatory, a satellite facility of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This astronomical observatory contains three domed telescopes; the largest is the Gueymard Research Telescope, which has an aperture of 36". The facility is primarily focused on public education; it includes the Challenger Learning Center for space science education and also features an exhibit of meteorites.
Seems like humans aren't the only ones ready to do some serious chill-axing (chilling while relaxing) over the three day weekend. Saw this young one draped over a log in Elm Lake at Bayou Bend State Park today. In fact, I saw four gators today - one teeny tiny baby, an adolescent, a young adult and then big Momma who cuts through the water like a torpedo.
It was supposed to rain and thunderstorm all day today. And it didn't! What a gift!
An American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) eating a Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys Scripta Elegans) at Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA.
That tail in the background belongs to another alligator! They are a huge number of alligators at this park!
I did take a trip to Brazos Bend State Park (BBSP) just south of Houston last week and although I went in search of birds the animal that was most visible was the resident lizard! Since there are approximately 250 alligators in the park they are EXTREMELY easy to find at this time of the year! The major problem is trying to keep an eye on all of them and not back up into one while trying to take a photo of the other! The gravel paths surrounding the lakes are about 15 to 20 feet wide and you will notice that they are not bashful about climbing out of the water on onto the paths! They say to turn around and go back in the other direction but most people walk around them! It’s a bit unnerving and never feels comfortable and especially when you encounter on that is over 9 feet long! The good news is that no one has ever been attacked at BBSP and people walk around them all the time! If you are queasy about being in their presence then BBSP is not the place for you!
DSC_7207uls