Took Another Walk

I enjoyed my walk so much the other day I decided to heck with everything; packed my lunch, drove to Brazos Bend State Park & spent several hours walking around and visiting with the volunteers.  The morning started out very overcast, a little foggy/sprinkle, but it warmed up fast and at times the sun shone brightly (welcome back 70 degree temps!!).  This park was hit hard by the drought, but  received nearly 7 inches of rain (according to Weather Channel) in February. Brazos Bend is known for the alligators and I wasn't disappointed. 

I talked to a young man from out of state who had never been there & he was a little freaked out by the experience of walking within feet of an alligator - he was worried about the children who visit.  My reply.... everyone must be careful... this isn't a zoo.  They do keep baby alligators in the nature center for touching/petting and up close examination - but visitors need to remember this park belonged to the alligators first.  One of the signs (don't know if it is new) said - don't enter the water - leave the water for the alligators.  With that message in mind, there is no swimming or boating at this park (for good reason).  Hope you enjoy a few pictures from my latest walk. 

40 acre lake - nice to see all the water

bull alligator - missing front right foot

This poor guy - missing his front right foot, but it didn't stop him from running off a smaller alligator who got too close.  He seemed to be getting around fine & it looked to be an older, healed injury.  I'm assuming a boy/bull alligator - they are the ones who fight over territory & the women.

40 acre lake trail

My dilemma of the day:  do I pass these guys (the one was really really big - long & around - one of the biggest I've seen) or just turn around?  There was another alligator on the other side of the path just out of the frame.  The park volunteer in the background cruised through the alligators and no one moved an inch, so I took a deep breath & cruised through too.  The park said that the large (bull/boy) alligator wasn't from this lake - he was there to claim territory & females (all around him) - let the mating season begin.  I've seen a few large alligators at this lake, but usually they are further away.  I don't usually get freaked out walking this path, but this big guy did make me have second thoughts (maybe I looked too old & tough to eat).

a nice little patch of false garlic wildflowers already in bloom

Yikes!! Don't pick those flowers!!

I thought it was very nice of this alligator to lay his head in a patch of wildflowers.  Funny how a change in angle & focus reveals something totally different.  Although it wasn't like I was trying to totally hide him in the first picture.  I actually did this on purpose just for a little humor. 

This guy wouldn't move - Creekfield Lake

This nice park volunteer was there to assure visitors it was okay to walk past this guy.  He wasn't as big as the other one, but big enough.  He was especially menancing because he was laying in the sun with his mouth open (he was hot - they cool off by opening their mouth).  This is the Creekfield Lake path, right before the bridge - this is a heavily traveled path - also leads to the George Observatory.  There was a group of homeschoolers there & the adults were worried about the kids walking by (they were figuring out a clever way to keep the kids in single file & silent/quiet as they pass). 

another fallen tree

Sadly it looks as if another old-growth tree has fallen in the park.  I didn't ask if it was a result of the drought or old age, but it is sad to see.

white tailed deer

And towards the end of my last trail, walked up on 5 deer who were grazing in the woods.  The dirt trail was damp, so I was able to walk fairly quietly - they were startled, but stopped in this little clearing to look at me.  Wonder what he was thinking? 

With warmer & sunnier weather approaching, hope everyone gets a chance to go outside - it does wonders for calming your nerves.  For those who are interested - these were all SOOC, used my longest reaching lens (70-200) - of course - who would get those close to those gators?  Also curious - when you go out on a nature walk, do you carry 1 zoom lens or multiple lenses? What about a tripod?  Since I'm able to visit this park fairly often, I've decided to dedicate each walk to a certain type of photography - zoom, macro, landscape, etc. then carry only that lens (although most of the time I do carry a another short lens in a small bag - just in case).  I don't carry a tripod either - another thing on my list to master (right now it just frustrates me).

Brazos Bend State Park - 2011 Drought

Brazos Bend State Park is close enough for a day trip, one that I try to enjoy as often as I can.  I visited a few weeks ago just to see how the park was handling the drought.  Shocked and saddened don't even begin to explain my initial reactions when I walked around Creekfield Lake (the paved path leading to the observatory) - it was reduced to a puddle.  There were alligator tracks leading to it - clearly the alligators were still around, but very few birds (and fewer species) were still fishing, wading in the remaining stagnant water.  The marsh side of Creekfield Lake wasn't in any better shape - those beautiful cattails, drying up, burned brown by the hot sun with nothing but cracked dirt trails around them.  Even the cypress trees are showing their stress in their brown leaves.  I was fortunate to be able to chat with a park volunteer who told me the small pump they have to bring water into Creekfield Lake just isn't enough to keep up, so they were no longer even trying - whatever happens, happens.  I can't help but wonder about the bullfrogs that you hear at dusk talking to each other.  The volunteer also said he expects it to take a few years for the bird and insect populations to recover -- birds won't come when there isn't water.  Here's a few shots of how Creekfield Lake looked on that day.

alligator tracks lead to the puddle that once was Creekfield Lake

A few remaining herons wade in the shallow water

marsh side of Creekfield lake - cattails burned & dried by hot sun

I also visited the 40 acre lake area - since there is more water here, there are also a LOT of alligators in close proximity to each other.  That day everyone seemed to be behaving themselves & the gators were easily visible in the shallow water.  My sister commented that the lake looked like an abandoned swamp.  On the west side of lake (with the sloughs), duckweed has covered the surface entirely, giving everything a deceptive healthy green color.  There were several gators here as well, but well hidden in the muck.  A few moorhens were fussing and a very few herons were fishing.  The lake level is down here as well since the park decided to no longer use the pump to maintain the water level.  The sloughs were dry and cracked.  It was easy to see where the gators were coming/going to the water - their tracks/slides easily visible in the preserved mud.

duckweed covers portions of the 40 acre lake

alligators are still there

sloughs along 40 acre lake are dried up, vegetation burned by heat/sun

alligator tracks/slides through what was the slough to 40 acre lake

It is very tempting to go off the paths & walk around in the dried up areas, but there are more reasons not too - alligators (there are over 500 of them in this park), habitat destruction (the drought won't last forever), bullfrogs and others than are hidden from view can easily be stepped on not to mention the snakes - although not always seen - be assured they are still there as well. Besides walking off the designated paths is a big break in the park rules.

Our area is forecasted to have some break in the current weather pattern in the coming days, so I plan to go back to look around and see what is still there as well as observe any changes in the fauna that I hear/see - do they really believe the weather is going to change?