Here are my other Brazos Bend
and/or critter pages:
----------------------------------------------------------------
OR, FOR OTHER ANIMALS:
Alligators
at Brazos Bend State Park Introduction
Critters at Brazos
Bend State Park Page 1
Snakes-nonvenomous
1-------------------------------------------Critters
at Brazos Bend State Park Page 3
Snakes-nonvenomous
2-------------------------------------------------Insects,
non-toxic
Snakes-nonvenomous
3------------------------------------------------Spiders
Snakes-venomous------------------------------------------------------Mammals
Birds-Raptors-
Birds-Anhingas-----------------------------------Lizards!--Turtles!
----------------------------------
Welcome
to Brazos Bend State Park. That's me on the trail. One of the most popular
reasons for people to visit BBSP is to see the birds. Although *I* started
going to the park mainly for the alligators, one cannot be there for long
without learning to enjoy the birds. Over the years, I've captured a few
pictures and video clips of them, and here they are.
December 26, 2010 The three
images below are frame captures from video clips I shot that morning,
and which I edited into this movie
clip (25 mb).
The
morning of Sunday, December 26, 2010, had temperatures low enough for a
skin of ice to be on low, shaded water, and frost shaped by
the
shade of the rails on the Spillway Bridge. Although the sun came out,
the air didn't get much above 45 degrees. The day was cold--at least by
Brazos Bend State Park standards. I was out on the trails
anyway, looking for Eagles and Otters. I couldn't find either one.
While I was at 40 Acre Lake, I noticed a Crow hovering near the surface
of the water next to one of the islands. Then, I saw a Great Egret
doing the same thing. It would hover close to the surface of the water,
and sometimes stab down with its beak. Occasionally I thought I saw
something splash under the surface.
I assumed that the Egret was
harrassing Pied-Billed Grebes if they surfaced with prey. I've seen
this before, and figured that's what was going on. I decided to try to
film this activity. First, I tried to follow a Grebes as they dove and
surfaced--but it's difficult to see where they are going to surface.
So,
I decided to watch and film the Egret instead. I shot a few high speed
clips of the Egret taking off, hovering, and stabbing the water. After
reviewing these, I couldn't tell if the Egret was stealing from a Grebe
or not. I never noticed a Grebe surface from where the Egret grabbed a
fish.
I edited together some of these clips, so I could watch this
magnificent Great Egret hovering and flying in the early afternoon sun.
I hope you enjoy it as well. A couple things really caught my
attention. First, the shadow of the Egret's head and neck as it shows
on the wings. Then, the effort of the Egret as the wing beats keep it
airborn at such low speeds.
--
-
-
May 16 and May 30,
2010.
If you have been walking the trails at Brazos Bend State Park, then you
may have noticed crawfish claws (and sometimes legs) lying around the trails.
In most cases, just the claws are there. A single pair might not cause
much comment, but when there are claws scattered in many places, then it
becomes mysterious. After all, where is the the rest of the crawfish? Many
of us at the park know that the culprits behind the mystery are various
wading birds, and mostly Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. Today's RICKUBISCAM
is a full head view of one of them.
While
I'm out on the trails, I like to point out the discarded claws to park
visitors, and then let them guess why they're there. And then I usually
blame the Night Herons. However, I've never really had a good mental image
of *how* the Herons remove the claws. Over the last few weeks, I shot some
high speed video that cleared it up for me. It appears that the Herons
use inertia to de-claw the crawfish.
-----
-----
-----
CLAWS ON TRAIL
READY TO STRIKE
THE GRAB
GOT ONE!
I've edited together and posted the video online. Images here are frame grabs from the video. When a Heron captures a crawfish, it immediately twists its head from side to site very quickly. This is not like shaking its head from side-to-side (as if saying "no"); but similar to a motion it might do if it was trying to "drill" with its beak. Centrifugal force causes the limbs (and especially the heavier claws) to straighten from the body (this appears to have the added benefit of preventing the crawfish from grabbing the Heron). And the link to the video is here: Yellow-Crowned Night Herons with Crawfish (wmv. 50 mb)
-----
-----
-----
PASSING IBIS
DON'T MESS WITH MY FOOD!
ONE CLAW FLIES
THE OTHER CLAW FLIES
Along with repositioning of the crawfish for a better leverage against the joints as they spin, the claws sometimes just break off. An alternate method (in the first part of my video) has the Heron grabbing a claw, the "arm", and twisting while holding *that*, with the weight of the crawfish working on the joint. Eventually, one claw after another is broken off and discarded. Sometimes groups of the legs are grabbed, and then hyperextened by the weight of the crawfish's body using the same twisting motion. These break off and are also discarded. And so, there's video proof of one of our minor mysteries--solved.
-----
-----
-----
GRAB THE LEGS
SOME LEGS FLY
MORE LEGS FLY
ALMOST READY TO EAT
-----
-----
-----
FOOD TOSS
BEAKFUL TENDERIZED
ONE BIG GULP
THAT WAS GOOD!
The Heron doesn't always win, though. The images below are frame grabs from another clip. The Night Heron grabbed the crawfish and immediately dropped it. The crawfish submerged, and the Heron never touched that one again. What happened? I looks like the crawfish grabbed the Heron's bottom jaw. This made the Heron let go.It didn't bother that crawfish again, but it went hunting for others.
-----
-----
-----
THRUST!
CAUGHT A BIG ONE!
TOSS AND GRAB
PINCH!!
-----
-----
-----
OUCH! THAT HURT!
THERE IT GOES
IT'S FREE!
the RICKUBISCAM shot
Here's
an additional note for those who see this and are living outside of Texas:
crawfish = crayfish. (Potay-to Po-TAH-to) Also, these are "red swamp
crawfish"--procambarus clarkii--and YES they are that
big, and can get even bigger. They are pretty amazing animals. I've read
that they can reproduce parthenogenically; that they can actually come
in different colors (including blue); and that they have become an invasive
destructive species in some countries--partly because of their habit of
burrowing. They can also make thick mud chimneys and dig deep burrows.
They are the crawfish that are usually cooked and served in restaurants
down here (and probably elsewhere).
02/07/2010 Across Pilant Lake from the Observation Tower (actually near the center of the lake), Great Blue Herons built nests in the trees. From time to time, the Herons will hunt for food near enough to see what they're doing. This morning, one of them landed close enough for me to get a good view it with my camera. I caught a series of nice clips (shot at 210 fps) of it landing, eating, and taking off. I've edited some of this together into a short movie clip. Below are some image captures from the footage. And here's a link to the video clip shot at high speed (wmv 26 mb)
-----
------ 
COMING
IN FOR A
LANDING
GRABBING A
SIREN
TAKING OFF WITH STICK
The animal the Heron caught is not an eel, and not a snake. It is an amphibian. This is a Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia). Sirens are in the order Caudata--the Salamanders. Sirens are nocturnal. They eat small fish, tadpoles, insects, and other invertebrates. They range in size from 7 inches to 27 inches long. Sirens are distinctive when seen closely. They have two short legs with feet that have 4 toes (So, could one could say that they are a two-foot animal with two feet?). Sirens also have external, branched gills. They are nocturnal and live in water. However, if that water dries, they can secret a mucus covering which will allow them to survive while buried in the dried mud. This "suspended animation" is called "estivation". I can't find out how long a siren can estivate and still survive. Sirens feed by sucking food into their mouth. They don't have wide jaws like a frog or most salamnders; but a narrow mouth that can extend quickly and form a suction. I've seen this in action, and the movement is very fast. The food is there, just in front of the Siren's nose, and then there's a quick movement, and the Siren is chewing something. Below are two images cropped from the same photograph showing the Siren a little better.
---- 
---- 
DIFFICULT
WITH NO
HANDS
THE
SIREN
RICKUBISCAM SHOT Here's
the taxonomic rank of the Lesser Siren:
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Amphibia
Order Caudata
Family Sirenidae
Genus Siren
Species Siren intermedia
December
20, 2001 At Brazos Bend Park,
at around 5:30 or so in the evening (or just before darkness falls), if
you happen to be standing on the observation tower which overlooks Pilant
Lake, stop whatever you are doing, listen, and look.
You will not be disappointed
(BIRDS! , below)
On that particular evening,
the first sign of what was coming was the crows--a rising racket of raucus
cawing which got stronger and stronger until it just suddenly cut off.
It was as if someone had hit a switch. That was in the trees off to the
east. Then, off in that direction, I could see a faint smudge that
slowly moved across the sky. It got thicker and closer, and then, when
I looked at it through binoculars, I saw that it was a huge mass of birds.
Click here for a short clip
showing this mass in action.. (flv video 564kb no
sound)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------BIRDS!
January
10, 2002
-
-
-
-
AMERICAN
BITTERN 1---
---
AMERICAN BITTERN 2--------
AMERICAN
BITTERN 3- ----
AMERICAN
BITTERN 4
----AMERICAN
BITTERN 5
The
images above (bittern) show an American Bittern, which is usually
a shy bird, and rarely seen. I think part of the reason for this is its
amazing camouflage. I was taking pictures of this one, and trying to show
it to some park visitors and they had a hard time seeing it. Click here(mpg
1,681 kb) to see a short movie of this bird, and you'll see what
I mean.
May 12,
2002 I watched a few of these Green
Herons (sometimes called Greenback Heron) feeding today. Sometimes, one
of these small birds will catch an insect, and drop it into the water.
Then, the heron will watch, and when a fish comes up to investigate the
insect, the heron grabs the fish. While I saw a few Green Herons fishing
today, I didn't see any of them using bait. I was able to get a short
video clip of one of these herons spearfishing. Click the links to
download the flv video file(246
kb) or an
mpg
file(1,304 kb).
While watching the clip, try not to blink, or you'll miss the long neck
extension as the spearing is done.
(GREEN HERON HUNTING, below)
-
----------------------------
--------------------
GREEN
HERON HUNTING--
--GREEN HERON FISHING WITH BAIT
May
18, 2002 Last week I talked about the
Green Heron, and its habit of using live bait to catch fish. I wouldn't
be surprised if some visitors to this site found that story hard to believe.
This week, I was able to see some Herons doing it! (Not "it". Fishing with
live bait. Jeez....) The image above, (GREEN HERON FISHING) shows
a Green Heron in the act of placing its bait. This was a continuous process.
As the bait would float or swim towards the lily pad, the heron would pick
it up and place it back in the water. Watch these two clips if you'd
like to see this. Look very carefully at the speck the bird is placing
in the water. It is a bug of some kind, but this all happened about 20
yards away, and I had to use the video camera to bring it closer (which
is why the image jerks around. Sorry.). So, I couldn't tell exactly
what it was. Clip one (flv video
477kb) or (mpeg 1,843kb)
shows a few repetitions of the bait placement. Clip two (flv video
559kb) or (mpeg 3,034kb)
shows one more baiting, and then a lunge at food. However, the fish
got away. One of these days, I'll get a clip of a successful stab
at a baited fish. When I do, it'll show up here.
June
16, 2002 It's time once again to see
our friend the Green Heron. As I promised, I tried to get some video of
a successful fishing trip. Here it is, with some more pictures. The Rickubiscam
this week shows the heron with its catch.
-
-
-
-
BAIT DRIFTS
IN
GENTLY GRAB THE BAIT HERE' S
A GOOD SPOT
TIME TO
WAIT
GOT ONE!
As
I've shown before, there is a repetition of bait, watch the drift, grab,
bait.... This time, however, there was a "stab" and a successful one. Click
on the following links to view the clips. Heron Snags It part 1 flv video
(404kb) or mpg
( 1,818kb) Heron Snags It part 2 flv video
(410kb) or mpg ( 1,753kb).
To see previous Green Heron pictures, go to the Critters
of Brazos Bend page 1.
March
02, 2003
---------
--------
---------
TICK
GLOOP1
GLOOP2
I was
talking to some park visitors when we here this really odd sound.
Everyone got quiet, and someone asked "What the heck was that?" I heard
it again, and I guessed that it was an American Bittern, but I'd never
heard one before. However, Donna (she knows who she is) had described it
to me, and she'd hit it right on the money. After a little search, I found
it. The pictures above and below (starting with TICK, and through
GLOOP3) show frames from a movie clip that I was able to capture with the
Olympus C-700. The captions are how I would describe the sounds I
heard him making. Gloop 1-3 are three stages of a single deep sound.
Of course, I'd only intended a quick trip, so didn't bring my video camera.
Click the following links for two flv video clips of the Bittern calling
clip1(656
kb) clip2(654 kb).
He was about 30 yards away, and blends in with the grasses, so the resolution
isn't that good. I've also included an .mpg
(2,619 kb) file of the second clip that's a little clearer (but much larger!).
One never knows what one will see at this park. The last image (AMERICAN
BITTERN) is a little better photo I was able to get as he was walking.
-----
--------------------
----------
GLOOP 3
AMERICAN BITTERN
March
30, 2003
Above is a picture of the American Kestrel that we have at the park.
Isn't it beautiful? This is a captive bird, obtained from a rehabilitator
only after the correct permits had been applied for and granted (and this
is a state organization!). This Kestrel's wing was severely damaged
some time (years) ago by contact with a power line, rendering the Kestrel
unable to fly ever again. This is the only reason that this fine animal
can be legally kept at all. So, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT
IT!
Then
there was this American Bittern that I was watching out at the Creekfield
trail. I watched as it hunted for a while and then, to my surprise, it
waded to shore, about 12 feet from me (HERE HE COMES, below). Then, he
(she?, I noticed that there were no dark markings around the throat, which
I believe means it was a juvenile bird), crossed the trail. (See BEEP-BEEP!,
and MADE IT, below.) Just as he was in the middle of the trail, some
park visitors came into view behind me. I believe that he stopped to try
his "vanishing trick" (See, CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?, below) but he might
have just been trying to get a better look at the approaching people.
He finally flew off when the visitors got closer.
----
------
------
-------
-
HERE HE
COMES
BEEP-BEEP!
MADE
IT!
CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?
April 19, 2003Today, Earth Day was celebrated at the park. As part of my contribution to the effort, I was signed up to lead an "alligator hike" at 2:00 pm. I was able to get out to Elm Lake at about 11:30. As I was passing the last pier, I heard another headslap from near the same area that I filmed last weekend. I approached a pod of baby alligators (about 14 lined up on a log) and their mother in the water right at the trail intersection. And the rest of the alligator stuff today is in my alligator pages.
January
18, 2004Okay,
so we got a little cool weather today. No big deal. Not when compared
to the below-zero (F!) temperatures that have been reported in the Northeast
US this week! So, the temperature stayed under 45 degrees, or at least
it felt that way at Brazos Bend State Park. We'd gotten about 3 inches
of rain recently, so water was high, and it was flowing nicely over the
spillway between Pilant Lake and Pilant Slough. If the weather had been
a bit warmer (perhaps mid-sixties with lots of sun), alligators would have
been there, looking for fish being swept through the spillway. The alligators
didn't show, but quite a few of our wading birds did. The last image
below (GREAT BLUE) is a nice close-up shot of a Great Blue Heron.
When I first saw this heron, it was perched on the rail of the Spillway
Bridge (see TOLL, ONE FISH, below)
--
----------
----------
PAY TOLL--ONE
FISH
WATER'S
FINE!
GREAT BLUE
The
person in the picture is quite a bit further down the trail, and is only
that small in perspective. It's a Great Blue Heron, not a Humongous
Blue Heron, after all. Then, it jumped into the water, and walked under
the bridge and I used the opportunity to sneak up closer and catch it standing
(see WATER'S FINE!, above). It's always impressive to see these birds
take flight from nearby. They are BIG. See a bird of this size perched
on the bridge handrail was an arresting sight by itself, but seeing it
open its wings and flap from about thirty feet away can make you hold your
breath for a second. It just seems so odd to see a bird so large
standing on anything but the ground.
Visitor
attendance at the park was slow, and it was a pleasure to be outside at
the silent park watching the wading birds fishing (a lot of them seemed
to be eating crawfish).
May 15,
2004; I took this picture of the Purple Gallinule
just because they have such brilliant colors (see Purple Gallinule, below).
-------------------------------
PURPLE GALLINULE
4/30/2006--I've
never seen so many snakes being eaten by birds as I have this spring.
The average water level at the park has been declining since last year.
I don't know if the two events are related, but it's possible that the
limited amount of aquatic hunting ground has concentrated the snakes (and
all other aquatic creatures) into a smaller area, thus making them easier
for the birds to find. I've seen snakes being eaten by American Bitterns,
White Ibis, Little Blue Herons, and even a Grackle. Here are some pictures
of a Great Blue Heron which I just caught a glimpse of as it was finishing
off a snake. I can't really tell what kind of snake it was, but I'm pretty
sure by the overall color and comparative size of the head that it is non-venomous.
This short video clip (
HERON WMV 1.4 MB ) shows
the heron apparently having a bit of trouble getting the meal to go down.
------
---------------
----
SUCCESSFUL
HUNT
BETTER CLOSEUP VIEW
5/07/2006
I've
already mentioned that I've seen a number of snakes being eaten by birds
this spring. Here, a Little Blue Heron ( egretta caerulea ) has
caught a small snake. The snake appears to be a Gulf Crayfish Snake
( regina rigida sinicola ). My copy of Texas Snakes by Werler and
Dixon (third printing) shows the snake on plate 118 and describes it on
pages 244-246. I going mostly with the color of the belly scales for this
identification. The snake is non-venomous. Even in pictures, one
can see the difficulty the heron has with prey of this type.
Imagine
eating with chopsticks (some of you may do this regularly. I have.) Consider
how difficult it can be to pick up just one soft noodle from a plate
using the chopsticks. Now, animate that noodle, and imagine that it can
bite, and might be venomous. Finally, imagine that the your eyes are on
one end of the chopsticks and that they would therefore be at risk from
that animated, possibly venomous, noodle. You may now have some idea of
the complexity of the activity that this, and similar birds, have to perform
time and again, for their entire lives.
--
--
--
--
--
A SUCCESSFUL HUNT
CLOSER LOOK AT THE MEAL NOW,
WHAT?
A TANGLED
SITUATION
MAYBE THIS WAY
While
watching this kind of event, I wonder how much compression force the bird
can generate with its beak. While the bird seems to be squeezing the snake
( sometimes
on its head) the snake, in most cases, seems to be moving vigorously throughout
all this. It seems that most of the mortal damage is inflicted by stabbing
motions of the beak as it is rammed into the prey as it is dropped and
repositioned. In most cases I've seen the snake (or other prey) appears
to be still moving as it is swallowed. You can see a short video clip of
the Little Blue Heron in action here
(wmv 1.5 mb).
This
happened on the North part of the 40-Acre Lake trail, on the North side
of the trail (in Pilant Lake), about midway between the Observation Tower
and Hoot's Hollow. In these pictures, you can see how low the water level
is.
--
--
--
--
--
THE SNAKE'S BELLY
BY THE TIP OF THE TAIL DORSAL
VIEW OF THESNAKE
FINALLY GOT IT! VIDEO
CLIP WMV 1.5MB
June
25, 2006--This is actually one of my last
sightings of this striking bird. The first time I noticed one was a few
weeks earlier, on 5/28/06. I was walking along the North side of the 40
Acre Lake trail when I saw this visually-arresting black-and-white bird.
Something
about the colors, or the way they are arranged pleased me, and I stopped
immediately and just watched the bird. When I returned to the VC/NC, I
described the bird to Beth, and she immediately identified it as a Black-Necked
Stilt. The Black Necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) is not common
to Brazos Bend State park, but has started feeding there because the water
level at the lakes has dropped so much. Stilts eat water insects
and even snails, according to The Encyclopedia of American Birds, by Michael
Vanner.
Since
I liked them so much, I tried to take pictures when I could get close enough.
They seemed rather shy. Eventually, there were young Stilts walking around.
Below,
I have some pictures and links to video clips of these interesting-looking
birds. Look how long their legs are, and watch that odd "sitting" position
they attain by bending their legs and resting on the their shins.
-
-
-
-
-
--
5/28/2006
6/04/2006
6/04/2006
6/18/06 with
alligator
6/18/06 past alligator
5\28\06 clip 5800 kb wmv6\04\06
clip pt1 2800 kb wmv 6\04\06
clip pt2 3400 kb wmv 6\18\06
clip pt1 4400kb wmv 6\18\06
clip pt2 6200 kb wmv
In the
clips from 6/18/06 above, I noticed the alligator only after I'd been watching
the Stilts through the camera for a while. The parent Stilts, however,
appear to be very aware of the alligator. The Stilts are very protective,
and I like how the two parents walked--in the last clip--along with the
young one between them.
Below,
I have some pictures and more pictures from photographs (those above are
frames from video clips) . The first one shows the two aduly Black-Necked
Stilts with the young one, and the alligator behind them, taken on 6/18/06.
The remaining 4 show the young Stilt with the parents walking around on
what used to be the bottom of 40 Acre Lake.
-----------------------------
--
--
--
--
--
JUST KEEP GOING,
YOUNG'UN
PARENT AND
YOUNG
CLOSEUP OF
YOUNG
THE PARENT
STILT
ADULT AND CHILD WALKING
Those Stilts
were walking on mud that alligators were swimming over just a few
months ago. The alligator with the Stilts above was forced to push its
way through that muck. This must tire the alligators, plus it makes foraging
difficult.
07/16/2006--From
time to time, a park visitor will come up to me and ask about the "flamingos"
that they've seen in the park. While larg, pink wading birds do visit the
park occasionally, they aren't flamingos. They are Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaia
ajaja). I've seen them from time to time, and there was even a group of
them staying on the 40 Acre Lake island for a few weeks. But I've never
been able to get close enough to watch them. Until today.
We had
been favored with a little rain, and the corner of Pilant Lake near the
Elm Lake water station had filled nicely. A few Spoonbills were foraging
in the water, and to my great satisfaction, they allowed me to take some
pictures and video.
A look
at the Spoonbill's head will immediately tell how it got its common name.
The end is flattened horizontally and rounded. The bird sweeps its bill
from side-to-side in the water, catching the small creatures that it eats.
Although the bill may look a little odd in air, its shape allows for efficient
work in the water. According to The Encyclopedia of American Birds-by Michael
Vanner, Roseate Spoonbills mate for life and lay two or three eggs per
nesting.
The
image directly below is cropped from a frame of the video of two of the
Spoonbills together.
-------
The
images below are cropped from larger photos I shot, and from frames pulled
from the video clips I caught. Links to the video clips are below them.
-
-
-
-
-
--
STANDING TALL
WALKING A LOG
WALKING A LOG, CLOSER
TWO OF THEM
THE SPOON-SHAPED BILL
SPOON DIPPING
-
-
-
-
-
DRY OFF FOR A
BIT
CLOSEUP OF THE
FACE
THIS IS MY BETTER
SIDE
SWEEPING
A LITTLE BLUE
HERON
FACE-TO-FACE
SWEEPING 4000 kb wmvWITH
LITTLE BLUE 2700 kb wmv FACE
TO FACE 2700 kb wmv
The
first
clip (SWEEPING) shows the sweeping motion of the bill. You can see
that when it grabs something, the Spoonbill tosses it up and swallows it.
The second clip
(BLUE HERON) shows a Little Blue Heron passing, and then more Spoonbill
sweeps seen from the rear. Keep in mind that all of these beautiful birds
are free. That is, not in a zoo. The birds are in their own habitat
and come and go as they like. And I'm lucky enough to see them.
Even with the dry conditions (and now heat over 90 degrees) Brazos Bend
State Park is a joy to visit! The third
clip (FACE-TO-FACE) shows a pair of the Spoonbills. There seems to
be a moment when they look eye-to-eye, and the one on the right seems to
signal with a slight opening of its bill. While the Spoonbills, and
other birds I've mentioned in these pages, can be sometimes be found easily
if you know where to look elsewhere in Texas or the United States--almost
ALL of the birds I've shown have been seen within a mile and
a half radius around the observation tower! And they are ALL WILD!
08/06/2006--BBSP
finally got some rainfall about 4 weeks ago. There was enough water in
Pilant Lake to allow some filling of 40 Acre Lake by opening the floodgate
between them. When the water levels equalized, the gate was closed, and
a diesel-fueled water pump was set up to continue filling the lake. The
first image below (FILL THAT LAKE!) shows the pump in action.
The
two images below show the improved appearance of the lake. Compare
them with the two images from 06/18/06 further down on this page.
---
---
----
FILL THAT
LAKE!
BETWEEN HOOT'S BENCH AND OBSERVATION
TOWER
NEAR THE OBSERVATION TOWER
That's
some improvement, right? This
changed over 4 weekends.
Many
of the animals that live in the lake were taking advantage of the water,
and the food that was growing. In an odd turn of events, the primary water
level rise (from opening the floodgate) caused many of the larger fish
remaining in what was left of 40 Acre Lake to die. General opinion is that
there was an oxygen depletion (perhaps caused by silting). Only the larger
fish were affected, as there were many, many small fish remaining.
On the
morning of August 6, I stood on the 40 Acre Lake fishing pier, and watched
a group of Great Egrets catching fish. They were soon joined by a number
of alligators. I thought it interesting that although an alligator occasionally
swam towards an Egret, it didn't seem to be interested in catching the
bird. Instead, the alligator seemed to be watching the area around
the Egret--perhaps looking for fish the Egret had dropped, or for fish
that it learned would be near a hunting bird. On the other hand, sometimes
(less frequently than the first case) an Egret would go near an alligator,
and they would both be facing the same spot in the water. Perhaps the Egret
was watching for fish disturbed or distracted by the alligator's passage.
The series of images below are single frames from some
short
video clips. The first
clip 4519 KB (OOPS...), starts with an Egret trying to un-spear a fish...which
it drops. Then it seems to be looking straight at me (I was at least 20
yards away) like it's MY fault that it dropped breakfast. Then the camera
pulls back and pans across to show the group of Egrets (and one Great Blue
Heron). The splashing sound in the clip is from alligators pouncing.
---
----
----
----
OOPS, AND SLOW PAN ACROSS PARDON ME,
EXCUSE ME
HEY!, CATCHING ANYTHING?
HOW A PRO DOES IT
VIDEO CLIP 4519 KB
VIDEO CLIP 14,621 KB
VIDEO CLIP 4027 KB
VIDEO CLIP 9035 KB
The next
clip 14,621 KB (PARDON ME...) shows a larger alligator as it swims
through the group of Egrets. Notice how each Egret steps aside very delicately
as the alligator approaches--except for one, which makes a short hop of
a few feet. It landed in the path of the alligator though, so still has
to step aside. By the end of the clip, the alligator has gone near two
other alligators. One of these, then another, pounces, but without apparent
success. The next clip 4027 KB
(CATCHING ANYTHING?) is a closer view of two alligators passing. One does
a sideways snatch after the passing, while the other one passes some Egrets.
The
final
Egret clip 9035 KB (HOW A PRO...) shows a successful catch and swallow.
Notice how the Egret repositions the slippery fish before tossing it that
final time and swallowing the fish. I think the number of Egrets,
and Alligators hunting; and the large number of fish are good indications
that the lake will have a good population of fish before long.
Finally,
there is one more clip
4840 wmv . This is of a bullfrog calling, and the little "poot!" noise
that Bullfrogs make sometimes after a bout of calling.
------------------------
-
HI DIDDLE DIDDLE AMPHIBIAN BULL FIDDLE
VIDEO CLIP 4840 kb wmv
A large
number of Bullfrogs can be heard in the clip. It is illegal to catch or
molest any animal (with the exception of fish) at BBSP. Frogs cannot be
legally caught IN ANY WAY at BBSP. Although fishing is
allowed, State fishing regulations must be followed.
Leave
the animals you see at BBSP alone, so that other visitors may enjoy seeing
them (and also to avoid being ticketed and fined).
12/03/2006--As
I hurried back to lead my hike, I saw a group of White Ibis in some trees,
and this one posed for me. I just liked the picture, which you can see
below.
-------------
--------------------------------------
---
------------------------NICE
IBIS!--------------------------------------------------------NICE
IBIS CLOSER!
11/30/2008
As
a last experiment, I took some photos and video clips of some White Ibis
foraging. I was able to shoot some video of a White Ibis taking off. I
shot the video at 420 frames per second. When I reviewed that clip, I was
amazed. The Ibis' wings unfolded and went straight UP to meet over the
Ibis' back. Then with just ONE downward flap, the Ibis becomes airborn.
The images below are some frames pulled from the clip. The clip can be
seen here (wmv
4.0 mb).
-
-
WINGS
GO STRAIGHT UP!
WINGS
PUSH
DOWN
IN THE AIR!
01/04/2009--
I was walking along 40 Acre Lake trail at BBSP when a large flying bird
caught my attention. It was white, and I thought it was a Great Egret.
But, something about it didn't seem right, so I looked at it through the
binoculars. It was was a White Pelican! Pelicans hardly ever visit the
park, and I watched as it flew out over Pilant Lake. I just assumed it
was passing through. I climbed the Observation Tower to see what I could.
It was pretty cold, and the breeze up at the top is pretty strong. My eyes
teared profusely, making difficult to see in some directions. When I looked
out over Pilant Lake, I found the Pelican again, and so I was able to observe
it through my camera. The full optical zoom (20x) didn't help as much as
I'd have liked, so I tried the digital zoom (100x), and it worked surprisingly
well. Today's RICKUBISCAM (see RICKUBISCAM 01/04/09 below) is a frame capture
from one of the video clips of the Pelican foraging in the lake. I was
surpised at the leisurely dipping that the Pelican was doing. I found out
(according to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior) that this is
common behavior for the White Pelican. The Brown Pelican feeds on saltwater
prey, and dives onto potential food; while the White Pelican (the one I
saw) prefers freshwater prey, and does this dipping behavior. The Pelican's
beak with that large pouch (gular pouch) is used only to catch food--not
to store it. The pouch is sensitive enough (I don't know the mechanism)
so the Pelican can detect food even in darkness. The White Pelican can
also have a wingspan of about 9 feet! I wanted to try to catch some
photos or videos of the Pelican taking off, but the cold finally made me
turn out of the wind, but I at least shot some video footage of the Pelican
foraging. An edited version of some of the clips can be seen here
(wmv 16.5 mb).
As I
was looking the other way, some park visitors called up to me, and I turned
in time to see the Pelican flying right towards the tower. I turned the
camera around, and shot a couple bursts of photos. These are mostly blurred
( it's hard to focus on a flying bird). I did what I could with one of
the images, and it at least shows this striking bird. (See Pelican Flyby
below)
-------------------------
-------------
PELICAN
FLYBY
RICKUBISCAM 01/04/09
01/25/2009--
I was walking along 40 Acre Lake trail at BBSP when I spotted an American
Bittern foraging amongst the plants. I watched it for a while. I hadn't
seen a Bittern at the park for some time. Then, I shot a few pictures.
Today's RICKUBISCAM is from one of them. I also shot some video of the
Bittern stalking through the grass and grabbing food. I was able to get
a good sequence of one of the beak thrusts, and subsequent swallowing.
See (GULP!) below. To see the video, click here
(wmv 5.0 mb). I've got a bit more material on Bitterns
that I saw at the park on this page.
--
GULP!
RICKUBISCAM 01/25/09
If you'd like to know more about the park follow these links:
Brazos Bend State Park The main page.
Brazos
Bend State Park Volunteer's Page The
volunteer's main page.
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to rickubis.com
Go
back to the RICKUBISCAM page.
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back to the See the World
page.