Oh, My - Mudding (Mistakenly), Mosquitoes, and Melodrama - Wed., Nov. 4, 2015

I'm going back a few days to catch up on a few things...

Melodrama: What a crazy last few days! With the storm that sounded like a tornado, we found out Saturday morning five trees had snapped or lost limbs in the RV park. Two partial trees fell on RVs: one broke a skylight and one other thing on the roof; one was held up by a telephone pole so the tree didn't damage the motorhome. Another branch was held up by part of a tree so it didn't fall on a pop-up tent camper, a different tree fell on a someone's Dish, and a dead tree blew over breaking part of a fence.

The RV park was able to find an arborist to clean up the trees on that same Saturday. Everything looks good again in the park.

Then, on Monday, I was driving out of the RV park and a fire truck with all lights flashing was coming into the park. When I returned I stopped in the office to find out what the fire truck had been doing in the park. Apparently a squirrel got on a transformer which caused the transformer to explode (and the squirrel too), and that started a fire in the tree by the transformer. The fire was put out quickly.

Monday I took my car to the mechanic for its inspection so I could get my registration sticker. Then I went to the Tax Assessor's office (where we obtain our registration sticker) to get the sticker for my car and the license plate tag for our 5th wheel. It was an hour wait, but I got it all done.

Mitchell Lake: Tuesday, four of us from the RV park went to Mitchell Lake Audubon Center for bird watching. Whose idea was that anyway? Oh, it was mine.

Here's what our morning was like. At 8:00 am there was heavy fog. Would we be able to see any birds? Bravely, we headed to Mitchell Lake Audubon.

I thought we could park by the poulders (ponds) and hike the roads (about three miles) to see birds. First, we were told by the receptionist at the Audubon Center that not many ducks were around because the water was too deep, and wading birds weren't around, also because of the deep water due to the recent rains. That was okay, we decided we'd hike about and see what we could find.

Upon stepping out of the car it immediately became apparent that mosquitoes were big, swarming and hungry. We put on organic bug spray. It seemed to be working so we set off to look for birds.

We saw some type of parrot, but it didn't sit still long enough for a photo to identify it. A beautiful white pelican swam by alone, and there were a couple of pied-billed grebes as well. Other sightings included a caracara, northern shrike and a tufted titmouse.

Lone white pelican

Pied-billed grebe

Dewy early morning spider web

Mosquitoes: The mosquitoes were out of control. They flew in swarms around us and they were big black ones. Menacing looking. The organic mosquito repellent was not working. Lisa and I decided to walk the 1/2 mile back to the car. Randy and Lydia decided to walk to the lake. Lisa and I would drive and pick them up. Bad plan.

Mudding: When the receptionist told us the roads were muddy, I thought we could ride the high ridges and stay out of the mud. Nope. That wasn't the way it worked. The ridges of the road, which are normally hard and grassy, were soggy, slippery, deep mud. It was like driving on ice, only soft, with the risk of high-centering on the mud. Once we got going, I didn't want to stop for fear we would not be able to get out. There was on particular spot that almost got us, but there was enough forward momentum to get us through. Whew.

We saw lots and lots of white pelicans sitting on these booms in Mitchell Lake. A few cormorants claimed a share of the space. At least the fog lifted!

Some of these are not like the rest!

White pelicans

Birdhouse looks exactly like Visitor Center!

Today's Audubon visit did not go according to plan. After we finished, we took Lisa home so she could work. Lydia, Randy and I went to eat.

After lunch my friend Susan and I went to see "Sicario." Yuck, not my kind of movie. Too much violence and corruption.

I was happy when today was over. Every once in a while a day like this slips in and it makes me appreciate the good days so much more.

All for today. Maybe the world will look rosier tomorrow.

Birding by Ear - Sat., Mar. 15

First, Happy 84th Birthday to my mom! She had a fine lamb shank birthday dinner cooked by my sister, Jan, and attended by my brother, Frank, and sister-in-law, Gina. They had a wonderful meal and played pinochle. Mom loved her gifts. While they were all together they gave us a call and we got to say "Hi" to everyone.

Saturday morning from 8-11 a.m., birds chirped, kweeped, chipped, purrited, kirred, seebrrr'd, chik-a'd, tee too too'd, pudi pudi pudi see'd and tik tik'd while we listened. Some birds are very hard to hear, others are easily identifiable.

After an hour-long intro and an explanation of what our morning would be like, our group headed out on a 1.3 mile walk in the Mitchell Lake Audubon Wetlands.

Half of the "Birding by Ear" class.

Jason "The Bird Nerd" St. Sauver

The path was crushed gravel which, as you can imagine with 30+ people crunching on it, wasn't too conducive to hearing birds. Our leader stopped us frequently so we could listen.

Ooooo, I got distracted by the bluebonnets (lupine)

The class on the trail.

I'm new to birding by ear, but as we learned in "Birding by Ear," sometimes the only way you can identify a bird or know it's in the area is by the sounds it makes. Many of the smaller birds hang out in the dense shrubs, others can't be seen amongst the leaves of the trees. It helps to know what sounds birds make if you want to know what's truly there.

Our teacher was Jason "The Bird Nerd" St. Sauver who gave us a brochure, "Birding by Ear Basics: Ten Tips." This information comes from his brochure.

The main reasons to learn bird sounds are to:

• Help in identification, as a bird's song is more distinctive than coloration
• Locate birds more easily
• Enjoy birding in low light levels or poor visibility

What are the ten tips?

1. Learn how to listen - Close your eyes and listen for pitch, quality, length, repetition and tempo.
2. Learn the locals - Learn the common bird songs of your backyard or area first. At least you'll be able to say, "Well, I'm not sure what it was, but it certainly wasn't a robin."
3. Use YOUR ears - Don't always trust what books, CDs or bird apps tell you as to what a bird sounds like. A bird may sound like "to-WHEE" to one person, but you may think it sounds like "che-WINK." Try writing it down or whistling it to help you remember.
4. Master ALL the types of tweets - Did you know birds not only sing, they also have alarm calls, distress calls, and contact "chips"? Interesting stuff. Learn which type of sound you are hearing.
5. Find 'em for yourself - Find and identify the bird yourself and watch it sing. The image and sound will be forever linked in your memory.
6. Use a BirdNerd Buddy (real or virtual) - As important as number five above, it is also important to learn from experts. Find a buddy or bird guide to learn from or, use a virtual expert from a birding website or app on your phone or tablet.
7. Use those Eustachian tubes - Rely on your ears more -- you will need your eyes and binoculars less. This is especially helpful with nocturnal species like owls and nightjars.
8. The early bird...well, you know - Birds are usually early risers, especially in the spring to sing. Get out early to hear the most variety of distinctive calls, chirps and songs.
9. Sit still - Some birds make more noise as you approach but many will not...so walk quietly or find a bench and have a silent sit. Just listen.
10. Don't get MOCKED! Northern mockingbirds, European starlings, gray catbirds, and any of the thrashers are mimics and can confuse even avid birders. Mockingbirds and thrashers learn hundreds of other birds' songs. Starlings have been known to learn odd sounds such as fax machines and car alarms. Listen closely. If the song is repeated several times in quick succession, it is probably a mockingbird.

Here are some of the birds we heard...

Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Eastern phoebe

Cedar waxwing

We also heard: black-chinned hummingbirds, cardinals, olive sparrows, white-eyed vireos, verdins, mourning doves, golden-fronted woodpecker, ruby-crowned kinglet, Northern mockingbird, and curve-billed thrashers. It was an ear-opening experience.

At 11:00 a.m., I zipped out to meet Bob on the way to Boerne where we were going to do a Boerne Volksmarch. We stopped for lunch at Taco Cabana andi talked us out of the walk. It was sprinkling where we were, but out toward Boerne the sky was very dark and threatening rain.

Instead of walking we went to see "American Hustle" for the second time. We liked it just as much. Bob said he got a lot more out of it this time.

That's it for Saturday. Stay tuned for Sunday's shenanigans.

Two 5K Walks Today - Sunday, Dec. 29

We set out on our first 5K walk around 9:45 a.m. and finished about an hour later. Our walk was along the Museum Reach of the Riverwalk up to Pearl Brewery.

Oregon Ducks fan

Could be a mix of wild and domestic duck.

 The two ducks above were bobbing their heads up and down as they circled each other.

American coot

Duck on left looks like a blue Swedish duck.

Black duck

Flowers along the RiverWalk

Egyptian goose

Yellow flowers blooming in Deecember.

A river boat in the locks.

Palm tree with nice lines.

When we finished our RiverWalk, we headed back to the 5er. Bob went to work and I decided to do another 5K Volksmarch at Mitchell Lake. Off we went on our separate journeys.

Today at Mitchell Lake, the long-eared owl was not visible. A father and daughter came into the Visitor Center excitedly talking about the bobcat they saw. They told me where they saw it and I walked there, but didn't see the bobcat.

Here are today's finds at Mitchell Lake...

Pied-billed grebe

Great egrets and little blue heron, American coot

Top: Hooded merganser

Top bird: red-breasted merganser

As usual, I had an enjoyable and relaxing walk. Yesterday, I joined the Mitchell Lake Audubon Society.

Bob worked until 5:30 then picked up a few items at Costco on his way home. We watched 60 Minutes, then Bob watched sports for the rest of the evening while I blogged.

We ran out of propane tonight and it's getting downright cold in here. At least we have an electric heater in the bedroom to keep us toasty. We have a partial tank of propane that Bob will put in the 5er in the morning. I'll get our two tanks filled tomorrow. It sure has been cold. Brr.

Here's another picture of two cozy cats.

Sunnie and Bowie

Travel Bug out.

Today was Non-stop! - Sat., Dec. 28

What a day. I headed to Mitchell Lake Audubon Wetlands for a 5K+ Volksmarch while Bob went to the gym to play basketball with his buds.

Once again, the long-eared owl was hanging out where it could be seen. People have been coming from all over to see it because it is out of its usual range.

Long-eared owl.

Other unique (to me) birds in the refuge:

The Bird Pond is home to many types of ducks. Excuse the grainy quality of these photos, the ducks were on the opposite side of the pond. Using my best Sherlock Holmes bird detecting skills, I think these ducks are in the following photo: male and female hooded mergansers, bufflehead, a gadwall, and scaups (species ?).

A variety of ducks.

Two hooded mergansers and a gadwall (?)

Adult female red-winged blackbird.

Mourning warbler (?) - a very small bird.

Need help identifying this bird.

And I saw a couple of my favorite birds again..

Black-necked stilt

Northern cardinal

Vermilion flycatcher

When Bob finished playing basketball and after I got home and showered, we drove out to Random because a food truck, The Melting Point, was there and we wanted to try it. They serve gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomotle soup. Bob and I each ordered Caprese grilled cheese sandwiches. The sandwich had tomato, basil and a chipotle sauce with cheddar cheese. So yummy! I was cold, so I had a bowl of tomotle soup (kind of like tomato soup only more flavorful) which hit the spot. For dessert we shared a Banana Rama grilled sandwich...Nutella and sliced bananas on cinnamon chocolate chip bread. It tasted like the best French toast you've ever eaten.

Some people come to Texas and say they've never seen a longhorn. We see them as we're driving down the freeway!

Trailered longhorns.

But wait, our day is not complete. After Random we stopped at Walmart and Costco to pick up a few items, then headed downtown for dinner and a river taxi cruise with The Cafe Society of San Antonio meetup.com group. We spent time shopping in downtown San Antonio. Bob wanted to purchase an Oregon shirt to wear at the Alamodome for the Alamo Bowl game on Monday night.

Christmas tree in front of The Alamo.

Bob in his new Ducks shirt at The Alamo.
(Ignore the Longhorn shirts behind him.)

Ten of us from the group met at Mexican Manhattan, a restaurant by the Riverwalk. We had warm drinks and appetizers, then walked down the stairs to river level where our leader hailed a river taxi. Because many people go to see the holiday lights along the river, the tour boats have very long lines. If you pay extra for a river taxi, you can get on the boats much quicker and go farther on the river.

The night air chilled us as we rode to see the lights. We were on the river taxi about two hours. Our driver did not inspire confidence and was the slowest boat on the river. Oh well. We certainly got to see the lights.

Some of our group at the restaurant.

The lights coming on at dusk.

Stephanie and me on the River Taxi.

Pearl Brewery lights as seen from our river taxi.

Downtown Riverwalk area

RiverCenter Mall's tree.

By the time we finished our ride we were chilled to the bone. Our group was going to the Esquire Tavern for more food and drinks. We opted to head for home and get warm! We need to take care of ourselves.

I'll leave you with one final photo from Mitchell Lake Wetlands. You can figure it out.

The end. Travel Bug out.