When I first got to Skillern the first creatures to greet me were the mosquitoes, big ones and lots of them.  Fortunately I brought the mosquito repellant so they didn’t overwhelm me.  As I walked along one of the trails there was this pretty little bird darting up and down from a tall tree.  It was a female Vermillion Flycatcher.  I love these little birds!

Female Vermillion Flycatcher Side View

Female Vermillion Flycatcher Front View

There were also lots of Northern Harriers and these birds are fun for me to photograph.  Since they float above their potential prey, it gave me a good opportunity to get some decent photographs.

Northern Harrier About To Land In Field

Northern Harrier Hovering Over A Possible Meal

At Skillern there were lots of open fields, and I’m sure I missed a tons of birds.  One bird that I’ve never photographed before was an Eastern Meadowlark hiding in the field.

Eastern Meadowlark In Field

In addition I saw lots of Savannah Sparrows.

Savannah Sparrow In Field Of Brown

Savannah Sparrow Resting On Branch In Field

A particular noisy little bird that I saw hiding in the woods was a Winter Wren.

Winter Wren Hiding In The Woods

These are just a few of the many, many birds I saw at Skillern.  I took alot of bad photographs, and missed many opportunities.

Birds weren’t the only creatures I saw.  There were lots of Gulf Fritillary Butterflies (that surprised me) and a few Monarch Butterflies.  I was really surprised by how bright the color was on the Gulf Fritillaries.

Very Bright Orange Gulf Fritillary At Skillern Tract

I called Leecy a few hours into my trip and she said she wanted to see a picture of an Alligator.  I was lucky enough to find one sunning on the shore.

Alligator At Skillern Tract In Anahuac

I really, really enjoyed Skillern Tract of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and plan on returning once they weather cools down a bit.  You absolutely have to bring mosquito repellant otherwise you will be eaten alive.  Even though I was well coated at the beginning, apparently the stuff wears off because I was attacked later on.  I re-coated myself and all was well.

I’m planning on revisiting Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow (Saturday).  I think it’s been almost a year since I was last out there.  Even then, I remember how low the water levels were.  It’s a great birding location (in my opinion).  While I’m not very good at identifying the birds, I always enjoy my time out there.  It is so quiet and desolate and I actually like that type of serenity.

Oh, I also bought a couple of new “things.”  One is the Vortex Viper 8×42 HD Binocular and the other is the Naturescapes SkimmerSack Bean Bag.  The binoculars are for birdwatching and identification and the Skimmersack is for photography when shooting from your car (or fence post, etc).  I really do want to become better at identifying birds so I figured the binoculars may help somewhat for the birds I see and want to identify before trying to sneak up on them to take a picture.  I’ll try and post some reviews sometime soon of both of these, as well as some new birding books I recently bought.

I’ll be posting pictures from the Anahuac trip later this weekend.

We started off at dawn, and there was this Heron silhouetted against the water.

Heron Silhouette At Anahuac

I love taking (or trying to take) pictures of raptors, like Hawks and Harriers.  What I learned today is that if you take pictures of those type birds against a gray sky, it doesn’t make for a very appealing picture.

One of the first birds we saw was the Black Crowned Night Heron.  If I’m not mistaken, this one is a juvenile.

Black Crowned Night Heron At Anahuac

Then Leecy, with her eagle eyes (and a good pair of binoculars), spotted a family of Raccoons in the water.  It was rather entertaining watching them.  At first, it appeared as though they were washing their hands (okay, feet), then slowly but surely they all started crossing the water.  All except for one Raccoon (there were 4 total)..  It did not want to go across the water.

Family Of Raccoons In Water At Anahuac

Then we came across a Sedge Wren.

Sedge Wren In Trees At Anahuac

Next up was a Loggerhead Shrike.  Leecy helped care for one of these birds when she was volunteering at the Wildlife Rehabilitation place she worked at during the summer.

Loggerhead Shrike At Anahuac

Then we came across a Rail.  I believe this is a King Rail.  These birds are pretty secretive, preferring to hide among the reeds.

King Rail At Anahuac

As we drove further along in the Refuge we saw a group of White Ibises.

White Ibis Walking At Anahuac

Later on we crossed paths with another Wren, this one being a House Wren I believe.

House Wren At Anahuac

This next bird is difficult for me to identify.  Hopefully a bird expert out there can confirm or deny.  If I’m not mistaken, this is a Savannah Sparrow.

Savannah Sparrow On Fence At Anahuac

When we got to the back of the Refuge, we saw this Willet feeding along the shoreline.

Willet In Water At Anahuac

Like I said, there were tons of birds, and an Alligator, and a few Butterflies, but taking great photos of them requires great skill and good light, and today I probably wasn’t at my best.  I still had a great time, loved using that 500mm lens, and spending time with Leecy (she was a good scout).  Oh, I almost forgot, the most common flying thing we encountered at Anahuac?  Mosquitoes.  Some of them appeared to be as large as birds!

Now I need to figure out other places to visit this week.  If you have any ideas, I would sure love to hear your suggestions!

Speaking of Butterflies, during the snow we recently had, Leecy and I went out and collected all the Monarch Caterpillars we could find so that they wouldn’t freeze to death.  It’s been a couple of weeks and those Caterpillars are now starting to hatch.  Just today we had 5 hatch.  I took them all outside and 3 of them did fly off after a short period of time, whereas 2 of them decided to just hang around because they weren’t quite ready.

I brought the two back inside since it is supposed to storm later today, so I can try and release them again tomorrow.  There will probably be some others that may hatch tomorrow and “supposedly” the sun will be out as well.

On this visit, I’m happy to report that I didn’t get a flat tire!

For the first time I actually filled up my entire 16gb compact flash (CF) card, and I didn’t bring a spare.  One of the reasons I filled up my CF card is I’m trying to change up my photography based on advice I’ve been given.  I used to take 1 picture, then move on to the next picture.  Now I’m trying to shoot multiple frames per second.  The good news is that I’m occasionally getting some shots that I surely would have missed, whereas the bad news that because I’m shooting both RAW + JPEG I’m really filling up my CF card.  I’m also trying to shoot without a tripod as I have no doubt missed many shots because of the time it would take me to set up my tripod.

Enough about the technical stuff.  Now for the fun stuff.  I saw a ton of birds this outing, much more than I saw during my last visit.  It also helped that I had some experienced bird photographers with me.  Weather-wise the trip was fine, not too cold, not too warm.  Lighting-wise it was horrendous.  It was a very cloudy day, all day, so I had to shoot with high ISO settings to compensate for the lack of decent light.

On the birding side of things it was a great day to see a wide variety of birds.  We saw 7 types of Raptors, male and female Vermilion Flycatchers (beautiful birds), White Ibis, White Pelicans, Brown Pelicans, Sparrows (see the Savannah in a future post), Grebes, Clapper Rails, Egrets, Yellowlegs, Herons, and Ducks.  Of course, just because I saw these birds mentioned above, doesn’t mean I managed to get some great pictures of all of them.

Oh before I forget, not only were there a wide variety of birds, but there were also bunch of cowboys herding their cattle through the Refuge.  I had no idea that they still did this but it sure was entertaining to watch!

I’ll post pictures from this outing today and throughout the week.  Would love to hear your feedback.

Brown Pelican Diving Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Brown Pelican’s were very rare, and were on the Endangered Species list until November 2009.  Their reason for decline was because of pesticides which would cause their egg shells to be very thin.  It’s pretty miraculous that these birds were estimated to only be around 10-15 individuals in Texas during the 1970′s, and now are doing pretty well.

For some reason, we were out taking pictures today, quietly minding our our business and eating lunch when these Cowboys come through and ask if we would mind getting back in our car because there were bringing some Cattle through who aren’t really used to people, at least to ones not on horses.

Cattle Herding Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

So were sitting in my car watching the Cattle go by and taking pictures, when all the sudden this one Cow goes trotting by and suddenly turns around and gives me the evil eye.  My brief thought was how am I going to explain to my insurance company that my car was damaged by a charging Cow?

Don't Look At Me

Fortunately (for me), the Cowboys starting whistling for the Cattle and this guy went and joined the herd.

Even though I’m born and raised in Texas, I don’t know the different kind of Cattle versus a hole in the ground, but something tells me this particular Cow has some messed up horns.

Crooked Horned Cattle Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Oh yea, there are also some birds at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, but I’ll save that for another post:-).

Anyway, if you are looking for an amazing variety of birds, you can’t go wrong visiting this place.

One of the first birds I saw were Roseate Spoonbills.

Roseate Spoonbills Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

There were also lots of little birds hidden in the grasses.  If I am not mistaken, this is a Sedge Wren (Can anyone confirm?).

Sedge Wren Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Here’s a closeup of the same bird.

Sedge Wren Closeup Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Flying overhead were lots of Snow Geese.

Flock Of Snow Geese Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

And here’s a closeup of these beautiful birds.

Flock Of Snow Geese Closeup Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Later I drove further into the Refuge and noticed this “duck-looking” bird hiding in the reeds.  After researching the bird, it turns out this bird is a King Rail Clapper Rail (thank you David for the correction).

Clapper Rail Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Here’s another shot of the same bird with a little more detail.

Clapper Rail Closeup Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

There were lots of white birds at the Refuge and it took me some time to recognize what each of the birds were.  One bird that I never photographed before was the White Ibis.  Here’s a picture of the Ibis cleaning its tail feathers.

White Ibis Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Another white bird was the Great Egret.

Great Egret Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

The Great Egret was quite a bit larger than the Snowy Egret pictured below.

Snowy Egret Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Last, but not least, I photographed this Greater Yellowlegs.

Greater Yellowlegs Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Same bird, but a little more detail in the feathers.

Greater Yellowlegs Closeup Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

Even though I posted quite a few pictures in this post, this was by no means representative of all different types of birds in this location.  There were also lots of Hawks, but unfortunately none of my pictures were good enough to post.  If you are looking to photograph birds, or even just to witness a huge variety of birds, I highly recommend going to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.  Just make sure your tires can handle rough terrain:-).

Oops, I found one more picture, but I’m not exactly sure what kind of bird this is.  I “think” it’s a Green Heron.  If that’s not correct, please send me an email or leave a comment.

Green Heron Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

This place is way out in the middle of nowhere.  Also, that 509 Washington Avenue that’s listed on many websites, that’s not actually the refuge, it’s just where the main building is.  That building is in the town of Anahuac, population around 2710.  So, yes, I got lost, as usual.  I can’t find my way out of a paper bag.

I then pull into a gas station and ask where the Wildlife Refuge is located.  The nice Indian man, who was eating a sandwich, said it was about 15 miles away.

Great!  So I start driving, following the rough directions the guy at the gas station gave me.

I pull up to this huge expanse of land, bayou, swamp, fields, etc.  There’s a building there, but it’s empty, like internally, there was nothing in it.  Then there’s a little shack and it says Welcome to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in faded marker.  I guess I’m in the right place.

The place is deserted, no cars, no people, just lots of land and water, and birds!  Oh yea, there were mosquitoes as big as birds too.  Thank goodness I had the DEET.

I’m taking all kinds of bird pictures, hawks, ducks, spoonbills, geese?, and other types of waterfowl.  It’s totally silent except for the birds.  I love places like this, seriously.

After a few hours I start to swing back towards the main entrance.  I step out of the car to scan for birds.  Uh oh!  My rear left tire is going flat, and fast.  “No, No, No, this can’t be happening!”  I’m out in the middle of nowhere.

I’m now starting to panic.  This is like my worst nightmare.  I could be waiting hours for anyone to find me.  I call Leecy who is at the vet with Coco.  I said I’ve got bad news.  I’ve got a flat.  I tell her I’m going to try and make it back to the main entrance and hang up.  Not that she could hear me that well anyway, since the reception was pretty shakey.

Twenty minutes later I’m back at the main entrance.  Time to start changing the tire.  Uh, I’ve never changed the tire in this car, so I pull out the owner’s manual.  I couldn’t find where the spare tire was supposed to be located.  No problem, I start lifting the seats looking for the spare.  It’s not there.  I look under the car.  The spare is not there either.

I see this plastic tab over the wheel well.  It’s looks like I might be able to pull that and something will happen.  “Success!”  I found the spare.  It’s about as big as a bike tire.

I change the tire.  It looks awful small.  It says on the outside not to drive over 50 miles an hour.  Oh boy, this is not gonna be good.  I’m not even sure it’s completely inflated, however, it’s not as flat as my main tire.

I take off, driving slowly.  A few cars think I’m an old person and pass me since I am driving so slow.  Then a construction guy steps out in the road and holds up a “STOP” sign.  I roll down my window and ask how far to the nearest gas station.  He tells me about 20 miles if I go the opposite way I am heading.

I decide just to keep going in the direction towards home.  I-10 is 20 miles away, hopefully there will be some “tire-type” place closer to the highway.

I’m now getting ready to turn on to I-10 and see a gas station.  I’ll head over there and try and put some air in my main tire to see if I can notice where it’s leaking, and also add a little to the spare.  Seventy-five cents for air?  Okay, I’ve got no choice.  Fortunately I have a tire gauge.  I check my spare tire.  30 psi.  It’s supposed to be 60 psi.  Good thing this gas station has air.  I start filling my spare tire with air.  My tire is getting lower.  Huh?  I check the tire pressure again.  It’s now 25 psi.  I push on the air pressure nozzle and it pushes out a spittoon’s worth of air.  The damn thing is broken!

I call Leecy again and tell her I’m getting on I-10 somewhere out in the middle of nowhere.  I get on the highway and start driving.  I’m barely pushing 55 mph because I’m terrified now.  Cars are just lapping me since I am driving so slow.  I find another gas station and pull off.  Only 50 cents for air this time.  I deposit 50 cents and push the air nozzle.  Nice and strong pressure.  I just may make it.  I fill up my spare to the recommended pressure, then decide to add air to my regular tire.  As I’m adding air, I hear the dreaded “psssssssssss.”  I roll the tire around and sure enough, there’s a piece of metal in my tire and the air is escaping as fast as I put it in.  So much for just a freak tire leak for an unknown reason.

I get back on to I-10 and start driving again.  I make it to Baytown, and notice a Honda dealership.  I pull into the service station and ask if they can patch my tire.  The service guy asks, how long I’ve got.  I reply I live 50 miles away and just want to get home.  He says they can only “plug” a tire, not “patch” it, and suggests I go to Discount Tire which is a couple miles away in the opposite direction.  Off I go towards Discount Tire.  After waiting in line for 15 minutes I tell the salesman I just need to have my tire patched so I can make it home.  He tells me they can do it, but it will take about 1.5 hours.  I said no problem, as long as you can fix it.

In the end, I got my tire patched and made it home.  I’m really not liking my car anymore!

On Thursday, Leecy and I will be going to Brazos Bend State Park.  I’m really looking forward to visiting this place.

Haven’t planned further than that yet.  If anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

The weather looks really nice at least until Sunday.

I’m off to bed.  I think I’ve got everything packed.

• Camera – Check
• Flash – Check
• Camouflage Shirt – Check
• Rubber Boots – Check
• Fresh Batteries for Flash – Check
• Mosquito Repellent – Check
• Some Bottled Water – Check
• Sunglasses – Check
• Bird Identification Books – Check
• Dirty Underwear – Check, Check:-)

I plan on arriving right at sunrise, so just before 7am.

I just had an interesting thought.  Since I do have my iPhone and a WordPress Application, I could perhaps send updates while out in the field.  Might be fun and new.  Hopefully somebody will check for the latest news story.  If I message something like found a gigantic alligator 1 foot in front me and I never finish the sentence, you can just imagine what may have happened.

Wish me luck!