Gambusia Trail

A couple weeks ago I took a ride up to Sabine Pass to see what was going on in them there parts. I figured I would explore along Highway 87, stop off at Sabine Woods where a long-eared owl had been spotted, and then finish off with a trip to Sea Rim State Park.

As I was travelling down Highway 87 I spotted several red-tailed hawks flying over a field so I decided to pull over to the shoulder and watch for a while. There was a tree near the side of the road that was full of red-winged blackbirds, and ever so often they would drop to the ground below the tree to feed. One of the red-tails eventually landed in top of a tree that was about 50-60 yards away and began to watch the red-wings with intent. Even though their main prey is rodents, they’ve been known to “stoop” falconlike and attack other birds. (1) I sat there for about 30 minutes hoping that the hawk would eventually bust into the cluster of blackbirds on the ground, but it didn't so I moved on. Also in the area was a juvenile Northern harrier, (aka marsh hawk) which is a winter resident here, and was gliding low over the field. Bent gives a good description of its flight- “a lazy, loafing, desultory flight it seems, but really it is full of purpose, as it quarters low over the ground in a systemic search for its prey.” If you zoom in you’ll notice the “facial disk” on its“owl-like” head.

Impaled on the top row of wire of a barbed wire fence that borders this field was a lubber-type of grasshopper.

No doubt this was the work of a loggerhead shrike*. These insects are toxic to most birds, except for the shrike as I noted here. I went further down the fence and discovered another skewered item, this time a small frog. Not sure of its identity, because of its desiccated condition. Its posture had a gruesome appearance giving the image of an agonizing death.

Still further down was one more victim, either a large cricket or grasshopper that with a large ovipositor.

As I approached Sabine Woods I decided to venture on to Sea Rim and hit this spot on the way back. As I drove along the highway it was obvious how the drought and the brutish heat that we have suffered from this year had hit the marsh areas hard. All of these regions that normally are loaded with ducks of all types were bone dry and barren. I can't remember the last time I saw this environment in such a sad state. Once I arrived at Sea Rim State Park I noticed that the marsh areas surrounding the Gambusia Nature Trail there had suffered the same fate as the other marsh areas.

Named after the gambusia or mosquito fish, the Gambusia Nature Trail has a long boardwalk that negotiates this area allowing one to walk through the marsh to explore.

Normally this area would be flooded and teaming with life- alligators, mink, nutria, raccoons, opossum, skunks, river otters and muskrat are just some of the animals that make this area home. Not to mention the many ducks, shorebirds, marsh birds, crabs, fish, reptiles and amphibians that live here. Coyotes and bobcats* are also found in this area, so to see this is such a state is literally devastating.

I entered the park, paid my entry fee ($3.00) at the self-pay station and found a parking spot. I no sooner exited my truck when a park ranger pulled up behind me. He was just checking to make sure I had purchased an entry permit. We talked for several minutes about the dry conditions and then he let me go telling me to enjoy, that is, what there was left to enjoy. Well in my mind, even though the area was not in a “normal state”, not once did I think that there was nothing there at all to see.

On the contrary, I was thinking about how I now had access to roam in areas where normally there would be water. As I stepped upon the boardwalk I was presented right off the bat with a surprise- a pellet.

Not sure what bird coughed this jewel up, but is was a nice one. All of the items in this particular pellet (fur, bones), is what the gizzard in the bird was unable to break down. Pellets come from a number of different birds- herons, owls, hawks, terns, gulls, crows, grebes, flycatchers, shrikes, eagles, swallows to name a few. I think though it’s either from a hawk or an owl. I’m leaning more towards an owl, because it resembles the many owl pellets I have found below known owl roosts. From photos I’ve compared it to (3), it appears to possibly be a pellet from a barn owl, which are found in this area. It was 11/16" in width and 1 1/2" in length, which falls in the range of reported measurements by Elbroch, et al (3). What puzzles me though is the fact that there’s no perch. Most times pellets are associated with a bird’s nesting or roosting area and there’s no tree nearby and the walkway has no railing so did the bird land on the walkway itself and expel the pellet? Was it flying over when it expelled it and it happened to land here? I have seen gulls and kingfishers regurgitating pellets “on the wing” so I guess it’s possible for an owl. According to Elbroch, et al. (3) the stomach acid in owls is much weaker than that found in hawks. What this means is that when dissected if I find mostly whole bones, then the pellet is probably from an owl, whereas if it was from a hawk all that would be left of the bones would be fragments due to them being broken down by the stronger stomach acid. I picked it up and place it inside a Ziploc bag so that later my grand-daughter and I could dismantle it and check the condition of the bones within. I will report later on what we found.

I glassed the area ahead of me to see if anything was on the move. All that crossed my view was a small flock of sparrows and another northern harrier flying low over the marsh. The stiff winds coming off of the gulf aided at keeping the mosquitoes at bay, which was a blessing, because normally they would be viscious.

On the ground all along the edges of the boardwalk were the holes of fiddler crabs, which even though there is no water present are still active. The only live ones that I saw were just inside the quarter-sized entry hole and would immediately disappear into their tunnels upon seeing me. I jumped off of the boardwalk and began walking where once was not possible.

Scattered everywhere were the sun-bleached shells, claws, etc. of blue crabs that had once thrived here.

There were so many it gave the appearance of a bone yard. Some were still whole and intact, while other had been ravaged by predators that took advantage during this drought to feast on the stranded, exposed crabs. Seems I was not the only one that was taking advantage the dryness that surrounded me. I collected some of the more pristine ones to use as yet another educational tool for my grand-daughter.

As I walked I discovered a trail of tracks left by one of the local coyotes. I followed the trail which eventually led to one of the many areas of clustered reed that is found here. It would not surprise me at all if these canines, along with bobcats and other mammals were taking advantage of these spots for prey and to use as a hideaway for resting. Because when you think about it now that there is no water I’m sure that all makes a models of rodents that inhabit the surrounding fields are also trekking through here attracted to these reed beds, which in turn attracts predators.

I found one track that was large measuring about 3 ½ inches in length (from tip of claws to edge of rear pad) and about 2 ½ inches in width. Quite impressive.

I began to notice that the day was coming to a close and wished I had gotten here earlier so that I could explore even further. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be able to return and take up where this post leaves off.

*(see my posts about bobcats in this area here, here, here, and here.)

*(see my other posts about the loggerhead shrike here, and here.)


References:


(1) Terres, John K. 1991. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New Jersey.: Wing Books.

(2) Wheeler, Brian K. & Clark, William S. 2003. A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors. New Jersey. Princeton University Press.

(3) Elbroch, Mark with Marks, Eleanor 2001. Bird Tracks & Sign. Pennsylvania.: Stackpole Books.

JS112011

Beach Notebook

The following is a notebook I kept during a family week at the beach this past July.

“There are two ways to beachcomb, and both appeal to me. One is to scan the horizon, gazing over the breakers or down the misty shore until indistinct shapes reveal themselves for what they are. The other is to stroll head down, searching for treasures buried in the sun-bleached sand. I never know which impulse- to scan or to search- will sway me until I wander down to the edge of the sea.”

Richard Bode- from his book “Beachcombing at Miramar”



Crystal Beach, TX Bolivar Peninsula

July 20, 2011 Wednesday

We’ve been here for several days now and the first two days were pretty much consumed by rain. That’s about right. We’ve been going through a drought for the past two months and the week we decide to spend at the beach is when it decided to end. Oh well, the forecast for the rest of the week looks pretty good with a small chance of showers only occurring in the afternoon. I was able to take a ride out onto the beach to check out the surf and it wasn’t like what I had hoped. If you’ve read some of my past “beach” posts you’ll know how I love searching for shark’s teeth. I’ll spend an entire afternoon scouring the shelled areas of the surf looking for these treasures. Over the years I have found several hundred teeth from many different types of sharks. People walk past me wondering what it is I’m looking for, most just pass me by, but some ask what it is I seek. When I explain to them I’m looking for shark’s teeth, some, but not all, look glumly and reply “You do know you can buy shark’s teeth all day long at the local souvenir shops”. I usually give them an awkward gaze and respond “yes sure I do, but where’s the fun in that?” As they walk off with a puzzled look on their face I think how taking the time to find these on your own gives it a different, special meaning. A meaning that makes one feel as if this tiny piece of life was placed there by the surging waves just for me to find. I guess some folks are just plain lazy and don’t know how to have fun.


Later in the afternoon my grand-daughter and I did a little beachcombing. As we were working along the “swash” zone- the area where the waves sweep onto shore, we spotted some coquina clams (Donax variabilis) that had gotten washed ashore. I called her over and told her to watch them closely. Seconds later they began digging their way into the wet sand until they disappeared. She was so excited to see this so I showed her how to find them. I pointed out the tiny holes in the sand and told her to dig there. Sure enough she found one. We began digging until she had a bunch in the bottom of her little blue bucket.

We then walked over to the swash area and began poking them into the sand one by one and then waited patiently until they all began to dig in. She had so much fun, and at the same time learned something new.

July 21, 2011 Thursday

7:30 a.m.- went out on the beach to check the tide- conditions still unfavorable for finding shark’s teeth. The reason these “shelled” areas I spoke of are so significant is that these tiny shards act as “catchers” that grab the teeth as they’re washed ashore. I’ll have to check the local tide tables to see when the next low tide is which would make things much better.

I did come across the sign of a ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata), aka sand crab. It digs a small ½ ” hole in the sand that leads to a deep burrow that ends at a chamber where they remain during the hottest part of the day. They also use these chambers during the winter months. They walk on the tips of their legs which allows them to travel rapidly across the sand. It gets its oxygen from the air through gills which must stay moist with sea water in order to work properly. I watched for quite some time before it came to the surface and revealed itself. Its markings, which it can change at will, blend so well with the surf they’re easily overlooked. Note the tiny claw marks in the sand.


July 22, 2011 Friday

8:00 a.m.- went back out on the beach to find the same lousy surf conditions. Did pick up lots of colorful trash though.

3:00 p.m.- beach combed for an hour……nada, except for a few pieces of sea glass and a small fragment of fossilized bone.

Also found a few more speckled crab (Arenaeus cribrarius) carapaces bringing the grand total to (11). These young crabs were probably washed ashore and then dismantled and eaten by shorebirds.


I also came across a (now extinct) pull ring tab from an early beer can. These tabs were introduced in the early 1960’s and went on to become an “environmental nightmare”. People would pull them off the can and toss them to the ground. These things were found everywhere. Wildlife began consuming them and dying until 1975 when the “stay-on-tab”, which is still used today, was developed.


July 23, 2011 Saturday

11:30 a.m.- after close to a whole week of combing the beach it appears that this trip will end up being a dud as far as finding shark’s teeth goes. I was fortunate though to find a sea bean in a mass of seaweed that was washed ashore.

All in all the surf has been unusually uncooperative which is strange indeed. In the past I have never encountered a time when there wasn’t at least a couple days of surf swathed in shells that had trapped the treasures that I seek. On average I leave with at least 20-30 teeth in my pocket and a pound or so of sea glass. Not so this time, but I do leave with something more important. Memories of time spent with my family, especially my grand-daughter.
JS072011

Notes From a Day In Sabine Pass, TX

As I walked along the rustic boardwalk that snakes through the large stand of willows near Sea Rim State Park I realize at one moment I'm standing in the midst of hyacinth glider dragonflies feeding on a cloud of tiny gnats. They appear unwavered by my presence as they hover within inches of my face feeding ravenously on their prey. I stand motionless observing as their cellophane wings flick in the silence that surrounds me. Suddenly from above a large common green darner drops into the mix, much in the same fashion as a sharp-shinned hawk would dive into a flock of birds, snatching one of the hyacinths. I follow it until it comes to rest on a thin willow branch where it begins to meticulously take apart its prey bit by bit beginning head first. It consumes until their is nothing left but the silky wings that moments before were gliding on the wind. Continuing on the boardwalk I come upon pile after pile of fur-laden bobcat scat. I'm sure it is from the one I photograhed here back in 2005 (see my Dec. 10, 2005 blog entry) and it's nice knowing it still hangs out here. Trails jut out into the marsh from different areas off of the boardwalk denoting where it travels. I sat on one of the wooden benches provided here and blew on a predator call to see if I might pull it into view. I continued this on and off for about 30-45 minutes hoping it would show itself, but unfortunately it didn't. There is a good possibility though it had creeped up silently and was observing me without my knowledge. They can be quite elusive and blend in well with their surroundings.


Along Highway 87 I spot (by pure luck) a large banded sphinx caterpillar that is attempting a suicidal trip across the asphalt. It is the same length and as thick as my index finger. Very smooth in appearance and not "wooly" like the many woolybears I usually sees crossing this swath of highway. After photographing it I set it in the high grass along the highway's edge.
Not far from the caterpillar I find something else interesting on the road's edge- a blue crab. How the heck did it get here? All around I look for a source of water and is none to be found, and the beach is about a mile or so from the road. I reach down and tap it to find it is plenty alive as it rears its claws skyward. The only thing I can figure is that a heron or egret captured it somewhere else and dropped it while flying overhead. Rather than allow it to dry up and die I drive about a mile down the road where I found a shallow ditch filled with water and plunk it in helping it to live one more day.