A 15 mile route took us 3 hours!
We stopped at viewing areas along the way and read every informational sign on the route. Mostly we stopped to look at the birds. We watched an Osprey eating a fish that was a foot long! The fish tail flapped each time the osprey took a bite out of it. Finally -the fish stopped moving.
This solitary tree was in the right
place for this bird to have a rest.
We stopped at the Visitor's Center and three Green Jays just flew in, for have an afternoon snack. Up close their colors are striking! We've seen several Green Jays since coming down here and each time, each one, is just as beautiful as the last one we saw.
These tracks are quite deep. Wish I could've seen the Nilgai that made them! A nilgai is a native antelope of India. They were introduced to South Texas in the early 1930's on the King Ranch. Exotic hunting being the sole purpose of bringing them to the state. One day, on our excursions, I hope to see one!
Thorn forests, cacti, flowers, various palm trees, and scrub of all varieties dominant the area we drove through today. I love this cactus **it has red balls on it, like little apples.
The yellow flowers growing near it were blended in as if it was a bouquet waiting for someone to think it was a Kodak moment!
Along our drive this Roadrunner stopped just long enough to strike a pose for me. He ran quickly along the brush catching bugs in the air. This is only the second time I've seen a roadrunner, in the wild.
Entering the Laguna Madre drive, the first thing you notice are the speed bumps. Not your regular speed bump. These are bumps that are narrow, about 5" high, and pointy. You really need to slow almost to a stop to go over them.
We wondered why they were there. Talking to a volunteer we learned they were there to slow people down. And? The reason being, there are ocelots in the thorny forests. There have been incidents, where ocelots have been hit.
The speed bumps are hopefully slowing people ,so no more ocelots are killed.
There are not many left in the country, about one hundred or less, with approximately 30 in this area.
There were two signs cautioning people of ocelot crossings. Believe me, I had my eyes everywhere hoping we would spot one. No luck on our drive.
We left the area about 4:45, it was getting dark early because of the dreary day it was. As we drove out I looked to my left and there crossing the road, very close to the Visitor's Center was an ocelot! We slowly drove closer as the ocelot ran across the road, paced a few times along the fence and ran into the thick brush.
Camera? Yup, not ready! Maybe next time.
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