Aquarena Center

August 15, 2010

2010-08-16T19:29:00.001-05:00

A couple humming birds were collecting honey from the Firebush. They were flying back to the tree beside the small hexagonal structure in front of the Swiss Sky Ride. I assumed that their nest was somewhere in that tree, but I could not locate it.

Leaves of young Sago Palms are growing taller. As the young leaves grow, the color of some older leaves started to brown. The third seed peeked from the feather-like flower of the Sago Palm.

Many Bumble bees, which have brown bands on the abdomen and thorax areas were busily collecting honey from the Esperanza. A couple Bumble bees had yellow pollen balls on their legs. One of them tried to take off that pollen ball from its leg before it got into the flower of the Esperanza. It looked like the pollen stuck on its leg. The bee gave up, and got into the flower to collect more honey. I had not seen that many Bumble bees at once, so this morning was like a special Bumble bee day. The Sotol, which grew next to the Esperanza under the Century Plant, started developing brown leaves.

A big, pale, lime colored Turks Cap that I saw yesterday morning turned to a rosey orange color in one day. The petals were still closed, but it was ready to bloom at any time.

August 14, 2010

2010-08-15T04:32:00.002-05:00

At the feeding place this morning, a Black-Bellied-whistling duck, three American Coots, several Green Herons, and a Gadwall were present. After the Black-Bellied-whistling duck finished its breakfast, the bird waded into a deeper area. The bird started scooping up and splashing the water as if taking a bath, grooming itself carefully, and then flew away toward the river.

Seven divers drove into Spring Lake with air tanks. I saw twice as many air tanks lined up in the diver preparation area next to the Landing, and I thought that they were aiming to dive deep this morning.

On the lawn in front of the diving facility, I saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron facing two juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons. I thought that one of juveniles was the offspring of the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. They stood still for a while. Then, the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron turned around and walked to the barrier to hunt. I thought that she was hungry. The other two juvenile herons were hungry, too. One of the young herons hurried to the barrier to start hunting, and the other followed. Immediately, the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron spread her wings and shooed both juvenile herons away. After repeatedly refusing to hunt crayfish together on the barrier, the two young, juvenile herons flew away together toward the river.

The excavation site beside the Aquarena Center Office was enclosed by mesh wire fence, but the excavation members were not present this morning. The digging site was covered by a tarp, and a large wooden plate was on top of it.

Yesterday afternoon, I stopped by the Aquarena Center for a short time to see the progress of the excavation by the members of the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University. At that time, a staff member who was working in the four-foot wide square site had found a tiny black object in the soil that he had just dug up, and picked it up with the tip of an archaeology trowel. He said that it was charcoal. The measurement of its depth was nearly 60 centimeters. During another dig, he had come across a piece of chert. Other staff members who were shifting the soil with large shifters found small, round snails. The number of snails found today was more than yesterday, and that’s a indicator of the weather patterns during that time period.

Beyond 60 centimeters depth, the some soil appeared to be a lighter color than some rocks found from the upper soil. I thought that the lighter color material was clay. He corrected me; it was clay loam, and indicates that there was a flood during that period that brought in some materials from other areas. From studying artifacts and soil conditions, members of the Center for Archaeological Studies are exploring Spring Lake’s past by using their knowledge, experiences, imaginations, and passion. This excavation is an incredibly exciting project!

August 13, 2010

2010-08-15T04:02:00.002-05:00

Near the right side of the boardwalk entrance, Mr. Wallendorf and Mr. Heard were busy repairing the Aqua Harvester. Bringing heavy tools on board was not easy, as the Aqua Harvester is quite narrow. They were fixing the loosened conveyer belt. I saw the cleaning kit on board. Mr. Wallendorf said that they would clean that big machine after they finish repairing it.

Two students and Mrs. Leezer were continuing the excavation beside the Aquarena Center Office, near the Aquarium. I saw several rows of rocks on the soil and a student digging with his archaeology trowel. I thought that they were fossils of animals, but the student told me that they were just pieces of limestone. He was measuring as he dug. It was 50 centimeters deep. The color of the soil seemed almost the same, but the student showed me a piece of clay and said that it showed that the area was once flooded. It was interesting to know that the soil can be used to record natural events.

Today is graduation day. Aquarena Springs Drive was busy from the commencement at Strahan Coliseum. I saw Dr. Thomas Clark carrying his gown in his arm as he walked toward the Coliseum. At the stop sign that divides CM Allen Parkway and Sessoms, several students were wearing gowns and waiting to cross the street. Their faces were brightened with excitement and happiness! It was a wonderful scene. Congratulations to all of the graduates!

August 12, 2010

2010-08-12T18:34:00.001-05:00

When I got to Aquarena Center, the wetlands and the Spring Lake were covered by mist. It was a mystical sight. From the mist, I heard rhythmical motor sounds. I saw the Aqua Harvester working on the lake, and in the background of the Aqua Harvester, the hill was blackish or smeared by the mist. It was a three dimensional moment.

Mr. Heard and another diver were about to dive at the kayak dock. They were heading to clear the Algae, which grows on the bottom of the lake with a red and white blade-like tool which is called a “machete.” After the Algae was cut loose from the lake bottom and floated up to the surface, Mr. Wallendorf scooped up the Algae with the Aqua Harvester. The Aqua Harvester even went the mouth of the river to pick up the floating Algae.

After Mr. Wallendorf scooped up Algae from the lake, he docked the Aqua Harvester at the Aqua Harvester dock, which is located on the right side of the boardwalk entrance. I was curious how he unloads all the collected Algae from the Aqua Harvester, so I stood beside the dock to watch. The Aqua Harvester dock is very narrow, but he skillfully docked that huge machine easily. He pointed to the bank beside the machine and said that there was a snake called the Water Moccasin; he added that it was not the poisonous type. His sharp eyes did not miss anything on his way.

Mr. Wallendorf parked the Aqua Harvester in the head-in position, and attached the conveyer belt of the Aqua Harvester with the long conveyer belt which stayed at the dock permanently. Then, he drove the truck under the land conveyer belt to catch the unloading Algae.

He shifted and reversing the movement of the Aqua Harvester conveyer belt toward the land conveyer belt. It was fun to watch piling of Algae traveling the both conveyer belts, and at the end of the land conveyer, Algae dropping onto the waiting truck. Mr. Wallendorf said that Rick, the landscaper, would add these collected Algae to the compost for nourishing the trees, flowers, and grasses on the university grounds, and he drove away the truck to the processing facility. Estimated annual Algae that collected by the Aqua Harvester were about 400 tons. It is wonderful to see that everything is recycled.

A juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was on the concrete path and following a squirrel toward a small hexagonal structure in front of the Swiss Sky Ride. The squirrel was acting up, and climbing trees and running around busily. It was cute to watch that the squirrel and the young bird staying nearby each other beside the small hexagonal structure for a while.

Three students from the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University, led by Mrs. Leezer, were resuming the excavation beside of the Aquarena Center Office near the Aquarium. There was thunder storm in the early evening yesterday. The air was a little cooler, and the soil had been softened by the rain this morning.

August 11, 2010

2010-08-12T18:27:00.001-05:00

Mr. Wallendorf was operating the Aqua Harvester for clearing the Algae from the lake in the early morning. When I got to Aquarena, he had already cleared the back of the Landing and driving the Aqua Harvester toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock. The Aqua Harvester shoveled up the floating Algae, dumping collected Algae on the conveyer belt, and the conveyer belt moved smoothly upward to transport chunks of Algae to the container which was located in the main body of the Aqua Harvester, under the driver seat. Mr. Wallendorf was watching carefully around the location of the Algae, and he cleared plenty of fast growing Algae around the lake.

The team of the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University, led by Mrs. Carole Leezer were excavating beside Aquarena Center Office near the Aquarium. About four square feet was marked with an orange tape and the working area was enclosed with a meshed wire. Mrs. Carole Leezer said that it would be the tool-making site.

First, two students removed grasses which covered the surface of that area with shovels, and they shifted with the big and examined every thing left in the shifter carefully. Even the roots of grasses were cleared before discarding the grasses from the shifter. Then, using the archaeology trowels, the scraped a layer of the soil carefully, collecting that scraped soil with the dust pan, and brought to the shifter for careful examination.

They collected some artifacts including a couple tiny, round snails, small flints, and a coin during the excavation of the first level, 1-10 centimeters, the Unit I, Level I, 1-10 CMBS. Interestingly, one student told me that the archaeology uses the metric system of centimeter instead of the inch. Mrs. Leezer said that they will dig deep at this excavation site. Exciting!

It is hard work, but the corner of Aquarena was filled with the excitement for searching and acquiring the evidence of the past history of the Spring Lake this morning.

August 10, 2010

2010-08-10T23:34:00.002-05:00

On the way to the Aquarena Center this morning, I saw a familiar bird on the right side of CM Allen Parkway just before the stop sign that divides Aquarena Springs Drive and Sessom. The right side of that road is the park along the San Marcos River, Sewell Park. A juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was standing on the lawn near the side of the road. I used to see the young heron around the tranquil atmosphere at the wetlands or Spring Lake, but not next to heavy traffic. I thought that it was strange to see it there. There were no cars behind me, so I drove very slow to check out the bird. It was the juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, and it had stretched its neck out fully and was standing there as if observing the cars that were passing by.

At Aquarena Center, the young leaves of the Sago Palm were shooting up and seemed very tall. Though the edge is still curled a little, each section of the leaf unfolded quite nicely. I saw three bright green lizards (green Anoles) on the leaves under the morning sun. Maybe that was the reason why the Red-Shouldered Hawk is sometimes perched on the electric lines over the Sago Palms.

I heard crunching sounds while I was walking toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock. Amongst the chirping of birds, I could hear dry, monotone, and partly rhythmical sounds. I took several steps back to see where that sounds came from. A squirrel was sitting on the branch of the Bald Cypress tree, holding brown, small round nuts, and cracking the shell. uldered Hawk perched on the electric lines over the Sago Palms sometimes.

I heard crunchy sounds when walking toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock. Among the chirping voices of birds, those dry, monotone, and partly rhythmical sounds were attracting. I took several steps back to see where that sounds came from. A squirrel was sitting on the branch of the Bald Cypress tree, holding brown, small, round nuts, and cracking the shell.

August 9, 2010

2010-08-09T15:28:00.001-05:00

Even though I knew that the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron had abandoned the hunting place at the boardwalk entrance, I have a habit of looking for her first thing in the morning at Aquarena. I stood on the boardwalk and looked at the Algae. A Nutria was grooming itself on the floating dead tree trunk.

The morning procession of three American Coots was on the way. Three black birds with white beaks in the golden wheat Algae-covered wetlands was a picturesque sight. One of them could not wait to reach the feeding place. The bird spread its wings and beat the water. Then, it flew up slightly with its feet still half-submerged under the water, and beat the water with its wings, making white splash marks and lots of noise. They were cool sounds that traveled all the way to the feeding place. The bird started hunting before two other birds reached that area.

Walking toward the boardwalk exit, I was glad to see the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron in the shallow water under the Cottonwood tree, near the Cattail bush. She was picking the fish. It was the first time to see the mother bird doing so. I thought that she had no luck in catching the crayfish in this morning, and she was hungry.

Along the lake, from the Landing to the headwaters, in front of the Texas Rivers Center, there were plenty of cones and nuts. The Bald Cypress trees are loaded with small round cones, which have kept their green color for the past few months, but some of them started changing to brown. The Mexican Plum tree, which grew in front of the Landing, produced many pale green fruits. The size of the fruit is almost the same as the cones of the Bald Cypress. The Mexican Plum tree is growing between the two Bald Cypress trees, but its fruits were not very noticeable since they have the same size and color as the Bald Cypress cones. However, some of them started to develop a pale, rosy color. The Pecan nuts at Pecan Grove in front of the headwaters are started to change color, too. The trees at Aquarena Center are displaying the approaching new season, even though the summer temperature is staying the same (hot!)

August 8, 2010

2010-08-08T12:50:00.001-05:00

I was glad to see the morning procession of three American Coots, as usual. There were some movements by these American Coots, several Green Herons and Nutrias in the wetlands. When I was watching their procession from the boardwalk, a small patch of golden brown Algae started moving slowly along the boardwalk. It was cute to see that a head of the turtle came up from the edge of the Algae, and the turtle submerged to deeper water leaving the patch of Algae behind.

Two Hummingbirds and a bee were busy collecting the honey from the Firebush. It seemed that the Hummingbirds prefer the honey of the Firebush. Maybe its honey is sweeter than other flowers.

With surprising speed, the young Sago Palm leaves were growing. They looked like lumps yesterday morning, but this morning, each lump became about two dozen young leaves, and each of them was spreading out its neatly folded tiny leaf. A small, bright green lizard was resting nearby the young leaves under the morning sun. It was a beautiful scene.

A bagworm was struggling to hide under the leaves on the middle of the concrete path not far from the Sago Palm. I thought that the bird knocked down the worm and some leaves on the path. It was about 1 ½ inches long, a pale brownish/greenish color, with long hairs. It’s sad to see that most of the tree leaves covered by the webs have turned brown and dried.

August 7, 2010

2010-08-08T12:48:00.001-05:00

I was happy to see the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron standing on the floating dead tree this morning. But, she flew to the edge of the Aqua Harvester to look around for a short time and flew away toward the river.

I was puzzled by her behavior, and I looked at the floating dead tree trunk which the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron just left. I realized that the Algae already covered around her favorite hunting spot, the floating dead tree trunk, though another floating dead tree trunk nearby was still showing some water surface around it. I thought that the situation of growing Algae was disturbing the hunting, and she had to abandon her territory.

The hunting territory of the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron is under the trees, and the area is shady all the time. And, the color of Algae in that area is still greenish/light brownish compared to the golden wheat color of the Algae, which stays under the sun.

It was interesting to see that the Sago Palms show exciting changes. Two round seeds started peeking from the side of feather-like, hemisphere shaped Sago flower. Also, I was surprised to see that lump of pale green leaves shooting up from the base of the cones, and these strong young leaves pushed aside the blackened cones. That strength of young power reminded me of the bamboo shoots. Several bright green lizards were enjoying the morning sun on the dark green Sago leaves and that lighter green was enhancing the Sago Palms.

Canna Lilies along the railing in front of the submarine produced several more scarlet, velvet like buds, but most of flowers turned to dark brown and dried. It has been flowering and beautifying the area all summer.

August 6, 2010

2010-08-08T12:45:00.002-05:00

I was anxious to see the birds, and passed the covered boardwalk entrance quickly this morning. The territory of the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron at the boardwalk entrance was vacant this morning, again. I wondered where she went.

A Black-Bellied-Whistling Duck was hunting at the feeding place. The wings of the Black-Bellied-Whistling Duck have long white lines, and white feathers are visible from its characteristic trembling motion of its wings during standing, one of the outstanding features to identify this bird. The flock of the Black-Bellied-Whistling Duck preferred to feed themselves somewhere else this summer, but I am glad to see that one of them still stops by here time to time for hunting.

When I walked to the middle of the boardwalk, I saw a black and white spotted spider make a web from the left to right side of the railings, and the spider was comfortably settled in the middle of its big web. I did not want to disturb her, so I turned back and walked toward the boardwalk exit to get on the boardwalk. I saw one tree at the other side of the wetlands affected by bagworms.

While walking on the path along the Pecan Grove, I saw a greenish Pecan on the concrete path. The oblong husk had four sections, and each section was divided by a tucked-up edge that goes to both pointed ends. I put it in my palm. I could feel the weight of Pecan. I looked up at the trees. I saw some Pecan nuts had turned to greenish/light brown. Time flies too quickly; another Pecan season would be not far away. I was sad to see that a couple Pecan trees were also affected by the bagworms.

August 1

2010-08-02T16:50:00.002-05:00

I was glad to see the Great Egret in the Wetlands. I had not seen her for a while. She was hunting with a Snowy Egret for a while, but two of them disappeared toward the river.

When I was walking toward the boardwalk exit, I saw a couple leaves from a Cattail swaying violently at the edge of right side of the boardwalk. I stopped. I heard crunching sounds indicating an animal was eating the Cattail. I peeked under the boardwalk and saw the nose of Nutria busy with its breakfast, but rest of its body was hidden under the bridge.

I was glad to see the Chinese Domestic Geese family on the lawn near the biological research site. The mother goose was sleeping, but two other geese were busy picking the grasses.

A small, light brown lizard was on the outdoor post lights behind the female Sago Palm. It was so cute on the old fashioned post light. The post lights show chipped paint from old age, and five round, white frosted glass shades. Four white frosted glass shades surround the top shade like branches. The design shows the elegance of the 1900’s. These post lights are along the concrete path from the headwaters to the Landing.

The light posts with the lizard are sandwiched by a thick Firebush. I tried to take a photo of the lizard and the post lights. When I was ready for the shutter, the lizard moved to the other side of the post. I walked around the Sago Palm and the Firebush ready for the shutter, and the lizard quickly moved to the other side. It was like playing a peek-a-pooh. The playful lizard made me walk around the two plants for a couple times, but I found that there were three different colored lizards on the Sago Palm: bright green, faded green, and Anoles with light brown. I thought that the Sago Palm and Firebush are safe living places for the lizards.

July 30th

2010-08-02T16:41:00.003-05:00

I was anxious to see the Chinese Domestic Geese family and went straight toward the Landing. I was so relieved to see the mother goose sitting under the Bald Cypress tree while her young and the father goose were picking the grasses near her. When I approached her, the young goose and father came beside her as if they were protecting her, stretched their necks toward her and softly quacked. The mother goose also stretched her neck toward them. I was glad that she was all right and that she could swim here with her family this morning.

I saw two Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons fly over the lawn in front of the diving facility. I thought that they were the juvenile herons. As soon as the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that was hunting in the middle of the barrier, saw the two, she flew up and followed them toward the river.

A Blue-Throated Hummingbird and a butterfly with black wings and white dots along the sides were busy collecting honey from the Firebush. The hummingbird was zooming from flower to flower, but the butterfly perched on each tubular flower, thoroughly collecting the honey. The contrast of its black wings with white dots with the red/orange flowers was attractive.

I saw footprints coming out from under the bridge at the boardwalk exit. From the shape of the footprints, I knew they were from Nutria. The footprints were molded with mud indicating that the animal was doing something in the mud last night.

At the diving preparation site besides the Landing, the divers started setting up a tent, and bringing their diving gear around the green picnic tables. The parents of a diver were strolling around the lake waiting to see their son dive during his lesson.

A lady instructor started her diving lesson on the lawn in front of the diving facility. Five teenage divers-to-be were lining up excitedly with their equipment and following the instructor on how to use the equipments.

At the outdoor wooden corridor at the Landing, a pair of certified divers was examining their oxygen tanks. They were aiming to dive at the deepest site in the lake.

July 30

2010-07-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

On the way to the boardwalk entrance, I saw part of the lawn in front of Dr. Rose’s shed was disturbed. I thought that the excavation was done at that site by the Center for Archaeological Studies yesterday. I did not see any members working in the Aquarena Center area this morning.

When I went through the covered entrance, the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron just caught a big crayfish. The bird held the struggling crayfish between its beak and hurried up the bank. The bird stood at the site where the tub the Sammy, the sick Snapping Turtle was once placed, and turned around and adjusted the crayfish many times then gobbled it up.

The three American Coots were on the way to the feeding place. One of them started beating the water with its wings. Then, the bird started flying on the water surface beating and splashing the water around with its feet still half emerged under the water. The bird landed in the middle of the feeding place and started hunting as if it was very hungry. The other two birds calmly swam near the Great Blue Heron, several Green Herons, and three Snowy Egrets.

A short time later, all birds left for the river except one American Coot and several Green Herons.

When I was standing on the boardwalk, I remembered how busy the feeding place was last year, compared to the quiet wetlands this year. Last year they were filled with excitement with many busy migratory birds and resident birds all summer long. The behaviors of many Tricolored Herons stirred up the wetlands and a pair of the Egyptian Geese enhanced the lawn in front of the diving facility. There were rare visitors; a Roseate Spoonbill and a Glossy Ibis had a short stay at the wetlands and hunted in the feeding place with other birds. An Osprey showed gorgeous flight over the wetlands one day.

It is interesting to see and I feel lucky to see the changing of the wetlands, the behavior of the nature.

July 29

2010-07-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

Five Snowy Egrets were flying low, near the surface of the water and appeared from the edge of the woods beside the river. It was beautiful to watch. As soon as they landed beside the Great Blue Egret, they started hunting hungrily. After hunting for a while, they flew away back towards the river again. The regular resident American Coots was reduced to one in the feeding place. I saw three of them, but then two disappeared. I was glad to see a Black-Bellied-Whistling duck hunting nearby stay with the lone American Coot.

The Algae has not gone a way, without any sign of disappearing as I wished. And also, the leaves of the Yellow-Pond Lilies are growing quickly and covering the feeding place. The aquatic birds need better feeding place. Sadly, the wetlands are having a quiet midsummer this year.

Most of the aquatic birds left towards the river this morning, but there were plenty of Black Phoebes around the boardwalk. The characteristic shape of the head, a small rise on its top, creates a little imbalance to its slim body, but these friendly birds were busy catching insects around the boardwalk.

The mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was hunting on the barrier beside of the diving facility this morning, and the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was at the kayak dock in front of the Landing.

Mrs. Leezer, Associate Director and five students from the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University arrived and they moved the excavation site on the lawn in front of the diving facility and the biological research site. I learned that the Indians had organized living conditions 7,000 years ago. From the artifacts, other research, and her experiences, Mrs. Leezer could see a cooking area site, tool making site, and a possibly burial site, etc. Current excavation is a survey, but the members of the Center for Archaeological Studies will conduct the excavation later for more artifacts and more research. It is an exciting project!

I was worried how the birds would react, but it did not have much effect on the birds around the lake.
I saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron hunting under the Bald Cypress tree beside the biological research site. I was glad to see the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was not bothered by the excavation project; a student was digging in the lawn near the bird.

The Chinese Domestic Geese family was taking a morning nap under the Bald Cypress tree beside the Swiss Sky Ride. Many flowers of the Fire bush opened this morning and a couple Blue-Throated Hummingbirds were busy collecting the honey from the flowers.

July 28

2010-07-30T16:18:00.000-05:00

This morning, under the direction of Mrs. Carole Leezer, the Associate Director of the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University, five students were digging in the lawn in front of the Aquarena Gift Shop.

The students already found some artifacts and Mrs. Leezer was listing these artifacts on a form. One of artifacts was a rock. To me, it was a piece of rock, but from the eyes of Mrs. Leezer, the way of chipping was not natural, but by men. She considered the rock was a tool for making other tools. I found out that one of the artifacts was a shell, but it was a snail shell, not a sea shell. She mentioned me that the Aquarena Center area was the camp site for Indians about 7, 000 years ago. She also added that the excavation of the lake, near the submarine indicated that there was human activity around 12, 000 years ago. Mrs. Leezer gave me the web site for the organization.

http://www.txstate.edu/anthropology/cas/

Yesterday afternoon, I briefly stopped by the Pecan Grove, at the excavating site again. At that time, five students were still digging, shifting, examining, and listing all information on the brown bags and the forms. Mr. David Yelacic, a staff of the Center for Archaeological Studies was examining some artifacts on the picnic table. There were three chunks of soil which came from the same excavation site, but interestingly, each soil had a different color. He was comparing each sample of soil with the Mensell Soil Color chart, and listing each on the form such as the color, collection site, and the depth.

Also, Mr. Yelacic found a small piece of flint from his digging site. To me, it was just a tiny flint with sharp edge, but he drew the picture of an arrow-head and placed that flint in that picture. Amazingly, that small flint did fit in that arrow-head picture. He was able to analyze each artifact from his experiences, knowledge, imagination, and his passion. He held that flint and said that the part of arrow-head was in the hand of a person who lived many thousands years ago.

A squirrel was acting strangely in this morning at under the Bald Cypress tree beside the biological research site. The squirrel was digging a shallow hole and rolled over in that shallow hole as if scratching its back. The squirrel repeatedly rolled over and did that scratching acts in that hole. Then, it started walking toward the lake with its tail high, and the squirrel brought the tip of the tail to its head, but turned around to walk toward the Bold Cypress tree and jumped. I was surprised to see that the squirrel jumped that high. Then the squirrel started digging another hole and rolled over in that shallow hole too. I wondered whether the squirrel was trying to rid of something from its back, or just a showing off its young energy.

July 27

2010-07-30T16:17:00.002-05:00

Two Great Blue Herons were taking an early morning flight around the lake and the wetlands, this morning. One of them flew down to a tree branch while the other stood under a tall palm tree that grew across the lake from the Landing. Both birds stretched their necks to look around. It was a picturesque scene.

The young yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was looking into the tiny inlet at the right side of the kayak dock, where erosion created a tiny inlet, and sometimes, small fish and crayfish are trapped in there. The bird seemed knew that the crayfish was unable to escape. I could see the bird was relaxed, following the movement of the crayfish for a while and then gobbled it up.

Mr. Wallendorf, a manager of the Lake was on the way to the diving facility with his diving partner, Mr. Heard. They were to clean the bottom of the lake. I was glad that he gave me the location of a black chinned Hummingbird nest at the Bald Cypress tree, and he added that the nest was tiny. I was surprised about his excellent observation. I tried for weeks, but I was unable to locate it.

Mr. Wallendorf also told me about the web worms that are quickly spreading around Aquarena; especially, two trees beside the closed Aquarena restaurant and one tree next to the diving facility. Parts of those trees were covered with webs. I asked him what the solution was to get rid of these worms. He said that as they would not be able to use chemicals, the only way is to open up the web and let wasps eat the worms, solving the problem the natural way. Mr. Wallendorf and Mr. Heard hurried to the diving facility for their diving work.

Rick, the landscaper who has been working at the Aquarena Center for 26 years was busy pruning the branches in front of the Aquarena Gift Shop. After he pruned drooping branches, the gift shop became brighter as if the gift shop took its hat off to welcome the people.

When I tried to drive off the Aquarena Center, I saw something going on in the Pecan Grove. There were five Archaeology students digging three small square holes near the headsprings. They were looking for artifacts left by the Indians who lived here centuries ago. An instructor told me that the survey was for the future development plan of the Aquarena. I was excited to see the excavation!

The shovel was narrower than a regular shovel and each shovel of soil was poured into a rectangle soil shifter. Students shifted the soil and what remained l was carefully examined by hand to see whether there were any artifacts left in the shifter. It is hard tedious work. One student said that she found a shell. It was interesting to hear that there were shell fish in the lake decades ago. How about current time?

Every artifact they found was listed with the location and the depth on the brown bag and individually stored. I asked the instructor how deep they would dig. She said that about two feet.

Mr. Ron Coley, the director of the Aquarena Center came to see how the project going. He told me they did an underwater dig in the lake last week, and found several interesting artifacts from the bottom of the lake. The Aquarena Center is filled with excitement.

July 26

2010-07-30T16:15:00.001-05:00

The mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron showed interesting behavior this morning. When I went through the covered boardwalk entrance, she was standing on the left side of the railing facing a pair of Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons; one juvenile and one grown bird that I thought was the mother of the young bird. The pair of Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons stood not far from the mother of the chunky, juvenile bird. I had seen and I knew her strong character, defensive attitude such as, lowering her head towards in-coming birds showing her readiness for a confrontation, and if the bird did not go away, she attacked.

However this morning, the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron didn’t have a defensive posture, but just stood there watching. Interestingly, after for a while, the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron turned back to the pair of herons, looking down at the water for a couple minutes, and flew down to the floating dead tree trunk to hunt.

I was puzzled. The strong mother accepted the other pair of Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons in her territory and they stood together without any incident. It was an unexpected scene to observe. I wondered whether the female heron was her offspring of past years; and also, I wondered whether the Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron had the ability to recognize its offspring from past years or not.

A juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron and its mother stood there and watched the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron hunting for a while; but eventually, flew out and perched on the dead tree branch near the “Keep Off” enclosure.

A single swallow like bird was flying around the wetlands. The speed and elegant flight brought a moment of freshness. From its white cheeks and the under parts, I thought that it was a Violet-Green Swallow. The bird might be strayed from the flock, but I was glad to see that beautiful passerby.

I saw some Nutrias in the wetlands, but I noticed that the number of Nutrias in the lake were less than yesterday.

July 25, 2010

2010-07-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

When I went through the covered boardwalk entrance this morning, I saw the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the railing and looking toward the feeding place. The bird was usually facing the water, so I looked at the feeding place, too. I saw two juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons busily hunting fish among six Snowy Egrets, four ducks, and several Green Herons. I thought that one of the juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons might be her offspring.

It was wonderful to share some time on the boardwalk, which was slightly damp from the morning dew, with a mother and a teenage sister of a diver. The morning sun became much brighter while we were chatting and walking. The eyes of the mother sparkled as she said that it was her son’s second day to dive, and her daughter would be joining the diving team, too. The young lady nodded and smiled. I was happy that her beautiful eyes would soon see the wonders of the underwater world.

Young divers in wetsuits were excitedly waiting at the Landing. One of them told me that they came much earlier than they were scheduled. One father was giving some instruction to young divers. One young lady could hardily wait to dive, but she smiled and said, “The water is cold.”

Five orange kayaks were tied beside the kayak dock, indicating that it would be a busy morning for kayak tours.

Two carts were ready for transporting the divers’ gear to the diving facility. I was glad to see the way they were neatly set up. The area around the Landing was filled with excitement this morning.

A Red-Shouldered Hawk was perched on a bare tree branch behind the Landing. The tree does not produce leaves on particular branches, so it was a good resting place for the bird, providing a superb view of the lake. The Hawk was looking around for a while, and then flew away toward the hill.

July 24, 2010

2010-07-25T10:03:00.001-05:00

I was happy to see the feeding place busier than usual this morning. Four Gadwalls and two juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons were among two Great Egrets, four Snowy Egrets, and several Green Herons. After they were satisfied with their fish breakfast, one juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew to the railing at the boardwalk entrance. The young bird found a Nutria grooming itself on the floating dead tree trunk, but otherwise the area was vacant. The young bird flew to the dead tree branch, which protruded from the bank toward the water at the left side of the boardwalk entrance. The other young bird joined them to take a rest.

A couple Summer Tanagers were enhancing the boardwalk area with their blight red/rose color. It was beautiful to watch one of them fly over the wetlands to the other side.

Mrs. Wassenich and several volunteers were busy clearing the part of wetlands located at the golf course, which was covered with Algae and Water Hyacinths. This job needs many more volunteers. I was hoping that more people would show up to participate in this much-needed project. It is a great contribution to help the river, aquatic creatures, birds, and to improve the environmental condition of San Marcos.

July 23, 2010

2010-07-23T18:08:00.002-05:00

It was drizzling off and on, but I was happy to see a juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the left side of railing very close to the entrance when I tried to enter the boardwalk. I could see the reflection of the bird on the glass exhibition case on the right side. I was excited to see its mother bird beside the young bird! I slowly backed up and went toward Dr. Rose’s storage shed for a full view of the two Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons on the railing. I was glad to see the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron and its parent bird! I had trouble specifying whether it was a mother or a father. However, watching the way the two birds stood side by side this morning, I concluded that the bird was the mother of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron.

Though the mother was relaxed, the young bird became alert when it saw me. Since it had been drizzling, its feathers were wet. I thought that the young bird was a little darker than it was the last time I saw it, on July 18th. I wanted to get closer, but I did not want to disturb them. I thought that her young bird had come back to her temporarily, and it would leave her again soon.

I walked toward the Landing. At the barrier between the Landing and the diving facility, the Young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was busy hunting without her young. Her white head and forehead was a little darker than before, but it was still striking. I thought that her young bird had established its own territory at the river.

I saw the juveniles stay with their mothers for only a couple days before they disappeared. I remember the inexperienced hunting skills of the chunky, juvenile bird. I thought that it was the way for them to survive in this beautiful environment.

July 20, 2010

2010-07-20T16:12:00.000-05:00

The parent bird of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was on the railing. I was surprised to see a Gadwall was hunting not far from the bird. I thought that for the parent Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, the Gadwall was not considered as threatening. Also, I was surprised that the sensitive Gadwall did not mind the presence of the parent Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, but the bird sensed my presence, and flew away toward the other side of the wetland as usual.

Both juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons, and even the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, were not in the wetlands or the lake this morning.

From the boardwalk, I saw a Great Blue Heron flying high in the air, just like a glider. The bird was making circles above the wetlands, and with each circle the bird descended a little, and finally flew on the branch of the tree on the edge of the other side of the wetlands, near the river. Another Great Blue Heron appeared from the Landing. The bird was flying low, close to the surface of the water, toward the feeding place. Then the one that was perched on the tree branch flew down and the two birds flew around the wetlands. One flew down to the territory of the Great Blue Heron, indicating that it was the mother Great Blue Heron, and the other bird perched on a tree branch not far from the mother. It was wonderful to see two Great Blue Herons standing near each other and facing toward the feeding place.

Five Snowy Egrets flew down to the feeding place and started hunting hungrily right away. But one of them flew up and started circling high in the air. I could see that bird flying around the river area and the wetlands for a while, and then disappeared. I thought that the bird might have found the Great Egret.

Since the Snowy Egrets came back to the wetlands last week, I saw a Great Egret and a Snowy Egret in the feeding place a few times. Yesterday, I came to the wetlands twice to see whether the juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons came back or not. At that time, the juvenile Herons were not there, but in the feeding place three Snowy Egrets and a Great Egret were hunting. When I was watching, The Great Egret shooed two Snowy Egrets away, but kept one close by. The Snowy Egret did not care that the others left. It moved around the feeding place and kept hunting, and the Great Egret stood in the feeding place and looked into the water again. From observing the two birds, they act as if they prefer hunting together rather than joining with their own flocks.

This special relationship, an attachment or a friendship of two birds, started last summer, and it is amazing to watch them resume their friendship as soon as the Snowy Egrets showed up at the Wetlands last week. Even though they were apart during the winter and spring, I believe that they recognized each other.

In my diary, I wrote of my first sighting of their friendship on July 22, 2009:

“When I got the boardwalk this morning, there were six Snowy Egrets with the Great Egret in the feeding place. I saw a Great Blue Heron standing the same place as yesterday, near the territory of the Great Egret, and another one was perching on the tree near the river. When I was watching the birds, one by one the Snowy Egrets left toward the river. It was interesting to see the way that the Great Egret and one of Snowy Egrets acted close to each other. The Snowy Egret that stayed with the Great Egret stood side by side as if they were a mother and child, or a big sister and a little sister. And, the Great Egret changed her hunting behavior as if she was one of Snowy Egrets, walked around with the Snowy Egret, picking small fishes around her, and stayed side by side with the Snowy Egret for quite a long time.”

Hunting styles of the Great Egret and Snowy Egret is different. Great Egrets usually remains in one place for an amount of time, and hunts fish or crayfish around there. The Snowy Egret, however, moves around constantly to pick fishes. Sometimes, the bird hurries after the fish to catch it. It was interesting to watch the Great Egret imitate the Snowy Egret at that time. This summer, I have not seen the imitating act that the Great Egret displayed last summer, but it seems the Great Egret prefers hunting with that particular Snowy Egret without other Snowy Egrets in the wetlands.

Near the Landing, the Chinese Domestic Geese family was trying to cross the concrete path toward the Swiss Sky Ride, but the mother goose suddenly sat on the grass under the Bald Cypress tree near the water. I thought that her leg could not go any further. The other two crossed the concrete path and the young bird sat on the grass, but the father goose stood and watched the mother goose, as if he was waiting for her to follow. He stood there waiting for a while, but it was sad to see the mother goose unable to join the other two.

The flowers on the top of the Century Plant stalk have turned brownish. A Blue-Throated Hummingbird was collecting the honey from the Turks Cap in front of the Century Plant.

July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T16:41:00.001-05:00

A pair of big red crayfish claws was lying in the middle of the boardwalk when I went through the covered entrance this morning. The parent bird of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was standing on the floating dead tree trunk on the left side of the entrance. Both the parent birds of the juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons were hunting in their territories without their young birds. I wondered whether they left their parent as an independent bird or if they were just exploring around. I hope I will be able to see them again.

Five Snowy Egrets flew noisily into the feeding place, and joined a Great Blue Heron, three American Coots, and several Green Herons. The Gadwall was busy hunting alone beside the Cattails.

A Red-Shouldered Hawk was on the extended beam of the Aquarium located next to the Aquarena Office building. Its voice was different from the sharp, strong tone of the hawk, but more like a little child asking his or her mother for a favor. I thought that it was the young hawk in need of something. A little while later, a small bird flew near the hawk and chirped. It was the Thrusher. I was used to hearing its angry voice, so it was pleasant to hear its friendly chirping this morning.

I saw two bees at the top of the giant stalk of the Century Plant, which was once busy with several bees and a Blue-Throated Hummingbird. It now looked abandoned. The last of the pistils were still standing at the top, but all the flowers looked withered.

July 18, 2010

2010-07-18T21:50:00.001-05:00

I saw the parent bird of the chunky Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron on the railing, same as I did yesterday morning. I thought that the bird had claimed that area as its territory. Dull white with brownish/blackish matted spots on its forehead and a faded beak, I could tell that it is not young. From the railing it watched with its reddish sharp eyes every move I made. If another bird had come into its territory, it would feel threatened and lower its head and look with its sharp eyes at the other bird to show that it was ready for confrontation. Its strong, defensive attitude makes it seem more like a male than a female.

As I was watching it, something moved near the left side of the bridge. I was surprised to find an Opossum! Its head was white but the rest of it was unkempt-looking with patched white and gray fur. It walked under the bridge and disappeared into the tall grass that grew in front of a tree between the covered boardwalk bridge and the Aqua Harvester. It is supposed to be a nocturnal animal, so I was glad to get a glimpse of it this morning.

When I tried to enter the boardwalk entrance this morning, I noticed that small feathers were scattered on the grass and dirt path between the boardwalk entrance and the Aqua Harvester. After the Opossum had disappeared, I thought that I might have known what happened.

When I walked to the middle of the boardwalk, I saw the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the railing and looking around. It flew under the Cottonwood tree to the railing, a little further away from the place it had previously been standing in. I could tell that it was hungry by the way it was flying up and down along the wooded bank and the railing, but had trouble hunting due to its lack of experience. It seemed to be full of desperation and uncertainty.

I walked toward the barrier and saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron hunting without its offspring. I thought that her juvenile bird was probably exploring a far off area this morning.

A large Nutria was walking slowly to the resting Chinese Domestic Geese family as if it wanted to join them, but the father goose was standing beside his two sleeping family members. The Nutria stopped and remained in the same spot, as if it was resting, too.

I was happy to see a beautiful, bright green Anole on a leaf of the Sago Palm. It saw me and quickly hid under the leaves, which were not dense enough to hide it, so it remained visible. It was cute.

July 17, 2010

2010-07-17T16:44:00.002-05:00

The parent of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was standing alone on the railing in front of the boardwalk entrance. I quickly walked toward the Landing to see the barrier. There I saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron standing alone. I wondered where the other young birds had gone this morning.

A large Nutria was on the lawn, eating grass as usual. It was different from other Nutrias. I have been seeing it eat grass every morning near the Landing. It seems to prefer to be near the Chinese Domestic Geese, though they have not accepted it into their family. I've seen it shooed away by the father goose a couple times, and once by the younger one.

The cones of the Sago Palms had recently turned from a brownish/blackish to a beautiful beige color.

The two dead stalks of the Sotol had been removed. They and the giant stalk of the Century Plant were companions. The flowers of the Century Plant showed that these are the last days of its life. There were fewer bees on the top of the stalk. With a dried sound, a curled up browned flower dropped onto the concrete. There were some dark brown withered flowers with curled, dried pistils that were hanging down from the branches and getting tangled together.

I heard the call of Thrusher and knew at once that the young Red-Shouldered Hawk was flying toward the wetlands, and that the Thrusher was after it. I turned around to return to the boardwalk. At the entrance, the parent of the chunky, juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was hunting on the floating dead tree trunk, but there was no sight of the young birds.

I saw three Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks fly over my head toward the river, and three more followed behind. I had seen them yesterday. This summer, a single Black-Bellied Whistling Duck flew down into the wetlands on July 4th, which was one month earlier than last summer. They seemed to be settling around the river, and they have not been visiting the wetlands as often as they did last summer. I wrote about my first encounter with the birds on August 4, 2009:

"This morning when I arrived at the boardwalk entrance I saw some birds flying to the feeding place. I was excited. I realized that they were nine Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks. They flew down onto the small algae island, stood side by side, and started drinking the water. They were well-mannered and kept to themselves. One bird flew to the shallow place, then other birds followed and surrounded it. They all started picking for food in the water but did not seem hungry. One Black-Bellied Whistling Duck ducked its head and neck under the water and splashed its back and feathers, as if it was taking a bath. The other birds started doing the same thing, as if they were cleaning themselves after returning from a long journey. It was my first time to witness this kind of action. One bird suddenly flew up and circled the boardwalk and wooded areas behind it. The other eight birds chirped like a whistle while their heads followed its flight. Eventually it came back down and landed beside the others, who all stopped whistling."

When I was walking toward the boardwalk exit, I saw a Superb Green Cicada on the ground in the middle of the walkway. I thought that a bird had picked it up and accidently dropped it on the way to the nest. Its rear end was missing, but its large ebony eyes and transparent wings made it look as if it would be able to fly away from my hand. I did not want anyone to step on it, so I dropped it onto a nearby Yellow-Pond-Lily pad.

July 16, 2010

2010-07-16T14:27:00.000-05:00

When I passed through the covered boardwalk entrance, I saw three Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons standing on the railing. Two of them were juvenile birds! One was slender and similar to the bird that I’ve been seeing the past two days. It was alert, and stretched its neck as it looked around. The other juvenile was chunky, and the fine downy hairs on the top of its head were fluttering in the soft morning breeze. I thought that it was the first outing for that bird.

When I proceed toward the end of the covered entrance, the parent bird looked at me. The feathers of its forehead were a dull white color with brownish and blackish matted spots. I was not sure whether or not I’ve seen this bird before. I wondered if it was the parent of the two young birds.

I backed up slowly and quietly from the covered boardwalk entrance, and quickly went to see whether there was another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron on the barrier or not. I then saw the young one hunting alone in the middle of the barrier, near the biological research site.

I went back to the boardwalk to observe two juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons. When I got there I saw a frog hopping in the corner of the covered entrance. I had been hearing them since the early spring, but I had never seen them, so I was glad to finally see one! It was about 2 ¼ or 2 ½ inches long, and it was dark brown with lighter brown oval shapes on both shoulders. I thought that it was going the wrong way, away from the water, but thought that it may have wanted to explore the land, same as the juvenile Nutria once did.

When I got the boardwalk, two juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons were still sitting on the railing, but the parent was on the floating dead tree trunk on the left side of the entrance, looking down at the water. A bright red Summer Tanger flew in and joined the two juveniles. The beautiful bird changed spots several times, and moved its tail up and down. The area was enhanced by its beautiful color. After it flew into the woods behind the boardwalk, the two juvenile Herons flew to the dirt path where Sammy, a Snapping turtle with a tumor that is under the care of Dr. Rose, was once placed. The two birds walked around the grass and the dirt path together. The chunky bird found a string of dried grass that it liked. It was cute to watch it carry it around. The two birds passed in front of Dr. Rose’s storage shed and walked toward the Swiss Sky Ride. They were suddenly alerted by the golf-cart driven by Rick, the landscaper. The birds turned around and flew back to the railing in front of the boardwalk entrance.

I saw the parent Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons catch a big crayfish. The bird carried it up the bank and placed it on the ground, then returned to the water. The two juveniles flew to the bank, and I saw them eat it. I thought the parent bird intentionally left it there for the young birds. After the meal, the parent flew toward the hillside, and the chunky bird followed closely behind. The slim juvenile, however, did not. It stood on the floating dead tree trunk for a while, and then flew to the other floating dead tree trunk on the right side of the boardwalk entrance. It imitated looking into the water, just as the parent had been doing. It suddenly caught a crayfish! I was happy to see it succeed in hunting. It started eating right away, but the crayfish was too big. It was struggling to swallow it and almost lost its balance on the floating tree trunk. The meal fell from its beaks and went under the water. However, it did not care about retrieving the lost meal, but was instead determined to catch another. It recomposed itself and stood firmly on the tree trunk and looked into the water again. I was glad to see this young bird that had recently emerge from the nest two days ago. It was already hunting and independent from its parents. I was amazed by its determination.

I went to the barrier to see how the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron doing. It was not there, but a student employee was busily placing five sets of buckets with various materials used for an educational activity called Bug Picking near the Bald Cypress tree, and five more buckets near the end of the barrier. I thought that Aquarena Center would have a large number of young students arriving this morning for an exciting, educational tour.

July 15, 2010

2010-07-16T13:42:00.001-05:00

I was eager to get the boardwalk to see the new arrival of birds this morning. According to my diary from last summer, the Snowy Egret showed up at the wetlands on June 17, and the Little Blue Heron on June 18, 2009. I remembered that a juvenile Little Blue Heron appeared as having white feather with some blackish marks - no resemblance to the gray/blue color of its mother. The appearance of the Little Blue Heron and the Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron offspring was similar to the colors of the Juvenile. The grown birds looked different.

This summer, their arrival in the wetlands was delayed by nearly one month. I thought that it was due to the Algae, which grew quickly and covered the entire wetlands during the past spring.

Early this morning, a snowy Egret was in the middle of the feeding place with a Great Blue Heron, three American Coots, and several Green Herons. I saw another Great Blue Heron standing at the bank near the river, and several brownish ducks swimming on the hillside. The Great Egret and the Little Blue Heron were not there, but a Black-Bellied-Whistling-Duck was hurrying toward the river as if it was trying to catch up with its flock.

Two Nutrias were enjoying their Cattail breakfast near the boardwalk exit. It was interesting to watch them eat. Their favorite foods are Algae and Cattails, with Yellow Pond lilies for dessert. The lilies are continuing to produce flower buds, but the Nutrias do not care about those. They wait until after the buds have fully bloomed to eat the plant.

The young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was hunting under the Bald Cypress tree between the Landing and the diving facility, and a juvenile was next to it. I wondered whether the juvenile was or was not the offspring of the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. I looked around, but did not see any other Herons nearby. I recalled yesterday morning seeing the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron being chased away by another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron at the boardwalk entrance, but the bird just relocated to the feeding place and stood there for a long time. Meanwhile, I saw a juvenile at the boardwalk entrance with another bird. At that time, I thought the adult bird was the mother of the juvenile, but it may instead be the younger bird’s offspring.

The juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was more interested in things on the land than in the water. After the young bird walked around the lawn, it flew to the Bald Cypress tree, and then to the concrete path. It was so cute to watch it stride down the middle of the walkway toward the Landing. I smiled. After the young bird got to the Landing, the first thing it did was investigate the trash bins in front of the building. After it was satisfied, it then walked to the kayak dock, where it showed more interest. It stood on the end of the barrier at the dock, moved its slim, elegant head and neck around, and looked around the area for quite a long time.

Mr. Taylor Heard, Mr. Wallendorf’s young diving partner, started the Aqua Harvester, used for removing floating Algae. First, he drove it to the headwaters in front of the Texas Rivers Center, then to the Glass Bottom Boat dock, and then to the Landing. It is wonderful to see him coming in during the early morning to clean the lake.

July 14, 2010

2010-07-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

I was expecting to see the old Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron at the boardwalk entrance, but instead saw the younger one on the floating dead tree trunk. It was standing with its neck stretched out as if it was listening for something. I thought there had possibly been a conflict before I arrived.

It was a joy to see the faces of the birds as I remembered them from last summer. The Great Blue Heron was standing in its territory looking over the feeding place. A Great Egret was standing near the Snowy Egret and the Little Blue Heron, watching all the birds busily hunt for fish. Three American Coots and several Green Herons were actively moving around the feeding place. I thought that the patches of Algae near the feeding place had recently decreased, which was attracting the birds.

I quickly went to the barrier between the Landing and the Diving Facility to look for the old Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that I saw yesterday morning. I was surprised to instead find three Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons near the biological research site! Two were walking together along the barrier. The third was standing near the Bald Cypress tree watching the other two birds. When either of the two walked close to the Bald Cypress tree, the third chased it away toward the Landing.

When I went back to the boardwalk entrance I saw yet another conflict taking place. The young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was chased away from the left side of the entrance, but it did not go too far. It flew into the middle of the feeding place beside the three American Coots and Little Blue Heron. I saw it stretch its neck out and stand still for a very long time. The whiteness of its forehead was striking.

When I turned around, I was surprised to find a juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the rusted pole on the right side of the boardwalk entrance, and the grown Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was on the rail. I thought that they must have been a mother and her offspring. The juvenile was looking around from the top of the pole for a while, and flew down to the opposite side of the railing across from its mother, who just stood still. The juvenile’s leg slipped off the railing a few times, and each time it flapped its wings to catch its balance. I thought that it was probably its first visit to the area. I did not want to disturb the young bird and its mother, so I observed from a distance. I thought the color of the young bird was brown, with lighter colors on its under-part.

As soon as I got home, I looked at my diary from last summer. I saw the first juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron on July 17, 2009, and had written the following:

“I saw a bird whose body style was smaller but similar to the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron next to the Landing House. Its color was blackish-blown and it had thin lines and spots of a beautiful golden color from the top of its head down to its tail. I noticed that it had white, fluffy hairs on the top of its head. I thought that it was a baby bird. I looked around for its mother and found a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron eating something about 10 or 12 yards away from the baby.

“The baby Yellow-Crowned Night Heron was not afraid of me, even when I went close to it. The mother noticed me, but it was still busy eating something. It was interesting to see that the baby bird did not have the same color as its mother. The mother had a gray body and black head, with wide white stripe on its head and both cheeks. The baby, however, had no white stripes and only two colors, blackish brown and thin lines and spots of a beautiful golden color.

“The baby showed its interest in everything along the walking path. The mother finished its meal, and kept her eyes on the baby, which was exploring along the bank. The baby found something, and the feathers on the top of its head stood up, just like a Kingfisher. After it relaxed from the excitement, its feathers went back down and covered its head. The mother bird wanted to fly back to its nest, which was on the opposite side of the lake from the Landing. She flew away, but the baby bird was still busy exploring. I continued to watch the baby, which had beautiful, innocent brown eyes that were very different from the sharp reddish eyes of its mother.

“I saw the mother bird crossing the lake and thought that it was coming back for the baby. I was right. As soon as the baby bird saw the mother, it flew towards her, and then both birds flew over to the hillside.”

Last year the mother and its offspring disappeared before I had a chance to see the juvenile bird develop. I was hoping that I could have a chance to see it this summer.

I was excited to see more aquatic birds in the wetlands.

July 13, 2010

2010-07-14T15:53:00.001-05:00

A Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was on the railing at the boardwalk entrance when I arrived this morning. The bird had a beaten-up beak that resembled black ash. The short white feathers of its cheek, head, and forehead were colored like salt and pepper. Since the feathers near its beak were a little longer than usual, the bird had a fuzzy, unkempt appearance. It fearlessly looked at me. I approached it, but it did not move. I thought that it was the old Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron from last year. I asked the bird, “is that you?” The bird just stood there. I wanted to get closer to it, but since I had not seen it in that spot before, I did not want to scare it away. The bird saw something in the distance and flew down to the dead tree trunk floating near the enclosure of the horsetails on the left side of the boardwalk entrance. I did not have a chance to examine the marks on its forehead, but thought it looked strikingly similar to the old Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that I remember seeing last year. I was excited!

The color of the Algae covering the wetlands has turned golden beige. The wetlands looked like a field of wheat growing on a farm, just before the fall harvest. The morning procession of the three American Coots, black birds with white beaks and white marks on the tail, in the middle of the golden-colored wetlands was a gorgeous sight to behold.

Near the boardwalk exit, a Nutria had cut down some Cattail leaves. It was holding a leaf with both hands and deliciously eating it.

I walked passed the Landing and saw a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron busily hunting on the middle of the barrier between the Landing and the diving facility. The bird started walking toward the Bald Cypress tree. The whiteness of its head and forehead suddenly hit my eyes. It appeared very white against the green plants surrounding it. The bird was so focused at looking at the water that it did not notice me standing nearby. As the bird passed in front of me while it was walking towards the Bald Cypress tree, I was glad to see that there were no marks on its forehead. I realized that it was the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron! I was glad to see it, especially since last time I saw it at the boardwalk entrance it was being chased away by the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron.

A large Nutria was resting under the Bald Cypress tree. It saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron coming towards it, and made a big splash as it jumped into the water.

I saw the juvenile Great Blue Heron elegantly flying towards the diving platform. It landed on the platform next to a Glass Bottom boat, which was docked there. It stretched its long neck and peeked into the boat through the window. It was cute to see the bird’s innocent curiosity.

July 12, 2010

2010-07-12T16:56:00.001-05:00

I saw three birds fly over the wetlands toward the river, with three more following behind. I heard their distinctive voices and I thought that they were the Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks.

The American Coots were playful this morning. When a group of three came near the feeding place, two started flapping their wings and made quite a bit of noise as they splashed the water. The third, however, remained calm as it continued to follow the other two.

There were more Green Herons than usual at the feeding place. A Gadwall was hunting among them, too.

A large Nutria was eating grass in front of the Landing near the area where the Chinese Domestic Geese family was resting. It started walking towards the geese, but once it came too close the father goose scared it away. A while later, all three geese drank some water near the kayak dock and the younger goose started swimming away. The mother, however, turned around and walked back up onto the land. Since she has an injured leg, walking and swimming must be somewhat difficult for her. When the younger goose noticed, it turned around and swam back towards the land. It then stood with the father in the shallow water of the bank and ate some grass that was growing nearby.

Although the Century Plant is almost completely dead, the flower clusters on the upper layers are still attracting bees. I was glad to see a Blue-Throated Hummingbird this morning! It was busily collecting honey from the top of the plant.

July 11, 2010

2010-07-11T18:14:00.000-05:00

As I was driving into the parking lot in front of the Aquarena Center Gift Shop, I saw a brownish animal crossing the street in front of my car. I stopped and watched it walk towards a bush next to the old, closed-down Aquarena Restaurant. It then turned back around and looked at my car. I thought it was a raccoon, but its face did not have a blackish mask. The area around its eyes and mouth was light brown and the rest of its face was dark brown. I saw a couple light brown rings on its tail.

A Gadwall was hunting by itself on the left side of the boardwalk entrance, in the same area as I had seen it the other day. I tried to stand still, but the bird sensed my presence and flew toward the other side of the wetlands. I was glad to see the morning procession of the three American Coots, and was hoping the Gadwall could join them.

The older Red-Shouldered Hawk was perched on the electric line above the Sago Palm. I heard it make a couple calls, and a few seconds later the younger Red-Shouldered Hawk joined it, along with two small, angry birds. One of them perched next to the younger hawk, turned to face it, and started crying at it. The other kept flying above the younger Hawk, as if it was trying to attack it. I’ve noticed in the past that the Hawk is usually harassed by only one of these small birds, but this morning there were two that were intensely focused on the younger Hawk. They did not care about the older Hawk, who spent this time observing the other birds. The younger Hawk eventually flew towards Pecan Grove, and the two crying birds followed it. The older Hawk remained perched on the electric line for a while, but it eventually flew in that direction, too.

Only the top three layers of the Century Plant have flowers now. The pistils have grown a bit taller and had several bees swarming them. It seemed as if they were producing much sweeter honey than they had been.

On the side of the Texas Rivers Center, a juvenile Great Blue Heron was walking along the concrete sidewalk and looking into the water. Yesterday, the Texas Water Safari occurred directly in front of its nest. I thought that the large event must have surprised the young bird. I was glad to see it return to its usual, quiet, daily routine this morning.

July 10, 2010

2010-07-11T18:12:00.000-05:00

This morning there was a large tent in Pecan Grove with several canoes underneath it. The Texas Water Safari, a 260-mile non-stop canoe race starting at the headwaters of the San Marcos River and ending in Seadrift, Texas (near the Gulf of Mexico) will begin today at 9:00 a.m.

No drivers were there yet. I did, however, see the young Red-Shouldered Hawk being chased by a small bird called a Thrusher. They were flying above the canoes in Pecan Grove.

Out on the boardwalk, I watched the beautiful mist on top of the lake move very slowly from the headwaters towards the river. After a while, it started to move towards the wetlands and slowly covered that area. It wrapped around the Great Blue Heron, which was hunting alone on the edge of the feeding place. Watching this sight was a very quiet and magical experience for me.

I saw a fish comfortably resting in a big hole on the lake bottom. Nearby, a Musk Turtle was nibbling on Algae. I also saw a school of small fish darting between patches of Algae. I could see the underwater activities taking place between these patches, and felt as if the wetlands are now awakening.

The younger one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron showed off its hunting skills while I was standing on the boardwalk. The bird caught three crayfish at the barrier with surprisingly quick speed. However, those three big crayfish did not satisfy the bird’s appetite. It was still looking for more food to catch.

At 7:00 a.m. the competitors started to arrive for the Texas Water Safari.
I was glad to meet Mrs. Deborah Lane, assistant director of Aquarena Center, near the Landing. She was preparing for her solo paddling trip! Good Luck, Mrs. Lane!

After 8:00 a.m., hundreds of people were in Pecan Grove for this special event. Each canoe had a different size, style, color, and structure. It seemed like a huge exhibition of canoes. There were between one and six competitors for one, most of wearing tights and others in matching uniforms. At 8:30 a.m. the canoes were carried into the water for the competitors to test their paddling.

An old man pointed towards a large silver six-person canoe, and told me to look at it. “Team Marines Freedom Alliance” was written on the side of it with red paint. He told me that they were marines who plan to paddle for 48 hours non-stop (without sleep) until they reach the finishing point.

After the Anthem, a prayer, some instructions, and a whistle, all the competitors started paddling their canoes toward the river. They all seemed to be very strong and courageous lovers of the river, and were able to make quick decisions. I was happy that I got to see them take off!

After the all racers disappeared, I saw a Great Blue Heron fly out from the hill toward the wetlands. Some onlookers were gathered around its nest, so the bird had been watching the race from the hillside.

A student employee drove a jeep into Pecan Grove and started cleaning up the grounds after the beginning of the race was over. Another brought out four orange glass bottom kayaks for an Aquarena Center kayak tour. It was wonderful to witness the efficient work attitude that they possessed!

July 9, 2010

2010-07-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

It had just stopped raining when I arrived at Aquarena today. A Gadwall was feeding on the left side of the entrance to the boardwalk. I was happy to have seen it this early in the morning. I stopped and stood inside the covered boardwalk entrance to observe the bird. However, the duck sensed my presence and flew toward the Great Blue Heron’s territory. It was the first time for me to have seen the Gadwall near the boardwalk. They are shy and rarely venture near the feeding place or boardwalk. They usually stay close to the Great Blue Heron’s territory and feed on the other side of the wetlands, as well as along the hillside.

A Great Blue Heron was hunting in the feeding place. I thought that it was the same mother that I saw in its territory yesterday morning.

I was glad to see the morning procession of the American Coots! It occurred a little later than it usually does, so when I finally saw them I was glad to find that they were alright. After hunting at the feeding place together for a while, one swam in circles around a large opening in the Algae on the surface of the water. There seemed to be more of these openings this morning than there have been lately. I am glad that it seems to provide better hunting areas for the aquatic birds, plus I can now see the more of the underwater activities that are taking place.

When the Gadwall saw the American Coots it swam near them and started hunting. I looked around the wetlands and realized that it was alone. Gadwalls usually stay in pairs or in larger groups. I was glad that it could share the area with the American Coots.

The mother goose had decided to take a rest on the dry cobble stone in front of the Landing, instead of on the wet grass, as she had been doing the last few days. Her young followed her, but the father goose chose to stay on the grass under the light post. All three geese then took an early morning nap.

I was surprised to see two Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons standing on the barrier near the biological research site. Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons are solitary birds, and this was my first time to see two standing together, side by side. The both birds were facing the water and resting, looking as if they were full. I walked a little closer and was surprised to discover that it was the older and younger one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons that I often see during my visits to the wetlands. Suddenly, the younger bird walked a couple feet toward the end of the barrier, and the older one followed. They both returned to resting while facing the lake. A few moments later, the younger one walked a couple more steps, as if it was following the movement of a crayfish. The older one followed closely behind. Then, they both stood side-by-side for quite a while. I was glad to see that the two were politely sharing the barrier with the each other while hunting.

The lower branches of the Century Plant have turned a darker brown, shrunken, and dried up. The tall pistils on the upper layers are still attracting several bees. Again, I did not see the Blue-Throated Hummingbird this morning, and wondered if the reduced production of honey might be the reason why.

Mr. Aaron Wallendorf, the lake manager, was on the way to clean the bottom of the lake with another diver, as usual. I enjoy visiting the beautiful lake and wetlands, but have realized that behind the scenes, many people are working hard to keep the lake and the wetlands in a healthy condition. I appreciate their dedication to preserving and protecting Spring Lake.

July 8, 2010

2010-07-08T18:28:00.000-05:00

The wetlands boardwalk was quiet this morning. I thought that the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron would be there, but the boardwalk was empty. I waited patiently but never did see the morning procession of the American Coots.

When passing the Landing I noticed at the edge of the lawn along the concrete path that a black thing had suddenly started moving toward the water. It was a medium-sized turtle with white paint on the middle of its black shell. I thought that the paint was being used as an indicator of an ongoing research project that is taking place. There are many turtles living in Spring Lake and the ones I had previously seen on walking on land were very slow. I was surprised to watch the way that this turtle ran. I saw its short legs move like the Nutrias’ does as it scurried down the bank making noise. The white paint of its shell was quite vivid against the green grass under the dark shade of the Bald Cypress tree. It quickly disappeared into the water, but its white paint could still be seen above the surface.

I was glad to see the younger one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron standing on the barrier not far from the biological research site. The bird was relaxed and stood there for a while, then flew out toward the hill on the other side of the Landing.

Clusters of branches on the lower half of the Century Plant had become dark brown, but the pistils of the upper layers were getting very tall and attracting many bees. I did not, however, see the Blue-Throated Hummingbird in this morning. I wondered why.

When I arrived at Pecan Grove, I saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk perched on the end of the green railing. Due to aging, its color had faded and some new some rusted spots had developed on its body. It then flew to another fence located on the deck of the old submarine theater, which has been part of Spring Lake for decades. As it stood very still, the dark brown feathers on its back and wings were vividly enhanced by the red Cannis flowers behind it, which were growing alongside the fence. It started to look around the surface of the water. I could tell from the movements of its head that it was following the fish with its eyes. I thought that the bird was wishing to hunt in manner similar to the aquatic birds. I remembered that I had previously seen it looking at the water surface while perched on the boardwalk yesterday morning, too. I suddenly heard the call of the Great Blue Heron and saw it flying toward the Landing. The Red-Shouldered Hawk then flew away from the submarine. I could tell by the sound of its voice that it was headed toward the Swiss Sky Ride.

When I went back to the boardwalk I was happy to see that the Great Blue Heron was standing in its territory on the edge of the lake across from the feeding place. I had not seen the Great Blue Heron in that spot for a while and wanted to say, “Welcome Home!” I thought that her young bird was already independent, therefore she had returned to her own territory.

July 7, 2010

2010-07-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

I was glad to see a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron grooming itself on the railing when I passed through the covered boardwalk entrance. I approached the bird and found that it was the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron.

The feeding place was busy this morning with five Great Egrets and several Green Herons. Among them, I saw three American Coots who were on their way there, making a nice morning procession together. They decided to reside at a spot near the boardwalk, next to the Great Egrets. The coots are shy. It was nice to see a Red-Shouldered Hawk fly down to join them on the railing. It was looking at the water surface as if it was hunting.

The older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron took quite a long time to groom itself. I could see that the bird was satisfied with its breakfast. It did not want to leave the superb crayfish hunting area that it had found.

On the way to the Landing I saw a squirrel standing on its hind legs and holding a white flower, which it was eating. After the squirrel finished eating, it looked up at another flower as if it could not resist eating more. It then stretched its body upward and used both its hands to pick another one that was growing from the vine on the bush next to the Landing. I also saw a Blue-Throated Hummingbird collecting honey from other white flowers nearby.

I wondered how the younger one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was doing at the other hunting place between the Landing and the diving facility. I was glad to see that it was busily hunting under the Bald Cypress tree. I was hoping that older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron would accept the younger one at the barrier area without any more conflict, and that it would learn to share the two hunting places peacefully.

Under the Bald Cypress tree that grows beside the kayak dock (near the usual resting place of the Chinese Domestic Geese family) a large Nutria was enjoying a meal of delicious grass. At the same time, a moss-covered turtle was slowly coming out of the water and up onto the land. I was hoping that the turtle could find a safe place to lay her eggs.

July 6, 2010

2010-07-06T17:43:00.000-05:00

The Great Blue Heron is an early riser. One was hunting while it was still dark morning. When I reached the boardwalk, two Great Blue Herons flew over me so closely, I felt as if their long and elegant wings were sprinkling around the joy of this beautiful summer morning.

I was happy to see the morning procession of three American Coots!
When they approached their regular feeding place, one American Coot flapped its wings, beating and splashing the water making white splashing marks all the way to the feeding place. It was cute to watch the bird turn around and wait for the other two birds that were swimming to the feeding place. All three birds started to hunt together. I guessed that the mischievous bird was the one missing from yesterday’s morning procession.

I noticed that the format of the Algae has been changing. It is shrinking, becoming gooey looking. I was glad that I could see the fishes and turtles through small openings in the algae.

The young one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was on the barrier busy hunting. Sometimes, the bird is half walking, half running on the barrier, just like a two-year-old child happily and hurriedly running toward a waiting parent who is spreading their arms for their child to come.

The young one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron is a fair bird. The bird does not claim two hunting places as the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron had done. I was hoping that the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that I have not seen the last few days would come back to the now vacant hunting place on the boardwalk.

The lower half layers of flowers on the Century Plant are done, and the flowers on the top half layers of the branches are blooming and attracting many bees as well as the Blue-Throated Hummingbirds.

The strange mushrooms were all gone leaving the remains of the blackened caps and flattened stems on the mulch.

July 5, 2010

2010-07-05T17:21:00.000-05:00

I stayed in front of the Pecan Grove for a while, but saw no birds this morning.

I looked around after going through the covered entrance bridge to the boardwalk, but the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was not there. The area was quiet. There was only one Nutria munching Algae and several Green Herons standing motionless in the shallow water.

At the middle of the boardwalk, I saw the timely punctuated morning procession of the American Coots. They were on the way to their regular feeding place. However, there were only two. Where is the other one?

On the right side of the boardwalk exit, two mischievous juvenile Nutria started wrestling after eating Cattail leaves for their breakfast. Fallen Cattail leaves made a nice mat for the wrestling. As usual, after their play, they put their noses together as if inseparable twins and walked together into the Cattail bushes.

I heard the voice of a Red-Shouldered Hawk. From the voice, I could tell that the bird was circling around the wetlands towards the Glass Bottom Boat dock.

I found the Red-Shouldered Hawk on the cable in front of the Swiss Sky Ride. The bird was calling as if it needed something. Then, I noticed that the bird made a call that was slightly different. The tone was all right at the beginning but sounded a little more hoarse than usual at the end. The tone reminded me of my voice when I get a vocal cord infection. I felt that the bird was hungry. I waited to hear a response from somewhere, but there was no response. The bird finally flew up, and eventually, the voice faded towards the hill.

I saw the younger one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron on the middle of the barrier between the Landing and the end of the diving facility. That part of the barrier is higher from the water surface, but the bird likes the spot. The older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron preferred the corner of the diving facility, the end of the barrier that is closer to the water surface, but the younger one showed more flexibility hunting. Since the barrier is higher from the water, it is not easy to strike the crayfish on the bottom of the lake. I saw the bird bending its neck and body toward the water as if falling into the water but, amazingly, it gripped the corner of the barrier with its strong feet.

As I observed the younger one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron claim the area as its hunting territory, it seemed that it had no intention of claiming the best hunting area, the entrance of the boardwalk as the older bird had done. I went to the entrance of the boardwalk several times but I did not see any Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons there.

I assumed that after the defeat by the younger one-dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron yesterday morning that the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron had given up its hunting territories all together at this lake. It is a rise and fall, like Roman history, or the history of the world.

It was interesting that the mushrooms were gone except a couple of them that stood beside the Sago Palm and in front of the bush in front of the Swiss Sky Ride. What happened? Many of them were there yesterday and the day before yesterday. It was strange that the color of the mushroom changed in one day; and also, disappeared the next day. I walked to the two places, the Sago palm and the Swiss Sky Ride trying to understand the disappearance of the strange mushrooms.

I saw something black lying on the mulch underneath the Sago Palm and the bush in front of the Swiss Sky Ride where the mushrooms had sprouted. I had not seen the black things yesterday morning. I picked one up and it looked like a dried jelly fish on a stick. Surprisingly, the black things were the mushroom caps, and the blackened caps were attached tightly to the stems that were becoming flat strings, but remained a beige color. I was puzzled that the mushrooms had changed into this condition in only one day.

The lower layers of the Century Plant are done, most flower clusters have turned into clusters of flower stems.

I heard the angry voice of the Thrusher like small bird even before entering the covered bridge beside of the Aquarium. I thought that the bird was harassing the young hawk again. However, I found the bird was alone on the iron fence in front of headwaters, in front of the Texas Rivers Center, crying by itself. I could not see any hawks in the Pecan Grove. Poor little bird, I thought. Whatever the reason, I felt by the sound of the voice, the bird was mad at something. May be, the bird was angry because the bird could not find the young hawk in the grove.

July 4, 2010

2010-07-04T15:54:00.000-05:00

When I stopped my car in front of the Pecan Grove, I could not help saying “Wow! Two Red-Shouldered Hawks were circling in the Pecan Grove, under the Pecan trees. They spread their wings fully without much flapping, flying in a big circle, using the entire space of the grove with strength and elegance. They are muscular birds compared to water birds. Their flight exhibits a natural artistic choreography. One hawk eventually perched on the trunk of a Pecan tree and other bird did the same on a tree branch near my car. Beautiful birds!

I heard voices, and the voice indicated that a Great Blue Heron was flying toward the river. The bird was busy exploring this morning.

At the boardwalk, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was perched on the same railing as yesterday. I noticed that a feather was dangling down from its wing.

Then, I saw a duck like bird fly down beside three American Coots. From the white patch line of its wings, bright brownish/reddish back, and distinguished orange/red beaks, at once, I noticed that it was a Black-Bellied-Whistling duck. Last summer, I saw a Black-Bellied-Whistling duck with a flock, but it was solitary this morning. The Black-Bellied-Whistling duck was friendly to the American Coots, but the coots were shy. They stopped hunting and gathered, but the Black-Bellied-Whistling duck did not mind. The bird hunted near the American Coots for a while, and then flew away towards the river.

When I was watching the Black-Bellied-Whistling duck and three American Coots, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew toward the dead tree branch that is growing towards the water at the left side of the boardwalk entrance, near the Water Horsetails enclosure, and the bird perched on a branch. I was surprised to see another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the same tree.

As soon as the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the branch, the other Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron lowered its head as if the bird was ready to take a challenge. The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew up from the branch toward the other bird. The other Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron escaped the attack and flew up on the branch of the tall tree, located on the right side of the covered entrance bridge. But the bird did not give up that hunting ground easily, staying on the branch, looking down at the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that was on the railing guarding its territory. Eventually, the other bird flew toward the Landing, and the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron followed.

I realized that the dangling feather of the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron indicated that there had already been some conflict between the two birds before I got there.

The Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was standing at the barrier under the Bald Cypress tree near the biological experiment site, and I had a time to observe the bird. At first I thought that it was the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, but surprisingly, it was a new comer. Confusingly, the new bird had one blackish dot on the middle of its forehead the same as the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron; but the feathers and beak were much shinier and neater, and the body was a little smaller than the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. I thought that the new comer was younger than the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron.

I saw the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron fly down on the barrier toward the diving facility. This time, without any time, the new comer flew out from under the Bald Cypress tree toward the older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The older one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron had no time to defend itself, but escaped and flew toward the Texas Rivers Center.

Watching these territorial conflicts among the Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons, even though natural, I was hoping that all birds could live peacefully in the lake.

Lower levels of the flowers were falling from the branches of the Century Plant. Curled up browned pistils caught each other and two or three flowers hung down from the branches together.

It was interesting to see that the color of the strange mushroom faded in one day. Yesterday morning, the color of the cap was dark brown with many beige dots and beige stem, but this morning, I saw the brown color disappeared, and the whole mushroom became a beige color. No birds or Squirrels were going near the mushroom, so I thought that it might be poisonous.

July 3, 2010

2010-07-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

When I passed through the boardwalk entrance, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was perched on the railing and grooming. I sensed that the bird had already finished its breakfast. After the bird groomed, it flew toward the Landing.

A Great Blue Heron, that I thought that was a juvenile, passed through the feeding place flying towards the golf course along the wetlands. I am glad to see that the bird is expanding its range day by day. I sighted the bird three times during the time I was at Spring Lake. The bird did quite a long solo flight this morning.

After the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew toward the Landing, a juvenile Green Heron flew down on the boardwalk about 10 feet away from me. The young bird’s neck was stretched, and the top of its short black feathers all stood up towards the sky. It looked like it was the young bird’s first adventure, full of uncertainty and curiosity. As soon as the bird started walking, the standing head feathers slowly went down to cover its head. The young bird kept walking for a few more feet and stopped. Slowly the bird stretched its neck and caught a resting dragonfly.

At the exit of the boardwalk, a Nutria was busy munching a Cattail leaf in the middle of many fallen Cattail leaves. After the Nutria was done with the Cattail, it went to the Yellow-Pond lily flower. With both hands, the Nutria bent the flower down, and started munching the flower deliciously. One petal of the Yellow-Pond lily fell from between the hands of Nutria on to the surface of the water. After the Nutria consumed the head of Yellow-Pond lily, it even picked up that fallen petal.

In front of the Landing, the Chinese Domestic Geese were trying to find a resting place, but the past few days we have had rain and the grass is wet. The mother goose decided to sit on some cobblestones that lie on a short path between the Landing and the diver’s waiting place. The mother goose sat on the dry cobblestones and the young goose followed her and the two geese started to sleep. However, the father goose did not want to sleep on the cobblestones. He decided to stay on the concrete path next to his family instead. He stood with his right leg half way tucked under his belly and put his head between his wings to sleep. It was cute to watch his one leg hanging down half way from his belly while he sleeping on one leg.

I found the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron hunting on the barrier. The bird caught a crayfish, shook the crayfish with its beaks several times, and tried to swallow it, but couldn’t. The bird put the crayfish on the grass twice, but still could not swallow it. Eventually, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron abandoned the crayfish and flew toward the boardwalk again.

I was curious why the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron could not swallow the crayfish. It was not a big crayfish.

I walked to the abandoned crayfish. It was a medium sized crayfish. I have seen the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron swallow big crayfish without much problem. I thought that the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was not hungry. I already saw the bird grooming at the boardwalk earlier. May be, the bird hunted the crayfish as a game as the bird now controlled the two best hunting places for crayfish.

The pistils of Century Plant on the first and second layers were more browned, but the rest of pistils were growing longer, attracting more bees.

I noticed strange mushrooms have started sprouting around one of Sago Palms and around the bush in front of the Swiss Sky Ride.

July 2, 2010

2010-07-02T15:51:00.000-05:00

I was glad to see the Great Blue Heron flying around early this morning. When I parked my car, I heard and saw the Heron flying over the Aquarena Office building towards the Golf course.

As soon as I went through the boardwalk entrance, I saw a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron on the railing. I approached it. The bird was the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. This morning, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron acted like he was patrolling the boardwalk, behind the Landing and the barrier area between the Landing and the corner of the diving facility.

After a short time, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew to the iron railing behind the “Keep Out” wooden enclosure beside the Landing. The bird flew down and started walking carefully along the waterline showing special interest in something behind a bush, left of the kayak storage closet. The bird put its head between the grasses carefully, checked inside the bush a few times, and slowly walked further along the shore. Then, it flew to the barrier, and stayed at the corner of the diving facility where it sometimes hunts. However, the bird did not stay there long and flew toward the boardwalk where I found it perched on the rail, near the boardwalk entrance.

I was sad to see the behavior of the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. I recalled last Tuesday when the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron and a Green Heron were hunting together at the barrier side by side. I remembered that scene. It was so cute and peaceful.

I tried to think why the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron acted this way. I understand that many birds are territorial. However, the action and behavior of the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron indicated that the bird was trying to control two hunting places for itself. The bird arrived here last Wednesday. And now, the bird is aggressively chasing away other birds from the best hunting places for the crayfish. I was hoping that the bird would change its behavior after it got accustomed to living in this peaceful environment.

The pistils on the lowest layer of the Century Plant have turned browner, curling up, and now the second layer has also started to turn brown and droop. They grew so fast, but are ending quickly as well.

July 1, 2010

2010-07-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

It was drizzling this morning. The wetland was still dark and I thought I wouldn’t see any birds, but the Great Blue Heron was hunting in the feeding place alone.

I was happy to see the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron fly in and perch on the railing. Suddenly, another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flew up from under the boardwalk bridge, and chased the Young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron away towards the river. I was sad to see the chase. The bird came back and perched on the rail. I approached and saw the bird was the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The bird has one blackish dot on the middle, more to the right side of the forehead. It is the second time I saw the bird chase away another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The bird stood on the rail for a while, and then flew up toward the Landing House. I followed the bird.

The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was standing under the Bald Cypress tree, near the biological experiment site, and the bird started walking along the water line toward the corner of the diving facility. Watching the way the bird walked, at once, I remembered this bird was here last summer after the drought. When other birds had gone, the bird had stayed longer until it migrated south.

As soon as I got home, I checked my diary from last summer and I found what I wrote about this bird on September 6, 2009.

“When Lennie was busy pushing the kayak to the water, I saw a young Yellow-Crowned Night Heron at the hunting territory of the mother Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Its distinguishing white lines on the shining ebony black cheeks were so white and the lines were narrower than the other Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. Its body was slim, and the movement of the body was different from any other Yellow-Crowned Night Herons that I had seen during the summer. When walking along the edge of the bank hunting fish, the bird moved its neck elegantly, and sometimes it moved from shoulder together. Those movements of the bird reminded me of an ancient Thai dancer, and I smiled watching the bird for a while. I wondered why many of the birds were gone. A man who was bird watching said that the dryness of the lake might be the reason, and some of the birds needed to find a new feeding ground.”

During the past year, the bird lost the shine and freshness of its feathers and beak, and it is fatter. Even though the bird has lost the youthful, softness, and elegance in its body movements, it has not lost its characteristic walking style.

After taking photos of the Century Plant, I saw the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron hunting at the corner of the barrier. The Great Blue Heron flew down on the same barrier not far from the other bird. The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron saw the Great Blue Heron. I was curious how the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron would react toward that big Great Blue Heron. I already saw the chasing by the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron twice. The bird started walking toward the Great Blue Heron. When the bird approached the Great Blue Heron, the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron did a wing flapping gesture toward the Great Blue Heron. However, the Great Blue Heron did not show any reaction toward that threat, and kept standing there. The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron just walked pass the Great Blue Heron as if nothing had happened, and kept walking toward near the Bald Cypress tree.

This morning, I saw long pistils at the lowest branches of the Century Plant turning brown and thinner, and they were drooping. But the other layers of pistils were growing longer, and they were attracting more bees and the Blue-Throated Hummingbirds.

June 30, 2010

2010-07-01T11:43:00.002-05:00

It rained in the early morning and the sky was still dark and heavy. Before another rain, I walked around the lake quickly. Half of the waiting area for the divers beside the Landing House was under water.

I saw a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron chasing away another Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron when I walked through the covered boardwalk entrance. One of them escaped toward the river, and the bird turned around and flew back on the rail at the boardwalk. It was the one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. There are at least three Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons in this lake now. I was hoping that they could share the lake peacefully.

I heard the voices of the two Great Blue Herons who appeared from the river area, flying high over the feeding area, above the Swiss Sky Ride, to the Landing House area, and disappear toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock. I saw three of them flying at the river area yesterday. I thought that one of them might be a juvenile. Was this flight a test flight? The parents Great Blue Herons were teaching the flight skills to their young? It was an impressive sight to see these big birds flying around together.

I saw more Green Herons in the wetland this morning. Especially, two Green Herons who acted as if they were juveniles. They were walking on the rail, and one of them slipped one leg from the rail. The rail is a metal round pipe, and east to slip off if a bird is not used to walking on it. The bird quickly caught its balance, walked carefully a few more steps, and caught a resting dragonfly.

The juvenile Green Herons played a game with me. When I approached them, they flew about 10 or 15 feet ahead of me watching me coming, and as I walked near them, they flew ahead of me again.

I walked toward the Landing House surprised to see a huge Nutria under the Bold Cypress tree, the spot where the Chinese Domestic Geese usually rest. As the Nutria was on the land, I could see its whole huge body, especially its bulging tummy. The Nutria saw me coming, and slowly walked down to the water.

I was happy to see that the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron which was busy hunting at the corner of the diving facility, at the end of the barrier. I wondered how these Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons would share the lake.

The flowers of the Century Plant are growing much taller than yesterday. As the flowers continue to grow, the long, thick stalk keeps leaning more towards the lake.

A Blue-Throated Hummingbird and several bees were busily collecting honey from the flowers of Century Plant. I noticed that the Blue-Throated Hummingbird disappeared into the branches of the Bold Cypress tree from time to time. I wondered whether the bird’s nest was there or just that the bird needed to take a rest.

The rain started. On the way out from Spring Lake, I saw a deer grazing at the right side of Golf course.

June 29, 2010

2010-07-01T11:43:00.001-05:00

When walking toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock, I saw two Red-Shouldered Hawks perched on the electric line above the Century Plant. The hawks were very still. I felt it was a special morning at Spring Lake, as I stood in front of the Century Plant with two hawks, and the distinguished low voices of the Great Blue Heron in the background. I saw that all the flowers of the Century Plant had grown much taller toward the sky; it is surprising how fast they grow. The flowers made the thick green stalk much taller, but so many branches holding several flower clusters on each branch are making the stalk lean towards the lake. Several bees were busy collecting honey, and I was happy to see a Blue-Throated Hummingbird collecting honey along side them.

Yesterday, I searched for information about the Century Plant, and found an article which said: “Century Plants bloom only once in their life, the blooming spike is so large and grows so fast it saps all the resources of the plant, which then dies, leaving a tall wooden seed stalk.” The article also said that the average life span of Century Plant is 25 years. As I was reading this article, I felt that I was lucky to observe the growing flowers of the Century Plant. On the other hand, I felt sad to know that that gorgeous plant eventually dies after producing the seeds.

I looked on the other side of the Glass Bottom Boat dock and saw a Great Blue Heron walking along the lake toward a tree which was located on the right side of the old viewing deck. The trunk of the tree is crawling toward the water, touching it. The branches are producing leaves creating nice shade on the surface of the water. The Great Blue Heron walked to the end of the trunk and looked under the water for a while, then flew off toward the river.

When I went through the covered bridge toward the Pecan Grove, a deer was grazing peacefully in the middle of the Pecan Grove, and there were two other deer in the parking area. The two deer eventually disappeared, but the solitary deer did not care that I was walking along the path beside the Pecan Grove. A red-Shouldered Hawk flew down on the picnic table, then to the lawn, and the bird started picking at something next to the deer.

When walking back to the boardwalk, three big birds were making big circles above the edge of the lake. From their voices I knew they were the Great Blue Herons, but I was surprised that they were flying high above the trees. I used to see them flying very low. It was my first experience to see three Great Blue Herons together, circling many times like the Black Vultures do, and flying so high in the sky. The Great Blue Herons are the biggest birds around here, but they are shy. That scene was like a special exhibition or they were showing off.

June 28, 2010

2010-06-29T13:15:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to see three Great Egrets on the rail when I walked through the covered bridge at the boardwalk entrance. I stopped and did not scare them away. I slowly backed away from the entrance and walked to the edge of the Landing House to view the boardwalk where I saw more Great Egrets! Two more Great Egrets were hunting at the feeding place; and one Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron stood near the edge of the rail with three Great Egrets. All were busily grooming as if they had a good breakfast. It was 6:55 a.m. and they were already finished with their breakfast.

Then, one Great Egret flew up to a tree located on the other side of the wetland and the bird started grooming. The tree was the territory tree of a Great Egret last summer; I instantly figured that this was the same bird. The bird brought other Great Egrets for breakfast. I was happy and wished that all the Egrets would stay in the wetland.

Regrettably, after all the Great Egrets had groomed and rested, one by one, they flew up and away toward the river. I was wishing that the resident Great Egret would remain, but the bird flew up from that territory tree and the followed after the others. I saw the Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron watching the Great Egrets flying away, but the bird remained on the rail.

I finally went back to the boardwalk to see the Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. At once, I noticed that I was seeing a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that I did not recognize. Its feathers and beak were not as shiny and fresh as the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, but it looked younger than the older Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron that I had seen in front of the Texas Rivers Center. The whiteness of the feathers on its cheeks and top of its head were much whiter than that of the older Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. Also, the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron did not have a dot on the white forehead feathers, but I saw a single blackish mark on the right side of the forehead, and it had short blackish occipital plumes. Based on these markings, I identified a third Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron in this lake.

The one dot Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron saw something and flew down to the dead floating tree trunk, and caught a big crayfish in a lightning strike. It walked hurriedly behind the tall grass with the crayfish between in its beak.

While I was waiting for the Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron to come out from the grass I noticed the Water Horsetails that were transplanted last summer. The plants are protected in eleven individual meshed wire enclosures at the left side of boardwalk entrance, the favorite hunting place for the Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons and Nutrias, but they are not adapting well.

Last Friday morning, I saw that a bunch of Cattails had been chewed down, near the boardwalk exit. Close to the root of the leaves, the white parts of the stems were chopped several inches. This morning, I saw a big Nutria deliciously munching on a Cattail leaf. I saw more Cattails floating on the water surface on both sides of the boardwalk exit and more pieces of chopped white stems on the right side of the exit. It was painful to see the damage to the Cattails since they don’t grow like Algae or Water Hyacinths.

I stopped at the site where the Red-Shouldered Hawk dined on crayfish yesterday morning. There was only one claw on the grass and many ants were busily working on it. Where did the other claw go?

The flowers of the Century Plant are growing so fast. That fast growing pistils even at the top layers of the branches were easily viewed when I was walking toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock.

And, I saw the young Red-Shouldered Hawk perched on the electric line just above the Century Plant. The two together were a beautiful sight. I knew that it was the young Red-Shouldered Hawk as the Thrusher like small bird was perched facing the hawk on the next electric line. I was glad that the small bird was not crying this time.

June 27, 2010

2010-06-29T10:49:00.001-05:00

All flowers of the Century Plant opened! Surprisingly, the long pistils of the flowers on the lowest layer of branches are growing much longer just like its majestic stock which is growing high toward the sky. The Century Plant demonstrates the power of nature. The pistils of flowers which bloomed on the second layer yesterday grew much longer in only one day, and the rest of the flowers on all branches were slightly open. It was high, but I could see the pistils were starting to show up from all flowers. Absolutely gorgeous!

Between the Landing House and the diving facility, a long and low concrete barrier runs along the edge of the water, stones inlayed on the top. The barrier creates an elegant atmosphere with two Bald Cypress trees on each side of a Mexican Plum tree at the edge of the water. The branches of these Bald Cypress trees and Mexican Plum are growing toward the water, extending their arms toward the water with grace. The trees produce nice shade on the lawn and water, making a hunting place for birds well as a resting place for the Chinese Domestic Geese.

This morning, the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron caught a small crayfish in the tiny inlet created by the stone inlayed barrier at the mouth of the kayak dock. I think that the water washed away some soil and made a tiny inlet at that the end of the barrier, and sometimes, it traps some fish or crayfish. After the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron gulped the crayfish, the bird flew toward the other end of the barrier, near the corner of the diving facility, stretched its neck and peeked down into the water.

It was cute to watch a Green Heron fly down from a tree beside the facility to the barrier, and stand close to the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. Then, the Green Heron stretched its neck at the same as the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron, and started picking fishes.

It was the first time I witnessed the Green Heron actively fishing there. The area is becoming higher than the water surface, and the bird has to stretch his neck to catch the fish. The Green Herons usually stand like a statue in the shallow water or on the Algae and wait for fish to come nearby; its fishing strategy is quite stoic. One fish was a little big for the Green Heron. I could see its neck bending down low toward the surface of water, and the bird had to bring its neck back up to swallow it. It was a peaceful and beautiful scene to watch that the two birds, a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron and a Green Heron hunting near each other with the same posture on that barrier.

The Chinese Domestic Geese crossed the concrete path to other side of the lawn. The mother goose was noticeably limping. I thought that her right thigh might have an injury; and also, I saw her right foot is slightly inward. After she crossed the path and picked some grasses, the mother goose sat on the grass again.

I saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk flying toward the Swiss Sky Ride and fly down under the tree near the meshed wire fence. The bird holding something, but I could not figure out what it was. The bird put it down on the grass and just watched it. From the reaction of the bird, I could tell that it was moving, but the movement was very slow. The bird was just watched it without doing anything. After for a while, the bird started eating it deliciously.

After the Red-Shouldered Hawk finished, I went to the site that the hawk was eating curious what it had caught. I was surprised to see two big claws of s crayfish left on the grass. That red color of two claws on the corner of green grass under the shade of a green tree produced an atmosphere of severity and lonesomeness. I just stood there for a while. And, I wondered again. How the Red-Shouldered Hawk caught the crayfish? I saw once that the Red-Shouldered Hawk caught something on the feeding place in the wetland, but I have not seen the Red-Shouldered Hawk try to hunt the crayfish like the water birds do. Anyway, this morning, I found that the diet of the Red-Shouldered Hawks includes aquatic foods in their menus.

June 26, 2010

2010-06-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to see four deer and three fawns at the parking lot in front of the Texas River Center this morning. A beautiful light brown fawn was away from the herd. Its innocence and curiosity were exhibited, as it ran up to the trees almost touching them with its nose then approaching and inspecting the trucks parked there. Other deer were gathered close by, alert. I turned off my car’s engine and headlights to avoid scaring them away. Then, a car drove down the hill between the Golf course and the Texas Rivers Center, and the deer walked away to the hill.

There was a tent set up under the Pecan Grove, and a Red-Shouldered Hawk was there. I heard the voice of another Red-Shouldered Hawk from behind the hill. I thought the parent’s birds were busy hunting. The young Red-Shouldered Hawk caught something on the path beside the grove, and started eating it, then flew away toward the Aquarena Center.

I saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk perched on a stalk of the desert plant beside of the Century Plant. Its slim and elegant leaves are beautiful, but each leaf has sharp spikes. The plant produced two slim stalks, though their heights were not comparable to the majestic stalk of the Century Plant. The slim stalk could not hold the weight of a Red-Shouldered Hawk. After the Red-Shouldered Hawk flew away, I saw the tip of the stalk bend nearly 90 degrees.

When I was on the boardwalk, the waterway between the Texas Rivers Center and the river was busy with traffic. I saw a Great Blue Heron fly in and out three times. After I sighted the bird for the third time, I walked back to the Glass Bottom Boat dock area, but I could not see the bird there.

At 7:00 a.m., cars started parking in front of the Pecan Grove for a gathering. The young Red-Shouldered Hawk flew up toward the lake, and perched on the blue colored viewing deck that is located on the opposite side of the lake, in front of the Glass Bottom Boat dock.

At the short path between the Swiss Sky Ride and parking lot, a medium sized moss covered turtle was trying hard to dig a hole to lay her eggs. There were tire tracks on the muddy path, and she decided to use that dent as her nest. The ground was hardened by years of parked cars or used as a turnaround spot, but she was determined to use the deepest rut as her nest.

First, she cleared the rut with her front paws, and then used her mighty strength to dig a hole with her hind legs. She looked frustrated about the hardness of ground. Then, I saw that the place where she was digging was becoming wet. At first, I did not pay attention to it. The turtle kept using her mighty strength to dig. Then, I saw water come out her rear end, wetting the ground and she continued digging hard. She discharged water four more times and continued digging.

I realized that the mother turtle was discharging the water to soften the ground. How did the turtle know the water would make the hardened soil softer? I was amazed that the turtle used the water as a solution, or a tool to ease the problem. It was a wild, medium sized turtle, able to reflect and resolve the problem using water as a tool. She discharged four more times but finally gave up that spot, but was still determined to use the same tire track. She moved about one foot and started digging again. I was sad to watch her as two divers turned their cars after they dropped off their gear, on the short path where the turtle was trying to lay her eggs. If I was not standing beside her, they might have run over her.

I saw Mrs. Wassenich, from the San Marcos River Foundation, SMRF, bring out her tools from the storage place. Today is the volunteer day, but I saw she had only one lady volunteer. I was wish more people would come to help these beautiful wetlands and the lake. The wetlands are covered with Algae, Water Hyacinths, Elephant Ears, etc. I remember that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints came to cleanup the part of wetlands in the Golf course that was covered with Algae and Water Hyacinths under the direction of Mrs. Wassenich a couple weeks ago. This beautiful wetlands and lake need help from all the people
not only employees of the Aquarena Center.

June 26, 2010

2010-06-29T10:42:00.001-05:00

June 24, 2010

2010-06-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

The Pecan Grove was quiet when the sun was not in the horizon this morning. I parked my car at in front of the Pecan Grove and walked toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock to observe the Great Blue Heron. There was no sighting of the Great Blue Heron; I thought that it was too early.

At the boardwalk, Nutrias were already busy having their breakfast. Those two juveniles were chasing each other as sometimes they do, but they displayed an interesting act this morning. One young Nutria quickly dove and sprung its tail high in the air making cool splashing sounds to escape from the chase. The other young Nutria which was chasing also flipped up its tail high in the air, making cool splashing sounds and dove into the water continuing to chase the other. Three older Nutrias nearby did not care about that acrobatic play of the young ones, and continued with their breakfast.

When I walked toward the exit, I saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron perched on the rail looking down at the water, but the bird flew away toward the Golf course.

I heard voices of Red-Shouldered Hawks and other birds after things gradually became visible. I went back to the Glass Bottom Boat dock to see the Great Blue Heron. I concentrated on looking toward the bushes on the other side of the lake, but I did not realize that the Great Blue Heron was on the fence near the Glass Bottom Boat gate. When I approached the boat gate, a Great Blue Heron flew up graciously and flew away toward the river.

I was happy to see that flowers of the Century Plant finally bloomed! It was only the lowest layer of the branches, but light green buds finally opened, and I saw a bee collecting honey from them. Each of the long pistils was growing high toward the sky just like the stalk itself adding elegance in that gorgeous plant.

At the Pecan Grove, a Red-Shouldered Hawk flew back from the Golf course and perched on a picnic table. I thought that it was the young bird. A Thrusher like bird appeared and started to fly closely to the hawk harassing it. One more Red-Shouldered Hawk flew back from the hill, and perched on near Pecan tree branch, but the Thrusher like bird did not care for the other hawk either. The bird cried “Jee! Jee! Jee!” and flew closely around the young hawk, but the young hawk did not respond to the harassment and just stood still. The other hawk, which I thought was the parent hawk, was just quietly observing the two. The young hawk flew up to the branch of the Pecan tree, and the small bird cried “Jee! Jee! Jee!” following the young hawk. It was a puzzle to me why the small bird kept harassing the young hawk.

At the headwaters of the river in front of the Texas Rivers Center, two young men in light green diving suites were busy preparing for a dive. They were busy strapping oxygen tanks on their back, putting on flippers, and then slowly went into the water. Under the water, their green suites became shinier in the greenish/bluish clear water then disappeared from my sight.

Then I saw a Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron flying toward the wooden raft that the two divers had parked in front of the Texas Rivers Center. The Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron walked slowly around the edge of the concrete, the same as the Great Blue Heron did yesterday morning, and came toward the steps that were painted in blue. The bird saw me, but did not care about me, and stopped on the blue steps in front of me. The bird was looking into the water. I was glad that I could see the Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron so closely. I saw at once that the bird was not the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The bird’s feathers and beaks had lost their shine, which indicated the bird was older. The clear identification of this bird was the blackish dots on the white feathers of the head and forehead. The bird also had longer white occipital plumes than the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron. The young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron doesn’t have dots on the white feathers on the head and forehead. I was glad to know that there were at least two Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons on this lake now. The bird could not find any crayfish from that area and flew away toward the river.

June 23, 2010

2010-06-24T17:13:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I received a note from Deborah Lane who informed me that she and Arielle would be the editors of my diary. Thank you very much Deborah Lane and Arielle!

The young Red-Shouldered Hawk was alone in the Pecan Grove at 6:30 a.m. The bird was on the picnic table as if it was waiting for its parents to come back. There was no voice of hawks and I thought that the parents were hunting.

When I through the bridge to the boardwalk, I saw a big puddle of water and some Algae on the boardwalk, then, another puddle and a third puddle near the exit on the boardwalk. Something happened on the boardwalk in the early morning; however, three Nutrias were busy munching the Algae as if nothing was happened on the boardwalk, and Green Herons were standing in shallow water patiently and waiting the fish to swim by.

Under the Cypress tree at near the Landing House, the mother Chinese Domestic goose was putting her head in its feathers and sleeping, and two other birds were busy eating the grasses, heading toward the site for the biological experiments. The two geese were further and further from the sleeping mother goose. It was my first case to see that one bird was left behind from the other two. I tried to see whether the mother goose was all right and I started walking slowly toward the mother goose. I thought that the other two geese were busy eating, but the offspring saw my move. At once, the young goose made a sharp warning quack. The mother goose brought up her head and stood at once and made a quack, and the mother goose slowly walked toward the other geese.

I hurried toward the Glass Bottom Boat dock and checked the other side of the lake. I was glad to see a Great Blue Heron walking on the concrete edge along the lake. The bird was looking into the water, and slowly toward the concrete steps, which are painted blue. The bird stopped there and looked into the water for a while. The blue steps go under the water, but not many fish or bird’s favorite crayfish could be found there. The Great Blue Heron does not dive like the Double-Crested Cormorants, either. I felt a little strange about the behavior of that bird, and I thought that it might be the offspring of the Great Blue Heron.

I went to see the Red-Shouldered Hawk at the Pecan Grove again. I was glad to see that one of the hawks was holding something with its legs, and pulling the meat with strong beaks at under the Pecan tree, and another hawk was stood beside of it. I thought that the parent bird brought the food for its young. I heard a voice of another hawk from behind the Texas Rivers Center. After the bird finished its breakfast, two hawks flew up on the picnic table as if they were full and relaxed.

Then, one of Red-Shouldered Hawks flew down to the ground. It was cute to watch the hawk as it found something moving on the ground. The bird was concentrating, observing it, and with one leg, the bird tried to step on it. I could see from the reaction of the hawk, the thing was still moving. The bird walked along with it for a couple steps and stepped on it again with one leg. The bird stepped on it three more times and then let it go. I thought it was the young hawk, and the bird was playing the game just like human children do.

June 21, 2010

2010-06-24T16:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Arielle sent me the blog site and I read the diary for June 18th. She skillfully edited my writing, and I appreciate her efforts as the editor of my diary. Thank you very much, Arielle!

One juvenile Nutria had a good stroll this morning. Its footprints started at the left side of boardwalk leading to the covered bridge, went through the covered bridge to the outside bridge with handrails, and to the cut stone area that is the beginning of entrance to the boardwalk. The cute footprints gave me a smile as I imagined the young Nutria’s adventure in this morning.

Six Nutrias were in the middle of breakfast feast at left side of the entrance. The young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron did not mind these Nutrias. Just as I went through the covered entrance, I saw the bird carried a big crayfish between its beaks, coming up in a hurry to the bank from the water. I saw the crayfish was wiggling and moving claws, but the bird carried the crayfish high to the top of bank where a tub of the sick Snapping Turtle was once placed.

That young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron suffered from choking while trying to swallow a big crayfish yesterday morning. This morning’s catch was big, and I was curious how the bird would handle that big crayfish.

The bird held the crayfish in a horizontal position and turned the crayfish with its beaks several times. Every turn the bird made with its beaks, I heard cracking sounds from the shells of crayfish. Then, with its beaks, it changed the position of the crayfish vertically, and amazingly, the bird swallowed that big crayfish in one gulp. After the bird consumed the crayfish, the bird walked down to the water, sipping the water as usual, and started hunting again.

The three American Coots were swimming peacefully along the boardwalk to their hunting place and the three Chinese Domestic Geese were resting near the kayak dock, under the Cypress which carried many green cones. Geese are eating their breakfast much earlier these days.

I saw one Red-Shouldered Hawk flying toward the wetland and I followed the bird. The hawk was perched on the handrail to the entrance. As I was watching the bird, a squirrel started coming down from the electric pole next to the entrance. The hawk flew down to the root of electric pole and looked up at the squirrel. The squirrel noticed, but didn’t show any fear toward the hawk. It slowly kept coming down in front of the hawk which was just watching the descending squirrel, and walked toward the Swiss Sky Ride structure slowly. It was anything special, but I felt as if I saw a beautiful harmony of nature.

June 20, 2010

2010-06-24T16:54:00.001-05:00

The Pecan Grove was empty, and the lake was quiet when I arrived this morning. At first, the wetland did not have many activities as if breakfast was over. Even, three Chinese Domestic Geese were resting on the lawn at the side of Swiss Sky Ride. The mother goose was putting her head between her feathers sleeping, but the father and their offspring were alert.

I was glad to see Arielle! She was opening the facilities for today’s activities. Usually divers come in early to prepare for their dive. She let me in the Landing House and showed me some photos on exhibit that were taken under water by a scuba diver who used to work here. It must be a different world to see the lake 20 or 30 feet below the surface than seen from the water surface. I thought that the photographer/scuba diver knew the value and beauty of this lake as a whole.

After I came out from the Landing House, I saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk on the cable of the Swiss Sky Ride. It was looking around with its sharp eyes. Then, the bird flew toward the wetland. When I got near the boardwalk entrance I saw the hawk carried a whitish long shaped thing with its legs. From that shape, I thought that it was a lizard. As I slowly approached I saw the bird on a rusted iron beam was holding the prey with its strong feet, and started eating it. I thought that it was the young Red-Shouldered Hawk; the bird was learning to hunt.

Then, I saw a Great Blue Heron hunting to the right of an enclosure near the entrance to the boardwalk. Because of the tall grass, I could not see what it was, but could see the bird was stretching its neck and its beaks toward some prey and following it slowly. The bird almost got it. Regrettably, the targeted thing escaped. The Great Blue Heron brought up its neck, composed its posture, and flew into the water near the feeding area for hunting.

I heard another Red-Shouldered Hawk from the other side of the woods, near the territory a Great Egret had kept all last summer. On the rusted iron beam, the Red-Shouldered Hawk ate its catch quickly, and responded to the other hawks call. They responded to each other a couple times when the young bird flew up toward the voice. On the way to the other side of the woods, the bird flew low on the feeding area that scared a couple of Green Herons. They flapped their wings and flew up from the feeding area with strong scared voices, and the Red-Shouldered Hawk made a quick upward flight and disappeared into the woods.

When I went thought the boardwalk entrance to see the young Red-Shouldered Hawk, I saw the young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron on the rail and the bird had a problem in its throat. The bird was doing the motions of “opening and closing its beak very wide ” many times as if the bird was choking. I sensed at once that the bird had swallowed a big crayfish, and it had not gone down its throat. For a few minutes, the bird kept doing the same motions then flew down to the edge of a dead floating tree trunk. I thought that the bird needed to drink water, but the bird finally discharged something that plugged its throat, and started hunting more crayfish.

Last summer, the Yellow-Crowned-Night Herons brought the crayfish to land, tried to separate the big claws from the crayfish, not caring to eat the claws. I used to see pairs of red claws left on the boardwalk often. However, this Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was different; the bird was determined to eat the whole crayfish at once. I could see the strong power from that beautiful young Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron.

I saw the Great Blue Heron caught a crayfish in a near feeding place deeper in the water. When I was watching the Great Blue Heron, I heard voices of the Red-Shouldered Hawks go toward the Old Main Building. Later, I heard voices toward the hill that indicated they were circling the area on the hill behind the Texas Rivers Center. The young Red-Shouldered Hawk was expanding its active areas.

June 18, 2010

2010-06-20T12:13:00.000-05:00

The Red-Shouldered Hawks were not in the Pecan Grove this morning, and I didn't hear them. I thought that the young hawks were hunting with their parents.

At 12:00 noon I met with Arielle, the Aquarena graduate fellow, Curriculum Coordinator, and assistant to the Coordinator of Instructional Programs, Mrs. Sonja Mlenar. Arielle took me to her office and talked about editing of my diary and told me about the online web blog. I appreciate that she took her time to correcting my English. I was glad to see her well-organized office was. It contained the educational tour materials for students of all ages, which were neatly stacked and labeled. Afterwards, I took a special Glass Bottom Boat tour with Arielle as my driver! She pointed out the gushing springs in the lake. I thought about how every drop of water in Spring Lake had traveled such a long way to get to Spring Lake, and how it will continue to travel down the San Marcos River and into the Gulf of Mexico. How precious to see those springs in action!

Looking at the lake from the land was very different than looking at it from the boat. From the shore, I saw the water as a whole, but I had not thought much about how active the lake actually is, and how much life (plants, fish, and animals) is found there. However, looking deep down into the lake bottom from the boat, I felt a feeling of appreciation for the water and its unfathomable power. How beautiful it was to see the aquatic plants swaying gently from the spring flow. Hundreds of tiny oxygen bubbles rose from the plants and the white Cabomba flowers (which had bloomed underwater.) The bubbles hit the glass bottom of the boat and then gently disappeared. The aquatic plants were gorgeous and had grown much thicker than I saw last year.

How happy I was to see plenty of fish! Since Algae took over the wetlands, I had not many chances to see the underwater activities of the wetlands. I think it is currently spawning season and wonder whether or not the fish are using the aquatic plants as there nesting area. There are more safe areas for eggs and young fish in the lake than the wetland.

Last summer I enjoyed observing fishes during their spawning season at the wetlands. There were hundreds of small holes on the lake floor, which I assumed were created by the springs. Each fish used a hole as a nest, in which they laid their eggs and guarded them from predators until they hatched. There were hundreds of small holes on the lake floor. Amazingly, the fish could identify their own nest in that open lake bottom, and circled around it to guard the eggs. I often witnessed a small fish attack a much bigger fish, just like a torpedo, to defend its nest from invaders. I could not identify which fish was male or female, but I heard that the male fish guarded the nests and the females swam away. Interestingly, the male fish changes color in order to scare off other invading fishes. I wondered what kind of habit these fishes had in the deeper water.

Looking at the wetland from boat, I felt as if the wetlands hold a different lifestyle than the lake. It is the same river, but there are differences between the running water in the lake and the still water in the wetlands.

During the boat ride, I heard the call of the Red-Shouldered Hawks from behind the Texas Rivers Center. I asked Arielle what was behind of the hill, because the hawks often fly towards that area. I was hoping there would be a wooded area. Arielle mentioned to me that behind the hillside there is a wooded residential area. As far as I know, there are two pairs of the Red-Shouldered Hawks, along with a young one. Expansion of the residential area means that the hawks have a decreased chance of survival.

I had a wonderful experience during the boat tour and appreciate the thoughtfulness of Mrs. Mlenar and Arielle regarding their arrangements for me.