All the RV volunteers went to McFadden NWR to clean up the beach before the Refuge held an educational/beach restoration event. This is another refuge that is managed along with ours. It is quite close if you fly or go by boat, but takes over an hour to drive to it because first you have to go east to Port Arthur, then go south and back east towards us. Many hurricanes ago, there was a Hwy 87 but the stretch between High Island and McFadden have been gone for many years.
It was quite interesting. We got to see a rail up close as it fed in a ditch. And there were lots of good birds on the beach. We also did a quick tour of the refuge and I was reminded of all the good paddling water they have there. Lots of people were fishing or crabbing.
We were to especially clean out the dunes as that was where the kids would be working. They would be planting grass to stabilize the dunes.
But we had time to clean the beach area as well.
Mostly we got to walk on the beach or in small dunes.
I got involved with cleaning up this site. Apparently some beach goers built a fire of the remains of houses destroyed by hurricane Ike. Then they must have roasted hot dogs and/or marshmallows, since I found the rusted hangers they had used. Finally they washed it all down with beer and left broken bottles behind. It must have been a huge bonfire to leave several pounds of nails. I had a hard time carrying the bucket back to the dumpster.
But getting to watch the waves and the birds loafing along the shoreline made it more fun than work.
It was quite interesting. We got to see a rail up close as it fed in a ditch. And there were lots of good birds on the beach. We also did a quick tour of the refuge and I was reminded of all the good paddling water they have there. Lots of people were fishing or crabbing.
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But we had time to clean the beach area as well.
Mostly we got to walk on the beach or in small dunes.
I got involved with cleaning up this site. Apparently some beach goers built a fire of the remains of houses destroyed by hurricane Ike. Then they must have roasted hot dogs and/or marshmallows, since I found the rusted hangers they had used. Finally they washed it all down with beer and left broken bottles behind. It must have been a huge bonfire to leave several pounds of nails. I had a hard time carrying the bucket back to the dumpster.
But getting to watch the waves and the birds loafing along the shoreline made it more fun than work.
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| Laughing gulls with a herring gull |
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| Laughing gulls, royal terns and pelicans |
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