Goodbye to a Bayou

One the the things that defines southeast Texas is the number of places to paddle.  The Houston Area has several watersheds, many lakes and, of course coastal waters. But the premiere paddling place has to be Armand Bayou, which has been designated as one of only four Texas Coastal Preserves.  It's easily accessible, and is next to Armand Bayou Nature Center so, even though it is in the middle of a large population, it has been mostly preserved and you can paddle for miles without seeing many signs of civilization.  You can paddle upstream and then choose to go east or west, and do the same for downstream, where you can choose to go into Mud Lake and Clear Lake. Or you can turn into the smaller winding, Horsepen Bayou and travel to University of Houston, Clear Lake and stop at a picnic area on campus. This is now one of the official Texas Paddling Trails and you can read all about it here.

I have been paddling on this Bayou since the 80's, even before I moved to Houston.  I traveled from Shreveport, Louisiana to Houston to see my first osprey, when theses birds began to make a comeback on this bayou.

My friend Pat Cox, with whom I'd also been camping at South Llano River State Park, and I decided to do an early Saturday morning paddle.  We put in a little after 8:00 A.M. and were the first people to travel upstream.  We took advantage of the beautiful light and paddled slowly with lots of stops to enjoy the scenery, the few birds present, and the many alligators.

At the put-in

The bayou is more open near the bridge 

I was caught by how this islet was glowing in the morning light

Beautiful and terrible invasive water hyacinth

The prettiest alligator we saw 

The bayou is slowly degrading due to many invasive species making their new homes there, at the expense of native plants and animals.  The water was high so we expected to see few wading birds, but we expected to see several osprey and saw and heard none.  I wonder if the water hyacinth, that completely covered the north reaches of the bayou impacted the fish the ospreys eat. Also many of the wintering birds have now migrated back north.

A little blue heron hunting in a huge patch of water hyacinth

Some beautiful old trees and reflections,  but with an invasive tallow tree in front

Another couple caught up with us in their hand-made kayaks 

Can't stop taking pictures of all this

Invasive elephant ears with invasive apple snail egg mass attached

Juvenile little blue heron

We saw many kayakers and canoers on the way back but only this one paddleboarder

 Pat and I finished just after noon, and had worked up an appetite, so we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for great, delicious bowls of soup.

It was a very good day to say goodbye to a place that holds many happy memories of paddling trips, both solo and with friends.

As this comes out I'll be unpacking and starting my work at Red Rock Lakes NWR.  The bluebird survey will be the priority.  I'll be repairing boxes and getting my first batch of data.

Annual Paddle on South Llano River, Texas

I can't remember when I first started going to South Llano River State Park on a regular basis. My first visit there was amazing. A friend and I camped there among many birds I'd never seen, along with displaying turkeys. And the river looked like it could provide a fun paddle.

Then I remember a weekend paddling different stretches of it with the Houston Canoe Club. After that, it begins to be a blur of memories. But at some point, in the last several years, I started going over there the first weekend in May and invited friends to go with me. This grew into an annual activity. After I started traveling, my friend Winnie took over several of my annual trips, including this one.

I was so glad to be back, both to see the river and meet friends from Del Rio, Corpus Christi, Houston, and Austin. I rode down with my friend, Bruce.  We didn't get there until suppertime, so we set up camp, ate supper, visited a little while, and went to bed. I woke up around 5 A.M to answer the call of nature. The stars were so fantastic I lingered outside to enjoy them. The entire milky way was visible as was the north star.  I could find the few constellations I recognize.  I could even see the north star.  The crescent moon had already set and Venus shone brightly in the eastern sky.  I tried to take a picture but couldn't succeed.  Next time, I'll have to remember to bring a tripod.

All too soon the sky began to brighten and the stars fade. Birds started calling, led by a chuck-will's widow. Soon the hundreds of bells vireos were chiming in along with Inca doves, morning doves, and white-winged doves, cardinals and other birds.  I quickly got dressed and grabbed coffee and cereal, then picked up my water back, binoculars and camera and went off for a day of birding with Helen, Monica, and Linda.  (I'll share those pictures later.) The rest of the group did a long paddle on the Sough Llano and I didn't see any of them until about 4:00 P.M.

We first birded a trail from the campsite to the river, then down to the day use area and back to headquarters. Then we birded the four blinds. Finally, about 3:30 P. M. we stopped because the other birders were going back to Austin and I had a date with my hammock.  The day had started cool enough for a jacket until mid-morning but around noon, I'd had to zip off my pants legs.

I had to move my hammock twice to keep it in the shade and enjoyed watching a few birds still active in the mid afternoon while reading and swinging in my hammock.

Then it was time for showers and fixing supper. Since I have no room for an ice chest, I decided to just take sausages and put them in in a crock pot with grape jelly and barbeque sauce. I had it ready by the time the hungry paddlers arrived back at camp so it made a good appetizer for them.  We then shared chilli, several salads, watermelon, and desserts.

All  but four of our group 

Bruce and I after a big meal

The next day I got up early and had my camp packed up by the time Winnie and Bruce got up.  I had a couple of hours available to go birding so checked out two of the blinds near the camping area.  Then I found Bruce had put all the paddling gear in the front seat and Winnie had her front seat full, so I just walked down to the put-in.  We were putting our boats in a the low water bridge in the park and then paddling to the next bridge, a distance of about five and a half miles.

Winnie's picture of us at the start

By the time I got there, Ann had arrived and was getting her stuff out, while Bruce and Winnie had all our stuff ready to go. (Winnie has my white water kayak and loaned it  back to me for this paddle. ) I sat with the boats and read while they ran the shuttle.  We finally got started about 11:00 A.M. The day was getting hot but the water was cool and a breeze added its coolness.

Bruce getting underway, supervised by Ann

Winnie helping Ann get started

Looking back at Winnie coming around the first turn. 

Heading downstream

Winnie's picture of me 

The river is spring fed by over 100 springs, but I'm not sure if all the springs are all still running.  It was at low as it was a couple of years ago when I paddled it, which is about the lowest level at which it can still be paddled.  I think all of us had to slide across rocks a few times by pushing with our hands and paddles and a couple of us had to get out and pull boats over really low places.

Winnie in front of the mountain that is across the street from the park

In places, the creek is cutting a wider swath through high banks

Bruce got way ahead of us, then stopped to watch a ringed kingfisher.  We only got a quick look at it before it flew around a bend and disappeared. This was the first time I'd seen this species here. Other birds we saw were northern, barn, and cliff swallows, white-winged and mourning doves, a little green kingfisher, and a great blue heron.  We heard summer tanagers and bell's vireos. 

While in other places it looks like a small, harmless creek

Usually any fallen trees have been cut to keep the channel open for paddlers

Winnie takes more pictures than I do

Winnie and Ann trying to make it through a boney spot

This is view from a high bank where Bruce and I waited on Winnie and Ann

In another pool

Another high bank - good for swallows and kingfishers

Fun all done

We rode back to the parking lot at the put-in and moved Bruce's boat and our paddling stuff from Ann's car to ours and started back home.  The weekend was way too short - no time to hike or bike or find the black-capped vireo or golden-cheeked warbler, two rare endemic species.

Stream Data:  The stream was running at 45 cubic feet/second the entire time we were this.  This is the lowest flow you want to paddle and 50 cubic feet/second would be much better.  Gage information is here: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/site_no=08150000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

On the personal front, I'm still in Galveston. I have been getting referrals from my original doctors. I now have had two MRI's - one on my right shoulder, and one on my upper back.  I hope to get four surgeries this fall - two on my wrists and two on my rotator cuffs.  Just got the right shoulder diagnosed and had the left shoulder diagnosed last year.  My back is deteriorating but I'm hoping to stabilize it with exercise.  I have an appointment for physical therapy next week.

I'll go visit my children in the Texas Hill Country next weekend, then start my trip up north.

Farewell Paddle on the South Llano River

I ended my stay in Texas with a farewell trip to South Llano River State Park.  I birded, hiked, visited and finally paddled with various friends of a group of sixteen.  I've blogged about that trip here.  I birded all the way to the put-in and then had to wait on the rest of the group to arrive.

Summer tanager

Red-eyed vireo "preaching"

Eastern Wood Peewee singing

 Bob, Ann and I were the only ones paddling. The rest were either leaving, or birding. Natalie came to watch us take off and then planed to pack up and go to Austin to visit her daughter on the way home. Bill came to run the shuttle for us.  He followed Bob down to the take-out and then brought him back. Then he went back to pack up and wait for me.  He planned to stuff my things in the car for me.  (What a guy!)Finally, around 10:00 A.M., we were ready to do this short paddle -  I think it's about five miles.

Bob helping Ann at the put-in at the low water bridge in the park

We wound through the first chute and then pulled out so Ann could get her foot braces fixed.  After that we were able to paddle for over an hour before we needed a pit stop. We were also stopped several times by low water - the river was the lowest I've ever seen it.  This must be due the the on-going drought in the area.  But we still finished our paddle in about two hours.

River View

Winnie took this picture of me from a high bank near the start of the trip

Bob and view

Low water

Ann by cut bank

Bob struggling across a shallow spot

Some lingering blue-winged teal

Ann gets a drag from Bob

Finding a devil's trumpet along the riverside was a surprise

 But even low, the river was beautiful and we were a little sad to see the bridge.  I was surprised to see a new bridge that we could paddle under and the new parking area for paddlers.   I'm glad to see that more and more rivers are getting paddling trails with more amenities for paddlers.

Ann coming under the new bridge

At the take-out

I didn't take my canoe with me to Bison Range because there is hardly any paddling I can do by myself without running a shuttle.  There are a few lakes but I don't really like lake paddling. So this memory will have to last me until I go on a Boundary Waters Trip in September. 

Kayaking From Galveston State Park

I'm half-way through my month of R&R before starting another volunteer job in Sacramento NWR. Last Thursday, I left Louisiana and came to my best friend's house in Galveston to house sit for here while she paddles for a week on the Rio Grande River.

Then I partied all the rest of the long weekend. On Friday I went to the Volunteer Banquet at Anahuac NWR where I received a plaque and a jacket for my 3000 hours.

I also decided to host a weekend party at Natalie's house. So three friends and I spent the weekend birding, paddling, and eating great food, including a Cajun supper supplied by Dutch. But my favorite activity was paddling in West Bay out of Galveston State Park.  This was just a little out and back paddle where we hung out watching the birds more than we paddled.

Gulls, terns, white ibis, sandpipers, roseate spoonbills and brown pelicans were feeding or loafing.

Forrester's Tern

White Ibis

Hermit Crabs Riding on Geotube carpet

We saw what looked like a piece of floating carpet with lots of hermit crabs hanging on to it. Later we figured out that it was part of a geotube.  This is a huge fabric tube that is filled with sediment, in this case, and used to protect grassy areas from erosion.  The birds love them as they look like sandbars to them. They were resting on all the parts that were above water.

Brown pelican taking off  from a geotube

The end ...of a brown pelican dive

Laughing gulls and neotropical cormorant

Roseate spoonbills and  paddlers

Hey, short stuff

Royal terns

Least Sandpiper

Winter laughing gulls

I was the lunch provider of  wraps - cheese, black bean dip, guacamole, and spinach

Coming in

Fiddler Crabs- there were hundreds of them at the launch site