Diario de lucygoose97

Intro

August was a hot month at the boardwalk. I usually went out in the later morning when the temperature was in the mid-90s. The water around the boardwalk is visibly gone and replaced by grasses and wetlands plants such as frogfruits and horseweeds - I really need to work on getting more plant observations, birds are just so distracting to me at the moment.

Along with plants, I want to work on generally looking down more instead of looking up into the trees. I was very happy to find a Hispid Cotton Rat hiding in the grasses along the walkway. It makes me wonder what else is looking up at me when I walk by. Oh, and speaking of mammals, the only other mammal I have seen here have been White-Tailed Deer -- watching a fawn frolic out in the dried lake bed was one of the highlights of my observations this month!

Birds

When I first started birding, I remember being so frustrated at hearing birds "laugh" at me from the trees and being unable to see them with my binoculars. I feel like I have improved much since May and can now quickly focus on a bird that shows. Woo! This month I discovered that bird photography is WAY more frustrating than just bird watching. I purchased a lens attachment for my phone with high hopes, but the birds always seem to know when there is a camera and exit the stage immediately.

Below are some of the bird species I was able to paparazzi a photo from. I organized the birds on where I generally noticed them spending time. The boardwalk parking lot is dotted with Eastern Cottonwoods and has a powerline following E. Lake Rd with a tree line on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot. Birds here seem to not mind being close to the road. As you you walk on the boardwalk itself, you enter and leave the canopy. The canopy breaks indicate the waterways.

I am also including some of my personal observations of their behaviors. It was exciting to see a lot of scruffy/awkward juveniles in the area. They seemed to be a little more curious about me than the adults. I also noticed that most birds had their beaks parted and panting to combat the heat.

Parking Lot/Road

• Europen Starling: This was my first time noticing them in this part of the lake since observing since April. They swarmed the trees and open field near the parking lot and are loud.
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: My all time favorite bird! I was worried that I had missed my opportunity to get a photo of them before they left. There seems to be a lot less of them hanging around now than at the beginning of the summer.
• Barn Swallow: This power line seems to be a favorite hangout for the swallows. Had to stay in my car to get the closer photo, they abandon the hangout quick but also return quick.

Outside of Tree Canopy

• Turkey Vultures: I was most surprised to see them all hanging out at the lake like it was spring break. They would be in large groups standing on the shoreline and wading in the water. It absolutely makes sense in this heat!
• Mississppi Kite: I was VERY excited to get a photo of these birds and kind of capture how they fly.
• Eastern Phoebe: If I see a bird fly up to a fence or branch in front of my walking path and stay a little longer than most birds would tolerate, it always seems to be an Eastern Phoebe. I also noticed the tail pumping that my field guide mentioned
• Great Crested Flycatcher: The one I photographed was much more shy than the Eastern Phoebe's nearby. Absolutely gorgeous though, especially with the reddish tail feathers.

Within Tree Canopy

• Least Flycatcher: Also shy compared to the phoebe. This one moved quickly ahead of me in the branches not staying long to investigate. Flycatchers are super hard for me to identify and I spend a lot of time with my field guide trying to figure out what I saw. I settled on least in this case because of the white eye ring, the wing bars, and how small it was compared to other tyrants in this area.
• Northern Cardinal: I really like watching them forage the floor. I am also starting to think of them as the red alarms of the habitat. If I mistep, they will start their warning call and keep eyes on me as I walk past. I was honored and surprised when a juvenile decided to hang out on a branch close to me.
• Painted Bunting: Still on the hunt for an adult male. This juvenile or female fun to watch. They always kept an eye on me through the leaves though.
• Blue Gray Gnatcatcher: These are some tiny birds and they move fast! They whip their neck around and hop quickly between branches. I was lucky to find one preening on a branch hanging close to my walking path. They fluff up quite a bit and I love the steel blue colors of their feathers!
• Downy Woodpecker: I find these to be a really fun and easy bird to watch. Also very cute.
• Wilson's Warbler: I was excited to finally find and photograph a warbler. I wasn't able to easily see the blackcap on this bird so I spent a lot of time comparing warbler species in my field guide. The yellow eyebrows and darker wing tips helped, and if I looked close enough I was able to see the black cap eventually in the photo. Very fun to ID!
• Carolina Chickadee: These birds are funny to me; it's like a party starts when a group of chickadees fly into the area. They seem to be very curious and not afraid to investigate. They move around quick and will land on branches above you, stare you down and squeak at you. I would stay still and they would zoom close to me, probably attracted to the bugs that were circling around me.
• Carolina Wren: So, where a group of chickadees seems like a party, a group of Carolina Wrens is like stepping into a family fight. They are loud and flapping at eachother trying to get whatever food someone else got. But, I was excited to capture a photo of one! They are hard to track down and do not stay still for very long.
• Tufted Titmouse: The one I observed on 8.31.23 was a juvenile and hopping around the floor and looking down at fallen logs for insects. Very jumpy and hesitant of my presence. I noticed this one had started foraging when my back was turned so had to ever so slightly turn to get the photo.

Thank you for reading my naturalist adventures and ID'ing my uploads, it helps me learn tremendously!!

My Equipment

Field Guide: National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America 7th Edition
Binoculars: Vortex Crossfire HD 10x42
Camera: iPhone 11 with APEXEL High Power 36X HD Telephoto Lens

I am excited to start posting my finds at the Floating Bridge - I absolutely love this little one mile gem of a walk in Weatherford, TX.

I first discovered this boardwalk about a year ago in July and thought how tragic it was that all the water had left the area. There were fish remains and dry cracked mud. The floating bridge was just a bridge. I left with the takeaway that this once was a beautiful walk and now it was forever lost.

I was very wrong and a little dramatic about it all. I returned in February and there was water. A LOT of water. The bridge was actually floating this time. It blew my mind that this area had changed so drastically. I found myself returning more frequently.

I purchased binoculars, a notebook and a birding guide. My first handwritten obersavations on May 5, 2023:

"Mystery long tailed bird on power lines, two prongs on tail with white line, looks like a blinker when flying"
"Blue, water bird, orange legs, purple mowhawk, long neck"
"Blue bird, small, ATE WORM, black streak on wings, tail looked like 'w' "
"Turtle with red cheeks"
"Thin snake in water with yellow, I think stripes"

Definitely not the most useful observations. When I returned home and checked my books I was compeltely lost--except for the scissor tailed flycatcher, I felt pretty confident with my guess there.

I noted when the pelicans were no longer appearing and when the flowers went into bloom. I noted when the water dried up again and the area became suffocating with dead fish stink. I noted vultures cleaning up the fish remains and noted egrets picking at the small fish that survived in the remaining pools. The fish corpses attracted insects, and the insects attracted small birds which attracted some raptors.

The water is completely gone again now at the boardwalk, and most people I meet on the trail express sadness at the loss of water and the fish skeletons that remain. I was told "wait until the water comes back so that you can actually see something".

I want to show more Floating Bridge visitors that there is incedible life to see here all year long!

Now, I only have one year under my belt, so I don't know if the changing water level is an annual occurrence and if the wildlife has adapted to it, or if this is a greater cause for concern. However, I'll be there to take observations and learn along the way.

It is so wonderful that the iNaturalist organization exists and I am beyond excited to improve my observations and connect more with this community. If you know more about the history of Lake Weatherford and the habitat associated with it, please comment your insight below! This is truly a special place!!