Texas - National Seashore Padre Island - Bird Tour

We journeyed to North Padre Island and encamped for four days at the Malaquite Campsite.  $8.00 a night for a camping spot, no hookups whatsoever but the biggest amenity was the Gulf of Mexico and the sound of the wind and waves.  Long sandy beaches where you could watch people reef fishing.



don't know where this tree came from but the currents washed it ashore



white sandy beaches



this fellow was always quite successful with fishing

We took a two and a half hour bird watching tour with a volunteer birder.  We saw some birds that we don't get in Alberta.  It was a great way to spend some time and we enjoyed the company of a couple from Calgary.


Redhead Ducks





half a million Redhead ducks come to this area in winter





Forster's Terns



These were some of the birds we saw.  Unfortunately we weren't able to get a good picture of the white tailed hawk, they were too far away.

While viewing the Redhead ducks on one of two fresh water ponds in the park we were shown some of the debris that had been washed ashore as a result of a hurricane in the Gulf.



now that is some heavy metal!



Can you imagine the force that it took to cast these objects on the beach!

As we were scanning around we saw three large coyotes far afield.  They looked fairly healthy.

We were on a side road that isn't open to public driving but because we were escorted we were able to see behind the scenes so to speak.  One of the scenes was a target range for the Park Rangers that are licensed to carry guns.

Another of the areas we were driven to was the Laguna Madre Channel which has a greater salinity than the Dead Sea or the Great Salt Lake in Utah.



this island was formed when the channel was dredged to make it deeper for boats

The island can be rented but unfortunately everything you need has to be brought over by boat and everything you use has to be taken away by boat.  There is no water, power or sewer on the island.

We were also informed of the flag poles at the camping area.  This is quite a well known wind surfing area and the flags indicate the speed of the wind.  Red - 8 miles per hour, white - 16 miles per hour and blue - 24 miles per hour.

Another interesting tidbit was about the oak trees on the island.  Texas Live Oak trees grow in mottes that look like a mound.  They have a stunted look but we were told these trees are at least 75 years old.  They are a safe haven for a variety of wildlife.



this motte had been burnt at both ends from a fire and back fire so we got a glimpse of its innards

One other object that we saw on this bird tour was a freshwater turtle shell.  Noone was in the shell but later we did have the pleasure of seeing some live freshwater turtles.

Texas - Fishing for Black Drum

While I lazed the day away, Sally, Mark, Patrick and Clark went off at 7 in the a.m. for a fishing adventure.  They met up with their guide, Doug (originally from Louisiana, transplanted to Texas) and fished in one of the channels by Aransas Pass.

the three musketeers

Apparently it was a real hard day for the fisher people.  Doug took the heads and tails off the sea lice or mantis shrimp, baited the hooks, tossed the lines out and the rest of the group just sat there until there was a strain on the line.  When they set the hook or as Doug said 'tear the lips off 'er', then the battle was to get this behemoth to the boat.

sea lice or mantis shrimp - quite a vicious little devil

the oldest caught the first fish



that's a 35 pound Black Drum



the next to catch a fish was Mark, second oldest



Mark's 35 pound Black Drum



and next in age to catch a Black Drum - Sally



that's a 55 pound fish that gal is holding one handed - don't mess with Sally!

playboy Patrick waiting his turn at a catch



and youngest and last to catch his Black Drum - a 45 pounder!

  While waiting for fish to be enticed by the lure Doug entertained the troops with stories of his days in Louisiana about working on shrimp boats and barges. 

Once the Black Drum is landed and because they put up such a fight, the fish takes in a lot of oxygen which inflates the air bladder in the fish and if it isn't punctured when the fish is released the fish will stay on top of the water and sometimes die.  So what they do is puncture the air bladder with a filleting knife under a scale to let the air out.  Then when the fish is released he can sink into the water and start swimming. 

puncturing the air bladder with a filet knife

Doug gave each fisher person a scale from his fish.

the fish scale once dry is as hard as a guitar pick -
I have put a quarter beside the scale for size comparison

 There were shrimpers going up the channel netting bait shrimp.  Clark said he saw 6 shrimpers.  Once an hour they haul in the nets, dump the shrimp and reset for another pass up or down the channel.  They saw several barges and tugboats.  At least there was something to look at besides each other.

The day was perfect, sunny without being hot and nary a ripple on the water.  I was rested by the time the crew came back, some of them a tad sunburned.  We Skyped with Beth in Germany for awhile and then went to the Boiling Pot for a hearty meal of Cajun spiced seafood. 

At the Boiling Pot our table was covered with white paper and  our meal was brought out in a large stainless steel bowl, dumped on the table and you dig in.  Our meal consisted of shrimp (head and tail attached), crayfish (head and tail attached), potatoes, corn on the cob, blue stone crab (whole), regular crab's legs, King crab's legs, chorizo sausage (very hot) and lots of butter and sauces for dipping.

no need for bowls or utensils - just dig in!

We came back to Sally and Mark's cottage, played cards and just for a little snack had coconut cream pie and ice cream.  It was a great day.

Texas - Last Resort and the Minnesotans

We left Mustang Island in sun, took the ferry to the mainland and headed towards Rockport and our destination, Last Resort RV for a week.  Sally, Mark and Patrick are flying in from Minnesota for four days.  We have booked them a cottage in the same park.  It is great.

Saturday saw us stopping at the Mexican restaurant for breakfast and then a tour of the Big Tree, the Whooping Cranes and Goose Island State Park.


Patrick, Sally, Mark, Lois and Clark - a happy family :)



Mark, trying to give the squirrel the key to the rental vehicle!



Whooping Cranes at a feeder  - we were lucky and saw 7 today

We drove over to Goose Island State Park and let the family see where we had camped.  The State Park is on Copano Bay and when the sun shines the water glistens.

white pelicans enjoying the sunny day



the fishing pier at the state park



love the action of the water and the rippled sand surrounding the jellyfish

 Sally, Mark, Patrick and Clark booked a fishing trip for Sunday as the wind is supposed to be calm and the day sun with clouds but they got in some free fishing at the State Park first.  Patrick was after some big fish but all he got was a sting ray!



Patrick hoping for a good catch



a sting ray



another sting ray caught



underside of sting ray - they obviously like the shrimp bait!



another fisherman's catch of Sheepshead

I can't wait to hear the fish tales when the crew get back today from their fishing excursion!