Linear view vs. Masonry View

Sand Turtle

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Beach Art, Found on Rockport Beach, Texas May 2019

While it is officially sea turtle nesting season on Mustang and Padre Islands this is the closest I will get to one here on my local beach. In a bit of good news, there have been 32 nests of the rarest sea turtle species, the Kemp’s Ridley, spotted at Padre Island National Seashore thus far this year.

In an effort to assist the recovery of this endangered species, all the eggs are collected by PINS staff and incubated indoors, safe from beach activities (as beach driving is allowed in Texas). Around 45 days later, the hatchlings are released. After reaching sexual maturity (roughly 10-15 years) females return to their home beach to nest. She deposits 100 eggs into the sand and can nest multiple times in a season. PINS invites the public to some of the releases, I hope to attend one next month.

 

 

 

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Energetic Egret

Success! Small Fish

Compared to the staid demeanor of the majority of the heron family, the entertainment value of the Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) is off the charts! While the others tend to approach hunting as a study in patience, the Reddish jumps, spins, and flaps its way to a meal. I spent hours the other afternoon captivated by this one’s antics. (The distinction between heron and egret is a bit fuzzy – all egrets are herons but they generally have white feathers and produce white plumes during mating season.)

Surprisingly, this charismatic and active egret has been poorly studied. The species suffered greatly during the plumed hat craze of the late 1800s. Texas Parks and Wildlife estimates there are less than 2,000 nesting pairs in the nation and they are listed as Threatened in this state.

Best to listen to the video with the sound off, I apologize, it was extremely windy that day.

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Turn Off the News

I attended a fantastic concert at the Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels on Friday night. The Avett Brothers headlined but the main draw for me was the opening act, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real. I was mesmerized by the set they played at the Luck Festival back in March and eager to see them again. Lukas not only looks and sounds a lot like his father in his younger days but his songwriting skills are impressive. Lukas and POTR have a new album coming out next month, Turn Off the News (Build a Garden), and I love, love, love the title song.

“Turn off the news and build a garden,

Just my neighborhood and me,

We might feel a bit less hardened,

We might feel a bit more free”

Note: There is one F bomb near the beginning but please don’t let that deter you.

 

 
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Comes in Waves

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My daily beach walks are never just a casual stroll through the sand. I detest litter and have been picking it up since childhood. Chalk it up to my peculiar temperament, but I can’t relax in a messy home and it is next to impossible for me to unwind in a trashy outdoor space. Since the beaches here receive unceasing deposits of flotsam, I carry a bag with me on my rambles.

I can rely on there being a myriad of plastic pieces and shreds of plastic bags as well as a staggering amount of cigarette butts. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes I’m surprised by a cool, random object (like money). The prevalence of three specific items ebbs and flows: hair ties, acrylic nails, and band aids. I don’t understand it, but every so often there is an upswing of one of those items. Today happened to be band aid day; I collected a whopping 23 of them. They come in waves (literally, and umm, literally).
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Pretty, Deadly

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This Eastern Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea) is very similar to the Western Coral Bean (Erythrina flabelliformis) I grew up with in Tucson. Interestingly, the Eastern has been found growing in isolated populations in Southern Arizona, believed to have been imported through trade by the Mogollon culture. Both species owe their common name to their vibrant red seeds. The plant is full of toxic compounds that can cause paralysis when ingested.

The seeds have been used to make personal adornments, like necklaces, for thousands of years. I once read that Spanish missionaries made rosaries out of them and when they kissed the beads they inhaled the powder and were sickened. Perhaps poetic justice for forcing Catholicism and fealty to the crown onto the indigenous cultures?

 
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Nesting Season

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I discovered this egg rolling in the waves on the beach a few days ago. Based on a bit of research, I’ve determined it came from a Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla). They are the most prominent birds here and we are smack in the middle of nesting season. In fact, part of the Rockport Beach peninsula is closed right now to protect the nesting area. Several stages of the season were observable.

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Mating Laughing Gulls, Rockport, Texas May 2019

Is it just me, or does she look irritated?

To actual nesting:

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Laughing Gull Pants in the Heat While Nesting, Rockport, Texas May 2019

The pair will take turns tending the nest during the three to four week incubation period. I have yet to see any hatchlings but I hear that they are exceedingly well camouflaged so it will prove to be a challenge.
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Moonfire

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Moonfire, Mustang Island, Texas April 2019 (note moon and moonwake to the right)

A few weeks back I had the distinct pleasure of attending Moonfire. It was the first one since I moved down here (it was cancelled in February due to bad weather and March was skipped because it conflicted with Spring Break). My friend Deno (who is the unofficial Port Aransas mascot), is the host of this long-running-full-moon-bonfire-beach party. We were fortunate to have Dan Sullivan playing for us (one half of the talented band, The Detentions). What a fantastic way to spend an evening! As Dan said, beach life doesn’t suck.

Dan, playing a snippet of Coast, one of my favorite song by The Detentions!

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