A Sad Sight

I am currently camping at Bastrop State Park under some of the few remaining pine trees that survived the devastating fires that occurred a few years back. This was not the only disaster to befall this beautiful park.  Over Labor Day Weekend in 2015 the area experienced a major flood washing out roads and sweeping away understory which was holding the soil in place and exposing the root structure of many trees causing them to fall.  I can recall camping in years past under the beautiful canopy of the Lost Pines.  I am surprised today to be able to see and hear the traffic on State Highway 71 from my campsite.  I never realized how close the parks southern boundary was to this busy thoroughfare.  I have made some panoramic views of what the current landscape looks like and one that shows to some degree what it use to look like.

However, there is good news to report as well.  In the devastated areas you can see new pines emerging, either planted by volunteers or provided by nature.  This forest will recover, but it will just take years to do so.  And this is in keeping with the nature of destruction and regeneration that naturally occurred before we, humans, began to interfere with this process. 

Now for the good news!  I had a nice morning of birding here under clear, blue skies with no wind.  I had not even left the parking lot before I was treated to a large group of one of my all time favorites, Cedar Waxwings.  These magnificent birds are winter visitors and are known to eat the cedar, and other, berries that offer themselves at this time of year.  I look forward to seeing their cousins in Duluth, Minnesota next month--an equally beautiful bird you will have to wait to see.

A short time later I found our largest woodpecker--Pileated Woodpecker-- doing his thing in search of insects in hidden in the bark of a dead pine tree. This large black woodpecker is about 18 inches long and features a white line running up each side of its neck to just below the eye and loops around the bill.  The unmistakeable call and drumming are easy to detect even with my hearing loss.  The chin is white and the breast black and in flight the big, white wing patches are clearly apparent.  I for once had the opportunity to get some good shots of this bird, my only regret is that he stayed on the shaded side of the tree and avoided the beautiful early morning sunlight.  In tge second one he is hanging upside down.

The other birds of the day included a smaller, Downy Woodpecker working the trees for insects.

And a beautiful Eastern Bluebird that was very close and washed with the soft light of the early morning.  

The final shot I want to share in this blog is a cooperative Red-tailed Hawk setting on the branches of a large pine tree.  He was very cooperative until I opened my door to get out and take his picture but my movement forced him to launch and me to hurry and snap a shot before he could escape.

So tomorrow is another day and I hope to find some other interesting birds to share with the next blog.