)We had friends out to our Canyon Lake house for New Year's Eve, and since most of the local restaurants were closed for the holiday, we were "forced" to eat in. It was lots of fun, but it did entail some effort and expenditures of logistics energy.
But it was well worth it. In addition to the fine company, some fun fireworks, and a great "campfire," we were treated to winter scenery like this:
Then, as 2014 dawned (well, not exactly dawned, since we slept until almost 8!) we had to make brunch, eat it, clean up and get home in time for a New Year's Day paddle on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River.
It was a chilly ride (the promised partly sunny day never materialized) but fun, and even productive.
Some of the canoe chutes had become partially obstructed (naturally? mischievously?) with rocks from the stabilized banks. Of course it wouldn't do just to make our way through these passages. Some of the more energetic in our party had to spend some time clearing the way for future paddlers...
But it wasn't all work, of course, and the birds were fabulous...
This Great Egret (see a discussion of this species' various names here) was particularly photogenic.
And this handsome fellow (?) was a mystery to me at first. It looks like a duck (don't know if it quacks like one or not) but it's awfully large for one. However, it didn't show up in either the duck or goose section of our bird books.
But thanks to the wonders of both Henry's memory and the internet, we learned it is an Egyptian Goose. A rather exotic critter to see on a south Texas river, as its home range is sub-Saharan Africa! But it's obviously expanding its territory, since this wasn't the only one we saw.
I hope your New Year is full of exciting discoveries like new bird species and great paddling trips with friends. Viva 2014!
2 comments:
if you're gonna have an invasive species, could do worse than one that can make a tasty dinner
Plus it's quite a handsome bird!
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