2012 Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, A Crazy Day of Dodging Wildlife!

The turkey struck the sliding door with its beak, and then strutted before attacking its image again. It even gobbled its frustraion that its reflexion wouldn't retreat from the fight. Again and again we watched it while it refused to concede defeat, it is spring time after all!
So Pam and Roy arrived for their yearly visit, and they suprised us by showing up in their new to them motor home. It has been a few busy days as they fixed some systems but it is so nice to see how happy they are with their rv!
We decided to take a break, us from rock and them from repairs, and we headed out for a picnic lunch at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Of course we hoped to see some whoopers, a few alligators, maybe a new life bird, and basically just a fun day viewing wildlife. We got more then we asked for!

Arriving, we checked the bird list and headed for Jones Lake. Now it has been dry here and so we didn't expect anything biut there was a small pond of water and some very large alligators. No birds, other then circling turkey vultures, but oh my were those gators big!
The next stop was the observation tower and we were surprised to see that the ANWR had built a new tower that is handicapped accessable and has even added another elevated trail. It was so nice to be passed by a gentleman in a wheelchair who plainly was happy to be able to climb the tower and see the whoopers.

Besides the whoopers, the bay was filled with twenty one oyster boats, and circling and harvesting oysters for the Fulton Oyster festival starting tonight. Suprisingly there weren't any shore bids along the trail but at least there was some water where it had been bone dry.
We drove the eleven mile road and soon Renita yelled at me to stop and then back up. What I had mistakenly identified as a mockingbird was in fact a loggerhead shrike and it posed nicely before flying away and displaying its narrow white wing bands,(loggerhead shrikes are also known as butcher birds as they catch and impale grasshoppers on barb wire femces and tree thorns, saving them for a later meal).

The next stop was at the Bay View area and there we were greeted by swarms of mosquitos. We basically ran to the beach and then back to the car and Renita only stopped once so I could image the bugs on her back side.

One of our favorite stops is the Heron Flats Trail and there an alligator was waiting for us to leave the safety of our car. I grabbed my camera and headed out to get a good image as it watched me and then walked to the water, before swimming into the reeds. A much larger gator was sunning itself next to the trail, hmmm maybe we should be more careful when we walk!
Our last stop of the day was in front of the Visitor Center and there we watched the turkey strut its stuff. Renita got tired of the display and went to the waters edge where she found three more alligators enjoying the spring like day.
Heading home we all felt tired but refreshed from the day at the wildlife refuge. It was a good day when Teddy Roosevelt decided that we needed to save such places for future generations. Let us hope the politicians will speak for the birds and trees and gators, and yes even the mosquiitos. Let us hope there continues to be a place for them all! Clear skies.