Managed environment appreciation: Flood control channel at dusk

Flood control canals, flood channels, drainage ditches, run-off conveyance trenches, etc. All are defined by their function, but that does not mean they are not a proper object of aesthetic appreciation, especially when they are part of an appealing landscape and populated with wildlife. 

Great white egret shaking its plumage at drainage canal in George Bush Park

Egrets and other large birds can regularly been seen at Harris County Flood Channel T-103, which flows into Buffalo Bayou in the Southern part of George Bush Park, and yet very accessible, because of the paved hike & bike trail that runs alongside it. Easiest way to get to it is from the Rugby / Soccer fields on Westheimer, which offer plenty of parking space. 

Pedestrian truss bridge over T-103, a tributary of Buffalo Bayou, with reflection 

A picturesque pedestrian truss bridge connects to the trail that runs East to the Equestrian area parking lot and includes a long wooden-plank boardwalk section where it crosses Buffalo Bayou, not just the typical rusty truss bridge. 

The area around the bridge and alongside the channel is open, which allows the sky and the treeline to be reflected in the water surface, creating a pleasant scenery, especially at sunsets with cloudy sky. Bush Park offers magnificent sunsets. (Click link(s) for more suburban sunsets vistas). 

Flood Canal T-103 in Barker Reservoir - Looking West from North Bank (Feb 2013 photo)

The water and shores of the canal are popular with large birds (egrets, herons, even ibises, which are much rarer than the ubiquitous great white egrets) and groups of deer can often been seen on the South side emerging from the edge of the woods at dusk.