Alligator sighting in George Bush Park after heavy rains ... other wildlife

Lots of wild life in and alongside the swelling bayous and creeks

Rare sight in Bush Park: Spoonbill taking flight

Heron and Spoonbill on the water

Noble Road Trail with high water

Deer at sunset in the woods: Where is the deer?

There are plenty of deer in George Bush Park (Barker Reservoir) and in Cullen Park (Addicks Reservoir) North of I-10. You can even watch them from the respective dam roads. These are large areas -- large by suburban standards -- that are basically left to nature running its course and no hunting or even carrying of firearms is allowed in these parks (except for the shooting center on Westheimer Parkway).

Find the deer in this landscape

The white-tailed deer enjoy quasi-protected status, and they are easy to encounter, much easier than, say, the feral hogs, that also roam the grounds along the meandering bayou. But they typically emerge at dusk, and shooting them with the camera is quite a challenge. They freeze alright and stare in your direction, but they don't let you get very close, so you need a powerful zoom or telelens; but you also need a longer exposure because of the dim light conditions. If the animal moves, your image of it will get blurred. At best usable for special effect, if you are lucky enough to have a whole group in front if you and some move while others stand still and gaze at the camera.

Apparently got to close for comfort - this one is taking off;
it almost looks like a kanguruh

Wrong pose ... and tail is not even white, at least not
when in the "down" position

These two look okay as small versions on  the screen, at ISO-800 and 1/50 shutter speed, 

with a little editing and cropping on the computer upon return from the woods

I accentuated the colors a little bit on this one with the photo-editing software.
The natural lighting was quite good actually better than during the warm season
because there is no foliage to interfere  with the illumination by the setting sun.

Another abortive foray to watch deer: The live specimen on display, and happily grazing -- at Bear Creek Pioneers' Park do not quite match the interpretive sign providing background info on the White Tailed Deer. It's educational all the same. You will just have to enjoy the ponies and donkeys and leave the deer-watching for another day in another place: perhaps the nearby woods.

 Farm animals at Bear Creek Pioneers Park

at other times of the year when the grass is greener

Alligator warning signs on Buffalo Bayou

Nature Area Warning Signs - Keep Pets Leashed and Don't Wade in the Water

Alligators are not much in evidence on Buffalo Bayou, but there are now signs
in Bush Park warning of them (also in the Arboretum, which is part of Memorial Park).
Wild pigs and deer are far more numerous in the reservoir.

Gator warning sign posted in Memorial Park Arboretum on the high
bank of  Buffalo Bayou near the observation deck

Alligators can be seen at Brazos Bend State Park.
(click link for prior post on alligator watching)

Alligator habitat - Keep Dogs on Trails (and leashed) - Warning sign
at Brazos Bend State Park (Jan 2013 landscape pic of lake with turtles and alligators)

Alligators - Where to see them in their natural habitat

There are occasional reports of alligator sightings along Buffalo Bayou. There is even a warning sign in the Houston Arboretum at the boardwalk to the observation deck overlooking the bayou near the railroad trestle bridge.

But if you want to observe alligators in the wild, Houston-area bayous are not the best place to go on a reptilian safari. They are the main attraction of a nearby state park, where there are hundreds of them: Brazos Bend State Park off Highway 59 near George Ranch in the Richmond, Texas, area.

The alligators there are mostly passive, either floating in the water or basking on the shores in the sun. But that does not mean they are harmless. Alligator etiquette must be strictly observed. Obviously, you can't feed them. Nor are you allowed to approach them. For nature lovers and curious tourists alike the good thing is you don't have to go search for them, and don't have to take unnecessary risks. Adult and juvenile alligators populate multiple lakes in this huge park. They are easy to encounter both in the water on the shores, -- and to take pictures of (with zoom). You can even observe them from the fishing pier, or from the trail leading down to the fishing peer. Watch out! Sometimes they even come out to the trail. And don't fight an alligator for a fish you have on the line. Cut your line, and let him have it.

Brazos Bend State Park sign at access road to the park

Address: 21901 FM 762 Needville, TX 77461

Alligator warning sign at fishing pier in Brazos Bend State Park

Floating alligator's back exposed above the water surface in one of the lakes

Egret and alligator on lake shore

For more information on Brazos Bend State Park, check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web site. 

Deer Watching and photographing in George Bush Park

Deer can be seen regularly in George Bush Park along the trail, even from top of the Dam -- whether on the Eastern side near the gate (running North-South), or on the North side which runs parallel with Katy Freeway. Taking pictures of them -- at least with amateur equipment -- is more of a challenge, for they are shy and will disappear back into the woods  if you were to approach to reduce the distance (and focal length). Because they typically emerge only at dusk, i.e. in low-light conditions, shutter speed is an issue.

A point-and-shooter with superzoom will help, but the animals will often still come out blurred if they move when you press the release button, even when you use a tripod and there is no camera shake.

While the wild pigs hog all the attention, there is more to wildlife in George Bush Park

Large herbivores in the wetlands - some liked, others less so

No Hogs allowed in Wetlands Area?
So far the sign only mentions dogs

The wild pigs (feral hogs) are not liked very much, and have been in the news lately because Commissioner Radack wants to get rid of them, and feed them to the homeless.  

Meanwhile, the white-tailed deer are flourishing, and probably enjoy a safer future since no hunting is allowed in the U.S. Corps of Engineer's flood catchment areas behind Barker and Addicks dams, and nobody is proposing to capture these critters, which are also of quite impressive size and roam around the reservoir wilderness. 

Feral pig trap set up in George Bush Park

I have yet to spot a wild black pig (all I have seen is a trap set up to catch them), but the white-tailed deers are easy to encounter -- though shy -- and are a delight to watch  from the top of the dam at dusk. Usually they emerge in groups. 

I count nine (9) deer in the shot below - including males with antlers - but some are blurred because they moved during the longer-than-normal exposure time necessitated by scarce light at dusk and use of the maximum zoom-level.

Did I say the deer are safe? 

But there is another hypothesis. Perhaps the wild pigs -- denounced as an invasive species -- do have natural enemies after all and this is what's left of one of them after wide-wings-pan predators with voracious appetites descended from the sky for a hearty meal. Just speculating here. We'll need someone who knows about bones, or at least molars, which are very prominent on the skull.

I did find a large feather near the skeleton of what was definitely a large animal. That's some circumstantial evidence at the scene. Probably black vultures. They are abundant in this area. 

Okay, maybe I should call them scavengers, assuming this was not actually their kill. They usually let the motorists do the killing on the highways, and then fly in for the clean-up. Which would not solve the mystery: If not the vultures, who or what brought down this large reservoir beast? 

This is what the reservoir grounds look like this time of the year: incipient green in many a place, but not everywhere. The area shown in the photo below is located right behind Barker Dam (East) and floods several times during the year after heavy rains. See photos of flooding conditions in the reservoir from last year by clicking the highlighted text in this sentence.  

The next pic shows the water-flow in the spillway and the landscape on the city-facing side of the dam. Seems just about right for the kayaking. 

Buffalo Bayou spillway at the Barker Dam flow control gate

Duck traffic control - Pics of ducks and duck-related warning signs

Ducks are abundant in the West Houston area, and so are signs attempting to cope with the challenges of their presence in a suburban environment, not to mention near or on roads. 

A selection:

Duck warning sign for motorists driving through Bear Creek Pioneers Park.

Caution: Duck Traffic across the Road

No swimming or wading allowed in the pond in the Southern part of George Bush Park... unless you are a duck, of course. 

Road-side duck control or rather motorist-control to protect the ducks when they get out of the water and waddle across the road.  

Duck crossing sign on South Barker Cypress Road

Nor do these waddling birds just frequent parks, lakes and adjoining roads. Corporate campuses in West Houston are duck and geese habitat too:

Baby ducks on Exxon Mobil campus next
to Terry Hershey Park

Duck crossing warning sign on Enclave Parkway
near Beeler Family  Cemetery Pocket Park

Ducks on Enclave Parkway sidewalk

Black-bellied Whistling Duck sitting on barbed wire
near Memorial Drive in the Energy Corridor

Visiting wild ducks lined up at pond on Exxon Mobil campus next to
Terry Hershey Park between Memorial Drive and Katy Freeway