The Art of Concealment

By the time you are reading this we should be well on our way to the Canine Performance Event (CPE) Nationals. Raven hopes to carry over his stellar performance in the agility ring this weekend to the be big stage competing with other dogs from all over the US and some international participants – although we just learned that our government has significantly tightened the requirements to bring a canine into the country that is not going over very well at all. Ruger gets the week off as he needs a bit more time (and more titles) before he can compete at this level. To his credit, the puppy brain is starting to click with Linda and they had a very good showing this last weekend as well – finally getting the zoomies under control ha. Although I hope to catch some easy mid-range miles during the week, this will technically be my last rest before entering the final phase of training for the July Cry Me a River 50K. Linda will pull my man-card if I go down in this race again (link here), so long trail miles, hill strengthening, heat conditioning, hydration/energy validation and certainly two-a-days will be in order from that point until the week leading up to the race. If you recall, I shattered my elbow training the week before this race last year (link here).

In honor of that evil tree’s ability to deceptively hide its lethal roots, decided to go with another creature that is equally deft at concealment – thankfully less dangerous to our bone structure!

You might have to squint a bit and maybe cover some of the distracting reeds, but trust me, it is there. I’ll try to bring our featured feathered friend more out in the open after the jump.

Well, I lied, this next shot isn’t much better.

Truth is, I do not think the Wilson’s Snipe actually wants to be seen. For years and years I struggled to get anything other than blurred picture of it flying – usually just from the back as I would inevitably spook it and it would blast out of the reeds causing my heart to skip a beat producing some rather avant-garde compositions – not in a good way – tail feather there, half a bill there, a foot in the corner, a blurred streak splattered on the sensor and numerous feathered moon-shots surely a final taunt from this secretive bird. Luck changed a bit three years ago at Chain-O-Lakes State Park when Ron and I were able to get some decent shots during their courtship rituals – a couple tins even on the ground!!! (link here).

Since that time Linda and I found a placed called Leonabelle Turnbull Bird Center (link here). Tucked behind the Port Aransas, TX sewage treatment facility is a gem of a birding hotspot. I will admit, the first time we went there, we were skeptical at best. Your first impression can be highly tainted by your nose depending on which way the wind is blowing. Do whatever you need to do to quell the initial urge to dive back into the car and instead, suffer through the inconvenience and make your way to the back side where the boardwalks are. We have learned over the years that there is great birding to be had in such places – treatment facilities, city dumps, flight paths, trash filled backwaters, etc, can be a birding treasure trove.

Leonabelle is on our DNM list (Do Not Miss). We always work in a visit whenever we are traveling down the Gulf Coast and it never disappoints. There is a very nice boardwalk at the start that seems to be extended further and further every time we visit. This is the first year I made an effort to take the Charlie Pasture South Trail all the way to the end (keep walking past the main boardwalk and you will see the start of the trail) – absolutely wonderful, but caution, it is pretty long and you might want to bring along some water if out in the Texas sun. There is another trail called Salt Island Trail that also takes you through the Port Aransas Nature Preserve that starts over at Charlie’s Pasture that I am hoping to explore more on our next visit. Unfortunately, I am getting a bit off topic – reel it in Bri, reel it in.

Getting back to our secretive species and reason I brought up Leonabelle, is this place provides one of the best looks at this particular species. From the middle of the boardwalk looking back to the parking lot (also known as toward the sewage treatment vats) there is a heavy marsh of sorts that gives way to the freshwater wetlands in the opposite direction. It is here in the muck and reeds you will most assuredly find one of the resident Wilson Snipes spending their non-breeding days probing for morsels. Warning, it might take a bit of scanning to be able to pick them out, especially in the brown reed seasons. Let your vision rest and broaden looking for unexpected movement among the clutter. If you are lucky, you might also come upon a Clapper (link here), Virginia Rail or Bittern (link here and here) as an added bonus for your efforts.

I am quite fond of the Wilson’s Snipe. Not sure if it is due to my brief time in Boy Scouts being hazed by the older members standing with a paper bag on the ground hoping to wrangle one of these mysterious (at the time) beasts, the challenge of finding one or the strange “winnowing” sound they produce as wind whips through their specialized tails in flight. Regardless, you have to appreciate a chunky shorebird that can reach speeds of 60mph according to Cornell’s website (along with a rather specific note, that the “winnowing” occurs at speeds of 25mph).

The most fascinating tidbit is related to their fledge “divorce” for lack of a better term. Again, from the All About Birds website, when that time comes, “the male takes the two oldest; the female takes the younger two with her” ending future contact (note, there was no clarity on different sized broods). Pretty much cuts out the need for messy divorce lawyers. You go with him, you stay with me, now smile and wave goodbye – anthropomorphism be damned ha!

Take care everyone, we’ll see how the schedule goes, but we’ll do our best to get some posts out while we are at the show this week.