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| Great Blue Heron in Gulf Shores, Alabama |
We had an interesting situation that forced us to take a
little vacation (quelle dommage!)
Scott had purchased tickets for the Crossroads Guitar
Festival in Dallas. Whoo Hooo!
 |
| Best guitar show ever! |
Then, we found out that the Texas Rangers baseball team were
playing their last game at The Ballpark at Arlington (yeah, it has a stupid
commercial name, but it will always be The Ballpark at Arlington to me). I am
not a huge baseball fan, but Scott and the girls are. He had taken them (or at
least Becca; our collective memory isn’t that strong) to the very first game in
the stadium 25 years ago and now the last game was being played! They had to
go. So, the girls bought tickets for all of us for Scott’s Father’s Day gift.
 |
| Me, Caty and Becca at the Ranger's Game; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Then, we decided that since we would all be in the area, we would go to a University of Oklahoma (Becca’s alma mater) football game on the Saturday before the Sunday Rangers game.
But that meant that there was a six-day gap between the two. So, Scott and I
decided to drive down to the Gulf coast in Alabama for a few days on the beach
(and maybe some good birding). I mean, what else could we do?
 |
| Gulf Shores, Alabama |
Colleyville Nature Center
When in Texas, we stayed with our friends, Bob and Adriana
Washington, and, as I always do, I took the opportunity to check out the nearby
Colleyville Nature Center for birds. This suburban park winds along a creek
through several upscale neighborhoods and has a number of ponds. It generally
has a nice collection of birds.
I actually went twice
during our two times in the Dallas area and I saw a couple of different birds,
including Mississippi Kites, both adults …
 |
| Adult Mississippi Kite |
… and juveniles …
 |
| Juvenile Mississippi Kite |
I had seen adults before in Colorado, but never a juvenile.
I was very surprised by the beautiful tapestry-like markings on the juvie’s
under-wing…
 |
| Juvenile Mississippi Kite |
An accipiter (hawk), the Mississippi Kite has narrow,
pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. They
are often found in groups.
 |
| Adult Mississippi Kite |
Adults are gray with darker gray on their tail feathers and
outer wings and lighter gray on their heads and inner wings (and a little bit
of rufous shading). Males are slightly paler on the head and neck than female
and young Kites have banded tails and streaked bodies.
 |
| Adult Mississippi Kite |
They are small, about 12 to 15 inches beak to tail with an average
wingspan of three feet. Their call is high-pitched, sounding like a squeaky
toy.
Mississippi Kites eat mainly insects, which they capture in
flight.
 |
| Eating a bug in mid-air |
 |
| Eating a bug in a tree |
Mississippi Kites eat cicadas, grasshoppers and other crop-damaging insects, making them beneficial to farmers (they are considered “economically important”).
They also eat small birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
Mississippi Kites breed across the central and southern U.S., but have some unusual out-groups, including the ones that come
to Fountain, Colorado, every year, and some that travel to New England.
They
migrate to southern subtropical South America in the winter. They nest in
colonies and both parents (paired up before arriving at the nesting site)
incubate the eggs and care for the young. Only about half of Kites successfully
raise their young. Eggs and young birds fall victim to storms and predators
such as Raccoons and Owls. Because there are less predators in urban areas,
Mississippi Kites produce more offspring in urban areas than rural areas. They
have an average lifespan of 8 years.
 |
| Juvenile Mississippi Kite |
I photographed a
juvenile Little Blue Heron that was hunting by a pond. It was finally
successful, catching …
 |
| Juvenile Little Blue Heron hunting for and catching a meal |
… and gulping down a lizard ...
 |
| Success! |
 |
| Green legs! |
So, how did I know it was a Little Blue Heron?
It wasn’t
blue.
Yes, adult Little Blue Herons are a gorgeous purple/blue.
But, juveniles are white, looking much like a Snowy Egret. Except, juvenile Little Blue Herons have lime-green legs and
greenish bills. Very distinct!
Interestingly, juvenile Little Blue Herons often mingle with Snowy Egrets, which tolerates their presence more than the blue/purple adults.
The young birds catch more fish when in the presence of the Snowy Egret and also gain a measure of protection from predators when they mix into flocks of white herons.
It is plausible that because of these advantages, they remain white for their first year.
There was an older Little Blue Heron by the same pond, transitioning between its juvenile and adult plumage ...
 |
| Getting adult plumage |
I also saw a Spotted Sandpiper …
 |
| Spotted Sandpiper |
... a Common Whitetail Skimmer ...
 |
| Common Whitetail Skimmer |
... and a Say’s Phoebe …
 |
| Say's Phoebe |
And, way up in the dark canopy of trees, two of the park’s
resident Barred Owls, which is always my objective at the Colleyville Nature Center …
 |
| A dozing Barred Owl |
They were asleep at first, but woke for a minute to look at me before they silently flew away.
 |
| What are you looking at? |
Crossroads Guitar Festival
 |
| A special night |
This was the fifth Crossroads Guitar Festival, a two-day
concert mounted by guitarist (or, rather, guitar god) Eric Clapton.
The concert benefits The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a
treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent
persons.
According to the Crossroads website: Since its inception,
Clapton's vision for the Crossroads Guitar Festival has been to create an event
where his friends and contemporaries can have fun and perform together for the
benefit of a good cause.
The first Crossroads Guitar Festival, in June 2004 at the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas, was an unprecedented collection of guitar icons from
blues, rock and contemporary music. The 2007 and 2010 concerts were at Toyota
Park in Chicago. The fourth Crossroads Guitar Festival was in 2013 at Madison
Square Garden in New York. This year, the event was back where it began (except
at the indoor American Airlines Center, not the Cotton Bowl).
The two-night event was hosted by comedian/actor Bill Murray and featured a large cadre of performers, in addition to founder Eric Clapton. We saw:
 |
| Our seats were pretty far up |
James BayDoyle Bramhall II
James Burton
Gary Clark Jr.
Citizen Cope
Robert Cray
Sheryl Crow
Alan Darby
Jerry Douglas
Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top)
Vince Gill
Buddy Guy
The Marcus King Band
Lianne La Havas
Jonny Lang
Albert Lee
Los Lobos
Pedro Martins
John Mayer
Tom Misch
Keb Mo
Bonnie Raitt
Robert Randolph
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Gustavo Santaolalla
Daniel Santiago
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Jimmie Vaughan
Bradley Walker
Joe Walsh
We saw almost everyone. We left early the first night. I
won’t go into details, but I wasn’t particularly happy about that. That meant we missed Jeff Beck, Andy Fairweather-Low, Peter Frampton and Sonny Landreth plus some Clapton tunes.
 |
| Bill Murray |
We did stay
the entire time the next night (4:00 p.m. to almost midnight) and I left my seat only once. The
show was that good. The best? Buddy Guy (aged 83) and Jonny Lang (aged 38)
playing together. A big surprise was James Bay, whom I had never heard of.
Superb.
But, everyone was good and there were only a few acts that I didn’t
love (I am not a big jazz fan).
The concert isn’t cheap – but the amount of talent makes it
worth it. I would definitely go again. One thing was odd: the vendor asked Scott if he minded if they changed our seats to better seats for night 2. He said it was fine. But, then, the seats were not better, they were even higher up. Not cool!
Then, we took a rather uneventful drive to Gulf Shores,
Alabama. We have stayed in Biloxi, Mississippi, and driven along the Alabama Gulf coast before, but have never
stayed at a beach in Alabama.
On the way, we stopped in Baton Rouge for lunch at Scott's favorite restaurant, the Union Oyster House. It was, as usual, wonderful (and the beginning of a multi-day seafood pig-out). Best of all? The hushpuppies! I have no idea how little balls of fried dough can be that sublime. But, they were.
 |
| Po' Boy with a lone hushpuppy; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Gulf Shores was quite lovely, with sugary white sand (not quite as white as my hometown of Clearwater, Florida, but white), clear green/blue water, a smooth easy-walking relatively shell-free beach and not a great deal of kitschy beach stuff. In fact, much of the long strip of beach west of Gulf Shores is restricted to private beach houses.
 |
| Our view |
The water does have more dangerous currents than what we are used to in Clearwater. So, it might not be as good a family beach destination as the Florida Gulf Beaches. How do I know it has bad currents? Warning signs, including some along the roadway before you even get to the beach that feature flashing lights. It seems to be a pretty big investment, which indicates past issues.
Of course, because it is the Gulf of Mexico, the water is relatively warm.
Our hotel was right on the beach – a nice plus and we ended
up walking the beach a few times. We never really did pure beach time because
we did a bit more exploring than originally anticipated.
But, both nights we were there, we did a sunset beach walk ...
 |
| Sunset |
... and had a seafood dinner ...
 |
| Dinner at the Gulf Island Grill; Photos: Scott Stevens |
 |
| Lined up for fishing |
In the morning, we started out early looking for coffee
for Scott (he likes hot, hot coffee very early, often difficult in resort areas.
We failed at coffee, but encountered a huge number of Great Blue
Herons staking out an area where the Gulf water channels under a bridge,
offering a great opportunity for fishing.
The morning we were there, the Herons
were catching Needlefish.
I photograph lots of Great Blue Herons, so here's some background:
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird common near the
shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as
well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands.
An all-white population found
only in south Florida and the Keys is known as the Great White Heron (ornithologists disagree whether the Great White Heron is a white
color morph of the Great Blue Heron, a subspecies of it or an entirely separate
species).
The Great Blue Heron is the largest North American Heron
and, among all Herons, it is surpassed only by the Goliath Heron (Africa and
Asia) and the White-Bellied Heron (India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Burma). It has
head-to-tail length of 36-54 inches, a wingspan of 66-79 inches, a height of
45-54 inches and a weight of 4.0-7.9 lbs.
 |
| Massive wingspan |
In North America, Great Blue Herons
range as far north as Alaska in the summer. In winter, the range extends south
through Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. Birds east of the
Rocky Mountains in the northern part of their range are migratory and winter in
the coastal areas of the Southern United States, Central America or northern
South America. From the Southern United States southwards, and on the lower
Pacific coast, they are year-round residents. However, their hardiness is such
that individuals often remain through cold northern winters as long as
fish-bearing waters remain unfrozen. It is not usual to see Great Blue herons in Colorado in the winter!
 |
| One of many prints on the beach |
Great Blue Herons can easily adapt to almost any kind of wetland habitat,
including freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake
edges or shorelines.
They rarely venture far from water and usually
nest in trees or bushes near water's edge, often on islands (which minimizes
the potential for predation) or partially isolated spots.
The primary food for Great Blue Herons is small fish, although
they also feed opportunistically on a wide range of shrimp, crabs, aquatic
insects, rodents and other small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds,
especially ducklings. They locate their food by sight and usually swallow it
whole. They have been known to choke on prey that is too large.
 |
| Great Blue Heron with a recent catch |
They forage
while standing in water and, because they are large, can hunt in deeper waters
that other heron species can’t reach. Feeding behaviors include standing in one
place, probing, pecking, walking at slow speeds, moving quickly, flying short
distances and alighting, hovering over water and picking up prey, diving
headfirst into the water, alighting on water feet-first, jumping from perches
feet-first or swimming or floating on the surface of the water.
 |
| Diving for food |
Young herons
are not as successful at fish capture as adults, as strike rates are similar,
but capture rates are about half that of adults during the first two months
after fledging.
 |
| Herons swallow their catch whole |
Great Blue Herons are monogamous within a single breeding season, but usually choose new mates each year.
 |
| Fluffing up |
Adults, due to their size, have few natural predators, but Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and Great Horned Owls sometimes kill both young and adult birds.
Raccoons, Turkey Vultures, Common Ravens and American Crows eat eggs and
nestlings.
Red-Tailed Hawks, Black Bears and Raccoons are known to take larger nestlings
or fledglings.
An Alligator may occasionally take an adult, or more likely, a fledgling.
Using its considerable size and
dagger-like bill, a full-grown Great Blue Heron can be a formidable foe to
predators. The primary source of disturbance and breeding failures at heronries
is human activities, mostly through human recreation or habitat destruction, as
well as by egg-collectors and hunters.
 |
| A beautiful bird |
 |
| Sea Oats |
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Next, we visited Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.
This 7,157-acre refuge serves as a resting and feeding area for migratory birds
and as a sanctuary for native flora and fauna.
The refuge is one of the largest
undeveloped parcels of land on the Alabama coast.
Established in 1980, Bon Secour (the name, in French, means
"safe harbor") is smaller than most other national wildlife refuges and
is divided into five units. Protected habitats within the refuge include
beaches and sand dunes, scrub forest, fresh and saltwater marshes, freshwater
swamps and uplands.
 |
| Pine Beach |
I took a quick (and very hot and humid) hike along Gator
Lake ...
 |
| Interesting air plants near Gator Lake |
... through some dunes and then along the beach ...
 |
| The dunes blocked the sea breeze |
Until I reached the beach, I
saw nothing but a Six-Lined Racerunner Lizard ...
 |
| Hiding in the sparse vegetation |
I heard a few birds, but saw none. But, the beach delivered with
some Willets …
 |
| A lone Willet |
… Sanderlings …
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| Sanderlings are tiny – and fast! |
... more Great Blue Herons ...
 |
| Great Blue Heron |
… Atlantic Ghost Crabs …
 |
| What???? |
… Gulf Fritillary Butterflies flying along the surf (a very
odd thing to see) …
 |
| You don't expect to see a butterfly on the beach |
… and an Osprey hunting along the surf ...
 |
| The Osprey can be found almost anywhere where there is water |
 |
| Seattle Seahawks logo |
The Osprey or, more specifically, the Western Osprey, is also
called a Seahawk (I always wondered what a Seahawk was!), Riverhawk or Fishhawk. It is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey that can be found all over the
globe except Antarctica.
One of only six land birds with a worldwide
distribution, the Osprey is the second-most widely distributed raptor species,
after the Peregrine Falcon.
 |
| Map: Cornell Lab of Ornithology |
In North America it breeds from Alaska and
Newfoundland south to the Gulf Coast and Florida, wintering further south from
the southern United States through to Argentina.
The Osprey weighs 2.0-4.6 lbs., is 20-26 inches long and has
a 50-71-inch wingspan.
The sexes are similar, but the adult male can
be distinguished from the female by its slimmer body and narrower wings.
The
breast band of the male is also weaker than that of the female, or is
non-existent, and the underwing coverts of the male are more uniformly pale. It
is straightforward to determine the sex in a breeding pair, but harder with
individual birds.
 |
| Female Osprey looking for fish |
The juvenile Osprey may be identified by buff fringes to the
plumage of the upper parts, a buff tone to the underparts and streaked feathers
on the head. Plus, young Osprey have orange eyes vs. the golden eyes of
adults.
In flight, the Osprey has arched wings and drooping
"hands," giving it a gull-like appearance. The call is a series of
sharp whistles.
 |
| Osprey with a recently caught fish |
The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in
any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply.
Its diet
consists almost exclusively of fish. Osprey typically take fish weighing
5.3-10.6 ounces and about 9.8-13.8 inches long, but they can catch fish as big
as 4.4 lbs.
Their vision is well adapted to detecting underwater objects from the air. Prey is first sighted when the Osprey 30-130 feet above the water, after which the bird hovers momentarily then plunges feet first into the water. This results in a big splash and, often, a submerged Osprey. This is quite different than how Bald Eagles catch fish, which is by plucking them from the water as they fly by.
 |
| Hovering above the surf |
Osprey have developed specialized physical characteristics
to assist in hunting and catching prey. Their toes are of equal length and the talons are rounded rather than grooved. The outer toe is reversible, allowing
the Osprey to grasp its prey with two toes in front and two behind. This is
particularly helpful for slippery fish.
They have closable nostrils to keep out
water during dives and backwards-facing scales on the talons that act as barbs
to help hold their catch. Their dense plumage is oily, which prevents the feathers from getting
waterlogged.
The typical Osprey lives 7-10 years, although individuals can grow to as old as 25 years. And, as everyone knows, they
nest on high perches – often on dead trees or on telephone poles. That is why many organizations build nesting platforms for them.
 |
| Osprey nest (this one is in Colorado!) |
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the main threats
to Osprey populations were egg collectors and hunting.
 |
| Taking dinner home |
 |
| Male osprey |
Osprey populations
declined drastically in many areas in the 1950s and 1960s because of the toxic
effects of insecticides such as DDT on reproduction. The pesticide interfered
with the bird's calcium metabolism resulting in thin-shelled, easily broken or
infertile eggs. Banning DDT has allowed the birds to make a significant recovery.
Watching the Osprey hunt (and catch) on the beach at Bon
Secour was very cool. Also cool, were the schools of Mullet that we could see
right through the waves ...
 |
| Mullet in the waves |
.. and the Pelicans hunting the Mullet ...
 |
| A Pelican taking advantage of easy prey |
The Ferry to Dauphin Island
Our next adventure was to take a ferry from Fort Morgan ...
 |
| Fort Morgan is at the tip of the island |
... across the mouth of
Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island.
 |
| Leaving the dock in Fort Morgan on our way to Dauphin Island |
Originally named "Massacre Island," Dauphin Island was renamed for Louis XIV of France's great-grandson and heir, the future Louis
XV of France. “Dauphin” is the term used for the oldest Son of a king in French.
The name of the island is often mistaken as "Dolphin Island.”
The ride across took about 45 minutes on a small ferry with
a nice observation area. From the boast, I got another new bird: a Sandwich Tern!
 |
| Sandwich Terns are distinguished by their black bills with a tiny yellow tip |
Well, actually, I saw lots of Sandwich Terns diving and
wheeling all around the boat. I assume the ferry stirs up some fish, making it
easier to hunt.
 |
| Diving for a fish |
We looked and looked for dolphins, but only saw birds …
 |
| A Laughing Gull harvesting a Ray's egg case |
The Sandwich Terns …
 |
| Coming right over our heads |
Atlantic Brown Pelicans …
 |
| Pelicans are a common sight |
Laughing Gulls …
 |
| Taking a rest |
Oh, and, of course, we saw Moon Jellies …
 |
| We saw lots of large jellies |
… other boats …
 |
| Truly a rust bucket |
… and oil platforms …
 |
| Arrrggghhh |
Dauphin Island
Then, we were on Dauphin Island.
 |
| The ferry goes from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island and back |
 |
| Trees do not offer cooling relief |
The eastern, wider portion of the
island is shaded by thick stands of pine trees and saw palmettos, but the
narrow, western part of the island features scrub growth and few trees. We spent most of the time on the eastern side.
When
we weren’t on the water, it was hot, hot, hot and humid, humid, humid. I guess
Colorado has spoiled me. I just can’t take it anymore.
Still, we did our best
exploring and then pigged out on crab claws, coconut shrimp and scallops. The great seafood almost makes up for the weather.
Now, a little about Dauphin Island:
In 1519, the Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda was
the first documented European to visit.
 |
| Brown Pelican |
The island's French history began in
1699 when the explorer Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, one of the founders
of French Louisiana, arrived at Mobile Bay, and anchored near the island on his
way to explore the mouth of the Mississippi River.
D'Iberville named it Île du
Massacre (Massacre Island) because of a large pile of human skeletons
discovered there. The gruesome site turned out not to be a massacre site, but a
simple burial mound that had been broken open by a hurricane. Still, the name
stuck for a while.
D'Iberville later decided to locate a port there because of
the abundant timber, reliable supply of fresh water and a deep-water harbor.
The settlement consisted of a fort, a chapel, government-owned warehouses and
residences.
 |
| Photo: Dauphin Island Rentals |
The island served as a major trading depot, unloading goods
from Haiti, Mexico, Cuba and France, and collecting furs in a
short-lived fur trade. Before a channel was dredged, Mobile Bay was too
shallow and its sand bars too shifting and treacherous for ocean-going vessels.
So, smaller boats carried cargo within Mobile Bay to and
from Dauphin Island.
 |
| A cannon at Fort Gaines |
In 1719, the first import of African slaves into Alabama was
at Dauphin Island. After the French and
Indian war ended in 1763, the island was ceded to the British.
After the Revolutionary War, it again came under Spanish rule and was part of the Province of West Florida until 1812.
In 1795 after the Treaty of San Lorenzo was signed between
Spain and the United States, new settlers started coming into Alabama from
Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia.
In 1805, the Chickasaw, Cherokee and Choctaw were forced to
cede their lands there to the government. The Creek Indians aggressively fought to
hold their lands but ceded in 1813.
 |
| Fort Gaines; Photo: Britannica.com |
Dauphin Island is home to Fort Gaines, which was built
between 1821 and 1848. Named for Edmund Pendleton Gaines, it is best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War, where it was first occupied by Confederate forces and then captured by Federal troops in 1861.
 |
| Fort Gaines |
 |
| Photo: Scott Stevens |
Exhibits include the huge anchor from the USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut's flagship on which he gave his world-famous command, "Damn the torpedoes
– full speed ahead!"
Fort Gaines has the original cannons used in the battle, five pre-Civil War brick buildings in the interior courtyard, an operational blacksmith shop (I feel for the blacksmith; it was really hot) and kitchens and tunnel systems to the fortified corner bastions.
A small museum details the history of this period, as well as the French colonial presence beginning in the late 17th century. The fort was partially modernized for the Spanish-American War.
 |
| Fort Gaines |
The site is considered to be one of the nation's best-preserved Civil War era masonry forts and has been nominated for listing as a National Historic Landmark.
Because Fort Gaines is sited only feet from the Gulf of Mexico, it has sustained significant weather damage, especially from hurricanes and tropical storms.
 |
| Fort Gaines protects Mobile Bay |
 |
| Inside the Fort's walls |
Although this damage has been largely repaired, erosion takes up to 10 feet of sand dunes and beach per year.
So, it is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the United States' 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
It is also on the Civil War Preservation Trust "History Under Siege" list, which includes the 10 most endangered Civil War battlefields.
Fort Gaines was just a quick walk-around. Not a lot to see, but a nice fort, as forts
go.
 |
| We saw it from the ferry |
The decommissioned 132-foot-tall Sand Island Light lies three miles offshore from the Mobile Bay entrance. The first lighthouse on Sand Island, built in 1837, was a 55-foot-tall structure completed in 1839. A newer lighthouse completed in 1859 was destroyed in 1863 during the Civil War.
The current lighthouse was completed in 1864 and included a two-story lighthouse keepers dwelling on approximately 400 acres. The base is 28 feet in diameter and six feet thick, constructed on 171 interconnected wood pilings covered with 12 feet of concrete. Continuous erosion has necessitated adding granite blocks to stabilize the island. Still, almost all the island has eroded, leaving the leaving the tower surrounded by water.
Dauphin Island, which used to be accessible only by boat, is now connected to Mobile via a bridge built in 1955.
Over the centuries, many hurricanes have struck the island.
 |
| Katrina damage; Photo: National Weather Service |
Some recent storms include: 1969: Camille flooded 70 percent of the island
1979: Frederic destroyed the bridge to the mainland
1985: Elena had wind gusts of over 130 mph
1997: Danny caused extensive flooding on the east end of the
island
1998: Georges destroyed 41 houses
2004: Ivan covered one-fourth of the island with approximately two feet of water
2005: Katrina caused flooding, destroyed homes and formed the
Katrina Cut channel, which split off the western part of the island
Audubon Bird Sanctuary
I visited the 164-acre
Audubon Bird Sanctuary, which is immediately across from the ferry dock, and took another hot and sticky hike around a pretty
(but empty) pond and through some spindly trees.
 |
| Lily pond at the sanctuary |
Although the place wasn’t
teeming with birds, I did see two lifers: A Brown-headed Nuthatch …
 |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch |
… and a Brown Thrasher …
 |
| Secretive Brown Thrasher |
Plus, I saw a female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher …
 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
… and a Red-eyed Vireo …
 |
| Red-eyed Vireo |
 |
| Warning! |
Dauphin Island is the first landfall encountered by many
birds as they migrate north across the Gulf from South America and, as a result, many
species can be found resting there before continuing their journey.
Unfortunately, we were not there during a high migration period. And, although the Sanctuary warned and warned about not getting close to the water because of the danger of Alligators, I never saw one – and I did walk close to the pond. Of course, I would never feed one!
Gulf State Park
Our last evening in Gulf Shores, we took a walk along the Gulf
State Park Pier, a very nice fishing pier that juts out into the Gulf and was
absolutely packed with people fishing.
 |
| Gulf State Park Pier looks empty, but most fishing is on the other side of that structure |
I picked up a few more photos of Atlantic
Brown Pelicans …
 |
| The water drops indicate he just took off |
... Sandwich Terns …
 |
| A really close view |
... an Osprey (they were everywhere!) ...
 |
| Another close fly-by |
… and a very photogenic Boat-tailed Grackle, gleaming in the
sunshine …
 |
| Boat-tailed Grackle |
Then, we visited the Park’s lovely campground (complete with
a pool and recreation complex), which is connected to lots and lots of
boardwalks through marshlands. It took us a while to find a way to get on the
boardwalks, but we finally located a picnic area (outside the campground) that
was the terminus of the vast boardwalk network.
After taking photos of a Killdeer ...
 |
| Killdeer |
... and a Mourning Dove ...
 |
| Mourning Dove |
... I walked out over the
pond and, viola, an Alligator.
 |
| Just chillin' by the Boardwalk (so, I wouldn't recommend swimming) |
It was a pretty good-sized one and a nice way
to cap off a visit to the Gulf Coast.
 |
| Maybe 7-8 feet long |
He just floated calmly in the lagoon while I photographed
him.
 |
| American Alligator |
I have blogged about American Alligators before; click here.
Departure
It was hard to leave such a lovely beach, but we had a long drive back.
 |
| The beach and a fun sand sculpture |
 |
| A better route |
Our trip to Dauphin island turned out to be instructive for
our departure.
Instead of driving all the way around and through Mobile, which can have very bad traffic, as we
headed back to Texas, we took the ferry to Dauphin and drove home that way. I am not sure if it saved time, but it certainly saved stress.
This time, as we waited for the ferry, I saw a Northern Mockingbird
singing his heart out …
 |
| A very vocal Mockingbird |
... some Common Buckeye Butterflies …
 |
| Common Buckeye |
… some more Gulf Fritillary Butterflies (remember, we saw them on the beach) …
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| These were all over southern Alabama |
... and a Salt Marsh Skimmer ...
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| Not very exciting, but a new bug for me |
Then, a rather monotonous drive back to Texas.
Clarksdale
On the way back, we stopped in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the
famous “Crossroads” of blue music fame. American blues artist Robert Johnson allegedly
sold his soul to the Devil here in exchange for his musical talents.
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| Ground Zero Blues Club; Right Photo: Scott Stevens |
We had
dinner at the Ground Zero Blues Club (Fried green tomatoes! Yum!) and watched
some local musicians. The house band was pretty awful, but Colorado Springs player Jessie Cotton Stone dropped by to see Scott and play. He was great.
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| Scott and Jessie Cotton Stone |
Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, attorney Bill Luckett and
Memphis entertainment executive Howard Stovall, Ground Zero got its name from
the fact that Clarksdale has been historically referred to as "Ground
Zero" for the blues. In the style of juke joints, it is in a repurposed,
un-remodeled building that had been vacant for 30 years after housing the Delta
Grocery and Cotton Company.
 |
| Funky decor |
It has mismatched chairs, Christmas-tree lights and
graffiti everywhere (so much graffiti that a man walked into the ladies’ room
while I was there because he couldn’t make out what it said on the door).
Sometimes ya gotta make sure décor doesn’t get in the way of practicality.
Games
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| Boomer Sooner! |
We spent the night in Texas and then traveled up to Oklahoma
City, where Caty joined us and we all (including, of course, Becca) attended
the University of Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech football game. It was beastly hot,
but fun to attend a college football game.
OU won handily (55-16), so it didn’t
have the usual last-minute suspense of a Sooners game.
The next day, we all went back to Dallas and attended the Rangers
game, which was also lots of fun. Retired Pitcher Nolan Ryan, whom we saw many
times while living in Texas, threw out the first pitch.
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| Left, Becca and Scott; Right: Caty and Scott |
Yeah, it was 94 degrees
the entire time (with god knows what humidity), but it was a lot of special
family fun. And, the Rangers won 6-1.
Trip date: September 19-30, 2019
