Got ready to go the next morning a little earlier than planned, so went ahead and headed over to the park, thankful that the gate was open just like the guy said! I went straight to 40 Acre Lake and took the Powershot down to the pier, but didn’t stay long as I realized I really needed to be using The Monster (i.e. Sony with the Big Lens) in this situation (it was still kinda dusky, even after sunrise, and it handles low-light situations much better than the Powershot). I ended up spending over an hour there as it was quite active: tons of Little Blue Herons (including many transitioning birds, called “calicos”), Common Gallinules, a young Great Blue, and even a pair of Purple Gallinules taking a bath (but on the other side of the lake)! Some Anhingas were swimming with just their head and necks above the surface (hence the name “snake-bird”), so that was fun to shoot! A Pied-billed Grebe was new for the trip (as was a Tricolored Heron that kept hiding). Got some artsy shots of Great Egrets and spoonbills across the lake, and another Anhinga had landed on the railing to dry his wings, and he was pretty dilapidated! I didn’t wanna bother him (it was obvious he was agitated when I started getting closer), but a Plegadis ibis wheeled in that had a gray face and dark eye, and I would think that this time of year any Whiteface would have a red eye! Unfortunately so long as I didn’t have Internet access I couldn’t upload a picture to eBird, so documentation would have to wait until I got to the Holiday Inn (if I could get on their Wi-Fi…). [Update: I could, so I submitted the photos – more on that story later…] White Ibis were out the yin yang, and what I thought were a mom and kid Boat-tailed Grackle came by (as the male was singing somewhere), but they turned out to be Great-tails after I reviewed the video. A Mississippi Kite circled over the trees, but the best video op was a roaring Alligator! That was great! The Four-spotted Pennants (a type of dragonfly) on the way out were anti-climactic! Totally forgot to film the Barn Swallow nest on the way out, though… ☹ I did hear some chickadees on the way out, so I wheeled back in and tried to get some video out the car window!

Purple Gallinules (with Common Gallinule above right)

Little Blue Herons (adults left and center, subadult right)

White Ibis (left) and presumed Glossy Ibis (right)

Anhinga demonstrating the “snakebird” bit

Four-spotted Pennant

It’s great when you catch the Alligators in display mode (and they apparently don’t care that they’re covered in algae)!

Carolina Chickadees on the way out

Headed down the main drag and took clandestine pictures out the window of the various very lovely scenes (as you really weren’t supposed to stop; had oak savannah going in, then that great cypress swamp where the Limpkins hang out – got Eastern Kingbird for the trip in here). The next trail I wanted to try was the Creekfield Lake Nature Trail, and that was a terrific little trail with a couple of overlooks with lots more action (although the water was evaporating): a close Spoonbill was nice, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker worked a dead tree. Both Pileated and Downy Woodpeckers called across the lake (never saw either during the course of the day, but they sure sounded close), and got fun video of a Common Gallinule getting his feet all muddy. A Snowy Egret wheeling in was new for the trip, and at the other overlook a pair of Alligators started duetting! 😊 You could also see where they made a huge track from one puddle to the puddle they were currently in! A Yellow-crowned Night Heron was also utilizing the puddle, and on the way back to the car caught a female Cardinal on the trail and several Carolina Satyrs (a type of butterfly) in the woods. I think the last time I came here I took the other trail that went by the observatory, because this trail wasn’t nearly as bad (but it wasn’t nearly as hot, either…)

Swamp where the Limpkins hung out

One side of Creekfield Lake was totally dry, while the other side had just enough water to attract birds!

Subadult Roseate Spoonbill

Common Gallinule that would never be allowed in the house...

Snowy Egret

Alligators engaging in a love song 

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Return leg of the Creekfield Lake Nature Trail

The Hale Lake accesses were next, so checked out the fishing pier first; the scene was lovely with Hale Lake looping around like a resaca, but not much birdlife except for a Great Blue Heron and Anhinga (although I was happy to see my beloved Blue Jay fly over 😊). A Question Mark (another butter) flexed its wings at the intersection with the loop trail, so after shooting him I took a little ten minute jaunt down the trail and was able to coax a Northern Parula to come in right over my head, but that was about it (a White-eyed Vireo was definitely interested, but wouldn’t come out in the open). What I thought was a male Summer Tanager bouncing around in the trees turned out to be a Carolina Wren (! – my eyes are really getting bad…)! Spent considerable time trying to figure out a confusing spreadwing butterfly that turned out to be a Horace’s Duskywing, but probably the best butter sighting was something I normally associate with the Valley: a couple of fighting White-striped Longtails! 

Trail to Hale Lake

Hale Lake overlook

Anhinga (left) and Great Blue Heron (right)

Question Mark (dorsal left, ventral right)

Area where the Northern Parula and White-eyed Vireo hung out

Horace's Duskywing

In the same area was the Whiteoak Trail near the big picnic area, where an Eastern Gray Squirrel was spread-eagled at the base of a tree; I couldn’t figure out if he was trying to blend in, or just cooling himself, so I looked it up and discovered it was the latter – it’s called “splooting”! On the trail itself, the best encounter was a lovely Halloween Pennant (a type of dragonfly), and a big yellow swallowtail batted around that struck me as Two-tailed, but I didn’t think they occurred in this area. According to the Glassberg field guide, there’s a “green dot” (meaning an isolated population) right in the Houston area, so apparently they do (but it still could have been an Eastern Tiger; just couldn’t get a good look or pictures)! On the way back had a scruffy family of titmice, and a big nest in one of the trees; couldn’t help but wonder if it belonged to the screaming Red-shouldered Hawks! An Acadian Flycatcher was along the Bluestem Trail, and he almost let me video him, but he just wouldn’t stay put… It may have been on this trail that I thought I had one of those cicadas come in and grab onto a branch, but it was actually a robber fly who had caught a bee for lunch! I happened to see a picture on Sheldon Lake SP’s page of the same bug and asked for an ID (usually they just say “robber fly”), and someone responded “Promachus hinei”, which has no English name but, according to BugGuide, is in the Giant Robber Fly group, so that’s what I’m calling it!

Picnic area near Whiteoak Trail

Eastern Gray Squirrel (“sploofing” at left)

Whiteoak Trail

Giant Robber Fly (left) and  Halloween Pennant (right)

Stopped on the Big Creek Bridge just long enough to hop out and get a picture of that gorgeous scene (way too far for me to walk to), then headed over to the Elm Lake area. Since I had “done” the pier already, I hiked a little of the Elm Take Loop Trail and was treated to some lovely wetland scenes! Got a Red-eared Slider turtle on film here, but things were quieting down. Got a Cattle Egret wheeling out, and at the other end of the parking lot hiked a little of the same trail going the other direction, and again had some lovely wetland scenery, but not much to photograph except some Eastern Pondhawks (dragonfly) and a Red-winged Blackbird hopping on the lily pads. On the way out a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks were yelling up a storm!

Big Creek

Elm Creek Loop Trail

Pallid-winged Grasshopper (left) and  Red-eared Slider (right)

The other side of the loop trail

Female Eastern Pondhawk

Red-winged Blackbird hopping around on the lilypads

Cattle Egret

I really wanted to try the Pilant Slough Trail (I still haven’t found that great little trail I discovered on my first visit years ago, but then got to thinking that maybe Hurricane Harvey wiped it out), but three busses-full of field trips were already there, so decided to hold off on that one till tomorrow (if it’s not pouring rain)! Instead went to the other end and decided to check out the overlook along the other part of the Creekfield Lake Trail, and I think that did me in; there was nothing to see at that spot, and it was starting to get hot, but had a few fun “Seek” moments where the app actually identified a plant beyond “dicot” 😊 – American Beautyberry! Scared a couple of White-tailed Deer off the trail, which are much more rusty-looking than ours!

Creekfield Lake Woodland Trail

American Beautyberry

Called it a wrap after that, got ice, and settled in at the hotel.