Reflections: Spirits in Nature This project began with a late afternoon canoe trip. As the light changed and the breeze died, the surface of the creek grew smooth and reflective, and I directed my camera to the mirror images of the shore and its reflection. That night when I downloaded the pictures, glowing eyesContinue reading
Tag Archives: Lost Pines
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Reflections: Spirits in Nature
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Adventures with Arthropods and Photo Reflections
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Our heavy canoe is tied to a large pine tree right down by the lake so it’s always available but it can’t float away when the creek rises. The oars are shelved on a branch above. Saturday, we walked down to the lake with late afternoon canoeing in mind. However, when Ken flipped the canoe over, up poppedContinue reading
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Piney Creek, Bastrop, TX–Part II
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Piney Creek originates in the Northeast part of Bastrop County, then heads South and West through Camp Swift, under FM1441 and wraps itself around Little Piney before heading through town to the Colorado. At some point–maybe at FM1441–the creek becomes Sanders’ Lake for a mile or so. Sanders’ Lake is basically a wider area ofContinue reading
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Piney Creek, Bastrop, TX–Part I
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Piney Creek A thick line of pines and oaks marks the steep bank of Piney Creek; below lies the running stream in its sandy bed shaded by giant cottonwoods and old pines. Bird songs mingle with the burble of water flowing over shining stones. Dagonflies and mayflies catch the dappled light and sparkle while tadpolesContinue reading
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Lost Pines Texas Master Naturalists at Little Piney
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Lost Pines Texas Master Naturalists Texas Master Naturalists are certified citizen scientists who spend a year training, studying, and volunteering in an intensive program to earn their title. Once certified, they commit much of their time to volunteer for parks, education, and nature projects. I recently learned through the Lost Pines Chapter newsletter thatContinue reading
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Winter to Early Spring at Little Piney
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Cedar Waxwing Finale As we slip from winter to early spring at Little Piney, there are a few surprises. The Cedar Waxwings are usually gone before the trees leaf out, so I am accustomed to seeing their saucy forms silhouetted with bare branches. But not this year! This morning a small flock fed and preening inContinue reading
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Seven Things I Love About Winter in Bastrop TX
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Early Spring We’re having an early spring! As thrilled as I am to see the Bluebonnets, I am sad that winter is over. Here are seven things I love about winter in Bastrop TX. Cedar Waxwings These stunning birds drop like a cloud into the bare trees preening and chattering. They make striking silhouettes withContinue reading
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Beautiful Birds of Winter: American Kestrel, Song Sparrow, Green Kingfisher
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Beautiful Birds of Winter As the landscape evolves from verdant to gray, summer birds quietly leave and winter birds (not so quietly in the case of Robins and Cedar Waxwings) take their place. We welcome them back with full feeders and delight. In the past two weeks, an American Kestrel, a Song Sparrow, and aContinue reading
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Red-shouldered Hawk’s Crunchy Breakfast
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Red-shouldered Hawk Sometimes all I see of the Red-shouldered Hawk is a dark shadow passing over the field, sometimes, a familiar shape disappearing at the edge of vision. She is in front of me, then behind me when I never saw her move. Sometimes, I turn around, and she is only feet away calm andContinue reading
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When I’m Birding It’s Totally Up to the Birds
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It’s Totally Up to the Birds I have to confess, on my first few “birding walks” led by expert birders, I asked myself “Are they making this up?” Most of the time, I never saw the bird they pointed out. When I did, I saw a gray silhouette against the morning sky while the guideContinue reading