Stong Cold Front Transports More Pelicans and the First Siting of Monarch's

It was interesting to see the radar of the Monarch Butterflies riding into Dallas on the strong winds of  last nights cold front. Today, I saw many Monarchs. They will be looking to rebuild their energy so the next few days should turn up some images of this years visitors as they rest and restore their energy before moving on to the mountains of Mexico for the winter.

While the count of the pelicans did increase by 9 birds, it still is not looking good for this years wintering for the pelicans. The group here have begun to settle in to their regular and common routine that they employ in their stay here through about the third week of March. Drift fishing has already begun and I saw  older birds run the youngsters off their tree trunk logs, so the home base rules are already taking place.

The Water Levels Have started to rise from last nights rain totals for up to three inches in places. This was a ugly sandbar yesterday.

When  I read the National Wildlife report on the number that had been killed in the freak hail storm in Molt, I was pretty much convinced  early on that our population wintering here this year would be slim just from the sheer number of deaths that had occurred in Molt. Normally, at this time, our bird population would be some where in the 90 birds tally. There are only 29 birds here in the second wave of arrivals. It's going to be fewer birds all around, most likely. It is amazing how nature will balance things out after a tragic event. The birds here will have more food and not have to work so hard to support themselves. The number of Cormorants are also down as those birds were also in the 5-figure kill numbers of waterfowl---pelicans and cormorants combined.While some have made the journey with the pelicans, the cormorants out numbered the pelicans by 2:1. This year, those numbers are just a number to shoot for in rebuilding the colonies.

Reclaiming Their Favorite Spot for Sunning and Cleaning Feathers.

Good News and Bad News In Pelican Land

With the October 12th arrival date of the pelicans getting close, the number of arrivals is already weighing heavy on this years visit by the big birds that winter here. To compound that was the National Weather Services issue of major storm warnings for heavy snow and temperatures  up to 50 degrees below normal for the north and central Rockies and the northern plains. The pelicans should be on the way with their ability to sense things like that. And, since the scout has been here for the past ten days, the indication is that the main flock is getting ready to travel.

When I made the check today, I was somewhat relieved that the initial arrival of the big birds had arrived 4 days ahead of schedule. That is always a chance of luck but knowing that the weather systems were getting ready to hit the Montana plains, it was hoped that the birds were indeed, on the move.

However, as first feared when the National Wildlife reported that 13,000 had been killed in the sudden hail storm a few weeks back, my heart sank into deep concern for our birds. Keeping in mind that the rehab bird that stayed over this breeding season and the arrival of the scout ten days back gave a base line of 2 birds to begin with to any total that actually arrived initially.  Usually, that count is in the mid 30's to 40's  with about as many to follow a couple of days later. The count today was a total of 19 birds less the 2 gives us 17 birds plus what ever comes later---if any. So, already, the earlier fears of a major loss came to be true today. I will need to check out a couple of other places were the birds have been known to visit--- they are social birds. But that within itself is also an indication that most likely, we will see fewer birds this year because of the tragic storm in Molt, Montana.

Here are the first arrivals this year from the Molt, Montana nesting grounds where the 13,000 birds were killed earlier this year when the birds were caught by surprise in a massive hail storm. This first arrival is about half of what normally comes in the first main flock arrival.

Think Reverse Order To Swallows and Buzzards

Last March when the American White Pelicans left White Rock for their nesting grounds in either Salt Lake or Molt, Montana, one pelican could not make the trip because for rehab of injuries. He spent the entire winter here on the lake hanging out with the ducks, geese and mallards. He was lonely, for sure, as most of us think about being left at the "bus stop" as my mom referred to nursing homes and the like. Ironically, this past week I recall going by a couple of retirement places and thought to myself that I had to tell my baby brother that if he ever put me in a place with a names like Autumn  Leaves or Golden Haven or Golden Acres, I'd come back to haunt him. That pelican has reminded me of that over the winter as I would see him off by himself along the shore line.
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Today, I was also reminded that the annual arrival of the American Whites back to White Rock is fast coming to term. For the past 8 years that I have documented the arrival date as October 12th. However,  like the Swallows of San Juan Capistrano who dispatch  a few scouts ahead of the main flock by several days and so---the American Whites do the same by about two weeks,  give or take a few days because of weather systems etc.,etc. The Buzzards (turkey vultures) of Hinckley, Ohio have been returning there since the massive animal kill of 1888.They have come on March 15th since 1957. The swallows on March 19th which is St. Joseph's Day. Birds are instinctive, they are.

The Old Boy Left Behind

The Main Flocks Scout Arrives Almost on time. That seems to indicate that by the annual arrival date of October 12th (give or take a few days) Our Old Boy  was like a kid in a candy shop to see one of his own.

Fishing was good,too.

The past two weeks I have been shooting hummingbirds at multiple locations with the hummers also here on migration. After shooting today, I drove over to Sunset Bay (the water project has closed the roads from Lake Highlands Drive to Poppy for the next phase of construction)

Low and Behold, there was a scout here swimming with our old boy from rehab and he was having the time of his life. I had not seen him so active and I know for sure now that the old bird being a social breed by instinct,  was rejoicing and it was most obvious. So, now, I can note the arrive of the first scout and will need to start watching for other arrivals.

I have been very concerned since seeing the National Park Service article about the 13,000 birds killed in a sudden hail storm in Molt about a month ago. Most of our birds do go to Molt to nest in March although some do go to Salt Lake as those tagged do so indicate.

Most likely our winter-overs may very well be less this year, the final total count will soon reveal the answers to our concerns. It is a very large number to be killed by baseball size hail; 13,000.

It's All Gone, Folks! Both of Them And Maybe Our Pelicans

Valley View Only A Memory

Life has long gone in cycles. The moon has two cycles. One that happens once a month, give or take a day. The second cycle is the 18 year cycle. Yet, another cycle is the annual move of the earth's Axis from the Tropic of Cancer to the Equator to the Tropic of Capricorn and then back again giving us our seasonal changes we call the four seasons. I notice that more and more as I make my way on my 18-mile wagon wheel cycle covering the Metroplex. In that cycle, change is dramatic in the Metroplex. The growth factor drives a lot of it. But, it seems that Dallas, as well as the smaller cities are making changes that cost the loss of what once was in order to advance the future. It does not always agree with me, personally because I am, for better or worse, a traditional type of guy that loves old building and would much rather see them reused after a make over than to see them torn down and the property redeveloped. But, on the other hand, this is Texas and Texas puts more value on land than they do on buildings.

Currently, two malls of the 70s-90s era are falling and a beautiful old colonial Presbyterian Church fell this week, but the developer did agree to save the Chapel. The malls, of course, are Collins Creek in Plano just off 75 Central Expressway. It is now officially closed and up for redevelopment. The second mall is my favorite, the old Valley View that is still in the shadow of the Dallas Galleria at The Dallas North Tollway and LBJ 635 on the west to Preston Road on the East. I liked that mall for many reasons,but I also lost my favorite Bar-B-Que that lived in the atrium food court. It had, in recent years become a place where art shops lived and after having my leisure lunch, would walk both levels to see what was happening in photography, paintings, and other mediums. The latest that I had found technical interest in was a shop of 3-D printers that were churning out amazing things that were not only useful, but could match anything that could be reproduced with a drawing scan. Amazing.

So, on Sunday, the fist day of  fall on the meteorological calendar (Sept.1to Nov.30), I set out for a look at the demolition of the rest of Valley View after the fabled Sanger Harris (later Macy's)  had fallen first, then the Sears Store. The old J.C. Penny's followed by the parking garages where a large part of famed Dallas families had arrived to do their shopping. Pretty much all that remains now is the AMC 16, which is the only life breathing of the past structures. Redevelopment is reported to have spared the theater during the redevelopment and then it, too, will go for a new theater.

It was sad. but the sadness deepened when I saw the Casa Linda Presbyterian roof of the sanctuary crushed into the sanctuary, the massive white columns of the colonial structure's red brick also gone in organized form of confused rubble.

In one last cycle to list in this post is the most sad of all...

The American White Pelicans  that come each year around the 12th of October may not come back this year to greet the one lone pelican that remains here because of old injuries that keeps it from making the flight to the spring nesting sites.

It has been reported by main stream media, was well as the National Park Services Wild Life Section, that a sudden and unexpected hail storm with hail the size of baseballs had killed 13,000 waterfowl at Molt,Montana's Big Lake, which is one of the main nesting sites of the Eastern Fly Way's American White Pelicans. The pictures were disturbing at best. The majority of the casualties were pelicans, that were totally caught off guard. There are no trees around Big Lake, outside of Billings.

The nesting cycle this year may have gotten  the majority if not all of the 72-90 American Whites that arrive at White Rock Lake to spend the winter until the end of March when they leave for Molt. Because our birds are on the Eastern Fly Way, most of our birds go to Molt's Big Lake, a lake about the size of White Rock.Some that have bands have been checked show some have taken the odd ball nesting sites near the Great Salt Lake in Utah, but those have been some of the oldest of our flock of birds, I've been told.

So, while this post sounds more like Death and Destruction, it's just a part of life's cycles that we pay little attention to until something happens.

I saw two cars in the Filtration Building Parking Lot last week. One had New York plates and the other one was with California. Coast to coast like jam on toast! and then, The hurricane parked over the Great Bahama Island Nation off our East coast  and a boat full of underwater divers off the Channel Islands of California.

The last life at Valley View, for now.

Facing Preston Road near Spring Valley

Presbyterian at White Rock's Casa Linda

The cycle theme seemed to have raised its head and said," I'm not done with cycles, yet!"

Another 30 Pelicans Have Arrived Right On Time.

Well, last year, the pelicans were here on October 12th. About  ten days ago, the core of 17 arrived to stake their claim to the lake. Today, another 30 had arrived over night. I even got a shot of three in flight over the dam. But the bigger news is that after receiving word about a month ago that the Monarch's were in flight over Lake Erie on their migration to Mexico, today, I saw the first one on a milkweed plant covered in honey bees. It was starved for energy-building nectar after a long, long trip this far. Even tons of honey bees could not keep it for dining. They still have about a thousand miles to go yet.

It is also amazing to me that with all the hurricanes in both the Gulf and in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Mexico, that the butterflies timing is just unbeatable. The Pacific hurricanes south of Baja cut across the central mountains of Mexico and come in over West Texas. Maybe that is why we are on the migration path. It seems they come down right in a valley of air currents. Little frail butterflies on wing all that distance. Amazing. One cold front has passed, the next one is due tomorrow night and will drop the temps some 25 degrees for a couple of days before going back into the upper 80s. October is such a roller-coaster of temperatures here. Not complaining---snow birds!

American White Pelicans here until about mid February

Rest stop for migrating Monarch Butterflies

The honey bees were 50 or more per bush but the butterfly was going to rebuild its strength none-the-less. I saw one bee try to sting the butterfly but he stayed right where it was hanging.

They're Back!

A week or so ago, thoughts turned to the return of the pelicans to the lake. After checking the log from last year, it was noted that the pelicans returned on Columbus Day, the 12th of October.  Also, I had spotted a big blob of white a ways out from Sun Set Bay's dock on the logs that wash up on an ever increasing sandbar. But, it was only today, that I could, for my own satisfaction, confirm that the blob of white was indeed the core group of 16 pelicans, mixed with this years fledglings. The old male that knew the way down to Texas has been the leader the past couple of years, at least. It is my guess that with the cold already setting up north along the Canadian border, the "old man" took the rookies and headed out to claim the lake for another season. The older birds will bring what's left and come on down fairly soon, I would think.

There was snow in Montana last week and Idaho got a 9-inch snow fall already in the boarder towns that have ski lodges. With the trees already turning and dropping leaves here, it has been a general consensus that fall is coming early this year. Even the Farmer's Almanac at the checkout at Lowe's points to a pretty good winter up north. The National Weather Service has also indicated that the Great Lakes were going to have a rather "old fashioned" winter this year. That's cold and snow from early November through May generally. Been there, done that already for a number of years. Some of you will remember reading already this month on this blog where I mentioned the flipping of the leaves on the trees showing up. Our first 50-degree night time temperatures are due next weekend as a fall cold front settles in on us next week.

My doctor's office called  today around noon to tell me that they had messed up on the quantity for a refill and they had just corrected it with the pharmacy. While it wasn't that bad heat and humidity wise, I decided to head out early and swing by the pharmacy and come on in early today. There were pictures to load and to edit. It has been a busy month for pictures and the doctors. Plus, saving on gas as the price begins to fall isn't a bad ideal either. Gas today was at $2.449, down from the $2.599 when the hurricanes were shutting down the refineries in Houston during Harvey's rage.

Plus, as a bonus...meet my new friend that I discovered today. Enjoy

The core of 16 have arrived from up north.

New friend by accident
Beautiful white peacock. Look at the second, more traditional plumage up against the tree trunk in the background.

Big Bird and Little Bird.

What Day Is It?

It's Saturday, the Holy Day of Obligation. GO BLUE!     Update:  Michigan lost. College   Football has changed.

Monk Parots

More Monk Parots

American White Pelicans stop from their nesting grounds in Montana on their way to Central and South America. They don't fly over open ocean, however.