If you visit the lake almost daily, one begins to see changes, however subtle, more rapidly than others. What I have noticed since before Christmas is that the patterns and habits of the birds that migrate to White Rock have changed. It seems to be caused by two factors. One, the higher level of the lake's water and the displaced logs for a longer period of time, and the increased traffic on the water and bikers racing through normally quiet stretches of roadways.
Logs in the lake have long been a staple for the birds---especially the waterfowl--- that like to sun themselves on the logs. Several years ago, the turtles had the same problem. The high water displaced the big logs and swept them down to the dam and over onto the spillway. That has happened this season for the pelicans which have been displaced from their little island that is on the north side of Sunset Bay. They have moved on to other locations and a few that I have talked with say that they have noticed an increase in pelican at Lake Lewisville dam and even Lake Ray Hubbard. I'm not surprised. Birds are creatures of habit just like the human factor and after a while, they tire of being disrupted and move on. Actually, I have been afraid of that for the past several years. If you like and enjoy wildlife like I do, then the last thing you want to see is the waterfowl leaving and not coming back.
It isn't just the waterfowl, either. The hawks are restless. The owls are restless. The coyotes are becoming more aggressive and less timid as in the past. It's always been a solid fact that White Rock has so much to offer that it is a jewel of a park. With it's old trees that are dropping in more visible numbers, its waters that have seen increased boat traffic, kayak traffic, paddle boarders, no wonder the animal are getting nervous. It's stressing them out. That is very much more visible.
Even the common geese that once walked from the lake up onto the lawn of Sunset Bay cottage, don't cross the road as often as they once did. The racing bikers have upset that routine more than most would think. If you sit and watch the traffic, you see people in numbers whereas beforehand it was maybe one or two here and there, going the wrong way on the roadways where the signs plainly indicate "Begin One Way". It's a new generation of people that come now not to enjoy the park, but to use it as their personal exercise gym outdoor style.
Last week a truck pulled up, got out a bag 25 or 30 maybe even 50 pounds of grain and spread it out for the waterfowl in front of the sign that said, Don't feed the birds with a reason why not to do so. The grain is by far better than bread for their digestive systems. But the point is not the guy that dumped the bag of grain---it was the people that walked down to the grain to get pictures and drove the animals back into the water.
What had been an amazing shot for any photographer was to see the ducks, the geese, the pigeons, the coots and low and behold a couple of squirrels right in the middle of all that. It was cute, comical and photogenic--- that is until this group of adults, some with kids, came rushing toward the animals driving them to retreat to the safety of the water. Things like that will drive animals away quicker than anything. An hour later, the birds had not returned. The grain had been trampled down and kicked about . I'm thinking as I watch this--how would these people like for someone to rush their table as they sat down to a holiday meal? How would they like people to tramp across their table where the food had been laid out?
People are ignorant of how to approach wildlife. You don't let your kids run down the length of a dock like a thundering herd of mustangs and expect to see the animals up close in a native wild setting. But they do. I've seen two Park Rangers in the last six months. The cops do more PR than the Park Rangers. When they first came back on board after City Council refunded their jobs, there was all kinds of talk about the good that they would do. Ironically, the crown jewel of the Park Systems Parks do not even have one in the park on a regular basis.
Logs in the lake have long been a staple for the birds---especially the waterfowl--- that like to sun themselves on the logs. Several years ago, the turtles had the same problem. The high water displaced the big logs and swept them down to the dam and over onto the spillway. That has happened this season for the pelicans which have been displaced from their little island that is on the north side of Sunset Bay. They have moved on to other locations and a few that I have talked with say that they have noticed an increase in pelican at Lake Lewisville dam and even Lake Ray Hubbard. I'm not surprised. Birds are creatures of habit just like the human factor and after a while, they tire of being disrupted and move on. Actually, I have been afraid of that for the past several years. If you like and enjoy wildlife like I do, then the last thing you want to see is the waterfowl leaving and not coming back.
It isn't just the waterfowl, either. The hawks are restless. The owls are restless. The coyotes are becoming more aggressive and less timid as in the past. It's always been a solid fact that White Rock has so much to offer that it is a jewel of a park. With it's old trees that are dropping in more visible numbers, its waters that have seen increased boat traffic, kayak traffic, paddle boarders, no wonder the animal are getting nervous. It's stressing them out. That is very much more visible.
Even the common geese that once walked from the lake up onto the lawn of Sunset Bay cottage, don't cross the road as often as they once did. The racing bikers have upset that routine more than most would think. If you sit and watch the traffic, you see people in numbers whereas beforehand it was maybe one or two here and there, going the wrong way on the roadways where the signs plainly indicate "Begin One Way". It's a new generation of people that come now not to enjoy the park, but to use it as their personal exercise gym outdoor style.
Last week a truck pulled up, got out a bag 25 or 30 maybe even 50 pounds of grain and spread it out for the waterfowl in front of the sign that said, Don't feed the birds with a reason why not to do so. The grain is by far better than bread for their digestive systems. But the point is not the guy that dumped the bag of grain---it was the people that walked down to the grain to get pictures and drove the animals back into the water.
What had been an amazing shot for any photographer was to see the ducks, the geese, the pigeons, the coots and low and behold a couple of squirrels right in the middle of all that. It was cute, comical and photogenic--- that is until this group of adults, some with kids, came rushing toward the animals driving them to retreat to the safety of the water. Things like that will drive animals away quicker than anything. An hour later, the birds had not returned. The grain had been trampled down and kicked about . I'm thinking as I watch this--how would these people like for someone to rush their table as they sat down to a holiday meal? How would they like people to tramp across their table where the food had been laid out?
People are ignorant of how to approach wildlife. You don't let your kids run down the length of a dock like a thundering herd of mustangs and expect to see the animals up close in a native wild setting. But they do. I've seen two Park Rangers in the last six months. The cops do more PR than the Park Rangers. When they first came back on board after City Council refunded their jobs, there was all kinds of talk about the good that they would do. Ironically, the crown jewel of the Park Systems Parks do not even have one in the park on a regular basis.
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| King of the Ball Diamond. This is his watch tower. |
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| Hawk on a wire is not the same as bird on a wire. |
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| His mate was in the tree across the roadway near the Katy Trail Extension at White Rock Trail |
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