In Memorial

                         Happy Birthday, KP

 The 21st year of your passing.

Helicopters Continue To Survey My Neighborhood

A lots of things in life are elusive. Some, more than others. As the helicopters continue to hover and circle, fly low, fly higher, and all the maneuvers that make the egg beaters an excellent machine for many things in today's world the surveying goes on.

 It has been a rough week. It all started Sunday night when the strong cold front moved in ---kind of like where refrig meets oven and cold air meets hot air. Well, hot air with a lot of humidity from the  Gulf of Mexico streaming into the stew pot mixer of North Texas. Where I live is kind of like the Hamilton Beach of mixers where the cold and the hot and rain and wind and the humidity and all the other things needed to cook up a good Tornado or two---or three come together. Well, even a few more than that. The helicopters have sorted it out and the National Weather Service had confirmed 9 separate tornadoes that came out of that mixing bowl. Even that was updated again today to include one more tornado, though small and short lived did develop out of our storm, as it moved Northeast. In southern Collin county, number 10 sprang to life. Collin, Denton, Tarrant and Dallas make up our Metroplex district we know as Dallas/Ft.Worth.

The damage in my old neighborhood was extensive and that was bad enough, but that damage extended over the six miles to include blocks immediately to my west and blocks immediately to my north. One gated community with private lakes was laid to waste and forever changing the look of how I  have seen it the past 15-years. It will take years to put it back landscape-wise.

Tonight, heavy rains have moved in just as the last of the power was restored, but not everyone was able to cover their roofs with blue tarps and even more damage will make losses even more. This storm is dropping snow in the panhandle a month early.

This is where gears are changed, but the theme remains on target with the opening sentence of this post. Because the rain would likely keep me home bound for two days, I got the heck out of the house early this morning while the sunshine and windy conditions made sweater weather in the car the most encouragement I have had in months.

At the lake, first check was on the Monarch butterflies, which have been in a thin migration this year. Normally, I would see 15-25 in a quarter hour.

There are three parakeets  near the green wire.

The Cooper wants that grasshopper bad.

As my Dad would say:" There's always one to spoil the fun" speaking of cars that come up and tailgate just as you are trying to find something. The car zipped around me but the bobcat could have cared less. Then, I was able to move at his pace and watch where he was going. It will be a place to start watching now for more than just birds.

While the pelican numbers have come up a bit, weather has been a major factor for them as well as the butterflies. Normally the Great White Egrets are elusive to shoot unless you shoot with a mini Hubble Telescope, they have been all over Sunset Bay where again, the weather has played a factor in moving sandbars close in off the Dixon Branch leaving the water shallow and not so pretty of a setting as it has been in times past.

The monk parakeets have rebuilt their nest in the cell towers and  Oncor substation.

On the second trip around the lake, the final stop at the Cultural Center Bath House was a bonus  sweep of elusive critters. Starting up the hill the Cooper Hawk was in an aerial display as he was  chasing a large grass hopper. Getting a shot of that was like an extra piece of chocolate cake with no calories. Then, the shock of all shocks. One of the most elusive creatures at White Rock---the bob cat--came out of the thicket with a rabbit and leisurely walked the hedgerow. After seven backyards, he went into a wood pile. I did not see him come out.But, the last of the White Rock wonders has now been documented. American Eagles; Osprey; coyote, great horned owl, barred owl, and the  bob cat.

Last Night's EF3 Tornado Came Within 150 Yards of My Front Door.

It's been a long time since I have seen the green skies of childhood tornadoes. When I looked out the front door and saw that green light that resembles Northern Lights, I knew the storm was way to close and made ready my safe room. My brother sent a text. It was more to see if I was okay, I suppose. We grew up in a weather watchful household and spent a lot of nights in our grandfathers large storm cellar. Never-the-less, When I saw the front door bowed out and then saw the column of swirling clouds and rain, I made way to the safe area. The sound of thunder was louder and more attention getting than normal, the rush of air around the door was a whistle-like sound that one never forgets if you have ridden out past tornadoes like I have. It's been 30 years remember riding out Hurricane David and those sounds are etched into my memory,too.

This was way to close in my neighborhood.Two days ago I had gone back into the old neighborhood to see changes and here, two days later, I'm going back to see tons of more trees destroyed after the Father's Day storm at White Rock. But these are new homes that have been built in the past few years and I pass to every day on trips to the drug store and grocery. I was stunned when I saw this first hand.

Damage was much worse

Cars had windows just completely sucked out from the pressure of the storm.

The Lake Was A Carnival Today!

I have always liked White Rock because there is always something unexpected and new and just plain interesting. Over the years, I have watched it go from seeing no one on the lake to fishermen, rowing clubs for high schools, college and Vets that are overcoming Post Distress Disorders. All, add to up in the asset column. Then about eight years ago (including this season) a young lady in a pink baseball cap with her blonde pony tail pulled through the adjustable band in the back of the hat appeared with a trailer and permit from the city to begin operating the White Rock Paddle Company, the outrigger for canoes, kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboards. Needless to say, it was a smashing success and has become a staple  on the lake for those that like that kind of recreation. It has been a while since I have seen Amy's crew bring out a canoe but kayaks are stacked up in colorful piles that seem to fly off the shelf in the rental business now firmly anchored on East Lawther in the marina area.

That said, it goes without saying that runners and bikers have now taken over the lake to a point that one cannot drive down West or East Lawther without having to navigate some pretty aggressive individuals. The city could have saved $42 million because runners and hikers don't use the trails that much, preferring to run on both sides of the road and creating serious conditions that could land some one in the hospital

if not the ME's morgue table.  Individuals, I might add that have little interest in the very things that make the park the crown jewel that it is today. That, still is and will remain to be the wildlife, nature's wonders we call sunrises and sunsets in an high density urban area.Or, the one thing that makes this lake stand out because it's on the central flyway for migrations of birds, waterfowl, hummingbirds, butterflies and yes, even some insects.  And just when I think that maybe I should just hang it up and not care anymore, something amazing occurs that is much the same as someone getting CPR and returning to normal life again.That of and within itself should be the driving force to let the city know that this is very much likened to New York's Central Park. Somewhere, a line is going to have to be drawn in the sand as to how much parking, roadways being used as trails and cease to be a PR campaign the Parks see it's likeness and traffic enforcement begins. I see the signs in place. I see the Police Officers in the park. I see the Park Rangers now and then. In fact, I was with a Ranger a couple of weeks ago at Flap Pole Hill while he was talking pictures of cars illegally parked off road. Today, at the Cultural Bath House, I saw many SUVs pulling off road and driving down to the lake behind the cultural center. It's migration time for the Monarch Butterflies and the traumatized pelicans have returned from Montana's Big Lake that saw 13,000 waterfowl killed in a freak hail storm not so many weeks ago.
Hopefully, changes are closer to happening than not. 

Monarchs Are In Town

Brought in by the latest cold front, the Monarch butterflies that were seen on the US Weather Radar have arrived. Yesterday, I counted about 50 per half-hour on the wing at or just above treetop levels from the driveway. Today, I counted a total of three at the lake. That includes both sides of the lake.

While that is not an impressive number, neither are the totals for the species, which has also suffered big losses over the past few years. There is talk about putting them back on the Endangered Species Act List. For those that seem to think that the Earth's weather is not changing, more and more of these types of examples go a long way to document the contrary.

With rain and more cold fronts due over the next week, hopefully, the butterflies are resting up from their winged flight south. I can remember in years past seeing Monarchs hope a ride on the mast pole of a sale boat across Lake Erie. They are crafty in such ways. Talk about thumbing a ride across country, by land or by sea, they make it down the Central Flyway and complete their cycled journey right on time. So, I'm hope full to see them at the lake drawing energy and nectar from the plants along the shoreline of the lake. 

Meanwhile, it was a jackpot of birds of prey at the ball diamonds. There was a red shouldered hawk, a Kestrel hawk and the colorful Cooper hawk. I actually got to see him make a kill. Albeit a grasshopper, by ratio to size, a pretty big meal.

Cooper Hiding in the tree before it targets its lunch.

Got Ya! Lunch is served

This is about a dozen of these that I have seen this weekend. Saturday I made a trip back into the old neighborhood of  tiered stone walls dropping down some 60 feet,  foot bridges, and winding walks from the street across White Rock Creek to the homes that I have loved from the 60's. The Japanese Maples were just stunning.  I have not been homesick for a very long time, but remembering mom walking her dog, Murray ( a white Eskimo)  and knowing that my son had walked those same paths brought a flood of memories over me. With my son's birthday coming up, it was even more a walk "down memory lane". He would have been 49 this year.

Japanese Maples in the Old Neighborhood

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.

Pelican Count Still Remains On Low Side

He's just waking up here and seemed a bit dazed but quickly perked up to full alertness. So cute!

He was napping. Before I saw him, he was power napping like crazy.

What's in the new trailer, Ranger Joe? Four months since the Father's Day storm that did so much damage. The crews have worked very hard this year and have done an excellent job at putting the park back including cleaning up the road work mess left after the replacement of water lines and waste water lines. Another thing noticed between Sunset and Poppy Drive is several new fire hydrants.