Wildlife – Page 17 – Wandering Dawgs

Happy Happy Happy in Louisiana

May 4, 2015August 13, 2015Posted in Birds, Louisiana, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, WildlifeTagged birding, Duck Commander, Duck Dynasty, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Lake Bistineau, Phil Robertson, West Monroe Louisiana, Willie Robertson21 Comments

“Happy, Happy, Happy” – Phil Robertson

After almost six weeks exploring the great state of Texas it was time to head east toward home. We were sad to leave Texas but happy knowing we would soon be home. Our first stop in Louisiana was a place where we had camped on another trip four years ago. I had such fond memories of our first visit there I’ve been looking for an excuse to go back. I even made reservations for site 12, the same one we had camped in before. With a deck and a fishing dock right in front of the site, it was a perfect place to chill for a couple of days.

Lake Bistineau State Park is located about 20 miles from Bossier City. I remembered how friendly one of the rangers at the park was when we first visited and I was happy to see the same ranger greeted us at the office and checked us in. I have to say he is one of the nicest, friendliest, and most helpful park staff member we have ever met. We had a beautiful view of the lake from our deck and spent a lot of time just chillin’ and watching the herons and egrets fishing in the shallow water along the banks of the lake.

I was way behind on doing laundry and was happy to find a small laundry right there in the park. And it was free! There was also WiFi at the park office and I could do a little catching up on the blog while we were there. We did a little shopping in Bossier City and got our fix of more Cajun Food at Shane’s Restaurant. Crawfish Etouffee and some Boudin to go and we were happy!

But it wasn’t all work, shopping and eating. We’re pretty good at sitting and chillin’.

Did I mention we had the campground almost all to ourselves? There were only two other campers there the first night, and the next two nights there was only one other camper in the park. Perfect!

But eventually we had to move on. When we made the decision to go home via I-20 we could not miss a stop in West Monroe, Louisiana to see the headquarters of Duck Commander.

Duck Commander was established in 1972 by Phil Robertson. After an outstanding football career in college Phil had an opportunity to play professional football in the NFL. He turned down the offer because he didn’t love football. He loved hunting and fishing and wanted to make a living doing what he loved. He was unhappy with the duck calls that were available at the time and in 1972 started selling his own design.

Phil is now retired and his son Willie Robertson is now the CEO of the family run company and Duck Commander products are sold worldwide. Members of the Robertson family star in the popular A&E reality show “Duck Dynasty.”

Happy Happy Happy – a favorite Phil Robertson quote

World’s Largest Duck Call celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Duck Commander

Carving of Phil Robertson, founder of Duck Commander

The Duck Commander Bus

Duck Commander Headquarters, about 3 blocks south of I-20 in West Monroe, LA

Lake Bistineau State Park is located near Doyline, Louisiana. The sites have paved water and electric hook ups, pads, picnic table, and fire pit. We had a premium site with a wooden deck overlooking the lake. There are several fishing docks located in the campground. The park also has a boat launch.

To visit Duck Commander we stayed at Ouachita RV Park in Monroe, Louisiana. The full hookup park had gravel pull through sites with free WiFi that actually worked, a nice laundry room, a meeting room, and a small pond.

Prairie Dogs and Wildflowers at Lake Arrowhead

April 28, 2015May 26, 2015Posted in Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, Wildflowers, WildlifeTagged bluebonnets, drought, Lake Arrowhead, Nature, oill pump, Prairie Dogs, walking beam25 Comments

Every once in a while we discover an unexpected gem of a park. We just needed a quiet, restful place to stay for a couple of days after our adventure in Palo Duro Canyon. A place where we could buy some groceries and just chill. Lake Arrowhead State Park south of Wichita Falls sounded like it would fit the bill. As it turned out we enjoyed it so much we stayed an extra day.

It was wonderful seeing so much green after the brown plains of Texas. We had a nice big site with plenty of green grass and trees. There were hardly any other campers in the park and we sometimes felt like the only ones there.

Green all around at Lake Arrowhead — A great place to chill

Texas has been going through a drought for several years and many lakes have suffered because of it. Lake Arrowhead is really low and has been for a while. The fishing pier is high and dry and all of the boat ramps are closed.

There is a Prairie Dog Town in the park that has spread to some of the campsites. Some of the holes were right beside the road and Blondie tried to stick her nose in them as we walked by. The Prairie Dogs would scamper away to their hole and disappear as Blondie and I approached on foot. They would stay around longer when we drove by in the truck.

Prairie Dog Mama and babies — Prairie Dog Mama and her pups next to the picnic table in one of the campsites

Prairie Dog at Lake Arrowhead — Prairie Dog protecting his turf

There is a working oil pump in the campground. After seeing so many of them in the fields as we drove through Texas it was interesting to see one up close. The engineering term for this type pump is a walking beam. More common names for it are horsehead pump, nodding donkey, beam pump, rod pump, grasshopper, thirsty bird, pump jack or jack pump.

I was happy to see bluebonnets and other wildflowers growing beside the road.

Bluebonnets at Lake Arrowhead

Unknown Wildflower at Lake Arrowhead

Unidentified wildflower Lake Arrowhead

Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush at Lake Arrowhead

It was a great place to chill before continuing our trek east.

The ranger who checked us in was very friendly and helpful and gave us great directions to shopping in Wichita Falls. She also recommended the Branding Iron for barbeque and it was delicious.

Our site was a pull through with paved pad, large grass sitting area, a covered picnic table and fire ring. The site had water and electric hookups. There was a bath house close by, several picnic areas and hiking trails in the park.

If you would like to read my detailed campground review of this park, click here.

Palo Duro Canyon – The Grand Canyon of Texas

April 23, 2015May 24, 2015Posted in Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, WildlifeTagged hiking, Lighthouse Hike, mule deer, Palo Duro Canyon, Texas Horned Lizard, Texas Longhorns, wild turkeys21 Comments

I was really looking forward to camping in Palo Duro Canyon. Just the idea of looking up at the canyon walls from our campsite was enough to plan our trip around a stay in the park. It was worth the two mile drive into Palo Duro Canyon down several switchbacks and a 10% grade to get to one of our most memorable campsites in all of our camping years. Our site in the Sagebrush campground had great views of the canyon and a private little sitting area behind our RV.

Known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. With 16 miles of paved roads through the canyon and miles of hiking, biking, and horse trails, there is enough to make everyone happy.

One of the most popular trails in the park is the Lighthouse Trail through the canyon for a close up look at the Lighthouse formation, the symbol of the state park. The multi-use trail is about a 6 mile round trip from the parking lot. We started out early on a cool Sunday morning and encountered cyclists, runners, and other hikers but no horses along the trail. A transplanted Georgian who now lives in Amarillo stopped to chat as we passed each other on the trail.

The trail was packed red dirt and rock but not difficult. Our plan was to go to the base of the lighthouse but when two different hikers stopped to tell us about two rattlesnakes ahead of us I was done. Henry went a little farther and tried to convince me there was no sign of them but I wouldn’t budge! I was tired and ready to head back so we turned around about .2 miles before the end of the trail. We were done for the day when we got back to the campsite and loafed the rest of the afternoon.

Starting the Lighthouse Trail

Along the Lighthouse Trail

Juniper on the trail

Is this a purple sage beside the trail?

Our first view of the lighthouse from the trail

Hoodoo on the Lighthouse Trail

The Lighthouse

Hoodoo on the Lighthouse Trail

Henry searching for rattlesnakes on the trail

Although there was no wildlife along the trail (except for the rattlesnakes we didn’t see) there was plenty of wildlife in the park. On the first afternoon I spotted a threatened Texas Horned Lizard in our campsite.

This Texas Horned Lizard ran through our campsite

This Mule Deer beside the road wasn’t afraid of me.

Wild Turkeys wandered through the campground one evening.

We took a short hike to explore the Hole In the Wall.

Hole in the Wall

Henry climbed up to explore while Blondie and I waited below

And explored the replica of a Cowboy Dugout.

There was a rainbow one afternoon.

We saw T-Bone, one of the resident Texas Longhorns in the park.

We enjoyed our stay so much I think this is now my favorite state park!

There are several campgrounds in Palo Duro Canyon State Park with backpacking, equestrian sites, tent sites, and RV sites with water and electricity.Our site in the Sagebrush Campground had large private sitting area with a covered shelter over the picnic table and a fire ring. There are hiking, biking and equestrian trails. There are also several day use picnic areas, cabins, stables with guided horseback rides, an interpretive center, and the Trading Post Restaurant and Park store. If you would like to read my detailed campground review of this park, click here.

Mustang Island State Park, Texas

March 25, 2015March 26, 2015Posted in Birds, National Parks, Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, WildlifeTagged beach, green heron, Mustang Island State Park, Padre Island National Seashore, Port Aransas, Roseate Spoonbill, Texas birding10 Comments

It rained all night our last night in Goose Island. Our 40 miles trek south to our next Gulf Coast destination included a ride on the Port Aransas ferry. After departing the ferry in Port Aransas we drove south about 12 miles to Mustang Island State Park. Despite rain, fog and overcast skies we enjoyed our stay there.

Port Aransas Ferry, Texas

Beach at Mustang Island State Park

Blondie going after a sand crab

Fishing Jetty at Mustang Island State Park

Parked on the beach at Mustang Island State P

Sand Dunes at Mustang Island State Park

The first morning the fog was thick as pea soup when I took Blondie for a walk on the beach. After doing laundry there was still no sign of a clear sky so we decided to drive to Port Aransas. We had heard there were some good birding opportunities there and Henry needed to pick up some supplies from a hardware store so he could repair our steps (there’s always something to fix on an RV).

First stop was Charlie’s pasture, a nature preserve. I spied a lone white pelican and a couple of roseate spoonbills across the marsh. The next stop was Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center where we hit the jackpot. Spoonbills perched in trees, many varieties of ducks, cormorants, American Coot, tri-colored heron, a green heron and many I couldn’t identify. We even saw some turtles.

Tri-Colored Heron

Roseate Spoonbill

Northern Shoveler

American Coot

Spoonbills and ducks

Red eared slider

Red eared sliders

Green Heron

The next day was still overcast and foggy but we made the drive to Padre Island National Seashore anyway. The park is 60 miles long and extends all the way to the southern tip of Padre Island. The paved road ends shortly past the Visitor’s Center. From there on vehicles must drive on hard packed sand on the beach. Camping is allowed on the beach and we saw some interesting campers as we drove along for a few miles. A picnic table at the windsurfing beach (waterfront campsites with no hookups are available here) was a perfect place for lunch.

Big sand dunes at Padre Island National Seashore

We saw this rig from Alaska camped on the beach at Padre Island NS

Wildflowers at Padre Island National Seashore

Signpost at the windsurfing shop at Padre Island National Seashore

We camped in site 17 at Mustang Island. The campground, located just behind the dunes, is a large, rectangular paved parking lot with back in sites on two sides. There is a grassy area between most sites. Each site has water and electric, a shelter with picnic table, and a grill. There was standing water in some of the sites after a big storm the night before. The water drained overnight and everything was fine the next day. The beach access is a short walk or drive from the campground. There is a large area on the beach with picnic shelters where no driving is allowed. Driving and parking is allowed on the beach on both sides of the beach picnic area.

Magnificent Endangered Whooping Cranes

March 21, 2015August 13, 2015Posted in Birds, Texas, WildlifeTagged Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, bird watching, birding, endangered species, Goose Island State Park, Sandhill Crane, Texas birding, Whooping Crane26 Comments

Our main reason to visit Goose Island State Park was to see the endangered Whooping Cranes. They are the tallest birds in North America and stand nearly 5 feet tall with a wingspan of about 7.5 feet. Beginning in September or October each year, the cranes migrate south about 2,500 miles from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge about 35 miles north of the state park. After wintering in Texas, they begin their migration back north to Canada about mid March each year.

In the 1940’s, the Whooping Crane population had dwindled to about 20 individuals. Today, according to the International Crane Foundation, there are about 599 (captive and wild). A survey conducted in 2013-2014 estimated about 300 of the wild population winter on and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

A few of these spectacular birds sometimes make their way to a farmer’s field near the state park. There they feed and hang out with the cattle. There were sometimes as many as 11 Whooping Cranes at one time scattered around the field. Many thanks to Ingrid over at Live Laugh RV for the heads up on where to see them.

We went by the field every day to see what the Whoopers were up to. With their large size and brilliant white feathers with a rust colored spot on their head they are easy to spot.

Whooping Cranes running and splashing — Whoopers going for a run

Sometimes there would be Sandhill Cranes hanging around in the field, too. They are smaller than the Whoopers and have darker feathers.

Whooping Cranes and Sandhill cranes share the field

One afternoon the Whoopers kept us entertained flapping their wings and jumping around.

Sandhill crane flapping with a whooper watching — Whooper watches a Sandhill Crane showing off

When they took off it was sad to see them go but spectacular to watch.

Whooping Cranes in Lamar, Texas — Whooping Cranes in Texas

The Whoopers were the star of the show but all around them there were a lot of other things going on in the field.

Great Blue Heron near Goose Island State Park

Roseate Spoonbills in farmers field

Snowy Egret with black-bellied whistling ducks

Occasionally the cows would walk by the fence to check us out

I’m happy to know that due to the work of many people, the population of these birds continues to grow. I feel privileged to be able to see them in the wild.