It is hunting season here!

Here at Laguna Atascosa NWR the hunting season is by lottery for rifle hunt (weekends only) and 2 one week seasons for the bow hunters at the beginning and ending of the hunting season.  During the season many of the roads are closed to hikers to keep them out of danger.  The season includes wild pig, nilgai antelope (both invasive species) and of course deer.  There is no limit to pigs or nilgai but the nilgai are so big (male 650 and female 400 lbs.) that usually a hunter only takes one and has to quarter it to get it out. John and I helped biologists count populations before the hunt by going on a truck at night spotlighting to count anything seen.  Three trucks went out with John and I on one as spotlighters, one person driving and one person keeping the talley.  Both were experienced so they could tell us what we were seeing.  The nilgai are as large as cows that look like deer with small heads and run like a rocking horse. They look really strange running and they are very numerous here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  We saw deer both doe and buck, nilgai, peracke (a ground roosting bird that settles on roads sometimes), herons on the bay probably sleeping,  coyote, bobcat, and a few unknown eyes peering at us.  It was very interesting although a very bumpy ride!! Lots of fun!!!!!!

Yesterday morning 18 turkeys went walking down our little road in front of our MH.  Emma just looked on intently. 

 

Where has the month gone?

                           The booster is working and I can now have pictures & blog!!!! sometimes!

We have been in the Rio Grande Valley for over a month.  We know where towns are and know our positions here.  We work at the visitor center and are drivers on the tour & will be giving the tour talk soon.  We are still on a high learning curve but have managed to see this small place in the RGV / National Wildlife Refuge of Laguna Atascosa as home for a few months.  Emma now knows her way around.  We bike to work and have had opportunities to participate/watch the ongoing studies of the animals here.  The birds are varied and amazing, the wildlife different from what we are used to and some the same-like the coyote.  I have seen live armadillo, lots of different birds like the plain chachalaca, Mexican eagle/Crested Caracara and the Aplomado falcon which is endangered and has benefited from a captive breeding program here.  In the LRGV there are 25 nesting Alomado pairs now when in 1999 there were none.  I have yet to see the endangered elusive ocelot or the invasive nilgai, that weighs 400 to 600 pounds and looks like a huge deer, small head and runs like a horse. It is from India and purchased legally on a game ranch but it does not know boundaries and loves it here. Tonight we will be going on a biologist project counting animals at night and I might see one.  John has seen one from a distance and one person came into the visitor center thinking he saw a moose.  There are no moose in LRGV but after showing him a picture of the nilgai, he said that is what he saw! 


Home Sweet Home until just before 2014

The visitor center where we work

Perigrine Banding

They are clipping a tiny portion of the feather for further study

The bird who is very calm for she has a head cover and padded jacket on, is being set on stand for study and banding.

At the end of October we went on a outing to the Padre Island part of this NWR.  We watched a biologist check, band, and release 2 artic perigrines falcons, young females, on their way from the artic where they were born this summer.  They rest and hunt here before flying over ocean waters going south for the winter.

Liz, a volunteer, is releasing a newly banded bird.  This picture, taken by another volunteer, was perfect!

Open windows

Today at 10AM it is cool and windy and pleasant.  We have windows open and no AC.  Horray!  I have not liked it closed in with no air circulating.  We have birdsounds and wind noise.   I have been told we should see lots of different wildlife right here including a species not native to this continent  I will try to take a camera with me at all times.  Emma is enjoying her window air.  She looks out to the woods and brush and likes to watch things.  We will be going out today to civilization and shopping.  Tomorrow is a pot luck supper.  I have tried to post pictures but so far no success!