After we all got up this morning, John Wolcott went to the bakery and brought back fresh donuts and kalaches. Kalaches are spicy sausages wrapped in a sleeping bag of pastry...yummy! After that delicious and nutritious breakfast (we did have fruit!) we headed for the Visitor's Center. The photographer for the local quarterly tourist paper was there and we should be featured in the Winter edition! The off to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
The Refuge lies along the central flyway, a major migration route. Millions of waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds pass through it each spring and fall. Whooping cranes are the Refuge's most famous migrants, arriving in late October and departing in April. We were hoping to see some, but alas...
this sign was the only view we got of them.
But we did see a lot of other great things!
Gorgeous turks head that are native here.
Loads of moths and butterflies
along the path.
Swallowtails too.
Only saw one alligator in one of the ponds along the trail.
A big blue heron
View from the top...
They were back on the way down..he was lovely...
Trying to warm up...it had been spitting rain
and was windy and chilly!
and was windy and chilly!
Headed back to Port Aransas and some lunch. Had some down time reading and napping and then Jean and John headed back to the beach for a short walk.
Saw our handsome oystercatcher again...
and a sandpiper....
and lots of ruddy turnstones.
