East Texas Naturalist Blog

I recently bought a macro ring flash for my cameras.  Naturally I have been playing with it.

I just wanted to share this picture that I took with it.  

From the time I was around eight years old until I was twenty-nine, I was immersed in nature.  As a young boy, I spent almost all my time outside and was often in the woods exploring and catching everything I could get my hands on.  Somewhere around the 6th grade, it became a little more organized as my interest in snakes grew and I turned to books to learn more about them.  As I have said elsewhere, my interests grew to include all animals.  It was not a surprise that I became a biologist.  But at twenty-nine, I left my job as a biologist so I could provide better for my family.  (Being a biologist was great fun until payday).  Sadly, I immersed myself so deeply in my new occupation that I completely left all my interests in the outdoors behind.  I occasionally took a short venture in the woods or desert and I did do a little nature photography when the chance presented itself.  There are a lot of sad parts about this but the worst is that I quit adding to my nature education.  The years have shaved off some of the knowledge that I had and I find myself having to refresh myself with facts and information on broad areas of biology.  Luckily, I have retained a great deal as well. I still feel I have a good base.  I just think about how much more awareness and enjoyment I would have now if I had continued my education in the outdoors and kept adding to it through the years.  

Well, all I can do now is pick it back up and immerse myself in it once again.  The training with the Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) program has helped with that.  It has also been enlightening in many ways.  

This past weekend was the final weekend of the basic training for the new class of the Cypress Basin Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists.  Instead of our usual location at the Wildlife Management Area at Caddo Lake, we were on a private lake at the Wilkes Power Plant in Marion county.  It is a beautiful location and was such a great place for our excursions.

It is hard to beat a weekend like this.  I woke up at 4am which is not my favorite time of day.  Actually, for much of my life that hour is closer to my bedtime than a time I would wake up. 

A little before dawn I got up, walked and took pictures (as usual), then came back to the RV.  I have spent most of the morning in and out; watching the Sunday morning news shows; watching the birds, squirrels and my new resident, the chicken, at my feeders; and sitting for a while in the warm sun.

Pleasant morning watching all the different species of birds coming and going: chickadees, English sparrows, titmice, the pair of cardinals who have a nest about fifteen feet away, a few cowbirds, and, of course, the mockingbirds are out in their usual numbers.  

After making the comment back in October that I haven't seen many reptiles, I have made an effort to spend a little more time this Spring watching to see if my initial feeling was correct.  Well, I have definitely seen more reptiles but still not in the numbers of my childhood.  Not by a long shot.

A walk in the woods (across the street from my RV) has produced Anolis specimen but in small numbers.  I can usually spot 5 or 6 in a half and hour walk.  I used to be able to see dozens in that time period.  I have seen a fair number in town (Gilmer) around houses.  

My walks have also produced a few Five Lined Skinks, Plestiodon fasciatus, but I am still surprised that I am not seeing any Sceloporus in what I know is excellent habitat.

I spent another fascinating day yesterday, training as part of the Texas Master Naturalist program.  But first, here is how my day started.

This was the view from my front door when I got up Saturday morning to get ready to go for my training at Caddo Lake.  (I live at Lake O' the Pines).

Friday evening included a short course in Entomology.  The presenter was Allen Smith, an entomologist with the Texas Forestry Service. He brought along his traveling insect collection that was quite interesting.  Even more interesting were his personal anecdotes about being a life long insect collector.  These revelations produced smiles, some laughter and in more than one case, comments that included the phrase ". . . your poor wife".  Overall, it was an interesting and entertaining event.