Cathy, a master naturalist, and volunteer at Hagerman National Wildlife tour greeted me, and let me know she and the others would wait while I went to the Visitor Center to grab a pair of binoculars. Inside, another cheerful volunteer gave me a quick, but thorough lesson in focusing the binoculars then sent me on my way. Back outside by the tour tram, Cathy made sure I had a jacket and a bottle of water for the hour and a half ride around the refuge we were about to embark on.
I’ve never known anyone who was into birding, and I have never had more interest than to appreciate seeing one in my yard or while hiking. I know a few of the names of the different species, but for the most part, I call them birds; or ducks. Today I was introduced to a whole new world.
Soon after the tram started rolling one of the guests, who was an avid birdwatcher, mentioned she would like to see an American Bittern. I was a little embarrassed to ask what one looked like. I was eager help out by keeping a watchful eye. Both the guest and our tour guide started describing the Bittern with contagious enthusiasm, even showing us a picture. Now armed with a description, I was on the lookout for this elusive bird.
As I search the distance for a long necked, plump bodied bird with a brown and white pattern, I halfheartedly listen to the history of a town named Hagerman that once stood where we were parked. The soggy, brush filled land on both sides of the road, we were told, should be marshland with adequate rainfall, and the absence of drought conditions. The marsh is normally filled with egrets, herons, and other marsh loving birds.
I noticed a small group of white birds I soon learned were Great Egrets. “You can tell the difference between a Great Egret and a Cattle Egret, Cathy said, by their height and the color of their legs.” The Great Egret is taller and has black colored legs and feet. The Cattle Egret is shorter with yellow legs and feet. The Snowy Egret, which we saw a little later in the tour, has a black bill and legs with yellow feet.
We were off again. This time learning about a rookery off in the horizon; a rookery is a colony of birds. This particular tree was home to over 40 families of birds. I was unable to see them with my borrowed binoculars so made a mental note to hike there in the near future.
Cathy informed us Texas started out as prairies filled with tall Blue Stem grasses where the then plentiful Bison grazed. An influx of settlers following the Civil War put the grasslands to plow or ran cattle whose flat feet discouraged the tall grass from growing. Bison, it turns out, had pointed feet that did no harm to the indigenous plants.
Vultures circled above one of the water impoundments, a small reservoir containing a pipeline allowing water to be pumped in, or out, as needed. 6 such impoundments exist in the refuge; this one was recently drained for repairs leaving a few unfortunate carp behind. There are no Buzzards I learned, only two types of vultures, the Black Vulture and the Turkey Vulture, distinguished by the red tint. Who knew?
A Sandpiper stopped to get a drink, not minding our presence at all. Coots were plentiful in every body of water we passed. Coots have lobed feet unlike their web footed friends. As the tram came to a stop I saw something brown that didn’t sway with the brown grass surrounding it. Just then, the nice lady occupying the seat in front of me shouted, “There it is! There is the bird you are looking for.” Sure enough, the brown object in the brush matched the picture we were shown at the beginning of the tour. There it was - the American Bittern. I couldn’t believe our good fortune. In a blink he was gone.
We stopped at a nearby pier to stretch our legs and take a few pictures. On the pier I saw a Sparrow flying in the direction of the rookery. Perhaps that was his home. A swallowtail butterfly danced through the air lighting on a stem of grass. Cathy was sharing more of her vast knowledge about how the refuge came to be and the mission of the refuge, which is to provide a safe home for migratory birds. We are in the middle of a fly zone, sort of a super highway for birds flying south for the winter. Each year thousands of Snow Geese stop off to refuel on the winter wheat planted on the refuge.
Just as we turned down a new road a Red Shoulder Hawk flew over. On the opposite side of the road we focused our binoculars in unison at a group of ducks bathing and swimming around. Cathy pointed out a few Coots floating by Pintails, named for their pointy tail feathers. On the other side of the impoundment were a Shoveler, and a beautiful Cinnamon Teal, and a Blue Wing Teal. After a short round of photos we were off again.
This time we came upon a pond with several trails through the tall grass surrounding the bank. Cathy pointed out a mound of sticks and branches on the other side of the road telling us this was a Beaver lodge and the trails were made by the beavers transporting the branches from the trees on the far side of the pond, through the culvert, and finally fashioning the sticks and branches into their new home.
Looking forward to the next body of water I saw a bird with the most beautiful shade of purple feathers. I learned this is the Blue Heron, once fancied for its feathers to use in ladies hats. Our tram did not extend to Big Mineral Creek, but I hear this is a great place to kayak. Mental note of the put in under the bridge; return soon with kayak.
After our tour through what once was the town of Hagerman, now home to countless species of wildlife, I was in the Visitor Center returning my binoculars, and stopped by to sign the guest book when someone shouted “There’s a Roadrunner on the patio!” Sure enough, there was a Roadrunner less than 10 feet away from me. I have seen one or two before, usually dangerously close to the front of my moving car, but never this close. I appreciated the personal goodbye from one of the residents. Until next time then, Roadrunner.
