River Adventures

Coming through the lock at the Neches River Saltwater Barrier is the Cardinal River Adventures Boat to pick up a group for a tour in the swamps and bayous in Southeast Texas.  Normally the Cardinal embarks at the Beaumont Riverfront Park, but construction has moved that.  The boat does group and public tours to expose locals and visitors to habitats and natural settings in the Golden Triangle.  The land inside the Saltwater Barrier at the end of Bigner Road is itself a nice place for a nature adventure. Several small ponds in the area are favorites for bank-fishers.

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A step down

Stepping down the steps at Riverfront Park in Beaumont, TX, into the Neches River.

Neches River, Beaumont, Texas

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Back to nature, back in time

Brakes Bayou is an secret nature preserve in the heart of Beaumont off of the Neches River. The bayou, which used to serve as an important commercial link for the city in historic times, is now a rarely accessed excursion back in time. This Cardinal and his lady were branch hopping about half way up the bayou. I suppose that for a bird, this is perfect setting. Most of the bayou is surrounded by swampy, fertile areas.
--steve buser

Neches River, Beaumont, Texas, bayou

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No where to go

We were near the very end of the TenMile Canal in the Big Thicket National Preserve when we ran upon this guy floating on a leaf. Not knowing much about spiders, it was hard for me to tell if he was just resting or trapped on a desert island. He had a couple of legs dangled on top of the water. On the other side, just out of this picture, the leaf was losing its battle as a flotation device. So much for the "in case of a water landing, use your leaf for a flotation device" rule.

--steve buser

Spiders, Big Thicket National Preserve, Vidor, Texas, Beaumont

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10-mile canal

Ten Mile Canal, up in the Big Thicket National Preserve by Vidor, is an old logging canal off of the Neches River. The canal is in the area where Ten Mile Creek used to run, though I think that has silted over.

The canal runs back through Tupelo Cypress swamps into some beautiful nature views. The day we went the canal was muddy because the water in the river was high and running pretty hard from recent rains.

Birds were all around us as we venture deep down the mostly straight sections of the canal. But seeing them was pretty difficult. You had to satisfy your self with trying to make out the various calls.

--steve buser

Vidor Texas, Big Thicket National Preserve

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Checking out the visitors

It seemed there were three. Maybe more. Most of them did their best to avoid us. This fellow, even though he kept his distance, did sit and watch us for a while.

The others may not have been Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, like this one (Nyctanassa violacea). They seemed to have larger wing spans -- perhaps Great Blue Herons -- hard to say because they kept their distance back among the trees.

One thing is for sure, this old logging canal off of the Neches River by Vidor, TX, has some great birding treasures.

--steve buser

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Vidor, Texas, Neches River

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A Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) floats through the air along the dark shore of the Neches River in Beaumont Texas. The egrets and herons seem to find the eastern side of the river a good eating place.

--steve buser

Web of activity

This is going to take some concentration, so focus please.

Follow the petal of this spider lilly that goes to your left --about half way out you will see just a trace of spider web. To the other side follow the petals that go up to the right -- where they split, if you look real closely you will see a small grasshopper.

Lot of activity on this spindly little flower ain't there. Seems with a close look, there is always more than meets the eye.

The flower was on one of the "canals" off of the Neches River, above the I-10 (part of the Big Thicket Nature Preserve. I was out this weekend with Dr. Richard Bothel with the Environmental Learning Center. Beautiful stuff out there.

--steve buser

Neches River, Spider Lilly
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Levee Walk --Port Arthur

Enjoy a relaxing walk along the levee on the Sabine Neches Waterway in Port Arthur. The board walk gives a scenic view of Pleasure Island and occasional passing ships and barges.
-- steve buser

Making a flap

We were down at Tug Boat Island in Port Neches today.  We walked down to the Neches River to look at the birds and boats with the grandchildren.  The seagulls were really putting on a show for us.

--steve buser

seagull, birds, nature, Neches River, Port Neches, Texas