Blue Goose ~ Day 264

February 15, 2015 ~ Sherman, TX to Paris, TX

The goal for today was Hagerman NWR, west of Sherman, on one of the southern arms of Lake Texoma. As I knew it would, the fine weather of yesterday was changing to cloudy and colder with wind and intermittent spitting rain which eventually became steady.

Hagerman has a bright and lovely VC overlooking the fields and water of the refuge. Two women were working and greeting visitors. A vase of red tulips on the counter was a "present to myself for Valentine's Day" one of them told me. I then asked what town in the US is most associated with tulips and she knew immediately. When I told her what I was doing (after they asked if I were visiting someone in Texas), she said that this is what her Dad liked to do....take his kids to NWRs. She had been at a few and mentioned Blackwater NWR where the highlight on that visit was "meeting the Stokes" who had done a presentation there. So she at least knew something of the birding world as this husband and wife team have written many field guides.

One of the ladies mentioned a few of the recent sightings at Hagerman, including a Bald Eagle.

Wilson's Snipe - Hagerman NWR - TX

A young woman working the desk at a motel a few weeks ago had never seen a Bald Eagle, and when I checked my bird app for her area, surprise, there were no eagles nearby. I had mistakenly assumed she just didn't get out in habitat.... I see them frequently and have become blasé. She was thrilled to even see photos.

As soon as I began on the auto tour, I started seeing oil wells and later learned that Hagerman has about 125 active pumping oil wells on the refuge!

Hagerman NWR - TX

In fact, the USFWS service has five employees whose job is to keep oil and gas activities on public land safe and legal. I had to laugh....this is SO Texas. Like Alabama for Joanie VH, Texas attracts and intrigues me but sometimes repulses. It is brash and muscular but also celebrates its wildflowers and its birds. Texans are proud of their bluebonnets and oil...a complex state that doesn't apologize. For what is described as an "epic" novel set in Texas, and which was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, I recommend The Son by Philipp Meyer.

The highlights on Hagerman were Wilson's Snipe, and seven Ross's Geese and one Snow Goose together in a green field and near the road making their respective field marks so much easier than when these species are in distant crowded flock. And suddenly, a Roadrunner appeared from the grasses and actually starting running very fast up the road.

Ross and Snow Geese - Hagerman NWR - TX

Hagerman is fittingly an "overlay" of the Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma and is on one of the four major migratory bird flyways in the US.

(I actually don't know what an overlay is but keep reading that this is what the last few refuges are; the term is used in connection with projects of the Army Corps of Engineers.)

I have been paying more attention to hunting and fishing activities allowed on refuges lately. The Hagerman NWR leaflet states:

WWW.FWS.GOV

On national wildlife refuges, wildlife comes first. The establishment purpose of the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is to provide and manage habitat for migratory birds, wildlife, and plants native to this area, and to provide opportunity for outdoor recreation that is compatible. The refuge offers wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities, including wildlife observation and photography, fishing, hunting, and hiking, and educational programs.

I am curious if hunting is a contentious issue with wildlife managers and who makes the decisions about what can and cannot be "harvested" and if it's mostly about revenue from hunters.

As I drove to Paris, I listened to a lecture on relative versus objective truth that was surprisingly refreshing when compared to most of the preaching which is so prevalent on the radio in the South. And also actually listened (for about 15 minutes) to The Gospel Station where the Christian music was presented in musically diverse genres by talented musicians. Mostly, though, I listen to public radio, always happy when a signal lasts more than 30 minutes. Once in a great while, I happen on a blues or jazz station. And I do have CDs.

I got to Paris just before dark and had a couple of enchiladas for dinner. I stayed in a motel again, but am mostly paying for this by working four to five hours. Cold, wet, treeless parking lots have lost whatever appeal they had, or which I at least tolerated. And the low temps are setting records in the south.