Whistling Ducks, Heat And Tar Balls
Greetings from the island everyone! I hope that all of you are doing well and hanging in there with this brutal heat. Being on my 24th year total on this barrier island, this is the driest and hottest summer I’ve experienced. The dim light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to brighten just a tad though, meaning that Fall, cooler weather, and hopefully plenty of rain, is slowly making its way towards us. With each passing Island Life article, it gets closer. Umm, YAY!!
The Whistling ducks, aka Tree ducks, have made their summer trek to the barrier island. They arrived several weeks ago, and make the island a stop-over every summer, nesting in the open fields. There’s no doubting where their name comes from, as they make a distinct whistling sound when flying overhead. On occasion I’ll see them sitting on a fence post, but for the most part they stay hidden in the tall salt grass fields. I’ve never actually seen their baby ducklings, but I’m certainly hoping to one day. Another part-time island animal that I enjoy watching.
With school starting pretty much everywhere, I’ve definitely noticed a decrease of weekend islanders visiting the island. Of course, the brutal heat has probably also played a part in people not wanting to venture out here. In addition, the cabins that rely on rain water for their only source of fresh water usage when they are here, are most certainly either completely out or very near so with the extreme lack of rain this summer. So the absence of fresh water, a must-have element of survival, could also be why people are not coming out.
I’ve always had a dual fresh water setup, catching rain water for my inside the cabin needs, and a water well for everything needing fresh water outside. And at least 6-8 times this summer, I’ve needed to slowly pump well water into my rain tanks, due to the lack of rainfall coming off the roof and filling the two tanks, totaling 1,100 gallons, that supply my inside fresh water.
A few weeks ago, I noticed an unusually large amount of tar balls washing up on the barrier island beach, anywhere from quarter size to car tire size. I don’t mean just a few here and there, but you literally could not take several steps without that gooey mess getting on your feet. I had not seen this amount of tar in many years out here. I contacted Texas Parks & Wildlife, to make them aware, and apparently the tar balls were coming in all along the Texas Coast, for unknown reasons. I was advised that the GLO ( General Land Office ), would be contacted and made aware of the tar. But the good news is, as of being on the beach on Aug 9, there was NO additional tar washing in, and the majority of the older stuff had since been covered by incoming sand. I’m certain that an offshore pipeline must have sustained a break and leak.
Well, that’s it from the island for now. Everyone please take care, stay cool, and always be thankful for the wonderful people in your life that make you smile, and make your days a happy place.
