Josey Ranch – August 2023
/The low temperature of the day was in the 80s…first thing in the morning. Josey Ranch Park (Carrollton, TX) just after sunrise was the most comfortable it would be for the day. The water level in the largest pond was low – the cattails no longer standing in water, lots of dirt ‘beach’, cracks in the soil along the banks, soil pulling away from the sidewalks.
The ducks were maturing. The only male ducks I saw were ones that were just growing their adult plumage.
The two swans were on the opposite shore where the water was a little deeper.
A group of killdeers were feeding on recently exposed mud. The pond was going to shrink more with temperatures still soaring above 100 degrees almost every day and no rain.
A flock of pigeons welcomed the morning from the roof of the Senior Center.
A Great Egret was looking for breakfast but I didn’t see it find anything.
I headed over to the pocket prairie. It must get watered occasionally but there were still big cracks in the paths.
A few plants were blooming.
Around the smaller pond, there was a tree that looked like it had fall foliage although it might have been more sinister – a tree so heat stressed that the leaves (or maybe the tree) was dying. A great blue heron was under the tree - looking toward the water for breakfast.
The was a hot morning and I opted to head back to the air conditioning rather than do more walking!
