Category Archives: Outdoor Adventures

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Birding

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Snow Geese at Hagerman

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Central Flyway, hosts up to 30,000 migratory birds each year. Just west of Sherman, the refuge provides wetland habitat for thousands of Canada, snow, and Ross geese along with ducks, heron, and songbirds. Late fall through winter offers prime viewing for birds wintering in our area.

North Texas Birding Bonanza

Over 300 species of birds reside or migrate through the refuge. Cormorant troll the waterways their long necks like submarine periscopes. Ducks such as northern shoveler paddle in ponds, and shorebirds from stilts to sandpipers are found along the Lake Texoma shoreline. My favorite is the great blue heron whose flight reminds me of a prehistoric pterodactyl. In wooded areas you’ll find wrens, titmice, and woodpeckers. Lucky birders may be rewarded with rare glimpses of migratory ibis, stork, and spoonbill. Most notably, bald eagle have returned to the refuge.

Unique Bird Blinds

One of my favorite things about Hagerman is the opportunity to bird by car. The refuge has a four-mile, self-guided auto tour. Ideal for birders with limited mobility, the driving route gets you close to thousands of birds without ever leaving the car. The best part, your parked vehicle serves as an effective birding blind!

An audio auto tour is available for cell phone users. No phone, no problem. The tour is also available on CD from the visitors’ center. The auto tour includes six stops with information about Hagerman’s history and wildlife.

Hagerman Tram Tours

The Wildlife Explorer, a ten-person, open-air tram, is in operation for small group tours of the refuge every Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm. The tours are free but, due to space restrictions, require advance registration. Friends of Hagerman volunteers lead the tours. Other tram tours can be arranged in advance by contacting Friends of Hagerman.

Explore on foot

In addition to the driving route, the refuge sports miles of hiking trails. You’ll find additional bird species along with many local animals like armadillo, rabbit, fox, and squirrel; and the occasional coyote, bobcat, and feral pig. Trails cover a variety of habitat from prairie to marsh to woodland. The Meadow Pond trail is along an unpaved service road that is an easy hike for families with small children. For those wishing a hike on dirt trail, I recommend Haller’s Haven trail. It’s on the north end of the refuge and offers a longer loop footpath through woodland.

Enjoy your lunch at one of the many picnic areas scattered throughout the refuge.

Counting Birds

Every Tuesday, volunteers conduct a day-long bird count. Anyone, novice or expert, can ride with the bird counters on a space available basis. A recent Tuesday count tallied 76 different species. This weekly bird count is reported to Cornell Lab on Ornithology for research use. What makes Hagerman so unique is the fact that the bird census has been going on for over 50 years!

Other bird counts include first Saturday sunrise events affectionately dubbed The Little Sit.  A master naturalist leads the count that starts 30-minutes before sunrise. This is a great opportunity for birders of all skill levels to get tips from the experts. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. Participants to Little Sits should bring their own binoculars and camp chairs.

Finally the Christmas Bird Count will happen at the refuge on December 16 this year. All skill levels are welcome. In addition to counting birds on the refuge, you can participate in the annual event right at home by contacting the Audubon Society.

Hagerman Second Saturday

On the second Saturday of most months, a master naturalist or other wildlife expert presents a free program open to the public. Most recently, I attended a talk on waterfowl, ducks and geese, at Hagerman. Being a true novice, I found the lecture helpful with its tips on bird identification. Birds aren’t the only topics covered. An upcoming talk will discuss frogs and past talks have included information about the area’s history.

Kids at Hagerman

Friends of Hagerman are active in producing programs for children under the moniker of The Refuge Rocks. There is a Junior Wildlife Nature Journal available at the visitors’ center. The pamphlet has a number of activities to keep youngsters engaged like a scavenger hunt and backyard birding notes. Programs designed for children are available most months and tie thematically to the season like the November program Talkin’ Turkey. What a great way to introduce children to a life-long appreciation of nature. 

When You Go

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (6465 Refuge Road, Sherman) is a day use facility open from sunrise to sunset. Visit the Friends of Hagerman website for information on free tours and talks at the refuge.

Old Tunnel State Park

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The nighttime exodus of millions of bats ranks as one of Texas finest natural wonders. In season, Old Tunnel State Park, located in the heart of Texas Hill Country, provides prime bat viewing. If you plan a summer visit to Fredericksburg, Texas, be sure to reserve an evening for the bats.

Mexican Free-tailed Bats

Unlike their northern cousins, Mexican free-tailed bats do not hibernate in winter. Instead, these flying mammals spend time between Mexico in colder months and south Texas in warmer months. The bats arrive in Texas Hill Country around March and return to their winter homes in Mexico around October. Up to three million Mexican free-tailed and 3,000 cave myotis bats have repurposed the abandoned railway tunnel at Old Tunnel into their summer home.

The little Mexican free-tailed bat is less than five inches long and weighs about 14 grams (that’s just half an ounce), and are a tasty bite for hawks and owls. The bats emerge en masse to increase their odds of escaping predators flying outside the tunnel opening. The counter-clockwise emergence vortex serves the additional function of helping the bats to gain lift as bat bones are denser than those of birds.

Aerial River

At dusk, onlookers see a streaming black river flowing above the tree canopy as the little critters make their way south towards the Guadalupe River. The bats will swoop down to the river for a quick, in-flight drink of water and then fly to feeding grounds in farm fields as far as 100 miles away. The bats are insectivores, eating whatever nighttime insects they find. Their primary food are moths, and a Mexican free-tailed bat can consume as many as 40 in a night. Once full, the tiny creatures return to the tunnel to rest until the next evening feeding flight. Viewing a bat emergence is a must on any nature lover’s bucket list. My husband and I were transfixed in awe as the river of bats continued for almost fifteen minutes, and intrigued by the scent left in the bats’ wake. Yes, you can smell the bats! It’s a little like an umami scent.

Bat viewing tips

Old Tunnel has two viewing areas. Aligned with the tunnel entrance, the lower level is space limited and no children under four are allowed. The upper viewing area is also a wonderful option. Both areas require an advance reservation that can be made online at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Bats emerge most but not all nights. The mammals are fair-weather feeders and often stay put in the cave during rainy evenings. That makes sense as fewer insects are available during inclement nights. Docents were on site the night we visited. These volunteers are a wealth of information and source of great bat trivia.

Old Tunnel State Park

At a mere 16-acres, Old Tunnel is the smallest Texas State Park. The 920-foot tunnel, now home to our bats, was built at the beginning of the twentieth century to link Fredericksburg to Comfort by rail. The railroad venture didn’t pan out and the line was abandoned in the forties. In an effort to protect the bat colony, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department purchased the land in 1991 with the express purpose of protecting the bat colony. The area became a state park in 2012. The park has a mile-long trail that follows the old railroad bed. No camping is allowed at the park.

Alamo Springs Café

Why not have dinner before seeing the bats? Alamo Springs Café, adjacent to the park, claims to offer the best burger in Texas. It’s a funky café that looks like a house with a few too many additions on it. We ate there on a Saturday night and were treated to tunes from a local band. The café and patios are packed at dinner time, so be patient. The service is friendly and efficient. The burgers are great, but my favorite were the onion rings….awesome!

When You Go

Old Tunnel State Park is at 10619 Old San Antonio Road, Fredericksburg. Bat viewing for both the upper and lower areas requires an advance reservation. Bats don’t use alarm clocks, so you need to check the Old Tunnel hotline at (866) 978-2287 or check the park’s Facebook page to get the latest emergence time. Alamo Springs Café is at 107 Alamo Road. The café is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. There are also a few outdoor tables at Old Tunnel if you want to bring your own picnic.

Be careful driving home. The area is chocked full of deer, we almost hit a buck making our way back to Fredericksburg.

Tip

Frankie the Free-tailed Bat is a cute book for kids. It’s loaded with information about the bats. You can download a free copy courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Chaparral Trail & Farmersville

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If you want a longer walk to stretch your legs, I suggest the Chaparral Trail. The section between Farmersville and Merit provides mountain bikers and hikers five-miles of improved trail surface through rural farmland and township.

Chaparral Trail

Sponsors boast about the trail’s multipurpose use for hikers, bikers, and yes, horses, though I’ve yet to encounter an equestrian on the path. The historic Onion Shed in Farmersville serves as the western-most trailhead. A city park and large adjacent lot offer parking, picnic, and restroom facilities, along with easy trail access. The town of Farmersville maintains the first five miles of Chaparral Trail. The level pathway is paved for 2.5 miles and then becomes crushed gravel for the final miles. The paved surface makes it an easy trail for families with small children and strollers.

The path crosses streets through town, skirts schools and parks, and traverses past East Texas farms. I enjoy that change of scenery and its easy ambiance. Walking the Chaparral Trail seems like a stroll through time to catch a glimpse of rural Texas before super highways and urban creep. I appreciate the length of trail, too. If you want a ten-mile hike, then trek the entire distance to Merit and then retrace your steps back to Farmersville. If you’d prefer a shorter walk, you can do that, too.

Northeast Texas Trail System

The Farmersville to Merit path is part of the ambitious Northeast Texas Trail system. The 130-mile project follows the unused routes of the Union Pacific and Chaparral railroads. When complete, it will connect Farmersville in the west, to Paris, and finally to New Boston in the east.

Rail Banking

In the 1980s, a law allowed railroads to ‘bank’ unused rail lines through lease, sale, or donation. This left old rail right-away intact for use as trail systems. Three private agencies banked the 130 miles now known as Northeast Texas Trail. One of the three, Chaparral Rails to Trails, banked the section from Farmersville to Paris. In total, the three banking entities control unused rail line connecting 19 rural towns.

It gets complicated, but many of the small towns along the route obtained quit claim deeds from the banking entities for sections near their municipalities. For example, the City of Farmersville quit claimed the land between it and the Collin County line. That’s the part of the system I’m most familiar with. On my hikes, it’s apparent the trail draws both out-of-town visitors and local residents.

Northeast Texas Trails Coalition

Through grants and donations, bit-by-bit, the 130-mile trail system has been maintained and improved. Still there are sections that are barely passable … it’s an ambitious project to keep up a 130-mile trail. Perhaps the most difficult challenge is repair of the old railroad trestle bridges. The Northeast Texas Trails Coalition (NTTC) maintains a website and Facebook page to help people navigate through all trail sections. Maps delineate trail conditions and cautions in town-to-town segments. You can also query NTTC on their Facebook page to get updated information from Rail Stewards. The group is working with the Texas Legislature for funding and are exploring options to designate the trail system as a state park.

Farmersville

I have a confession to make. Often my hike on the Chaparral Trail is an excuse. I love the little town of Farmersville. With brick and limestone storefronts spanning eighty years of architectural styles, the town exudes charm. Use a little imagination and you can picture classic Studebakers and old Ford trucks parked on the diagonal outside Dyer Drugstore instead of today’s Hondas and Toyotas. Like many small Texas towns, there are vacant storefronts, however, in Farmersville you sense the possibility of rebirth. The Odd Fellows Lodge built in 1899 has been restored and is now home to Fiber Circle Yarns. A realtor, a physician’s office, and an engineering firm have taken up residence in other restored downtown properties. Throughout the historic area, you will find eclectic antique stores.

Farmersville delivers on a collection of small antique malls, you know the type, big buildings partitioned into smaller stalls filled with a multitude of collectables and junktiques. Country Roads Trading Post (110 McKinney Street) has 50 smaller vendors with an assortment of goods from handmade lavender soap to 1940s kitchenware. I found some particularly well-priced treasures there. Main Street Antiques & More (103 S Main Street) is a smorgasbord of china, crystal, depression-era glass, and more.

When You Go

Farmersville is located off US Route 380 between McKinney and Greenville. The Chaparral trail head is near the old Onion Shed. Farmersville Visitors Center is located at 201 S Main Street, though hours vary. A self-paced walking tour of historic Farmersville buildings can be downloaded before you go.  

Hike The Heard

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The Heard Wood Duck Trail
The Heard Natural History Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary Wood Duck Trail

The Heard Natural History Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney offers more than just a gorgeous natural setting for local hikes. During winter months, youngsters will delight in the exhibit of life-sized dinosaurs and naturalists of all ages will enjoy the year round museum exhibits. And did I mention the hiking trails through diverse habitats from forest to prairie to wetland?

Dinosaurs Live

A thunderous roar shatters the forest stillness. Beware. Beasts not seen for millions of years stalk the Heard Natural History Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary. Young paleontologists will find Brachiosaurus, Diabloceratops, Dilophosaurus, and the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex roaming the trails at the sanctuary. View ten different dinosaurs along a loop trail through forest and meadow. These life-sized dinosaur replicas roar and move delighting young dinosaur enthusiasts.

North Texas Ramblings - Dinosaurs Live Heard Natural Science Museum
Dinosaurs Live at The Heard

Billings Production in Allen makes the animatronic creatures. The Heard dinosaurs are part of over 200 Billings’ dinosaurs found at zoos and museums throughout North American. The robotic dinosaurs are uniquely adapted to operate outdoors. A hinged steel structure within the fabricated body allows dinosaur heads and limbs to move. A computer program further enhances dinosaur movements making these monstrous creatures look and act almost real — Jurassic Park Texas style. The Heard’s fifteenth annual Dinosaurs Live continues through February 15.

Hike The Heard

While the dinosaurs draw the crowds, there is more to The Heard. Five hiking trails offer differing habitats to explore.

Bluestem and Wood Duck

We live in an ecoregion known as Blackland Prairie running from the Red River to San Antonio. Farming, ranching, and urbanization has decimated the original prairie land of tall grasses to just one percent of its original acreage. The Heard has restored several meadow-sized areas to prairie by careful cultivation of indigenousness grasses and plants. Bluestem trail gets its name from one of these clumping prairie grasses. The trail is one mile out and back, and easy walking.

Bluestem joins with Wood Duck to offer a completely different wetland habitat. The Wood Duck boardwalk takes you on a loop over shallow water and in among flooded trees. During summer months you’ll find turtles and snakes galore sunning themselves on fallen trees. We even found a few confused turtles out soaking up rays from a warmer than normal January sun. Across from the boardwalk, egrets often use the wetland for their rookeries. Combining Bluestem and Wood Duck trails, gives you a pleasant two-mile hike.

Hoot Owl

Located at the lower level of the museum, you’ll find the trailhead for Hoot Owl. The loop takes you through forest to the highest elevation at the sanctuary. At the overlook, you get a glimpse of Texas from before the dinosaurs when our region was covered by an ancient inland sea. The soil all around the overlook is white and part of the geological formation called Austin Chalk formed by long-dead sea creatures.

Hikers descend from the overlook into older forest of elm and oak. At the bottom of Hoot Owl, is the oldest tree on the sanctuary, a great Burr oak that has been core dated at over 230 years old. The Hoot Owl trail is a mile loop, but a more moderate hike due to changes in elevation.

Animals of the World

After your hike, check out the Animals of the World outdoor exhibit. The Heard houses a small number of native and exotic animals. Many exhibit animals imprinted with humans and cannot be released into the wild. Seized from an illegal animal breeder, some animals found new homes at the wildlife sanctuary. There are deer, bobcat, fox, and capybara, the world’s largest rodents. An albino raccoon found a home here too. My favorite are the bobcat brothers. These two were rescued by a farmer from a fire. The farmer brought the small kits to a rehabilitation center. The bobcat brothers recovered from their burns, but spent too much time with humans to be released back into the wild. The ‘boys’ are beautiful cats. During colder winter months, some of the exhibit animals, like the lemurs, are housed inside the museum.

When You Go

The Heard Natural History Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 until 5 p.m. Pets are not allowed in the sanctuary and there is an admission fee. The trails around Dinosaurs Live are accessible with a stroller, however all trails within the sanctuary are on natural, unpaved surfaces — challenging for wheel chairs and strollers. Picnic areas are available. Restrooms are inside the main building. The Heard Natural History Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary is at 1 Nature Place in McKinney.

Pandemic Impact

The Heard outdoor and indoor exhibits are open, however, masks are required throughout the sanctuary. Trails are narrow and there is enough crossing traffic, that masks are needed even when hiking. Because the dinosaurs draw so many families, you may want to consider a visit during the weekdays when trails are less crowded.

Post Oak Creek Fossil Hunting

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Fossil Hunting at Post Oak Creek in Sherman, Texas

Post Oak Creek in Sherman teams with fossils waiting to be discovered. Most trek to the rural creek in search of shark teeth. For me, I’m content to gather any type of fossil. Summer, despite the heat, is a prime time to visit. The creek water level is low, exposing sandbars and allowing hunters the opportunity to walk miles up and down the stream bed.

Abundance of shells

In geological time, the formation exposed at Post Oak Creek is from the late Cretaceous period, some 90 to 66 million years ago. At that time, an inland sea covered the area. Seawater rose and receded with events like the formation of the Rocky Mountains.

Sedimentary rock embedded with fossil shells

Walking in Post Oak Creek, I literally reached into the water and retrieved millions-year-old shells. No digging or much hunting required. Fossil shells, mostly oyster, layer the sedimentary rock lining sections of the stream’s bank, exposed over years of erosion. If you want to find a fossil, Post Oak Creek is the spot.

Shark tooth prospectors

Oyster shells abound throughout the creek area, but most visitors search for more elusive finds like shark teeth and the even rarer mastodon bone or tooth fragment. Shark’s teeth range in size from a quarter to dime, and their shape reminds me of a fat capital letter-T. Sharks have been swimming in oceans for 400 million years, and some of the teeth found at Post Oak are from now extinct Cretalamna and Petaldus species.

To successfully hunt teeth, you need simple tools and patience. It’s a little like panning for gold. Scoop up some stream gravel, place it in a sieve, and then sluice the sieve around in the water to rinse out clay and dirt. From there, you can examine the remaining rocks for fossil treasures. A garden trowel or small hand shovel works well for the digging. The day I visited, people used all sorts of things for sieves including box screens and vegetable colanders. In fact, one clever family used plastic hamburger baskets – the red ones with the side slats — as sieves.

Other Post Oak finds

In addition to fossils, the careful scavenger may find other artifacts like arrowheads, more recent bone from mammals, and old pottery and glass. Through the years, the town of Sherman was home to many different factories. One lucky hunter found an old 1890 bottle from the now defunct Sherman Bottling Works.

South Travis Street Bridge

Post Oak Creek meanders through south Sherman, but getting to the creek itself can be a challenge. The easiest access is at the Travis Street Bridge. Here you can park on the road shoulder and use a short trail down to the stream. The address, 2400 South Travis Street, Sherman, works well for directions in most mapping programs. The creek flows under US 75, and some fossil hunters recommend the access road near the interstate as another egress. My recommendation is to stick to South Travis Street. It’s true, this area is well-picked over from scores of visitors, however, just hike up or down stream to get to less congested hunting grounds.

When you go

Be weather aware. In the height of summer, creek levels are low, however, strong rains fill the creek rapidly and can create a dangerous flash flood situation. This is not a park. No restrooms. It’s good ol’ Texas-styled boondocks. Come prepared with hat, bug spray, sunscreen, and lots of water on hot days.

I wore wading boots, in part, to protect myself from water snakes. I confess, I was the only one in the crowd in my galoshes. Still be watchful and alert for snakes. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. A hand trowel and sieve is all you need to hunt shark teeth, though I also recommend bringing lots of baggies for storing your finds. I found a gallon bucket worked well for lugging around my equipment and for storing larger finds. If you don’t mind carrying it, a small camp stool can be useful for sitting in the creek while you search the gravel for treasures.

After you come home

The website Your Fossil Adventure has a page dedicated to Post Oak Creek. Here you’ll find pictures identifying the fossils typical to the location. Also, if you aren’t sure what you have, the Facebook page Texas Fossil Hunting is wonderful. Post a picture of your find and ask for help identifying it.