Commissioners Court was interesting Monday as the court approved a resolution seeking a designation from the Texas Legislature for Matagorda County to become the official birding capital of Texas.
I don't know that throughout my years where a desire for recognition seemed more appropriate.
Matagorda County's long dominance over the Christmas Bird Count – as in the No. 1 spot in the country for the most bird species for 27 years – certainly backs our claim for such a recognition.
Then there's the 26,000 acres of natural preserves, wildlife management area and refuges.
I was aware of those areas, but I was impressed when you put them all together into something distinguishing as a bird habitat.
Anyway, County Judge Bobby Seiferman and other folks will put this resolution before those Texas legislators this year.
And, hopefully, the rest will be history.
Like a lot of men I know, interest in birds sometimes has been an acquired taste.
I developed mine as the public relations director for Mo-Ranch Presbyterian Assembly near Hunt in western Kerr County.
I forgot the number of low-water crossings I had to cover each day to and from Mo-Ranch, but that was always a plus at that job.
It also pretty much meant you ate lunch there because it would take a whole hour just going into Kerrville and back.
I guess I'm trying to convey a sense of remoteness that I liked and I had most of a lunch hour to explore every day.
This is a rugged part of the Hill Country, loaded with vistas from the limestone cliffs.
It was here that I really began to watch birds – their habits, flight patterns, colors and songs.
Oddly enough, the vultures were a particular interest out there because of how the carrion would glide with the thermals.
They were beautiful to watch, despite their less-than-desirable looks.
Raptors in those years – early 1990s - were making a comeback after years in decline from pesticides making their eggs thin and fragile.
Eagles and the different hawks were fascinating.
I was broadening my interest with smaller birds – the trees next to the building seemed to come alive with the constant work of the woodpecker.
A striking bird, if not a tad on the destructive side.
And there was the attractive cedar waxwing.
I was giving a tour, where I mentioned the bird, adding they were hard to find.
There was this guy – there always is – who pointed to the waxwing three or four feet away on a nearby shrub.
There's always more to know about birds.
