The Atomic Cowgirl

By: Jennifer L. Bristol 

I hit my Covid- 19 live and work-at-home breaking point at the beginning of September. The swimming pools were closed, the days were miserably hot, and all the normal rituals and routines of the end of the summer seemed swept away by the pandemic. I needed a healthy distraction to refocus my mind and find my balance again. While out for a walk with my dogs at Walnut Creek Metro Park near my home in north Austin, I stumbled upon the solution and challenged myself to walk every trail, about 20 miles, of the 293-acre park in eight days. Challenge accepted!

The next day I woke up at the crack of dawn to beat the heat, laced up my walking shoes, slipped the knee brace on my forty-nine year old knee I affectionately call “tricky” and head out to the park with my Belgium Malinois and spirited Corgi. I packed water for the dogs since the creek levels were low and stagnant- not ideal for the dogs to play in or drink. 

I didn’t get very far that first day- a short loop along the Pool Lot Trail to the Service Road. Chuck, the Corgi, is athletic and fully capable of turning in the miles; however, walking with him is like walking with a celebrity. Everyone wants to pet him. Admittedly, he is really cute.  

Day two – I left Chuck at home and wandered into a part of the park I had never ventured to before. With my Belgium Malinois leading the way I plodded along the trails between Tar Branch and Walnut Creeks. I stopped to take a picture of the old rock wall and a grove of large live oak trees before ambling along the loops of the Point Six Trail area. 

That evening I posted some photos from my exploration on social media. That’s when my journey took a dramatic turn. One of my friends, Jenny Cearley Sanders, who lives in east Texas, texted to inform me that her family had operated a farm along Walnut Creek until they sold it to the City of Austin in the 1970s for the purpose of a park. My curiosity was sparked. She told me to contact her grandfather, Allen Cearley, which I promptly did.

My conversation with Mr. Cearley turned out to be a treasure trove of information. The 87-year-old preacher shared he had been born in the family farmhouse that once stood near the present-day park maintenance sheds. His grandfather, James E. Cearley, purchased 400-acers from Wayman Wells in 1854 and he and his wife raised their twelve children on the farm.

I opted not to walk on the days when the heat index hovered around 110 degrees. I used the time to dig into the research and plan my routes based on the information Mr. Cearley shared. 

One of the stories he recounted came from his Aunt Ruth. During the 1870s the remaining Native Americans were being rounded up in Texas and removed to reservations. James Cearley heard voices down near Walnut Creek and rode out to investigate. A handful of U.S. Army soldiers were trying to pull their starving captives out of the pecan trees. James suggested the soldiers set up camp to feed the band of mostly women and children. The soldiers wanted to press on. James would have none-of-it and demanded they camp while he and his wife fed the Native Americans and the troops. The encampment was located near the present-day power station. 

Day three- I ventured down the Pool Lot Trail to the main Walnut Creek crossing, along Shady Springs Trail, up the Hill of Despair, through the Tangle of Trails Loops, to the Power Line Trail. I stopped to look over the fence at the power station to pay respects to the Tonkawa who once camped there. Central Texas was home to the Tonkawa until Comanches and Europeans drove them out.   

Day four– I explored deep into the dogs-on-leash area along the Outer Loop Trail to the endless mountain bike trails of the Log Loops, across the Detention Dam, to the Waterfall Crossing and home along a trail I thought was Shady Springs but turned out to be Endo Valley. It is easy to get lost with so many social trails splintering off into the woods. As I walked, I thought about Mr. Cearley and his brothers hunting and fishing along the creeks and limestone hills. In our conversation he mentioned there were very few trees on the tops of the hills where the cattle grazed. He also included that most of the Ashe juniper dominated forest of today came after the grazing animals were removed. 

Day five– According to the City of Austin archeological study conducted in the 1980s and Mr. Cearley there was an old Spanish road that crossed the matrix of creeks near the Tar Branch. Spanish missionaries, Anglo pioneers, and later Texan travelers would stop along the creek to grease their wagon wheels with the tar like substance (asphaltum) that seeped forth from the banks of the creek. During the 1920s a wildcatter named J. D. Mays drilled for oil along the Tar Branch just west of the park – oil was never discovered. I also never discovered the tar seep even though I explored all along the Tar Branch and Shady Springs Trails. I’m not sure I wanted to let my dog near a tar seep anyway. 

Day six– I was limited on time, so I picked the Windy Loops, which cut close to North Lamar. I had asked Mr. Cearley to describe his memory of Lamar (the old Dallas- Austin Highway). He recalled it was a narrow, two-lane road with little motor courts, a few dance halls and bars, and the Walnut Creek Baptist Church. The church, located just south of the park, is the oldest continuously operating one in Travis County. Founded by the Cearley’s and other local families in 1856, it is reported that the outlaw Sam Bass stashed some of his stolen loot in the church walls. The thick walls of the original structure were made of large pine timbers from Bastrop and local limestone rock. 

Day seven- Having wandered along most of the trails south of the pool parking lot, I journeyed north to check out the BMX trails. Because of the number of cyclists on this section of trail, I left my dogs at home. The endless loops flow next to the Thein Hau Temple which now occupies the grounds of the old Coxville Zoo. Mr. Cearley worked at the zoo when he was in high school and remembers it fondly- he shared that he liked the monkeys the best. The zoo sprawled out over several acres with a menagerie of animals and was part of the Cox Filling Station, established in 1939. Additionally, there was a motor court and swimming hole that cost a $1.00 to swim in. Under pressure from the Human Society and the City of Austin, the zoo closed in the 1970s. 

Day eight– I needed one more day to check off the Sever Consequences Loops. With that last section completed, I added up my daily totals and had explored 22.3 miles in eight days. In order to get to all the trails, I had to cross several tracks more than once as I started all my adventures from the parking area near the swimming pool and sports fields.

Most importantly I learned about the history and heritage of the land and the people who have lived here way before I showed up. Covid-19 has been hard on all of us. Being able to explore the nature that is just down the street from my home has been a bright spot during these anxious times. I’m grateful the City of Austin purchased the land from the Cearley family in the 1970s and slowly turned it into one of the crown jewels of the park system. What I also learned on my journey is – we need more parks to accommodate our growing population. 

Hummingbirds just make me smile. They are so tiny, yet so tough. I would even put them in the “bossy bird” category. I would also place them in the dazzling category. 

Texas can boast having 17 species that either live or pass through the state with the Trans-Pecos region supporting the most amount of species. The two most common species that occur in Texas are the Ruby-throated (central and east Texas) and Black-chinned Hummingbirds (central and west Texas). Both arrive in the state in March and April, and then head south between mid-August to the end of September. As they migrate south it is vital that they have enough food to fuel them along the thousands of miles they journey. You can provide food and water for these avian friends by planting native plants that flower in the fall or place a hummingbird feeder out starting in early August. Here are some tips on maintain a healthy feeding station for the hummers. 

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1. Create the mix with ¼ cup of REFINED white sugar and 1 cup of boiling water. The sugar must be refined. Mix the two together, stir until clear, pour into feeder, wipe the feeder down, and hang outside. 
2. Make sure your feeder stays clean. If the hummingbird mix starts looking cloudy or has been out in the heat for a few days, replace the liquid. 
3. Wiping the feeder clean of sugar-water from the outside will help reduce the number of bees that come to the feeder. 
4. Make sure the feeder is hung out of reach of cats.  
5. If you hang a feeder out, be sure to be consistent with it from year to year as a hummingbird will remember where it found a good food source from season to season. 
6. Please DO NOT use feeder mix that has red dye in it.

I have my hummingbird feeder hung outside my office window so I can enjoy seeing them while I work. The feeder in my front yard is near other flowering native plants so the tiny birds have a variety of feeding options. 

The Lady Bird Wildflower Center has a special Hummingbird Collection on their website which lists lots of great plant ideas to attract and feed our feathered friends. I also highly recommend picking up a copy of Hummingbirds of Texas to learn about the birds and what plants attract them. The information and photos in the book are excellent. 

One of the best places to see the hummingbirds is in the Davis Mountains in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Several species breed in the area during the summer, while others filter back through on their migration south for the winter. Each year (canceled in 2020 for Covid) a group of dedicated volunteers puts on the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival to celebrate the tiny, dazzling birds. I have to admit the mix of the starkness of the desert mountains, the flowering cactus and other plants and the jewel tones of the Hummers is a magical sight to witness. The festival is canceled for 2020, but hopefully will resume in 2021. 

The other place to see the hummers, is along the Texas coast as the Ruby-throats congregate before making their leap of faith across the Gulf of Mexico to their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Other hummingbirds travel overland into Mexico and points south. Some species such as the Buff-bellied Hummingbird can be found year-round in the Rio Grande Valley. 

If you can’t leave your house but need a Hummer fix, have a look at the Cornell Lab or Ornithology’s- Feeder Watch– on their website. 

No matter what part of Texas you live in, there are likely hummingbirds passing through your area during August and September so consider hanging out a feeder and planting native plants to enjoy these jewels of the sky. 

With everyone sheltering in place and schools closed during the Corvid-19 epidemic I thought I might create a quick catalog of resources for birding with kids. The spring migration is a great time to introduce kids to the wonder of birds as they move from South and Central America to North America. During the spring migration they are dressed in their most colorful breeding plumage and easier to see than in the fall. If you can’t get out to a park or nature center to bird, consider setting a bird feeder at your home or apartment and keep a journal of what birds arrive throughout the year. I also highly recommend introducing young kids to birding through story books, coloring pages and games. Below is a list of some of my favorite books as well as places to find bird feeders and seed that are safe and healthy for the birds.

Books:

Am I Like You? by Authors: Brian Scott Sockin & Laura Erickson Illustrated by: Anna Rettberg is one of my favorite birding books for kids.

Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas  (Author), The Dalai Lama (Afterword), Wangari Maathai (Contributor)

Common Backyard Birds by Doris Dumrauf is a good starter book for identifying common birds.

Baby Owls by Martin Waddell is beautifully illustrated story about little owls missing their mommy and so happy when she returns.

About Birds: A Guide for Children by  Cathryn Sill, Illustrator – John Sill also has great illustrations and is easy reading for kids 5-8 years old.

Ruby’s Birds by Mya Thompson and Illustrator: Claudia Dávila is a picture book and totally fun for young kids.

The Little Hummingbird By  Michael Yahgulanaas is a wonderful book about hope and overcoming the odds. I’ve used this book a lot with middle school kids.

When it comes to coloring books, Dover is the best place to find quality books for kids and adults.

Bird Feeders:

Finding the right bird feeder isn’t always easy. Thankfully there are feeders now for just about every home from those with large yards to an intimate balcony space at an apartment. One thing to keep in mind when feeding the birds is to only use bird seed or hummingbird nectar that comes from a trust source. Never feed birds bread, it is not a natural food option for them and can be harmful. Also please avoid using hummingbird nectar that has red dye in it. The dye is also harmful to the birds. If you do set out feeders, please make sure they are cleaned regularly and out of reach of cats. House cats are wonderful pets, however, they are also very efficient predators who will snatch a bird if they have the chance.

Wild Birds Unlimited has just about everything you could ever want to attract birds to your yard year round. I also like Wild Bird Centers and my local feed store, Calahans General Store. Most stores have curb side pick up or delivery service during the shelter-in-place order.

Create a Habitat:

Having a bird feeder is great, but supplying birds with native plants is even better. Audubon has made it easy to pick out native plants that are right for your zip code on their new Plant for Birds website. Just type in the zip code you live in and find plants that create food or cover for birds year round. I prefer to go to plant stores that are local and raise their plants locally instead of a big box store that might import their plants from far away places. Invasive plants that come from Asia or other places can be toxic to children and wildlife.

If you live in the Austin area, check out Barton Springs Nursery for the very best of native plants and trees. And it’s located right next to Wild Birds Unlimited. You can even turn your yard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation.

Lesson Plans and Educational Materials:

Audubon has tons of lesson plans, activities and other ideas to get kids interested in watching and caring for birds. They have a nice guide on how to make nectar for hummingbirds that I’ve used many times.

When it comes to learning about birds, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is at the very top. Check out their k-12 lessons and learning labs.