Floating Bridge at Lake Weatherford, TX, US Intro
I am excited to start posting my finds at the Floating Bridge - I absolutely love this little one mile gem of a walk in Weatherford, TX.
I first discovered this boardwalk about a year ago in July and thought how tragic it was that all the water had left the area. There were fish remains and dry cracked mud. The floating bridge was just a bridge. I left with the takeaway that this once was a beautiful walk and now it was forever lost.
I was very wrong and a little dramatic about it all. I returned in February and there was water. A LOT of water. The bridge was actually floating this time. It blew my mind that this area had changed so drastically. I found myself returning more frequently.
I purchased binoculars, a notebook and a birding guide. My first handwritten obersavations on May 5, 2023:
"Mystery long tailed bird on power lines, two prongs on tail with white line, looks like a blinker when flying"
"Blue, water bird, orange legs, purple mowhawk, long neck"
"Blue bird, small, ATE WORM, black streak on wings, tail looked like 'w' "
"Turtle with red cheeks"
"Thin snake in water with yellow, I think stripes"
Definitely not the most useful observations. When I returned home and checked my books I was compeltely lost--except for the scissor tailed flycatcher, I felt pretty confident with my guess there.
I noted when the pelicans were no longer appearing and when the flowers went into bloom. I noted when the water dried up again and the area became suffocating with dead fish stink. I noted vultures cleaning up the fish remains and noted egrets picking at the small fish that survived in the remaining pools. The fish corpses attracted insects, and the insects attracted small birds which attracted some raptors.
The water is completely gone again now at the boardwalk, and most people I meet on the trail express sadness at the loss of water and the fish skeletons that remain. I was told "wait until the water comes back so that you can actually see something".
I want to show more Floating Bridge visitors that there is incedible life to see here all year long!
Now, I only have one year under my belt, so I don't know if the changing water level is an annual occurrence and if the wildlife has adapted to it, or if this is a greater cause for concern. However, I'll be there to take observations and learn along the way.
It is so wonderful that the iNaturalist organization exists and I am beyond excited to improve my observations and connect more with this community. If you know more about the history of Lake Weatherford and the habitat associated with it, please comment your insight below! This is truly a special place!!
