Hello, friends. This blog is where the El Camino Real Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists shares news, articles, and reflections. You’ll find our posts right under this introduction. We encourage your comments and likes, and of course, shares!
Our chapter meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month in the fellowship hall at All Saints Episcopal Church, 200 North Travis Avenue, Cameron, Texas. Presentations begin at 6 pm, after a potluck meal. All are welcome to attend.
Our Mission: To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas.
That’s right, nature lovers, it may only be halfway to spring, but the first Purple Martins have already arrived! Merlin found the first scouts at the Hermits’ Rest ranch on February 5, which is right about the right time, perhaps a little early.
From Merlin Bird ID, photo by Reanna Thomas
I’m pretty happy that ours are back, because our martins don’t nest in houses made by humans—we have enough tree cavities in our mature wooded area that they can breed in lovely holes made by our busy woodpeckers. (Today I’ve heard Downy, Ladder-backed, Red-bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers.)
I sure enjoy their flashing colors and beautiful songs.
In honor of our chapters favorite Purple Martin lover, Donna Lewis, I’m re-printing her blog from last year on preparing her nests. enjoy!
It’s Purple Martin Time… Are You Ready?
by Donna Lewis
Yes, it is already that time when our Purple Martin friends will start their migration from Brazil back to North America. Yes, the early ones will still face freezing and other harsh weather events.
I wish I could ask them to wait a little longer, but instinct is urging them onward. The scouts (who are not the youngest birds) hope to find the best housing first…
As of today, 1/30/2025, sightings have been called in for San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and a few more Texas sites. Central Texas does not have a certified sighting as yet. I hope that myself or our Landlord in Buckholtz will win that honor. We’ll know soon. I am watching for them all day..
First of all, your houses (gourds, or apartments) should be cleaned, and with added pine-needles if you do that. I also added pine-needles to my Blue-bird houses. The openings should be blocked off so no sparrows, other birds, or insects can get in them. You need to check yourself. Do not open the housing until the first scouts land on the houses. If you are looking for the Martins you will see or hear them. Then open a few of the cavities, not all of them. I usually will pick four to open.
You do not want the non-native birds (House Sparrows or Starlings) to get in the houses. These birds will kill the Martins for the nests. Trust me, it is not a pretty thing to see. I think keeping predators and non-native birds out is the hardest thing landlords have to deal with.
Right now my gourd rack is lowered and ready to open. This coming week I will get the apartment house ready to raise up.
I have had back issues this past year, so I will have to have some help caring for my friends this year.. But I will help them out as long as I can. Their song is so addictive that most Landlords that love and care for these native birds will do it until the end of their life. A gift from Mother Earth. Their songs are like no other.
Here are some photos showing me stuffing the gourds with fresh pine-needles that will help keep the birds warm and give them a start on nest building that will come later.
We can expect to have Martins here with us for about six months, until they leave for their winter home in Brazil. again.
Birds can lift a sad spirit. No matter what the world is going through, every day they go about their business with joy and sing to us. How lovely.
Remember who you want to call to your home, and furnish what they need. They will come.
A few days after winter storm Fern hit central Texas I spotted this XLLL crayfish putting the pedal to the metal in a “stream” of ice melt that was flowing to one of my stock tanks. I posted her on iNaturalist (naturally). Don Johnson, a crawdad aficionado, noted that this was a female with young.
The first time I saw it, I knew immediately it wasn’t a Northern Cardinal.
At a glance, it had that familiar cardinal shape, but something was different—more gray overall, with muted red highlights and none of the bold black around the bill. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what to look for, only that my eyes were telling me this was something else.
Later, as I learned more about the Pyrrhuloxia, one detail stood out: the beak. Unlike a cardinal’s thick, conical bill, the Pyrrhuloxia has a distinctly curved, almost parrot-like yellow beak. Once I knew that, everything clicked.
Not long after, I saw the bird again near the pond at Twisted Creek Ranch. This time, I was ready. The curved beak was unmistakable. As if on cue, the Merlin Bird ID app also picked up its call, confirming what I already felt deep down—I hadn’t been mistaken.
The Pyrrhuloxia, sometimes called the “Desert Cardinal,” is far less common in Central Texas than its bright red cousin. Seeing one is a reminder of why slowing down and paying attention matters. Sometimes it’s not about bold colors, but subtle differences—the shape of a beak, a softer call, or that quiet inner nudge that says, this bird is special.
Moments like this are exactly why I love living and observing nature here. Every season brings the possibility of something unexpected, and every observation deepens my connection to this land.
Keep watching. Keep listening. Nature always has more to reveal.
Did You Know?
The Pyrrhuloxia’s curved beak is specially adapted for cracking hard seeds, especially those found in arid and semi-arid landscapes.
Though often called the “Desert Cardinal,” Pyrrhuloxias are actually a separate species and lack the cardinal’s bold black facial mask.
Females are even more subtle than males, appearing mostly gray with faint red accents, making them easy to overlook.
Pyrrhuloxias are most commonly found in thorny brush, mesquite, and scrub habitats, which makes sightings in Central Texas especially exciting.
Their song is softer and less musical than a Northern Cardinal’s—another reason apps like Merlin can be helpful for confirmation.
This past Saturday was chilly, plus there was a brisk wind. That didn’t stop a small but eager group of members of our chapter and friends, though. It was their big chance to learn all about beavers and their habits.
Do we look cold?
We gathered at the ridge that overlooks the beaver ponds, where I gave an introduction to beavers (having recently read an informative book, Beaverland, from which I learned a great deal about their history and effect on the environment). I also repeated things I learned from this here Wikipedia article on Castor canadensis that you, too, can read.
Me, pointing out beaver world
For example, beavers are the second largest rodents in North America, and they have come back from near extinction as a result of the fur trade at the turn of the last century. They have had a huge effect on the environment by damming waterways and creating wetlands that end up becoming fertile land when the beavers move on and the dams break up. They don’t eat trees, by the way, just bark. The trees they cut down with their big orange teeth are used in dams, which can contain their lodges where they sleep and raise young.
Work in progress.
After I talked for just a little while, we trekked off to see the three dams that create beautiful ponds along the spring-fed creek that runs through the property.
DamViews of the ponds
We could see how the creek trickles through each dam, which is another thing beaver dams do, they lessen erosion from fast-flowing water. and we saw many trees that had been chewed on. The pond water was so clear that you could see fish in it, where the duckweeed wasn’t floating.
Seen around the ponds
Even though we were a bit chilly, we had a good time seeing this sight not everyone gets to see. The sun was shining and we were with fellow lovers of nature. Not a bad way to spend a chilly Saturday morning.
Photos by Carolyn Henderson, Rosie Johnson, and Sue Ann Kendall
Sometimes the most extraordinary discoveries happen quietly—right under our feet.
While exploring Twisted Creek Ranch, I came across an unfamiliar mushroom growing beneath a mix of native trees. At first glance, it didn’t resemble the common fungi we see after rains. Its clustered form and unusual structure immediately stood out, prompting a deeper look and documentation.
After careful observation, photo documentation, and consultation, the mushroom was identified as the Pepper Pot mushroom—a species with only around 820 documented sightings worldwide. Even more exciting, this appears to be the first recorded sighting in Milam County, Texas.
Why This Find Matters
Pepper Pot mushrooms are not just rare; they are indicators of something larger. Fungi play a critical role in ecosystems—breaking down organic matter, recycling nutrients, and supporting soil health. The presence of such a rarely documented species suggests a healthy, functioning habitat with intact ecological relationships.
Twisted Creek Ranch is a National Wildlife Federation–certified wildlife habitat, and discoveries like this reinforce the importance of preserving native landscapes. Undisturbed leaf litter, mature trees, and minimal chemical inputs all create the conditions fungi need to thrive—but that are increasingly hard to find.
The Value of Paying Attention
This find is a reminder of how much there still is to discover, even in places we walk every day. Fungi often go unnoticed, emerging briefly and disappearing just as quickly. Without slowing down, looking closely, and being curious, moments like this are easy to miss.
As Master Naturalists, documenting these occurrences—especially rare ones—is invaluable. Each observation adds to our collective understanding of species distribution and habitat health.
I’ve included photos from the original discovery to help document this sighting and to encourage others to keep their eyes on the forest floor. You never know when your next walk might turn into a county first—or even a global rarity.
Discoveries like this are why I’ll always advocate for leaving the leaves, protecting native spaces, and staying curious.
Nature Along the El Camino Real 