[texbirds] Re: Birding at Alcoa Lake in Milam County
- From: Brush Freeman <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: dellel1119@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2015 16:50:14 -0500
>
The lake was once a premier place for both fishing and bird watching.
There was even a nice park on the northside...Then came the pollutants and
heavy metals that forced the restriction on fishing, swimming, boating etc.
The park closed. Things were touch and go for a while but birders
etc.still went thru mostly unimpeded. Then in the 80-90's they wanted to
condemn miles and miles of nearby old heritage farms, bottom lands etc. to
get to shallow lignite...I was there, went to the meetings etc.., held in
Bastrop, Elgin, Giddings and more..... There was some mitigation but with
a whole, whole lot of protests, lawsuits, speakers, angry descendants of
from farms etc..They rerouted 696 around the site and closed numerous
county roads we used to bird. It was what it was gonna be in the long run
though. Given all the public outcry, they got very sensative about
everything. I/we were flat run out of the area of the lake after a while,
more than once, in no uncertain terms and in a very serious way. So I have
never been back...
Since it is a very warm water lake, or was, it sported all kinds of birds
hard to get this this area of Texas...Hundreds of White Pelicans spent time
there, best place for Anhingas, alligators were in the backwaters etc. Ed
Kutac once called it the finest birding lake in Central Texas...I do hope
that it is as some say and is more open now...I just have not tried again
and shifted over to Fayette Lake which while maybe not as good is OK and
has had some real inland prizes like Common. Black Hawk, Royal Terns,
Sabine's Gull etc. (with a 6.00 per person entrance fee though the
Rice-Osborne Nature Trail is free and very long)
I love to see this lake reopened to birders.
**********************************************************************
Brush Freeman
503-551-5150 Cell
120 N. Red Bud Trail. Elgin, Tx. 78621
http://texasnaturenotes.blogspot.com/
Finca Alacranes., Utley,Texas
On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 1:20 PM, Dell Little <dellel1119@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> D.D. and I have had mild success at Alcoa, First visit we were "talked
> to".(2006) I think I remember having to go to the office. We ended up with
> a number. and next time we called the office as Bill had mentioned "Alcoa
> Security 512-446-8335" Once the call was in, it seemed we moved around
> with peace and quiet from the authorities. But this was back in 2007. D.D.
> may remember different. (actually more than likely)
> Dell Little
> Arlington
> & Cross Roads, Texas
> "Excellent Birds"
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mar 18, 2015, at 12:51 PM, Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> > Greetings All:
> > It sounds like experiences vary considerably at this site.
> >
> > Mine have been generally unpleasant.
> >
> > I have tried to bird the lake twice (once in 2011, once in 2014). Both
> > times I was driving along CMH Road and Pleasant Hill Road slowly,
> > attempting to get views of the lake from clearly-marked-as-public-roads.
> > Both times I was flagged down by security personnel, both times I was
> told
> > that even driving along the roads and attempting to look at the lake were
> > prohibited activities, and both times I was told to move along.
> >
> > But, then, I am relatively young (flag one) and I have long hair (flag
> > two). I might not have as much trouble if I were a wee bit older, was a
> > bit more squared away in terms of personal appearance, and drove a
> classier
> > vehicle.
> >
> > Both times I was reduced to hanging out in a roadside pullout - well away
> > from the plant property - near dusk, waiting for waterbirds to fly in
> > towards the lake.
> >
> > Similar situations seem to prevail at all lakes in Texas (even those
> > indicated as public access on various websites) that house power or
> > industrial plants. It appears to be highly situational and appears to be
> > based on security personnel's' perception, on an event-by-event basis, of
> > the birder involved.
> >
> > Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
> >
> >
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