Slideshow: Pilant Slough Trail at Brazos Bend State Park

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Over the Memorial Day weekend, I drove to Brazos Bend State Park and took a photowalk along the Pilant Slough Trail. The park’s map describes it as a 1-mile long trail that starts at the amphitheater at the Nature Center and skirts along Pilant Slough as it winds through the bottom-land forest. I wasn’t sure what to expect of this trail. It is largely a heavily wooded trail with few clear observation/photography points of the slough along the way.

While I heard a number of bird species, the dense brush and trees made finding them difficult. There were plenty of woodpeckers to be heard along with chickadees and warblers, but I only managed to get photos of some insects and some young black-bellied whistling ducks. The young are every bit as boisterous as the adults.

There are abundant plant varieties and the water hyacinths were in prolific bloom in several areas. This is a great scenic trail for hiking, but I didn’t have a lot of luck this time out photographing birds. The trail ends at the center of the south end of the Elm Lake trail and there are bathrooms here.

On this portion of Elm Lake, I did come across several alligators and familiar bird species as I made my way back towards the visitor center. My favorite find was of a tiny yellow prothonotary warbler coming in for an afternoon bath. I also saw my first Anhinga drying out its feathers after a swim.

I am planning on getting to each of the trails at Brazos Bend State Park over the rest of the year. I bought my annual pass that gets access to all the Texas State Parks and plan on putting it to good use.

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