Everything is Ducky at Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy, Texas
So many birds, and so much fun!
Everything is Ducky at Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy, Texas
So many birds, and so much fun!
Black vultures in Mary Jo Peckham Park
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A Day in the Park
Come along with us on a one-day journey into the Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy, Texas, where several different types of birds happened to be spotted and photographed on one fine, sunny, and warm day.
Katy, Texas, is located a few miles west of Houston and is an area growing by leaps and bounds as the population in and around Houston keeps expanding. It is a relatively flat area and used to have many rice farms. Old rice dryers still punctuate the landscape.
The small lake within the park is attracts different types of birds. I photographed five different kinds of birds with my hubby, and I enjoyed discovering this great park made for kids of all ages.
This park also provides a great place to hike, picnic, and do some fishing.
A Committee of Black Vultures in Mary Jo Peckham Park
A Committee of Black Vultures in Mary Jo Peckham Park
Black Vultures
All of these photos, taken while visiting Mary Jo Peckham Park on the day of my husband’s and my very first visit to the park, show many black vultures.
I have never personally seen so many vultures gathered in one place, but after researching, it is quite common, as they are very social birds. When searching for a place for a daytime nap or overnight, they are often found in large communal groupings.
The ones pictured here all seemed to be getting along well with one another, even mingling at times with the other ducks sharing the same spaces when the ducks were out of the water.
Black vultures come from the raptor category of birds and are commonly referred to as buzzards. They are large birds ranging from two to five pounds. They perform an essential function in cleaning up our highways, fields, and other places as they feed on dead animals. If you notice, their heads do not have feathers that facilitate their delving deep into the body of a deceased animal to feed upon its flesh.
They primarily seek out their food by sight, whereas turkey vultures do it primarily by smell. Nature is wonderful. Just think of what our planet would be like if it were not for these raptor cleaning machines!
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The names for groups of vultures are the following:
Kettle: When in flight
Wake: When feeding
Committee: When resting on the ground, or in trees
Muscovy Ducks in Mary Jo Peckham Park
Muscovy Ducks in Mary Jo Peckham Park
Muscovy Ducks
There were numerous Muscovy ducks at Mary Jo Peckham Park on the day of our visit as well. They were pretty easy to identify as ducks of a particular species because of their distinctive caruncles. Caruncles are pinkish to red-colored, lumpy-looking, fleshy outgrowths appearing from behind their eyes and extending towards their bill.
Most of them in this park had brownish to black-looking feathers on their undersides, topped off with the most beautiful iridescent green to shades of blue and even purple feathering on their top and sides with patches of white showing on their wings. Muscovy ducks do come in a wide variety of other colors.
This type of duck eats everything from seeds and other plants to small fish, amphibians, insects, and the like. Muscovy ducks have been domesticated and used as a food source, but there are also wild Muscovy ducks.
The habitat in Mary Jo Peckham Park is perfect for these and the other ducks because of the environment. It consists of a small lake, trees, and other grounds conducive to shelter, as well as a good source of food.
According to Wikipedia, these ducks like to roost in trees at night, and there were plentiful trees in this park. They can also sleep while floating on the water…so these birds have a choice as both exist within this Katy, Texas park.
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Mallard Ducks
The photo below shows several male Mallard ducks with their distinctive crowning glory of those beautiful green feathered heads.
In the same photo, a female Mallard duck is on the far right side. She has the typical brown stripe that runs from behind her eye and through her eye towards her bill. Her coloration is a mottled brown and white as compared to her more flamboyantly multi-hued male friends.
Mallards are wild ducks, and most are migratory. They are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of plant and animal sources of food. They typically do not dive underwater for their food but graze on the surface of the water, thus fitting the classification of a dabbling duck.
Two green-headed male Mallard ducks and company
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Super Star Mallards
My parents once visited the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, and saw the Mallard ducks that parade through the hotel lobby on a regular schedule. They are quite a tourist attraction, as you can see in the video below.
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American Pekin Duck
The pretty solid white ducks with yellow beaks or bills are domesticated ducks, most often raised for food. They are also called Long Island ducks.
Pekin ducks are very social animals and intermingle with other ducks.
Pekin & Mallard Ducks in Mary Jo Peckham Park
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Some facts regarding these three types of ducks:
Pekin duck: Omnivorous but often fed with pellets if farm-raised — Originally from China and bred from mallards, but domesticated and commercially raised in the U.S. — Lays up to 200 eggs annually — Weighs 8 to 11 pounds
Muscovy duck: Omnivorous — Found in the Americas, Canada, New Zealand, Australia & parts of Europe — Lays 8 to 16 eggs — Weighs 6 to 18 pounds
Mallard duck: Omnivorous — Widespread habitats — Lays 8 to 13 eggs — Weighs 1.6 to 3.5 pounds
American Purple Gallinule in Mary Jo Peckham Park
American Purple Gallinule
I had personally never spotted an American purple gallinule bird previous to our visit to the Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy. It was exciting to capture a couple of photos and then find out what type of bird it was.
These birds have very long yellow legs and feet and are lightweight enough to be able to walk on lily pads as they search for food. They typically weigh between 5 and 10.8 ounces.
They eat a wide variety of things as they are omnivorous birds. People in the lower reaches of Florida are familiar with spotting these American purple gallinules. They are regular residents in that part of the state. In addition to being spotted in the southeastern U.S., they also exist in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.
They like marshy tropical areas in which to breed and typically lay five to ten eggs.
The distinctive coloration of an adult bird such as the one I got to photograph is quite beautiful and unique.
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Mary Jo Peckham Park
Mary Jo Peckham Park Sign
Mary Jo Peckham Park
Mary Jo Peckham Park Fishing Pier and Lake
Mary Jo Peckham Park
Mary Jo Peckham Park
Mary Jo Peckham Park
Mary Jo Peckham Park
Location
The location of Mary Jo Peckham Park: 5597 Gardenia Ln., Katy, Texas 77493.
This 32-acre park has an aquatic and fitness center. It also has a children’s playground, a putting green, disc golf, a miniature golf course, exercise stations, basketball courts, a gazebo, a reservable pavilion, and a fishing lake. It was the numerous birds that drew most of our attention!
Mary Jo Peckham Park
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Sources
© Peggy Woods (Originally published on HubPages)
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