While I was hiking around Commons Ford Ranch today, something happened to me that was definitely a new experience. It’s something that I have often fantasized about and have thought about how nice it would be. Turns out it has happened before at this same location. I’m not alone.
An extremely tame Eastern Phoebe interacted with me in a very forward way. At first, it just came close and I thought, great I can get a pic with my phone. When it flew right up to me and almost landed on my shoulder, I knew this was different. For the next few minutes as I took pictures and videos, the bird nipped at my ears, grabbed at my beard, landed on my phone and head and shoulders, and poked me in the eye. It almost seemed like it was trying to eat me or gather nesting material from my body somehow. Ouch!
After that my hike was fairly uneventful but really enjoyable. The trail map I found online definitely did not show all of the trails. I started at the old barn and followed the wide mowed path towards and along the river. You actually can’t see the river until you get to the end, past a long line of huge pecan trees. Then you come to a large open space with an old boathouse, a line of Bald Cypress trees along the water, people having picnics, and playing with their dogs. This is as far as I usually go. Not this time!
The bulk of the trails meander through dense woods, up and down hills and gullies, and took me almost a mile to the opposite side of the property to a boundary fence. Only saw two people on the deeper trails away from the water, and they said I was the first person they had ever seen on that side. I was impressed by the diverse landscape of the park and wish that I had decided to explore it sooner while living in Austin. Bonus, there is an old log cabin. That seals the deal for me. I’ll be back for sure.
“Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park is a significant cultural landscape in one of the most natural park settings in Austin. Like all the land in Texas, the area around Commons Ford Ranch Park was originally occupied by Native Americans. ”
Looking north from a high trail towards the river. I was happy to find a view without houses.