Way Up There...

The heat index that is, which has hovered around the 106 mark this entire week and why would the weekend be any different? There should be a mark on the thermometer that says "YOU don't want to know" and that is about where we've been!  My eyes are swimming in puddles that collect in my glasses, makes binocular using hard at best.  Sis and I made a trip over to Cheraw State Park, got a stamp on my book and this was her first visit..

 stamp goes in the square on the bottom edge...I'M so much enjoying this stamp collecting.  

There is kayak rentals here but $10 a hr didn't sit well with a couple of bargain hunters so we will do that at a cheaper rate some place else! 

The boardwalk is nice we did some birding, and enjoyed the lake views on our hike.   Mostly by ear birding as the birds are hiding back in the cool shade rather than the verge where the sun is making it hotter.  

We didn't have any new birds to add on this trip, we did scrape up 14 birds to list for our walk...including some Mississippi Kites. 

Somebody didn't clear up their lunch trash!!  

Last Sunday I wanted to hit my 5 mile radius hotspot Goodale State Park. Its only a couple miles from home.  I got a stamp for my new passport book...this is fun! I love collecting "free things" and this fits right in with my stamp collection of the National Parks Passport books, and the penny turning too...no penny turners yet but I must keep my eye out some of the gift shops may  have one. 

Again the heat was on...my photos turned out pretty awful everything was way far out there...

the sun beats down...and puts a white glare on everything, i have to make friends with summer, hello summer I love you but can you leave earlier than expected this year? :o)

I soaked my bandanna in cold water at the picnic shelter then put that under my cap on top of my head this helps me stay cool.

...way back across the pond, I had one Mallard, one Gr Blue Heron, 3 Anhinga, one Great Egret...

...back even farther away was the prize for going out on this scorching hot day the Little Blue Heron..New for the 5 Mile Radius! I think I had my count off and I'm not sure where I went wrong on relating my count this makes bird #113 according to ebird.  A blurry for the record shot...I even thought it could be reddish but it was too small for reddish egret. 

Had a Black n White Warbler looking down on me from the leafy canopy..

A juvenile Eastern Bluebird was out learning the ropes on how to catch insects for a living..

The views are closing up as the vegetation reaches out to close the gap...

And lastly a mother Blue Grosbeak was giving me the evil eye..

Time to head home and hit the showers!

there goes my Little Blue!

And Friday we made another trip because our weather is so awesome this week what a difference a week makes.  We drove about 1/2 an hr up to the Carolina Sandhills Natl, Wildlife Refuge.   For a quick picnic and wildlife drive-by birding.  Mom joined us.  By the headquarters building they have Butterfly Milkweed in the flower beds, I want some of this...

This place has lots of ponds and all are beautiful...

painted lady butterfly & friend

The button bush was attracting all kinds of butterflies and other pollinators. 

Eastern tiger swallowtail 

Not to mention the Passionflower.

We had lots of Eastern Kingbirds....

And found at least one immature Pine Warbler, 

And then it was time for the weekend to start!!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Woods Bay

Friday we headed over to Woods Bay State Park.  I got another stamp in my State Parks book.  The book was a gift from my sis...along with one of those fabulous free entrance passes!  I've visited  20 of the 46

State Parks in our state. I want to make a new challenge to myself...I hiked to most of the waterfalls in my state, and now I want to visit every state park...maybe a great fall trip...Never more than 3 hrs from home!   

Today we visited one we had never been to...Woods Bay State Park.  The heat and humidity made it a little uncomfortable for sure...but we were in the deep shade most of the time.  

We took Mom's wheel chair so she had a good ride around.   There is a nature center it was not open! Sadly, our state parks are a fragment of what they once were...most are unmanned...except for one hour per day.   They do try to keep the grounds mowed and pruned back....

The boardwalk is not long but it is nature close up.   Mom was happy to be able to access the boardwalk although the approach trail was full of roots.  We need a wheel chair with big fat Mountain bike wheels...

We didn't see any alligators on this day we did see this beautiful Broad Banded Water Snake...we almost didn't see him as he was still as a mouse.  

My camera did a horrible job for me on this day it just does not want to focus anymore...we spotted lizards on the boardwalk, and  heard frogs, and saw many dragonflies too...along with this  Praying Mantis he was so well camouflaged it was hard to see him! 

Some birds were around and Finally I got a good look at the Acadian Flycatcher that for some reason I could never say I had a good look at but now I can!  Not a really good photo of him but I got a short video of it..

eastern painted turtle

 I made it to 450 with this bird...nothing worked out last year for me to make my 500...but I'm not giving up.

(I edited the videos after uploading to Vimeo, think I can use it for my less than 1 min videos and it's a little bigger than Blogger's Video)

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Coast II

Black Skimmers in with the terns...

This is where I left off with my last post on a day trip to the coast...this shallow pool up by the shore bird breeding area.  

Once I got down to the lower part beyond that grass was a small group of Willets, with Short Billed Dowitcher and one Greater Yellow Legs.  Two of these willets had one leg! They were hopping around

Up on the sign this willet seems to have a healed broken leg...

 the Western Sandpiper I saw was rare, but honestly it just has not been reported...like Jen pointed out no green bars in the bar graph basically for the last 2 weeks of June and the first 2 weeks of July, but I think that is only because its hot and no one has turned in a checklist so anyway here it is! 

 the Western Sandpiper..

I didn't see anybody list the American Oystercatcher so I guess I got lucky and saw these two..

I hoped to see the Whimbrel, but it was no where in sight...some areas were closed.  I had been up there 3 hrs and 45 minutes and I took one break but it was getting hot now and I was tired and ready to get back to the parking lot where I had my lunch waiting so I headed back...toward the jetty.  

I passed by the sand spit area now under water as the tide is coming in and earlier I had seen one female Black Scoter and now there was more...

The black male and females...there was about 19 all total most were on the beach...

And this ONE Surf Scoter was with them...

I had seen both on the Oregon coast but not these good looks from the high cliffs so this was good to see!  Also rare birds! My list ended up with 3 rare birds!   So  I head for the jetty and there's some Snowy Egret hunting along the rocks...

Some toes missing there...

The Great Blue Heron in the marsh grass blends in so well...

Brown Pelican 

The walk back along the dunes has signs like this one and is roped off to protect shore bird and loggerhead turtle nesting areas...

Dogs are not allowed in this area...the high tide was occurring on my walk back so I made a brisk walk and was pretty done when I finally arrived...I had my lunch under one of the picnic shelters...

there's a crab hiding in there...here is one just peeping out of his hole..

This bush is decorated by seashells!  The tide is doing the decorating...

It was so neat!!  

Lunch!

Then I went to the boardwalk, but with the high tide in, I saw more waders but I had hoped for rails and  sandpipers and other shore birds...I did see many Great Egrets, Double Crested Cormorants, and Anhinga's

One Tri-colored Heron, 

On the way off the boardwalk spotted some Wood Stork in the trees...

then it was time to head back home...the weather was quite different when I left at 5 pm, and much hotter inland...

On the way home I saw a cloud with a silver lining!!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.