At Lee State Park, on May 15th....
I always enjoy going to this park, it's situated alongside the Lynches River but the river is down a fairly rough dirt tract and most of the time they have that tract closed...Up by the visitors center huge trees draw the attention of the migrants like this Northern Parula.
A very inquisitive bird...This park has several artesian wells and they flow constantly...I see people bring jugs and fill them with the right out of the Earth water. I have never tried it..but know it's cold
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Near the boardwalk I found a Wood Thrush, sometimes you hear them and never see them this time I saw one for a change...
The Hermit Thrush has the rusty color on his tail the Wood Thrush has it on the head, neck and upper back. The melodious song is such a treasure to listen to. On the ground was this Broadhead Skink and this is the female, they are sometimes confused with a 5 line skink.
Once I got on the forest drive, I started to hear different birds the ones who like it damp..this is the
Acadian Flycatcher...they make a loud WHIT, -WHIT WHEW sound...is how I describe it...
As mentioned the River Loop Trail (road) was open so I took it, it's about a 4 mile drive, it's open to horses, foot traffic, and when the gates are open vehicles. It's still wet and muddy from recent rains but manageable...once closer to the river I encountered many Prothonotary Warblers, they like to be near water's edges. I would park get out walk a while then return and move up the road and got a good feel for how the birds were staging. The flycatchers were near the road so they could see and swoop out to get moths and flying insects...the warblers were a layer back gleening the leaves and stems of the trees...and farther back the deep forest birds like the Thrushes and the Towhees.
Prothonotary warbler
the water was muddy and murky due to all the heavy rains in May...
the trunk of this Holly Tree has so many pretty colors!
natural camo
The river bends here by the road and this is a good spot to pull over and enjoy a picnic
I had to help this Snapping Turtle across the road, he got into a deep puddle that was right in the road so with some not so gentle encouragement I moved him to the edge of the road, these guys are heavy and they bite! This one didn't try to bite like the last time I tried to help one...I know it's not very nice but I picked him up by the tail and lopped him off to the road edge on top of these branches then I used a fork shaped stick to push him into the deeper water...good thing too asa I got him over a truck came and he would have been squashed where he had been originally! Here he is walking across the road, but then he settled into that puddle,
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He was none the worse for wear but he did not appreciate my help
nostrils above water
This water snake was seeking better cover also..
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I watched a lady pull over and move a turtle off the road last week, and I've moved 2 since then myself...and one even came home with me, I will explain in later posts...
The problem Im having with the new Blogger is it jumps all over the place...I move the photo or text where I want it, then it jumps by itself to where it wants to be so spacing is going to be difficult...I am assuming. I am not using the new format yet, but I can tell by the way the old one is reacting it's gonna be tricky.
PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.
The Northern Parula is gorgeous. Once again your photos are great. Those snapping turtles can be a nasty lot, but happy you moved him off the road without a problem. But he wasn't very greatful. LOL
ReplyDeleteMorning Jo! Yes the Parula is one of my favorite migrants, they are in my yard too but they stay back on the edges of the tress and call from the shadows, these ones in the park seem used to people. AND another thing snapping turtles have a very long neck so if you pick them up by the side of the shell they can still reach you...handle with caution lol.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great outing and park..I love the Northern Parula and the Prothonotary Warbler. The Snapping Turtles are mean, I would be afraid to pick one up, my hubby has moved one across the road. The Skink is cool looking and I like the natural camo. Happy Birding, enjoy your weekend!
Hi Elieen...it is a great park, weekends can get busy. At first I tried to move him by putting a small stick near his mouth he clamped down on it, and at first that was working I was moving him by him dangling off the stick then he fell off...SO that's when I grabbed him by the tail, Also not good I got him to those branches, then I found the forked stick to help him with and that worked!
DeleteHave a ever thought of being a Bird Guide in one of these parks? I am not very good at identifying birds from their sounds, I have tried listening to recordings but when I'm outside listening its different. We have turtle in park ponds that have been released by people who originally bought them as pets and apparently their bite is very infectious.
ReplyDeleteThat water snake is a fast mover.
Hopefully out restrictions are beginning to be relaxed so fingers crossed we'll be able to travel further afield soon as at the moment we are restricted to 5 miles.
HI Dave, I don't know that I am the right person to guide anyone, as I am not that much of a people person. I do run into a few people on the trail that I think I could enjoy birding with but that doesn't happen too often. The covid cases here are on a huge rise as our economy seems to be more important than the lives of it's citizens. It is now found that the virus affects the lining of the blood vessels, and it's clots that is causing the deaths. So I plan to stay away from people as best I can and wear my mask when Im around anyone.
DeleteWhenever I rescue Snapping Turtles from their suicide missions on the road. i grab them firmly by the carapace towards the rear and carry them that way - safe for both of us. I am not quite sure of the precise anatomical disruption caused by picking them up by the tail, but our local turtle biologist counsels that it can cause dislocation to handle them in this way, especially large, mature females laden with eggs.
ReplyDeleteHopefully he is okay he seemed to be fine when he got into the deeper water as you see he is floating with his nose up looking at me..I have tired holding them also but the long neck can reach you even at the back...so beware of that...
DeleteA great park to bird ... (and turtle). . It was good of you to save this one and I look forward to reading about the one that came home with you. Great you saw that wood thrush. I’m always impressed that you know birds by their sing. I’m rubbish at that. That tree is colorful..is that lichen? All your pictures look great now, I’m sorry blogger is making it difficult.
ReplyDeleteHI Sallie, there is some lichen on that tree the green bits but the rest is just the various colors naturally in the skin of this tree..it's slick so I don't really think it's Bark? I used to drive around with 3 tapes called Birding by Ear in my car and every day on the way to and from work I learned..it sure beat listening to Johnny Paycheck sing "take this job and shove it." especially since I was self employed..lol
DeleteWhat beautiful birds especially the Prothonotary Warbler and I love the Skink. Nice going with the Turtle, not an easy job and with little thanks :D
ReplyDeleteHi Pam, If I had it to do over I'd probably look for a good forked stick to start with so in the future...This time of year the Prothonotary Warbler is singing very loudly...and yesterday I saw Wood Storks sailing up high in the air it's almost a sign that breeding is Over!
DeleteLovely to see all of your photographs.
ReplyDeleteIt looks and sounds a great outing and park.
All the best Jan
Hi Jan, thanks so much it is a good spot to explore.
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