He saw his shadow so 6 more weeks of winter....On sunny days so I try to get out there and enjoy it...went to the Environmental Park, better known to me as Bramblewood, and the river is out of it's banks again...
On the way out I stopped at the Sports Complex and something was enticing these Black Vultures in...
One day the weather man got it wrong, and I headed out thinking it would clear off it didn't saw some Turkey in a field...haven't been seeing any so this was good.
On Wednesday it was very windy and cold but I went to my favorite spot to check for sparrows. Found a few too,,,
Sweet Chipping Sparrows, saw at least 100 they really challenged me to check thru them looking for the Tree Sparrow...didn't see any but the chippy's are just so cute,
NO disappointment there, and one of my favs is the Field Sparrow with his perfect white eye ring.
Still a lot of Song Sparrow around too,,,
Sparrows used to drive me crazy, now I consider it a welcome challenge to look for those subtle differences, it's like trying to figure out Identical twins sort of,,,
And this is the Pine Warbler who was fantastic out in the sun,
Im using Facebook to host my photos, it is working; so far so good..
Then on our last partly sunny turning cloudy day I went to a spot by the Wateree Lake Dam.. This place is so abused by bank fishermen leaving trash it's horrible.
I picked up this and 3 times more of it, discarded fishing line, nets, it's such a killer of wildlife,
LOTS of Common Grackle and RedWinged Blackbird around,,
Couldn't get any closer, so I concentrated on what I could see...the Eastern Towhee, also a Sparrow
And this lovely little White Throated Sparrow,,,
Perfect in every way,,,and the female Cardinal with her beautiful orangey blush
Some Sandhill Crane were spotted not far away I double dipped on them,..and now the field is being plowed so that's that.
I decided to give the Riverside Park a visit, it's dried out some there but the water level is high there too. This place is upstream of Bramblewood...
They replaced the bridge that moved off it's foundation during a flood in 2019.
There was a small landslide due to all the rain and parts of the riverside walking trail was lost but some parts they have been opened up again...
Got my FOY Redheaded Woodpecker, brings to mind the song..."raspberry beret"
A large flock of Killdeer swooshed overhead me a couple times, they eventually landed in the farm field on the other side of the river.
On the way home I stopped at the Racetrack to check the pond, it has a lot of water, but the landscape crew has cut most of the bird cover away so that affects things...did see a Redtail taking a look around...
And that's it for me this week...hope you had an interesting week,..
Happy Birthday to my son, now 40 yrs old.
PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.
Great pic of the white throated sparrow. Remember the gull location well. So happy you were able to get out recently!
ReplyDeleteHowdy sis, that spot is so great wish there was better access to it.
DeleteYou sure had a fantastic birding day. And you always manage to get great pics of birs of pray flying around. I always lose site of them.
ReplyDeleteHow did our kids get so grown?
Hi Jo, thank you kindly! It's hard tracking with an auto focus camera it will fade in and out but I just keep snapping and every now and then I get a shot,,I did have to crop this shot but I loved the way he had his tail all out fanned.....I think WE are getting old is the thing...ha
DeleteGreat close up shots, I wish I could get the focussing as good as that. We've had a cold spell for a while now but hopefully next week will be warmer. Roll on Spring.
ReplyDeletehi Dave, thank you much...It is bitter cold here the last couple of days. I am ready for this rain to quit for sure. Hope you have a great weekend.
DeleteHow on earth can you have a 40 yo son? (About the same way as I have a 60 yo I guess. Impossible when I don’t feel any older than that myself on good days ...but then .... !))). You saw some great birds on this outing...and made me feel like I was there with you! I’m mighty impressed with your sparrow ID skills. Wow!
ReplyDeleteHAHA, I know how can we young chicks have these old sons? I guess we are very lucky to still be around. Hope you have a string of Sunny days and a great weekend.
DeleteHope you are escaping the terrible weather or at least staying warm and safe during it.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to get out to different areas for birding. You had some great sightings, I love the Red-headed Woodpecker and the Pine Warbler. Happy Birthday to your son! Great collection of photos! Take care, enjoy your day! Have a happy new week!
Hi Eileen, Thank you. The weather has been so very bad this week Im glad I got out last week...Happy valentines day!!
DeleteIt looks like you've had some good days, the fishing tackle is an issue here too, people are so thoughtless! The Woodpecker is a lovely bright spot!
ReplyDeleteI hope your son had a good birthday - you don't know where the years go do you!
Hi Pam, I don't understand the pollution left by fishermen, all and no give I suppose, how can they be trusted to keep the fishing limit rules if they won't even pick the trash? Thank you and Have a great week.
DeleteAmazing Photos - Such Happy Birds - Bamblewood Appears Rather Relaxing - Stay Strong
ReplyDeleteCheers
Hi Travis, the river is really high and moving South at a high speed if I were an ant on a leaf Id be in the ocean in no time sailing down to the coastal wetlands. Hope you get some good sunny days for your rides.
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