Water Water

We just had a gully washer, like 4 inches of rain in 12 hrs.  I was in the middle of trying to do yet another repair to my van.  I had to quickly slam the hood and let it go for the day  but I used the opportunity to run to town and get some parts I need to make this repair.  Good thing my windshield wipers are working good! Did I tell you about the time I was driving in heavy rain and my wiper flew off the car and into the woods?  LoL..that was way back in the 80's but I will never forget that.  Just when you need them Wham gone!


I had to get waterproof boots...

SO the rain stopped and the wind started 40-60 miles per hr for an entire day! A tree nearly hit my mailbox, the trunk missed but the limbs were all around it so I spent the morning sawing it up.  Then the battery died in my chainsaw so I will try to finish it up tomorrow.  It will go to the wood pile.  

One day later this entire park is underwater from the rain upstream 

The new norm...puddles and mud everywhere.  This is the new County River Park.  I put it on the ebird as a hotspot...and now the two other regular county birders are listing from there!  I snagged up 31 species there the other day myself.  

Black berry bushes are already leafing out...briers ready to defend, I notice the Eastern Towhees love to hang out under black berry brambles.  

                                                                red headed woodpecker

And the park staff finally fixed up the new boat location over at the State Park!  NO more wading in mud to get to the boats. 

I plan to rent one and paddle that Canoe Trail this year.  Tried twice last yr and nothing doing as you recall...

So As mentioned above, a day after the rain flooding started...our river the Wateree was 4 ft over flood stage!  I went to one of the spots I like to go called Bucks Creek  Landing, there is a Spillway dam there and GUSH it did!

This structure is normally 8 feet from the bank 

There is an Electric Generating Station at his location...

Normally no water comes over this dam...but the day I was there it was thundering over..

This guard rail of the fishing pier is 4 ft off the ground normally today a Double Crested Cormorant is enjoying having no fishermen in the way...

ebird didn't like it when I said there was 100 Great Egrets but there was...I changed to an X just cause I could not photograph all 100 they were all over the place flying, perching, stabbing at the edge, competing with ring billed gulls for the little "shiners" that slide over the dam with that flood water.  

That was last Sunday ....So I went back on Valentine's Friday to see...

Compare this shot to the one of the Cormorant standing on the fishing pier...above  You can see just how much the water has gone down yet there is still a huge amount thundering over the dam..which normally has no water coming over. 

Still many Great Egrets around I counted 28 just standing around...

As well as many perching birds...like this Carolina Wren..

Ring Billed Gull continue to pick up lots of Shiners...

The other park that was under 4 ft of water is drying out and was reopened.  All the picnic tables and the trash cans are gone probably downstream somewhere...and new Porta Potty's were in place.  I should have taken a photo of the new potty...but I did take this, the trail is in pretty rough shape...big drifts of debris cover it up in some areas.

And the trail Bridge has shifted about 6 ft to the right...and is unsafe to use in it's current condition. 

I found a Wren, not a Carolina, nor a House, so Winter Wren was my best guess that didn't fall into the rare category so I went with that...

That's how I spent my week and then Valentine's Day
it was SUNNY and Beautiful what a Gift!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.