Field Trip

I'm trying to stay connected to my 5 Mile Radius.  In order to become more familiar with the outlined area I divided it into quads to make it easier for me.  It' still hard to know when IM in or out of my Radius..lol I need one of those ankle bracelets to sound off when I drift out of bounds. 

OK without further rambling, my Field Trip. I call it a Field Trip cause it centers around some fields.  I have found 3 major sorghum fields and the birds found them too! Nothing rare or even unexpected but fun to find out where everyone is hanging out! 

If I had to describe my area it's very rural, and if the words tobacco road mean anything to you then you sort of have an idea, although there's no tobacco being grown here now...cotton yes. 

an HDR filter added to this gives the barn a pop. 

I wanted to make a movie of my week...and I actually started it but I got so distracted with the "stuff" of life I lost my focus...and I never finished it so I will try to highlight my week here with a mixed bag of media.

There's 3 big sorghum fields are in Quad 2, 3, and 4.  

This is Quad 3, I scared about 50 dove outta this field...

Flock of Mourning Dove and one sitting in a China Berry Tree

and then down another dirt road...

another old home place...

^Eastern Towhee & below female n male

The fields are surrounded by woods so the birds are in and out of the field and back to the trees to rest and take cover...

Eastern Phoebe 

and many Song Sparrow 

Mostly chipping sparrow by the 100's! But getting them on film is almost impossible, they rarely sit still...

here is one resting

ALL the Sparrows blend in so well it's difficult to see them in the field..here's a song sparrow to prove my point...

The field in the Quad 3 had Field Sparrow in the mix...

Im always happy to find them in the flocks...

And out on the road a Hermit Thrush hops around...

Some of the birds stand out a little bit more...

And not all were after the seed heads, some were after insects that were out there...

A really fine week of birding, I did visit my one hotspot weekly, and although there was no grey box in January to fill up (June & August need work) I made a nice green line on my own Jan bar graph and my 5MR Patch species count is up to 50 since Jan 1 and I hope to add more by the end of the month. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Clemson Experimental Station

So far February has been cloudy and rainy.  Some days complete wash outs...like buckets of water...so on the sunny breaks I'm ready to get out and go someplace! I took a short ride over to this spot called the Clemson Sandhills Experimental Station.  It's a pretty cool spot to hike, dog walk, and bird! I packed a sack lunch and drove over, its not too far away like 18 miles. There's 2 ponds and a lake.  I hiked the lake trail it's about 2.1 miles, outlined in blue... 

The trail meanders over the dam, over an eagle scout project boardwalk and 

through the woods....

Lots of American Robins up high picking berries I ran into them throughout my hike....maybe 50 in total

They did have some competition the cedar waxwings...saw about 10 darting in and out of this tangle of brier. 

In the woods area I saw 2 pair of Northern Cardinal, and they appeared to be searching for a nest spot...just the way they called to each other and the way they behaved made me think of Amor'e.

Near one of the smaller ponds this Eastern Bluebird was hunting in the Sycamore trees...

In the water I spotted 4 Pied Billed Grebes,  and 8 Double Crested Cormorants...all pretty far from the edge, 

 I found a bench to sit down and eat my sandwich this Carolina Wren started to have a fit...

carolina wren

I enjoyed his antics, and he stirred up a few more birds in the woods.  A Hermit Thrush  in the edge gave me a quick peek and higher up the Red Bellied Woodpecker squealed his displeasure too!  

Hope this one gets put back right before nest building gets  underway

Love the white bark on the tall Sycamore Trees. 

The bark...

After the lunch break I finished the lake hike and stirred up the interest of this Myrtle Yellow Rump Warbler.  

There is a young Pecan Orchard on the grounds and a few Northern Mockingbirds were patrolling the branches... 

There is an open area where they experiment with sod of various kinds, about the time I got over there an Eagle flew over way up high...and down on the fence line another Eastern Bluebird...

a heavy crop to pull this one out of this shot...

I would def go around here again...there is enough hardwood to make some pretty fall color behind the lake, so I must make a mental note! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Homestead Baby

This was a Gift! (thank you SIS) I'm trying to get acquainted with it. The hard part, for me, is keeping my finger on the right thing.  So a learning curve is in progress.  I don't have a smart phone, and this is not a phone, but it has a camera and so I took this photo with the Fire tablet, and uploaded it to Flickr using the fire bluetooth, and SILK, the browser of the tablet.  Of course I'm at home so I used my awesome WiFi, for which I'm so happy. I dumped Verizon it was worth the $150 dollars they charged me to get away from the horrible service I was getting from them. It will be interesting to see how many free wifi spots I can find to use the Fire with as I travel. Sis has one too. SO far I like it.  I have taken to reading your blogs on it in the morning with my coffee it's better than having the heavy laptop in my lap..but it sure makes it hard to type out any kind of comment.







Other happenings around the homestead:

 Boy we've had a lot of rain lately and rain means humidity...Whew...like 70% and sometimes more.   That means sweat and way too much of it...while doing nothing! You will sweat just thinking of being outdoors.  But one thing the heat brought to my attention is what's going on in the pasture and the martin grouds, check it out...

                                                            Great Crested Flycatcher

These birds nest here every year.  I'm always so happy to know they are being successful with their nesting...and I'm happy to provide space for them to nest.  They always like to put a snake skin in their nest, when I clean out the gourd each yr It's always fun to see what they consider a snake skin, its sometimes just some clear plastic and sometimes it really is a snake skin, We have plenty of snakes around here, and lizards too...

An anole, they change color depending on what they are sitting on...here is his shade of coppertone!  They inflate that red sack under the chin to attract mates.  

  

This northern cardinal 

This particular bird loves to perch right outside my window...he has a favorite branch.

I tried to get a decent shot of the Blue Grey Gnatcatcher, a dogwood twig got in the way then he scurried off so fast I couldn't get another shot before he disapeared in the heavy cover. These little birds are fast movers!

Some of the wild flower transplants, Rudbeckia.

Doing well so far...and the rain helps too.  

Tuesday I will be voting! So happy we have a chance to regain some seats in the Senate.  SC is one of the states having a midterm election.  I am putting my vote on Archie Parnell! The Dems threw some money his way so I hope people have seen his ads on the TV and the signs on the roadsides...I do believe it was the lack of Signs that added to the defeat of Hillary...people seem to follow the candidate whose name they have seen while moving through their lives the most.  I wish politics could be like it was in the old days when people backed candidates and not corporations.  Lately politics make my head spin about like these Moon Shells I picked up on the beach in TX.  Some people call these Shark Eyed Moon Shells.  I found a whole handfull of perfect ones, they were laying all over the place. 

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Story time: OUCH!

Although sorry seems to be the hardest word, I don't think so.  I remember from my teen years.  I only heard it once.  I was 17 so that tells  you how dang long ago this happened!! I wanted to drive Mom's car, the only car we had, to Charlotte, NC to a concert to see the group called America! The group actually formed in England where they met while being station with their fathers who were in the US Air Force.   They had that song "A Horse With No Name".  I laid out my plan,  me and my 3 girlfriends ages 16, 17, and 16, would pile into mom's car drive 160 miles to Charlotte, see the concert, stay over one night and then return the next day.  Simple as that...and she listened quietly and then she said just the one word...

"NO"

Stung like a wasp it did. She was right of course. 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Pettigrew and Somerset

when last I wrote I was parked at Pettigrew State Park, in site 10 and yes it really was available and I liked it fine...I did not bring my full camping "kit" only the necessary stuff to make coffee, I stopped at a Food Lion and got a pre-made salad to eat for dinner, along with some precut fruit.  It was the perfect meal since I was still not 100% after the bout of dizzy accompanied with vomiting in the morning!  If you have never had a serious case of Vertigo let me tell you..omg well I've had it all my adult life and so do my 2 sisters!! We all can sympathize with each other on that one.  And a side note Dogs can suffer a similar aliment and I witnessed my dog Casey have it one night! Its called Vestibular Disorder.  If you ever see your dog staggering and unable to walk straight holding head to one side with some other symptoms, suspect this. 

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This park is like "circle the wagons", nothing fancy just a spot to park, 

 I was thrilled to find out Pettigrew State Park had a boardwalk! 

As you see it passes over a swamp/marsh area and then it brings you to the Phelps Lake...

And it is a lovely lake!  At the end of this dock is a swimming area, I was told the water was warm, I didn't even bring a swim suit..

So after I ate and settled up with the ranger I took a stroll and it was so nice to be in the woods, listen to this most beautiful song of the wood thrush.  Turn your volume up so you can enjoy this woodsy lyric.

Lots of laughing gulls hung around the swimming area, 

and that's why they have Al on guard...

...and what did the gulls think of him??  They don't call them laughing gulls for nothing!

the moon was out above the lake....it was so peaceful I had the dock all to myself while the smell of campfire food wafted from the nearby campground..as the families prepared their evening meals.

Right next door to the State Park is a State Historic Site, Somerset Place.  A working plantation from 1785 - 1865  and at one time had as many as 850 enslaved people living there!   This is the main dwelling...the Collins House.  

I was there after hours so I was not able to go inside any of the buildings...but I did some window peeking...

and stair climbing..

I liked the formal garden...and the carriage lane... 

It follows this white picket fence bringing visitors to the Antebellum Mansion's side entrance, you can almost imagine the impressive scene with the huge Phelps Lake visible across the front lawn...

It was getting late and the mosquitoes came out so I headed back to my campsite, but I turned to see the moon hanging over Somerset...

Fireflies lit my way via the carriage trail that leads back to the campground...and I snapped a zoom in of the Full  Summer Solstice Moon

The small campground was quiet and I slept very well...awoke early and took a stroll once again to the lake with my morning coffee in hand to the boat launch area...

  

The boardwalk actually ends here but I had turned around last night and didn't come all the way to the end..so I did this short piece just after dawn...morning in the swamp is really pretty.

watched a red admiral and then enjoyed some plants in the morning light...

I think this is called Lizard's Tail.

This Button Brush reminds me of a fully loaded pin cushion...or that odd horror film villain pin head-

enjoyed this Northern Cardinal against all the green..

I left early on Sunday as I had planned to drive slowly over the Pocosin Lakes Area, and then make a visit to Swanquarter NWR before making my 5 hr drive home! 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.