Birding And Solitude Are A Natural Fit

George Dudley Seymour State Park is a place I have visited several times over the years. I've yet to encounter another person during my visits there. It has steep gorges with lots of rocks and flowing streams that serve to calm a restless spirit.

 It is a place that I can enjoy without worrying about the next bird I'm going to see. the birds are a bonus but the scenery and solitude are what makes the place special.

 I did manage to find a butterfly that wasn't ready to head south of the border...

and an Eastern Towhee as curious about me as I was about he. 

A Little Fog Can't Stop That Birding Vibe

 It has been raining by the bucketful this week and a the fog has been rolling in every morning.

The birds are out there but can be a little hard to see.

I new it as going to be one of those special birding days when I came across 8 Wood Ducks as soon as I stepped foot on the rail trail.It took me an hour to travel 50 feet because every bush was saturated with birds such as warblers and sparrows, some of them  uncommon. There are some days when you just know within the first 5 minutes that it's going to be a birdy day.

It's nice when the fog finally lifts so you can get a clearer view of the birds.

It's been a little slow on the birding front the last couple of weeks but all that changed this weekend. I'm hoping next weekend I can get some photos of some of the smaller birds.It was too difficult this morning because I constantly had my binoculars pointed upward. 

Fall Begins This Weekend

It was the official start of Fall this weekend.There is just a touch of color in the leaves so far.

 Broad-winged Hawks and other birds of prey are making their long journey south. 

I try to keep my eyes on the sky as I was shocked last year when an American White Pelican flew over my house.

I hope we get some colorful foliage this year!

Wandering The Rail Trails And Fairgrounds

 I haven't posted lately but continue to wander out with the binoculars and camera on the weekend.The photo above shows the entrance to the new rail trail which has become one of my favorite birding spots to visit. It is loaded with an unusually high number of wrens and seems to be a good fall migration area too.

 I made an attempt to walk through the fairgrounds a couple of weeks ago before they cut down any of the grass.I didn't come prepared with waterproof boots and ended up with soaking wet socks and pants.Realizing what a dumb move that was made me feel like...

.....well I can't really put it into words but you get the idea.

 Fall migration has already started so I've been seeing a mix of everything including lots of Common Yellowthroats, hawks and

......a mix of sparrows. Savannah Sparrow seemed to be the special of the day.