Winter Walk: Fort Yargo State Park; Shelter A To The Old Fort (Part 2)

February 6^th. (Continued from…) I haven’t been to Fort Yargo for a few years and decided to intersperse walks in the park with my trike rides. In previous years, I’ve both walked some of the trails and rowed the lake. If you know where to look, the park has quite a variety of wildflowers.

I decided to walk from the Group Shelter A to the Old Fort and back. There isn’t much in the way of plants at the moment but I enjoy the scenery and this was a particularly pretty day. 

Looking across the lake from the Fishing Area. At full pool, the ‘beach’ in the foreground will be under water. 

A couple of Hazel Alders (Alnus serrulata) are already beginning to bloom.

Empty seedpods of a small bush next to the alders. I don’t know what this is.

A lone acorn seems to remain untouched. Wonder how the squirrels missed this one?

There are two trails from the Fishing Area to the Old Fort. The main trail parallels the shoreline well above the water. The second trail follows the shoreline next to the water; it’s known as the Rock Garden because of the boulders that litter the area. At one time, mountain bikers would ride this precarious trail but, mostly, it is used by fishermen. 

Originally, I walked the Rock Garden out of curiosity but it proved to be an interesting section for wildflowers. Cankerweed (Prenanthes serpentaria), Smooth Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava), Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americanus), Eastern sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), Perfoliate Bellwort, Little Brown Jug/Arrowleaf Heartleaf (Hexastylis arifolia), and Pipsissewa bloom along this section of trail. I usually walk towards the Old Fort along the Rock Garden and return on the upper formal trail.

Looking north along the shoreline and the Rock Garden trail. I was a little taken aback to find the trail deep in leaves but I walked it anyway.

Looking back towards the Fishing Area from the Rock Garden trail. The Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of the few along the trails but I’ve never seen it bloom. Another that is located near the entrance to the parking area at the Old Fort does bloom and produces seed.

Little Brown Jug/Arrow Heartleaf grows and blooms in several locations along this trail. Here some are located in the shelter of a large boulder. Pipsissewa plants also grow and bloom near the wild ginger but they were covered by leaves. 

Looking along the Rock Garden trail. I had to ‘cross-country’ from the Rock Garden trail back to the main trail because the trail was deep in leaves. Luckily I found the main trail at the correct place.

Just as I rejoined the main trail I found a very large patch of Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) leaves, probably the largest I’ve seen in the area.

A closer view of the Cranefly Orchid leaves.

The trail out to the Old Fort.

The road bridge from the main park entrance to the picnic area. I didn’t walk up to the Old Fort on this visit.

Related post: 

- Winter Walk: Fort Yargo State Park: Shelter A To The OldFort (Part 1)

http://anybodyseenmyfocus.blogspot.com/2015/02/winter-walk-fort-yargo-state-park.html

Winter Walk: Fort Yargo State Park: Shelter A To The Old Fort (Part 1)

February 6^th. I haven’t been to Fort Yargo for a few years and decided to intersperse walks in the park with my trike rides. In previous years, I’ve both walked some of the trails and rowed the lake. If you know where to look, the park has quite a variety of wildflowers.

I decided to walk from the Group Shelter A to the Old Fortand back. There isn’t much in the way of plants at the moment but I enjoy the scenery and this was a particularly pretty day. 

The plaque listing the specifications of the lake which, strictly speaking is an impoundment - a body of water created by a dam - rather than a lake. The dam is 44 feet high and, at its deepest point at full pool, the water depth is 23 feet deep. 

04-P2062151.jpg 

The group shelter is high on a point; the trail drops down to the lakes hore rather steeply. If one works ones way back along a fisherman trail to directly below the plaque, Littleleaf Sensitive-briar (Mimosa microphylla) and Butterflypea (Centrosema virginianum) bloom here. Yellow Passionflower vines (Passiflora lutea) vines bloomed along the trail but appear not to have survived a controlled burn several years ago. Pitty. Pidgeonwings (Clitoria mariana) plants are far less common in the park but hand on the edge of the vertical embankment above the water; these are best viewed from the water. 

A camping area including drive in/walk in tent camping, yurts (primitive huts) and soon, cottages, is directly across the lake.

One of the yurts. 

Looking north along the lake shore. The lake level had been lowered; the water is about two to three feet low at the moment, exposing temporary beaches which will disappear completely when the lake fills again. 

A bridge crosses a drainage into the lake about one-third the way along the shore between the shelter and the Old Fort. 

One of the few oaks that is tenaciously holding onto its leaves. 

A small holly shrub; I don’t think I’ve ever seen berries on this bush. In addition, I’ve seen a lone Perfoliate Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata) plant blooming at the base of one of the larger deciduous trees. 

The trail climbs from the bridge. A couple of fences prevent falls from a cliff above the lake. In the warmer weather, I’ve seen large turtles and the occasional water snake swimming in the water below. On the approach to this fence, Pipsissewa/Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) hang on grimly and even bloom. 

Looking north from the cliff to the point at the Fishing Area. Although there is a road and parking lot at the Fishing Area, the gate is usually closed in winter which enhances the quietness of the walk. 

American Beech (Fagus grandiflora) trees grow along the second fence above the cliff. American Beech trees hold on to their leaves in the winter and are easy to recognize at a distance in the woods. These trees have already developed leaf buds. Several wildflowers grow along this section of the walk. Rattlesnake weed (Hieracium venosum), Perfoliate Bellwort, Widowsfrill (Silene stellata) bloom along this short section of the trail. 

Looking back at the cliff. A pair of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nests in a hole at the farther end of the cliff. 

The Fishing Area access road and parking lot lie just past this bridge.

The wildflowers that I’ve mentioned here are those that I remember clearly; there are many more.

To be continued...

Guess Who’s Back… House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

February 12th, 2015. I was enjoying watching (and photographing) a… 

male Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus) at the sunflower seed feeder yesterday morning. I’ve been thinking recently that it wouldn’t be too long before they left for their breeding grounds in Canada and we’d see the House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) back at the feeders. Although House Finches may winter here, we don’t see them at the feeders during winter; we didn’t see the first one at the feeders until late April last year.
 

Then, an hour or so later, I noticed what I thought at first was also a male Purple Finch. It took a couple of seconds to realize that the red color was a little richer - a scarlet red – compared with the raspberry red of the Purple Finch. Lo and behold, it was a… 

Male House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). 

I wonder if ‘our’ House Finches do migrate a little further south during the winter or if they are able to find enough food in the woods. I tend to doubt that they would stay away from the feeders if they are in the area. Last year, at least three pairs of House Finches nested in this area. They, and their offspring, almost ate us out of house and home during September and early October and then they suddenly disappeared during the third week of October. Thus, I’m inclined to think the House Finches that nest in our area may move away for the winter. 

In any case, it’s wonderful to see one again. I’ll be looking for the females as well.

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

February 9th, 2015. Song Sparrows winter in this area. We don’t see them very often but I spotted four of them on a fence when I was riding a few weeks ago. Two of them were cheeky enough to stay on the fence when I drew level with them.

I couldn’t resist the temptation to try to get a couple of photographs in spite of them being some distance away.

Photoshop allows us to do some sneaky things with photos and I was able to ‘zoom’ in on them to confirm my identification. 

We don’t see Song Sparrows around the house too much. They tend to stay at the periphery of the feeder area. They sneak in at the edges and hunt quietly in the undergrowth, in our case, some Japanese Honeysuckle vines. They are quite shy and fly away at the slightest noise.

So I was surprised to see one hunting in the open close to one of the feeders a few days ago. 

That made me go back and look at photos I took last winter. I found several more...

that show off this attractive bird. 

The Song Sparrow is larger than the Chipping Sparrow and about the same size as the White-throated Sparrow which also winters in this area and which we see quite frequently. I do wish that these sparrows bred in this area that that we’d be able to enjoy them year-round.

Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)

February 4th, 2015. I went for a ride today. It was cloudy and cold but… I had a pleasant surprise as I was approaching an intersection. I spotted a Pine Warbler hunting food on the shoulder near the pavement. It took a few seconds to recognize it. This was the first time I’d seen one ‘in the wild’ and it didn’t seem over-concerned at my presence. 

I stopped and it flew up into a nearby branch. By the time I got my camera ready it was gone. But then I spotted it back on the ground again. Before I could take a photo, it had flown back into the branches again and, then, it flew back behind me. I could have turned around and tried to find it again. But since it was in a very shady area, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get a good photo. Sighting it did lift my spirits and let me forget my cold toes for a while.

I thought I’d share a couple of photos I took of a Pine Warbler at our feeders last Winter. (It hasn’t been cold enough for them to be regulars at our bird feeders this year). You can probably appreciate why I was excited to see one today.

Related post: 

- At The Feeders: Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus/Dendroica pinus*)

Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus): Welcome Back!… And All Your Kids Too!

February 2^nd, 2015. We first saw the Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus) this season on November 18^th, 2014. 

Just a couple of males turned up at the sunflower seed feeder during a couple of particularly cold days.

I’d never seen a female Purple Finch. The problem with sighting ‘female’ Purple Finches is that they are indistinguishable from juvenile Purple Finches. On December 10^th, 2014, a female/juvenile visited the sunflower feeder with a male. 

Then I’d see the female/juveniles come to the sunflower feeder alone, or…

in twos, or… 

more. There are five female/juveniles and a male in this photo (and also an American Goldfinch). 

The Purple Finches seem to be more numerous this year than in previous years. I’ve seen as many as eight female/juveniles on the feeder at one time and a total of 11 female/juveniles at one time either on the feeder or on the ground. The maximum number of males I’ve seen in the feeding area is six. Purple Finches tend to visit the feeding area in larger numbers on windy days than on calmer days. 

The Purple Finches are generally peaceful although I’ve seen the occasional squabble when there are a lot of birds competing for a perch at the feeder. They will sit at the feeder and eat for a considerable period of time. 

They will also ‘share’ the feeder with other birds: with a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis); and with a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

It is encouraging to see so many Purple Finches this season.

Reference:  

- National Geographic: Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus) 

Related post:  

- They're Back… Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus)