After an extended family trip to Elliott's Landing on Saturday, I took a solitary Father's Day hike from 2:30 to 4:30 today. Upon crossing the iron bridge at the Kingsnake trailhead, I walked to the still on Whiskey Pond marked on John Cely's map--there's very little left, though it is on a well-defined bank and not that hard to find. From there, I went back to Cedar Creek, and picked up a slough to Lost Lake. Nelson's Pond was dry, so I hiked across it and verified a cut and then a log dike on John Cely's map, then crossed over to Kingsnake Trail and walked back to the car.
The recent rains hadn't really affected water levels in the Park, and there weren't many bugs--wait till next weekend. Besides the accompanying photos, I also took some forgettable photos of Lizard's Tail and Swamp Milkweed blooming, as well as Crown Coral mushrooms.
I forgot to bring my binoculars, so I likely missed a couple bird species--considering the time of day, things were pretty active:
- Wood Duck 1
- Red-shouldered Hawk 2
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3
- Barred Owl 2
- Chimney Swift 3
- Downy Woodpecker 2
- Northern Flicker 1
- Pileated Woodpecker 3
- Acadian Flycatcher 10
- White-eyed Vireo 10
- Red-eyed Vireo 12
- Carolina Chickadee 3
- Tufted Titmouse 3
- White-breasted Nuthatch 1
- Carolina Wren 5
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
- Northern Parula 30
- Yellow-throated Warbler 1
- Prothonotary Warbler 6
- Hooded Warbler 1
- Summer Tanager 1
- Northern Cardinal 11
Lost Lake
This Cherrybark Oak was completely covered in Resurrection Fern
Southern Pearly Eye butterfly--one of the few butterfly species you'll consistently see in the floodplain
Eastern Box Turtle--found at the first small wooden bridge after the Iron Bridge.