Just Some Burdz I Saw...part 797...

 Asheville has some of the best graffiti around!...and one odd burd...

And so goes the ever continuing saga of my trip to Asheville, North Carolina...will it never end?! Yeah...one day...

But until that dreaded day, here's some more burdies from around the woods and trails that we encountered on our morning constitutionals...so there! Ha!

 It's always exciting when you get a lifer!

This Brown-headed Nuthatch was the high light of the trip!

(Sorry Brian and Caron...but it was!)

 There were American Goldfinch Gangs everywhere!

You had to watch your step...they were more than happy to roll you for your thistle.

Thistle thugs...yeth thir...

 It was nice to see Carolina Wrens singing their hearts out in Carolina!

I have a pair at my feeders daily, though I have yet to hear them sing.

Maybe if I opened my windows...nah...too cold.

 The lone Chipping Sparrow...where's you friends?

 I was amazed at how many Eastern Bluebirds we saw zooming around.

Most didn't want their portraits done.

Hmmm...hiding from someone?

 

 Why are Northern Mockingbirds so angry?

 ...and why won't House Wrens sit still for me?

 Another great surprise was finding this Hermit Thrush skulking through the scrub!

 And of course the Golden-crowned Kinglets won't sit still..too much sugar I fear...

What a gorgeous little flycatcher!

 This Eastern Phoebe on the other hand posed quite nicely.

 ...at least for 3 seconds...

Places to go, bugs to eat!

 What do you think?

NO!

 I did see a squirrel though.

Probably as close as I'm going to get...

 Red-bellied Woodpeckers are the best for "Birds From Behind!"

 Don't tell the Song Sparrows this...

They have the skinniest heads!

Shhhh...

 This Tufted Titmouse looked great with the fall foliage.

He was trying to hide under a leaf.

Didn't work so well...

 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are always a cool find!

I don't see them at home very often.

 Oooo...a Northern Flicker...or is it a Southern Northern Flicker?...uh...

 Nothing like topping off a great trip with a warbly thing!

Gotta love those hearty Yellow-rumped Warblies!

They can make it in the roughest weather!

I'll end on this warbly!

Until we meet again...and I torment you with more burdz and silliness...

Still Lost...Part 38...maybe...

 The only bird that sat still this day...a kindly Dark-eyed Junco...and he even faced the right way.

So, where was I? THAT was a good question! Every time I saw a sign with a new states name, I was surprised. I was driving on autopilot, letting my GPS tell me where to go(at least it's polite when it does it!) I'm not good at sitting in a car for more than 3 or 4 hours. Knees cramp up...boredom strikes and I keep seeing signs for parks at the "next" exit...oooo...maybe there's some good birds there!

Brian told me about a state park I should visit that was close to Asheville...Rocky Fork Sate Park. For some reason, I thought being close to Brian's home, this would be in North Carolina(AKA North Cackylacky.) Nope,it was in Tennessee!  I didn't find that out until I arrived back home. Yep, Loopy doesn't always pay attention.

What a great place to stop and stretch! I realize that 1:30 in the afternoon isn't the best time to go birding, but this place was gorgeous. A nice steep trail winding along side Rocky Fork Creek. Very peaceful with the sounds of the creek burbling over the mossy rocks and small waterfalls. I only tripped a few times watching the water...

I only saw the Junco and a fleeing Red-bellied Woodpecker...apparently news of my arrival traveled fast...oh well, back in the BirdMobile to continue the journey...

 Even the dead trees were interesting to look at.

( this was one of the places I tripped...camera is safe!)

 I looked at that bridge a long time...then turned around.

Why push my luck?

 Can you hear the babbling?

...of the brook! Not me!

 

 At last, I arrived in Asheville, North Carolina!

They've been in a severe drought for some time now. All that haze is due to forest fires not too far away. Every morning on our bird walk, you could smell the odor of the burning trees and scrub. It was a very disturbing feeling, know that the homes of so many of my woodland and feathered friends were being destroyed. And of course, none of this is due to climate change...my politician buddies told me so and they're smarter than anyone else on Earth....but anyway...where was I?

Oh, Asheville...more precisely, Biltmore Lake. There's a great trail that circles the man-made lake with a few side paths. At one end was a wetland area that will be great to explore in the spring and summer...next time...if I didn't wear out my welcome. Imagine dealing with me for a week? Let alone the more than 13 years I've worked for Brian and Caron...sheesh...I couldn't do it...

 That's my swell hosts at the North Carolina Arboretum...and my camera...

We went for a cruise down the Blue Ridge Parkway and a hike through the arboretum.

I think they were hoping I would fall in the creek...you can tell by the look on Brian's face.

 

 A good ole American Robin.

You can always count on seeing them no matter how lost you may be.

 Speaking of lost. This Chipping Sparrow was trying to hide.

I think he was hoping I would get lost and leave him be.

 " Don't even think about taking a photo of my butt...y'all!"

Even the birds said "Y'all."

Very odd.

Really.

 He did let me take of photo of his feathery crown.

 There were dozens of southern Eastern Bluebirds around us!

 He was nice enough to give me his southern exposure.

Southern hospitality extends to the birds as well!

 

 Them thar is some really BIG bugs!

They had a cool display of insects...and they moved!

Nothing like a few scared screaming children to give you a few laughs...

 

 And once again...a Pileated Woodpecker is right in front of me and I almost missed.

Of course all I ended up with was a blurry butt shot.

One day you Pileated! One Day!!!

 

 How many times do I have to say "Not Yet!?"

 

 A southern Northern Mockingbird not happy that I was mocking his southern end.

Sorry, I had to.

 I was so busy looking at birds that I forgot this was an arboretum and I should be taking a few of those botanically type pitchers!

(Get it? It's a PITCHER plant?...No? Oh well. I tried.)

 Yes, I even got a life bird bird while visiting my buddies at Biltmore Lake.

More on that next time...as the Adventures in Asheville continues...

 Until next time...

Birdin' by the Beach...

 Not the ideal weather for laying on the beach...but birdin'? Yep!

It's so nice to be only an hour or so from Cleveland's lakefront...especially when it's time for my lil warblies to migrate through! A nice wind from the lake felt great and gave those migrators a little boost. It was one of those cloudy...sunny...cloudy...sunny days that Lake Erie is famous for. Still nice enough for lots of boaters to be out and one skinny guy with his camera! 

Wendy Park has a very nice woodlot surrounded by meadows with wildflowers galore. It gets better every year. If you don't care about birds, they have sand volleyball courts and a marina for your yacht. Ha...yacht...I just have a little dingy...

 This American Redstart was feeling very jumpy up in the tree tops.

I held my kit up over my head and caught him!

Ha! Try to get away from me...amateurs...

 There were dozens of American Robins coming through as well.

This ratty fellow seemed to stand out from the crowd.

I think the others were afraid of him...

 I love digital!

The ISO went up to 6400 for this shot of a Black-throated Blue Warbly!

I couldn't do that with my old film cameras.

 If you listen closely, you can hear the crowd at the Cleveland Browns Stadium across the Cuyahoga!

Well, maybe they weren't making any noise...just heavy sighs...

This is the old Coast Guard station that was built in the late 30's.

It's FINALLY getting rebuilt by our wonderful Metroparks!

 Uh...remember my last post?

Them lil warblies are still zooming away too fast!

In case you're wondering, that really is a Blackpoll Warbly.

Honest...I asked him.

 The ever present Cabbage White butterflies were everywhere!

That's why I said "ever present."

Because they were present everywhere.

 See?

Here's another!

 I think he was shy.

Downy's usually aren't shy, but he was having a bad feather day...

 After he saw my feathers, or lack there of, he didn't feel so bad.

 Oh those wacky flycatchers!

I do believe this one was an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Yep.

Maybe.

 Another flycatcher hiding in the woods.

I'm still puzzled, so he doesn't get a name.

Any suggestions?

 Stoopid gray and white birds...

Oh, I'm sorry! I was supposed to say that to myself...

This is a lovely Herring Gull.

Yeah, I don't like herring.

 Now warblies I love!

This Magnolia caught a nice juicy, squishy, wriggly spider for breakfast.

Are you eating?

I hope that didn't spoil your appetite.

Juicy, squishy, wriggly, squirmy...yum.

 I was telling this guy that I love that black and white stripe under their tail.

It makes it so easy to spot them.

He had to check.

He never noticed it before.

He was young...he'll learn.

 He told his friends and they all had to look.

It was funny watching them all check out their tails.

Silly warblies.

 Uh-oh!

Mallard!

DUCK!!

Ha...bird humor. 

Gets them every time.

 There were hundreds of Monarch butterflies fluttering about.

Very distracting!

Every time I saw one move I zipped around with my camera thinking it was a warbly.

I think I hurt my neck.

 Playing peek-a-boo with Northern Flickers is fun...and kills a lot of time.

What I do to entertain these birds...

 Finally, a Northern Mockingbird that didn't mock me!

(That's because I snuck up on him and he didn't see me!)

*Did you know that "snuck" isn't really a word?

 Nope, not here.

 I saw this Osprey carrying a fish out of the corner of my eye and managed a shot as he sailed off into the city.

*More fun facts!: You only see out of the center of your eye where the pupil is.

No one see's out of the corner.

Aren't you glad you're here?

No?

 I spent way too much time tripping over rocks and branches trying to get a photo of this Red-breasted Nuthatch.

I felt like I belonged in the nut hatch.

 Why, looky there!

It's another of those fabulous gray and white birds that are loved the world over!

Ring-billed Gulls really hate sarcasm.

He gave me the evil eye as I was talking to him...and laughing.

 This Song Sparrow was from a different time zone.

He was splish splashing on a Saturday day...not night.

 

"Ya gotta splash when ya can bub!"

And so ends another exciting adventure in Birding with Loopy!

Until we meet again...