Highland Preserve & Bell Farm 5.1.23
- Posted on
- By Michelle Corgan
- Posted in Birds
Quick Trip to Highland Preserve
On the way to highland preserve it dawned on me that it rained heavily the night before. I looked down at my white sneakers and knew we had a problem, but I was halfway there already so I just had to run with it. I approached the trail and was immediately greeted by a beautiful female bluebird and just a little mud!
I continued to walk and found a tree that the bluebirds loved. As I stepped closer there were little spiders scurrying out from the grasses I was stepping on. I was a little worried they would get on me, but I just had to get these shots, and they were worth it. They preened, they perched, and they modeled for me. I couldn't get enough of them. I was lucky enough to capture one in flight! Soon after I saw a snake, and I was ready for a change of scenery, so onward I went.
Second to the bluebird show, was the red winged blackbird symphony. They were singing up a storm and they were everywhere!
I had my merlin sound app and it showed a yellow warbler and a yellow throated warbler. I unfortunately did not spot them.
I ran into a couple who warmed me about worse mud in the trails. I didn't let them stop me, I just chose the higher trails. I didn't regret it, having spotted an Eastern Towhee from a high point looking down at a clearing. It was too far away to get a good shot.
There wasn't as much activity in the trail, so after my Eastern Towhee sighting, I turned around and headed back.
Near where I saw the bluebird pair, I spotted a mockingbird. My merlin app had all kinds of ducks and geese showing up from the calls of the mockingbird.
I had one last rendezvous with one of my bluebird friends and I was ready to call it quits.
When I pulled back up to Bell Farm the grounds sounded so active, I just had to take a peak and see who was around. I spotted a chipping sparrow, cardinals, blue jays, heard a Carolina wren's song and got a photo of this phoebe.
