Teri and I are finishing our second month at Inks Lake State Park. Time really flies!
The park has about 8 miles of hiking trails, but the trails have been closed during much of our stay because of controlled hunts in the park. Now that the hunts are over we decided to check out the 3.5 mile Pecan Flats Trail. The trail features 28 interpretive points and a nicely done booklet describing each point.
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| Cedar Waxwing Flock |
We immediately encountered several large flocks of Cedar Waxwings. They seemed to be enjoying Mistletoe berries, and Teri spotted this pair feeding one another.
It was sunny and unseasonably warm. Male Northern Cardinals were singing like it was Springtime!
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| Northern Cardinal |
While much of the trail was along a creek and featured large Pecan trees, some of the walking was on exposed Gneiss and Granite. There were some interesting rock formations along the way.
This trail provides access to a small primitive camping area. The area is far away from the lake and seldom used. We were tickled by this sign at one of the sites. Clearly no cocktails, but what about beer??
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| Campsite Sign |
Sparrows tend to be drab, but I think the Black-throated Sparrow is a sharp-looking little bird.
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| Black-throated Sparrow |
There are many types of cactus in the park. We think that this is Lace Cactus but are not sure. Anybody know?
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| Lace Cactus? |
We saw a few common butterflies, which is a surprise in late January. We have had many freezing mornings, but these guys were out enjoying the sunshine just like we were.
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| Common Buckeye |
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| Variegated Fritillary |
Mark
The Buckeye is one of my favorites (maybe because I'm an Ohioan).... and... I see Teri is wearing a t-shirt... that warm, huh?
ReplyDeleteYes. We've been in the 70's and flirting with 80 the past couple of days. It is supposed to cool off again on Monday!
DeleteNice black-throated sparrow.
ReplyDeleteLovely birds. We've had some gorgeous hummingbirds here.
ReplyDelete