We finished our volunteer stint at Inks Lake State Park and are back at our little house in Medina, Texas for a couple of weeks.
Our friends Rick and Sharon came up from South Texas to visit for a few days, so we headed off to Lost Maples State Natural Area for a hike and some bird watching. It has been a wet year and it was great to see the springs and creeks flowing strongly and the fresh green leaves coming onto the trees.
It has been a banner year for wildflowers, and the Scarlet Penstemon were in full bloom along the trails.
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| Scarlet Penstemon |
We walked right under this sleepy fellow, who had chosen a rather bare tree for his nap. He wasn't there when we returned later in the morning, so perhaps he found a more shaded spot.
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| Porcupine |
We saw a couple of Golden-cheeked Warbler but I failed to get any pictures. I did get this picture of a beautiful Yellow-throated Warbler.
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| Yellow-throated Warbler |
A park host was kind enough to point out the nest of a Yellow-throated Vireo. Can you see the lichen-covered nest?
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| Yellow-throated Vireo Nest |
As we returned to the parking lot we heard a little racket down along a nearby stream. We found a pair of Green Kingfishers discussing the fishing in the area.
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| Green Kingfisher |
We couldn't have asked for a nicer day for our hike. The Texas Hill Country on a cool spring morning is a pretty good place to be!
Mark
Maybe that porky just stuck his quills into the limb to keep him in place ;-) Love the flowers but especially the warbler!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know green kingfishers came that far north.
ReplyDeleteThey do extend north along the clear Hill Country rivers. But otherwise they tend to stay in South Texas.
DeleteAs usual, wonderful photos!
ReplyDelete--Sharon
Really enjoy your posts and pictures.
ReplyDeleteVirginia