I needed to get out after 3.42 inches of rain yesterday but didn’t want to go far as they were predicting more so I put on my big rubber boots and waded into TRP. Before long my pants were wet to the knees in the tall grass. There was standing water 5” deep in many places. I walked the horse trail area first then walked down the main trail through the swamp area. In all, I traveled about 5.5 miles in 3 hours. I got 44 species in that time, which is a respectable tally for one person.
One thing of note, the city has been lining up large drainage pipes along County Farm Road and Isbell Lane. I assumed they were just improving the sewer lines for the residents. However, they’ve also cleared a large swath of land to extend Isbell Lane into the park boundaries in what looks like a new subdivision. I hope that’s not the case but the cleared area is definitely in the park property.
*=First of Year
Species seen or heard:
- Least Tern *
- Northern Mockingbird
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Mourning Dove
- Chimney Swift
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Orchard Oriole
- Common Yellowthroat
- Baltimore Oriole
- Northern Bobwhite
- Carolina Chickadee
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Blue Jay
- American Crow
- Indigo Bunting
- Common Grackle
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Dickcissel
- Northern Cardinal
- Mallard
- Mississippi Kite
- Eastern Bluebird
- Green Heron
- Turkey Vulture
- Cliff Swallow
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Eastern Kingbird
- White-eyed Vireo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Purple Martin
- Bald Eagle
- Northern Flicker
- Fish Crow
- Belted Kingfisher
- Brown Thrasher
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Carolina Wren
- Tufted Titmouse
- Eastern Wood-Pewee
- Great Egret
- Pileated Woodpecker
