Hiking, Biking & Birding... again!

"As I grew up I was fervently desirous of becoming acquainted with Nature." --John James Audubon

I feel like I can really relate to the above quote by John James Audubon. The older I get, the more intrigued I am by nature; and the more learn about it, the more I immerse myself in it, the more I want to know.

And so, I took another biking/hiking trip to the park today, this time with my brother tagging along.

It was a beautiful morning, with temperatures in the upper-70s, and quite a few birds flitting around.
A Butterbutt butt!! (sorry, I couldn't resist).. About 8-10 Yellow-rumped Warblers were feeding in a little grove of wax myrtle trees.

Couldn't get any great pictures, but I got a few shots.

We came across a turtle crossing the path at one point.

I couldn't resist going back to the mudflat. The gulls were still there, but I didn't see that any new species had joined the flock. There were three Common Terns there, instead of one, and lots of herons and egrets.

There also appeared to be Grebes in the distance. I couldn't get a good picture -- by the time we got to the other side of the lake, they were gone. I'm guessing they were Pied-billed Grebes, since that's the only kind I've seen in this area, but it's possible they might have been some other species.

My bird list for the trip topped out at 12 species:

• Gray Catbird
• Pied-billed(?) Grebe
• Laughing Gull
• Herring Gull
• Tricolored Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Northern Cardinal
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Osprey
• Boat-tailed Grackle
• Blue Jay

Until next time,

Happy birding!