The Little Nuthatch — north carolina
North Carolina Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway.
chipmunk dark-eyed junco moss and lichen mushrooms north carolina
My last full day in North Carolina we decided to do something exciting, at least exciting to us! My Mom and I went back to the Blue Ridge Parkway, through Craggy Gardens and up to Mount Mitchell. First we stopped a trail that said it had ruins from old buildings at the end where it meets up with the Mountain to Sea trail. The ruins were just one rock chimney as far as I could tell, although pretty cool! The trail was gorgeous, with a small waterfall right off the road, and the creek along most of the trail...
North Carolina Mountains Day 6.
flowers insects north carolina wild turkey
Day 6 in North Carolina was a stay in day. Well, not so much staying in! Luckily not going anywhere in North Carolina is pretty exciting with beautiful flowers, butterflies, interesting insects, and birds just out the front door, and a short-ish walk down to the river. Fancypants Wild Turkey
North Carolina, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary.
gray catbird house wren north carolina
Day 5 we went to Beaver Lake, specifically for the Bird Sanctuary but it was under construction! In a serious way that involved construction vehicles and trees crashing down! We did have a long walk around the lake and part of the sanctuary, and there were some shorebirds, Green Heron, Canada Geese, lots of Cedar Waxwings and Catbirds, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, an adorable bunch of Mallard ducklings, etc... but I didn't end up with really any good photos at all! Catbird Wild strawberries. Awesome nest! House Wren
North Carolina Mountains Day 4.
canada warbler dark-eyed junco indigo bunting north carolina
On the 4th day of my trip we went up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mount Pisgah, Graveyard Fields, and then down through Pisgah Forest. Stopping at several overlooks, birds could be heard everywhere but are nearing impossible to locate! I started feeling very discouraged about mountain birdwatching, the way the sound travels on the mountains the birds could be on another mountain for all I can tell! We spotted one person out there with a parabolic microphone to amplify faraway sounds. This is clearly a whole new world of birdwatching. One bird I did see everywhere were Indigo Buntings....
North Carolina Mountains Day 3.
flowers insects north carolina
Sorry for the delay, super busy unpacking and settling into my new apartment since I got home from my trip to NC. Here are some more photos from day 3 taken around the homestead.