Monday, February 16, 2015

Blue Sky Bird Walk!



Today our weather is rainy and quite cold but this weekend was beautiful!  The high on Saturday was in the mid 50's.   There was a bird walk at Hard Labor Creek State Park on that day and since it is close to my Dad's, I decided to go by myself since Richard had to work.  Our walk was from 1:30 to 4PM and it was wonderful to be outside in the fresh air. It was quite windy and we might not have seen as many birds as usual because of this but the birds at the lake made up for it.




Our guide told us that the collective name for a group of water birds is a raft...so we saw a raft of double crested cormorants, he estimated about 130 of them!  Since Phil brought a powerful scope for our bird watching, we could see them in great detail.  Amazing sight!  The cormorants were mixed in with a group of ring billed gulls.  The sun shining upon the white gulls was dazzling!     Hey!  You want to know the other birds we saw on our walk?  You can see the list just here!
This weekend was The Great Backyard Bird Count and you find more info about it here. 


Before this walk, I went to my Dad's for a wonderful lunch.  Let's see, we had turnip greens, collard greens, cabbage from his garden,  roast beef with potatoes, carrots & onions,  macaroni & cheese, biscuits and onion cornbread, and a big pot of pinto beans and great Northern beans.  I needed a long bird walk after that meal! 

Best thing of all, after I finished the walk, I came back to my Dad's and was pleased to find him on his lawnmower and he was wearing the cap that I crocheted for him!  If only Richard could have been with me, he would have been thrilled to have seen all those cormorants!  And you know that I took Richard some left overs!  

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22 comments:

  1. Debra She Who SeeksFebruary 16, 2015 at 9:32 PM

    Nice crocheted cap! Looks jaunty.

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 6:10 AM

      Thanks! It was only a simple cap but I am pleased that my Dad likes it and wears it, and he wears it so well!

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  2. Mrs. MicawberFebruary 16, 2015 at 9:37 PM

    Wow, your dad must be some cook! All those greens sound so healthy. :)

    The bird walk must have been wonderful.

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 6:12 AM

      My Dad IS a good cook! And when he picks his greens from his garden, he looks EVERY leaf! You can bet that they are clean from any sand or grit!
      The bird walk was lovely. x

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  3. Emma SpringfieldFebruary 17, 2015 at 12:46 AM

    Did you have enough leftovers for me too. My mouth is watering.

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 6:14 AM

      Oh yes, plenty of leftovers! You would love my Dad's biscuits, everyone raves over them, they are so light and fluffy.
      And his onion cornbread! He cooks it at 500 degrees and the crust is very crispy, just right!

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  4. LibrarianFebruary 17, 2015 at 1:49 AM

    Reading the description of the fantastic meal you had at your Dad's made me get hungry - it was a mistake to read this before breakfast :-D
    The birdwalk sounds great, and I am pleased that you had such good weather, if a bit too windy. Such a shame Richard couldn't be with you. He often works Saturdays, doesn't he?

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 6:16 AM

      Wish I could mail you one of Daddy's biscuits, Meike, it is perfectly wonderful for breakfast! You would love them!
      Yes, Richard does work most Saturdays, and then, whenever he does have a day off, we laugh since that is when we will get the worst weather! Typical! :-)

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  5. Graham EdwardsFebruary 17, 2015 at 3:55 AM

    That was an impressive list of birds in your link Kay. As for the meal that sounds like the amount of food I would eat in a week.

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 6:21 AM

      We would have seen more birds than that had we been at Panola Mountain State Park. (Where our leader Phil used to work). He told us that they are working on a better habitat for birds at Hard Labor, but they are not there just yet.
      That might sound like a lot of food but my Dad never knows how many will show up for his great meals! And very often, he will ask his guests to take home leftovers, so you see, it is a good plan. Make great food and make enough to share! He and my step-mom keep containers just for this reason!

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  6. yayaFebruary 17, 2015 at 8:54 AM

    Looks like it was a fun weekend! Since being home on medical leave I've been doing more bird watching than I've ever done...it's fun to see the different varieties even though it's the dead of winter and bitter cold up here! I'm looking forward to being able to get out and walk when this nasty weather finally goes away! That meal sounded amazing! Your Dad sure can cook and I do love his hat! Have a good week and I hope the cold leaves you soon!

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 8:22 PM

      Oh, I do hope that you are healing! At least you are able to enjoy the birds outside your window! Maybe by Spring, you will be in your good walking form!
      YES! My Dad is a great cook! Hope the winter will be kinder to you and that Spring is on its way! x

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  7. Mac n' JanetFebruary 17, 2015 at 10:13 AM

    Thanks for stopping by my blog, I am a bit better today, but what a slog. Thanks for the walk, rainy here and my only outside visits have been to the doctor, could sure use some fresh air.

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 8:23 PM

      Oh bless you, I do hope you are improving. It is so tough to get over things sometimes. REST and take care of yourself!!

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  8. blueskyscotlandFebruary 17, 2015 at 7:21 PM

    That's a good bird list. I'm jealous of the vultures tick. Used to watch them climbing inside a dead horse over in Spain.Took a week for it to disappear. A lot of people don't like them but I was fascinated by the way they clean up anything dead as you don't get them in the UK.

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    1. Kay G.February 17, 2015 at 8:26 PM

      The vultures are amazing to see them riding the thermals way up in the sky! They are very important to nature, but most people don't see them that way.
      Most of those birds on that list? To be honest, I have seen them in my own backyard. I should do a post about it!

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  9. Amy at love made my homeFebruary 18, 2015 at 7:07 AM

    Well I never knew that collective noun! They are fascinating aren't they - the nouns and the birds of course!! xx

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    1. Kay G.February 19, 2015 at 5:08 PM

      Yes, I am afraid that I bit of a nutcase about language in general, people will ask me, "Are you a teacher or something?". Since I am not a teacher, I must be SOMETHING! HA!

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  10. stardustFebruary 18, 2015 at 9:44 AM

    Home-made dishes by your father and hand-made cap by you are priceless. And besides nice nature walk… what a lovely day you had! Thanks for your visit and a lovely comment.

    Yoko

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    1. Kay G.February 19, 2015 at 5:09 PM

      Thank you very much, Yoko!
      And I see that you have signed up to follow me! This has made my day, thank you. I love your blog and the flower, I think it is a lotus flower, is beautiful

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  11. LeeFebruary 18, 2015 at 9:14 PM

    I'm having roast beef and roasted vegetables for my lunch today. I'm about to throw it all in the oven...well, gently place it in the oven! :)

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    1. Kay G.February 19, 2015 at 5:10 PM

      Oh Lee, you are so funny! That roast beef with roasted veggies sounds so good. Wish I could have some! :-)

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