Saturday Morning Nature Hike-Part 2

The first thing I noticed after crossing into the woods was the amount of plants now growing. The trillium flowers were almost done blooming, but they had been replaced by lots of violets (both purple and yellow), May apples, and the Jack-in-the-Pulpits. I kept my eyes peeled for some Lady Slippers, but never saw any.

I also saw plenty of ferns, Solomon's Seal, and lots of gooseberry bushes with plenty of little berries just starting.
I walked around the perimeter fenceline just because I wanted to keep watching for warblers at the forest edge. I was lucky enough to spot a Common Yellowthroat skulking around in some shrubs low to the ground. I was also watching the forest floor also, just in case there might be a little deer fawn hiding somewhere. No fawns spotted, but I did spot this remnant of a deer jaw lying under a fence.

At the east edge of the forest, it opens up into a big pasture, with a couple different groves of trees. This is the pasture where the cattle spend the summer. I didn't see any cattle this morning, but saw plenty of fresh "cowpies," so I had to watch my step out here.

While I was walking in the pasture, I heard this bird singing from the trees, and there was another one singing from farther back in the pasture. I was never able to get a visual on this bird. Can any of you identify this bird by its song? Could it be a Baltimore Oriole?

I headed back into the woods to start for home. As I got into the woods, I startled a big fat raccoon. I was pretty surprised to see him scurrying away--they're usually asleep at this time of day.

I also had the pleasure of spotting several busy little American Redstarts flitting about in the high branches. I managed to capture a few seconds of video of one of these Redstarts. Isn't it neat the way they flare their tails so you can see those bright orange patches?

I was still hearing plenty of birds singing, including the Gray Catbird, House Wren, and Great Crested Flycatcher. As I headed out on the road to home, I spotted this bird across the way. I couldn't get a very good picture, but I'm pretty sure it's the Great Crested Flycatcher.

I was disappointed that I never saw any Wild Turkeys......there used to be a small flock in our neighborhood that has disappeared without explanation. The only evidence I saw of a turkey was this feather ground into the dirt of the road being constructed.

Well, that's the end of my hike. I'm sure glad you were all able to take this virtual hike with me. I especially want to dedicate this post to my mom and all the other folks with physical limitations that make a hike like this difficult or even impossible. As I was hiking, I realized how truly fortunate I am to have the opportunity to just go out and walk without any difficulty, and also to never take my physical abilities for granted.