2023 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Event

 Yesterday hubby and I went to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge which was an event with Joe Wheeler State Park. 

There we meet up with a group from Oak Mountain in Birmingham. 

There were groups coming from several other places.

There were so many cars that the park ranger had to direct traffic. Many parked along the side of the road and many parked across the highway. Next week is the big event for Wheeler Wildlife Refuge glad we went today. 

Hubby and I walked to the new observation building which is where we saw the five Whooping Cranes with my new scope.

We also saw thousands of Sandhill Cranes, Ducks, and geese. 

Cypress Trees 

Next, we took the Cypress Tree Trail which is a walkway across a wooden bridge and all around is filled with Cypress Trees.

We could loudly hear Blue Jay calling out to each other. We heard White-breasted Nuthatches (what we call upside-down birds). We heard Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, and Eastern Phoebe and we saw and heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

We walked to another observation station and didn't see any cranes but saw several Robins hopping around looking for food.

Hubby went back to the car and I walked to the two-story Observation building that offers a wonderful enclosed view of our winter surroundings.

View of Sandhill Cranes, Ducks, and Geese from the Observation building

That is where I met several members of a photo club from Gatlinburg. They said that they would have a booth set up at Gatlinburg's Wildlife Week and said to look for them if I went that week. 

I saw a small boy enjoying kicking and picking up gravel as his family walked to the Observation building.

Walked back to the car and we rode across the road to see more cranes.

We only saw a few but met several women from the Birmingham Area.

They were taking pictures. We did see a couple of white egrets.

Our next stop was a target to pick up a couple boxes of Skinny Popcorn. 

For lunch, we stopped at Whataburger where I ordered a #1 Hamburger with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, mustard, and pickles with fries.

It was an overcast day with rain hanging in the air.

Later that night hubby and I enjoyed dinner with my sisters and brother-in-law. After the meal, we girls played UNO and dominoes.

Had a wonderful day.

2022 Feb 1, Day trip to Lake Guntersville Birding Guntersville, AL

 Today we rode to Lake Guntersville stopping at Lake Guntersville Park on Sunset Drive. 

We stopped at McDonald's in Decatur for a couple of apple pies and drinks before heading to Guntersville. 

We sat down on a bench near the water's edge then I heard this pecking sound, I looked up and to my surprise, I saw a red-headed woodpecker pecking on a rotten tree. He flew from the rotten tree to a Sweetgum tree. I followed it from tree to tree. Then I spotted a sparrow scratching in the dirt for food when it saw me it flew up into the trees.

Red-headed Woodpecker 

Another of my favorite birds the downy woodpecker was aimlessly pecking away on a rotted stump. It was hard getting a picture because the downy was in a shadowed area. I did get a couple of good pictures.

Downy Woodpecker 

We also saw several Canada Geese, white and spotted ducks, and lots of white terns.

We could hear several fish crows above in the trees.  Also saw and heard several bluebirds. 

We rode to Marshall County Park where we saw several ducks and a great gray heron. We also saw a  marker of Major Paramoris Federal Bombardment of Guntersville. 

Major Paramores Federal Bombardment of Guntersville. 

The hill to the immediate left was the site of the 1862 shelling of Guntersville during the War Between the States.
On July 28, 1862, a Federal force under the command of Major J.W. Paramore placed two Parrots guns on the hill and shelled Guntersville from 7 a.mm to 6 p.m. Captain Cyrus Loomis' First Michigan Battery carried out the shelling, which sent more than one hundred of Guntersville's women and children to the ravine south of town for protection.
The rifled Parrots guns fired six-pound projectiles greater distances than older smooth-bore cannons and enabled the Yankees to reach across the Tennessee River. Trenches had to be dug to steady the Parrot's guns and they can still be seen on top of the hill.
Most of the shelling concentrated on cotton warehouses and boat construction facilities south of Henry Island now inundated. The Federals attempted to send an attractive force across the river but failed. 
As a result of the bombardment, several homes near the riverbank were burned and many other homes suffered damage from the shells, including the Nickels and Gilbreath residences. 

Fortunately, both these houses still stand today.
The Chattanooga Daily Rebel reported that the shelling resulted in only two deaths. One was the wife of military General Samuel King Rayburn.

We left Guntersville and rode to Hartselle, stopping at Krogers Grocery for some bottled Mountain Dews and other items. 

We ate a late lunch at O'Bryan's where I ordered a sirloin Steak with sweet potato and diet coke.

We came home by way of the old paper mill road where we saw a red-tail hawk.

We also stopped at Wheeler Dam where we saw several American White Pelicans floating down the Tennessee River. We also saw a couple of Gray herons flying overhead. 

American White Pelicans 

It was a great day for birding.