2022 Jan 28-30, Focus on Nature Photo Weekend JWSP (3 days)

 Jan 28, Friday

Today, I am going on an adventure. 

My adventure began at River Heritage Park, a park that overlooks Wilson Dam, which is usually flooded with birds, but not today. 

I was not to be discouraged, I adventured across Wilson Dam to the overlook and Rockpile.

It was a bitterly cold day below freezing, and I could see literally 1,000s of pelicans, seagulls, and cormorants (snake birds) sitting on the rocks below the dam.  

There were a few that challenged the north wind foraging for food and a few white pelicans floating down the river. 

Nothing keeps the pelicans from floating down the river, even the turbulent water at Wheeler Dam.

Buttercups 

Rogersville Park is usually flooded with birds today, I saw buttercups reaching up with closed eyes. 

What adventure was waiting for me at Joe Wheeler Lodge? I am joining a group of fellow lovers of photography and nature. 

Tonight, there will be a Horsd’oeuvers of Cheese, crackers, and fruit as we mingle with others. 

There will be a signup sheet for the activities on Saturday.

Alabama weather this time of year is so unpredictable, from 19 in the mornings and 50s to 60s, sometimes 70s during the day. I am going to wait until tomorrow to decide what my next adventure will be. 

Jan 29, Saturday, 

With a good night's sleep and a light breakfast, I was ready for the day. 

We spent the morning listening to Rocky talk about the many facets of the camera and how to use them. 

Many, like myself, were still in a maze of confusion about the camera. We love the auto modes. 

Lunch consisted of a BLT with onion rings.

White Pelicans at Wheeler Dam

& with making new friends. 

At 1pm, everyone met upstairs to disperse into different groups.

One group was going to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur. 

Another group was going to Wheeler & Wilson Dams and other local sites nearby. 

The last group was going to watch a falconer release three Harris Hawks into the woods to hunt for food (small animals). 

It was cold but not bitter cold like yesterday, but we were bundled up. 

The groups dispersed in different directions. Ours was inside the Joe Wheeler State Park. 

Before the falconer released the Harris Hawks, he had anyone wearing fur or a colorful hat remove them. The birds may think they are small animals and attack, nor do they like bright colors. 

The birds were released for the hunt, and away we went, following them into the wooded area. 

They didn’t go too far into the woods, but they did stop to watch or even pose for us.

The hawks treed a squirrel, but the squirrel outfoxed them. No catch today for the Hawks. 

Our group walked down to the edge of the Lake near the cabins. We saw shells, fossils, wild mushrooms, and driftwood. 

We saw Spoonbill Ducks swimming in a nearby sewage area, they love the minnows that grow there. 

There was a Bald Eagle in the Day Use, and that was our next stop.

With the camera in hand, we slowly advanced up the hill, stopping for that next great shot.

Bald Eagle with his eyes on us. 

The eagle got wind of us and flew away.

At the lake, we saw a kingfisher, Canadian Geese, and a gray heron.

We sat down at the edge of the lake and watched the sunset. 

What a way to end our hike. 

Lake Wheeler, as the sun goes down
the ripples and different colors upon the lake. 

We enjoyed a seafood buffet as we sat around socializing. 

The falconer returned with one of his Harris Hawks with Q & A time.

Rocky finished the day with a slide show and several stories.

Harris Hawks 

What a wonderful way to make new friends with a keen interest in photos and nature.  

A shadow of friends 

2021 Mar 9, Day trip Oak Mountain State Park Pelham, Alabama

Today, we rode to Pelham via hwy 43 through Russellville, ending on I-22 going into Birmingham. We filled up with gas at Loves Gas in Jasper and took a restroom break. We traveled through Birmingham I-65 to Pelham. We stopped at the Interpretive Center and Treetop Nature Trail, where we saw a Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Shelby the Bald Eagle. Most of the Interpretative Center was closed for renovations. We also saw several hawks and owls in another area.

Bald Eagle 

owl 

As we were coming back inside the center, we met a Park Ranger with a Red Tail Hawk that was blind in one eye. We talked to her for several minutes and watched while she fed the hawk. She said that its food comes to them frozen, so they just thaw it out for them. She was returning the hawk back to its cage. We thanked her for taking the time to show us and tell us about the habits of the red-tail hawk.

Red-tail Hawk 

We began our journey back home we had not eaten any dinner, and both agreed that we would like to stop at O'Bryan's in Hartselle. I ordered a petite Sirloin steak with a sweet potato. Hubby ordered a Delmonico Steak, baked potato, and salad bar. After we ate, we took pictures of the Blues Brothers statue and other memorabilia at the steak house.

O'Brien's Hartselle

We stopped at Krogers in Hartselle and headed for home. We traveled from Hartselle to Decatur, taking Hwy 20 alt 72 to Wheeler Dam. The sun was going down as we were near home.

Sunset

We had a great day both wore out from all the traveling.

2019 Mar 2, Day Trip Wings to Soar Wheeler Wildlife Refuge & Senior Prom Pictures

I traveled across Wheeler Dam on Highway 101 heading toward Town Creek, but the road was out, so I turned around and traveled the road where the paper mill once stood. 

I arrived at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge a little after 10:00 a.m. I used the restroom and found a seat in the front row. 

I was there to see Wings to Soar rescued Birds of Prey.

I saw a couple of Owls, Gilbert, the falcon, a couple of eagles (Osceola, a 25-year-old eagle), and a pet turkey vulture named Cayce. 

Casey the Black Turkey Vulture, a human-imprinted, always steals the show. 

The birds of prey are sent flying out over the audience several times. If you are close enough, you can feel the wind from their wings as they fly over the audience.

The 11AM show was a packed house, and after the show, you could get your picture taken with the blue Merlin and Buddy, a fully grown Screech Owl.

I stopped at Aldi's in Athens and bought a few groceries.

1-2PM I stopped at the Library in Rogersville to listen to Mike Ezell talk about the many rivers and their tributary in Alabama. 

River basins of the Tennessee River, Coosa/Tallapoosa River, Sipsey/Warrior River, Tombigbee/Mobile River, Alabama/Cahaba River,  Chattahoochee River, Conecuh River, Chipola River, Yellow and Blackwater Rivers, Perdido River and Escatawpa Rivers

He also talked about the Highland Rim (where we live), the Cumberland Plateau, Piedmont Upland, and the East Gulf Coastal Plains (along the Fault line old shorelines of Alabama). 

He talked about TVA, Rogersville, Dams, the weather, climate, fish, and the game of Alabama. 

I got a call from my son asking if I would meet Charity and Nevada for prom pictures at Wilson Park at 3 p.m.

Traveled home, put away my groceries, and traveled into Florence, stopping at Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens to take pictures of the Pink Tulip Trees in full bloom. Our upcoming weather is predicted to be below freezing for the next week, and I knew the cold would kill all the blooms.

Made it to Wilson Park, and by this time, it was getting cold outside. 

I took several pictures, said goodbye, and traveled home. Hubby was bringing me a taco pizza from Taco Bell for supper.

By this time, I had a splitting sinus headache. 

Ate supper and went to bed. 

It had been a long day since I had traveled to Decatur, to Athens, back home to Florence, and back home. 

I left that morning before 9AM and did not arrive home until after 5PM. 

2019 Feb 25-26, 🚌 Adventures at Reelfoot Lake, & Paris, Tennessee

After being cooped indoors for weeks because of the rainy weather, Hubby and I decided to take a trip.
The Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers overflowed into nearby fields, roadways, and people's homes, causing people as well as animals to look for higher ground.
You could see the flooding for miles in Alabama and Tennessee.

It was the last week to take the bus tour to see Eagles nesting at the nearby Levee along the Mississippi River, so I booked two tickets for the trip.
It takes over three hours to drive to Tiptonville from our home, so I booked a cabin along the Reelfoot Lake at Sportsman Resort for one night.
The south area cabins of Reelfoot were flooded, so we stayed in the north area cabins.

We arrived in Paris around 11:30AM, stopped at Dinkins Mobile Homes, and walked through several homes.
One of the mobile homes was a woman busy cleaning, so we began talking. I think she was a widow with three grown sons and several grandchildren. She told us a story about taking three of her grandchildren on a trip to Fort Myers to visit family.
She said,  the grandkids kept saying, are we there yet, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.
She showed us where all the electrical lights were along the walkway.
We asked her about things to do in Paris, and she said Paris Landing, Tennessee Wildlife Refuge, and the Eiffel Tower.

First, we stopped at Effiel Tower Park to take a few pictures and use the restroom at about 12:45PM.
At 1:15PM, we ate lunch at a local restaurant, Southside Cafe, where hubby and I both ordered a catfish plate, which consisted of a baked potato, white beans, fillet catfish, cornbread, and a salad.

Catfish plate 

We traveled US Highway 79 to Paris Landing Park and saw the Big Sandy River, a man fishing, and flooded roads. 2:20PM
We backtracked to Paris Landing Visitor Center, where we saw four barn owls, & two bald eagles in cages outside.

While we were at Paris Landing Visitor Center, two park rangers from Reelfoot Lake put a recused Bald Eagle into one of the cages outside because the eagle's cage at Reelfoot Lake was flooded.

Bald Eagle at Paris Landing Visitor Center

Inside the Visitor Center, we saw turtle shells, coyotes, big cats, raccoons, and information pamphlets.
2:30PM-3:08PM.

We arrived at Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge at 3:35PM, and they closed at 4:00PM, so we did not have long to visit.
We walked through the museum and walked outside but did not see any animals or birds.

The sunset we saw while traveling from Paris to Tiptonville

We arrived at Sportsman Lodge after 6 p.m.
We stayed in a one-room Fishman cabin that was just enough room for a small table, futon, countertop stove, microwave, bed(with bed springs), satellite TV, and bathroom. If you want to ruff it, this is the way to go.

The neighborhood dog slept on the front porch in a chair. I'm not sure what kind of guard dog he was, for I never heard him bark. He sure was friendly.

We did not get much sleep because we could feel every movement the other person made, and the bedsprings made this screeching sound.

You could walk outside our cabin just a few feet, and there was Reelfoot Lake.
The sunrise was beautiful, overlooking the lake.

Sunrise over Reelfoot Lake 

We ate breakfast at Sonic in Tiptonville. I ordered Texas toast with sausage and cheese, and hubby ordered a hamburger and corndog.

We rode to historic downtown Tiptonville, where we saw the schools, cemetery, churches, and several historic markers,

Carl Perking boyhood cabin 

We stopped to take pictures of Carl Perkins's boyhood home.
We rode to Reelfoot Lake State Park Visitor Center, where we saw a live barn owl, rattlesnakes, copper head, and birds.  There were several displays and activities for children, and outside was a flooded walkway and owl cages.

Cypress Boardwalk and Scenic Crusie all flooded 

Barn Owl at Reelfoot Lake State Park

At 10AM, about 20 people loaded onto a school bus.
Our guide was a Park Ranger named Jerry Lewis, but I am not sure of his last name.
He said we are traveling along the Mississippi River levee to see bald eagles.
The levee road was above the water, with floodwaters on both sides.

The bus stopped one time, and we saw a couple of bald eagles nesting.
Almost everyone got off the bus to stretch their legs and view the eagles.

When the tour ended, we started at home.
We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Dyersburg for lunch.
Hubby ordered a roast beef plate. I ordered a kid's pinto beans, carrots, cornbread, and an onion plate.
We split a bowl of hot peach cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Scarlet Macaw 

We stopped at the five-mile drive-thru Safari Park Zoo in Alamo. We bought a bucket of food to feed the animals. You have to be careful feeding the animals, so I only feed the small deer.

When we finished the drive-thru, we parked and walked through the petting zoo.
We stopped at McDonald's in Savannah, Tennessee. Hubby ordered a hamburger and fries. I ate peanut butter crackers and a banana.

Flooding on the Tennessee River at Savannah, TN 

We arrived home around 8PM, both worn out from all the traveling and the sleepless night before.