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. 

Groups were 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.

2021 Sep 4, National Wildlife Hike at Joe Wheeler 10-11:30

 2021 Sep 4, National Wildlife Hike at Joe Wheeler 10-11:30

There were only three of us on the hike, including park ranger Sam Woodroof.

This was my first time hiking the Champion Trail.

Wheeler Lake 

We took the Champion trail, which begins at the West end of the Lodge parking lot. (1 mile; Elevation: 566.76 ft./628.17 ft.) We talked about vegetation, trees, & park reconstruction.

Purple Wildflowers

Purple berries 

2021 Sep 16, Paw Paw Patch Hike Joe Wheeler

 Our hike began at the Champion trail, which begins at the West end of the Lodge parking lot. (1 mile; Elevation: 566.76 ft./628.17 ft.)

Today at 10 AM, we went on a Paw Paw Patch hike led by Sam Woodruff.  A family of five, 2 girls and one boy, they lived and traveled in a fifth wheel and traveled all over the USA. He was ex-military. A woman from Florence got too hot while hiking. Everyone stopped hiking while Sam went to get a golf cart and take the woman to her car.  He made sure she was okay before leaving her. We then continued our hike. 

We saw many different wild mushrooms, wildlife flowers, and a couple of ripe pawpaws. The little redheaded boy found a rubber snake in a tree. Sam said he had put several along the trail on a previous hike for school children to find.

 

Sam identified several mushrooms and plants on the hike. 

Seeds from the Paw Paw Patch
One of the tastiest late-season rewards for hikers and wildlife alike is the pawpaw fruit, which begins to ripen in late summer and peaks in September and October. The flavor of pawpaw fruit is often compared to bananas but with hints of mango, vanilla, and citrus. The fruit has the ungainly appearance of a small green potato and may occur in clusters on the tree. Despite pawpaw’s prevalence in NCR forests, successfully foraging for its fruits can be a challenge. Pawpaw is self-incompatible, which means that pollen produced on a plant cannot pollinate flowers on the same plant. Instead, to produce fruit, a pawpaw flower must receive pollen from flowers on another tree, and sometimes, this “other tree” is farther away than it may appear at first glance! Although pawpaws frequently grow in clusters (think pawpaw patch), the trees in a patch are often genetically identical and connected underground by roots (and thus, in biological terms, are a single plant). Nonetheless, pawpaw’s pollinators (which include flies and beetles) inevitably pollinate some flowers, and fruit hunters may eventually find a tree with fruit. Opossums, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, and birds are all known to enjoy pawpaw and are likely to be closely watched for ripe fruits. Still, pawpaw fruit can often be found by closely surveying the ground underneath a fruiting tree.

Sam holding a couple of Paw Paws and
the little Red-headed boy who was a member of our hike 

Crab Apple Tree
The animals that eat crab apples are rabbits, squirrels, mice, voles, rats, foxes, deer, and insects. They also eat the seeds, buds, and leaves of this fruit. Crab apples are also used to attract birds, and they are also used to make bird feeders.

Shelve Mushrooms 

2021 Oct 15, National Mushroom Hike at Joe Wheeler

 Today at 10AM, I took a hike on the Jimmy Sims Birding Trail with a group of people led by Sam Woodroof, park ranger for Joe Wheeler. 

We saw Chanterelles, Jelly, Puffballs, and mushrooms. Mushrooms are flesh-fruiting bodies of fungi and a variety of species. 

Mushroom Hike 

Mushrooms

On the birding trail, we could hear a woodpecker but could never spot him. The trail ended at the overlook, but several of us walked a little further across a couple of creeks. It was a great day for hiking. 

We saw some blooming Indian Heliotrope, an annual hirsute plant that is a common weed in waste places and settled areas. Widely used in native medicines.

Indian Heliotrope

Once we got back to the boating dock area, everyone was disbursed. 

I walked down to the edge of the River at the docks, and that is where I saw a couple of gray herons, & a Muscovy duck.

Muscovy Duck 

2022 Jan 15, First Day Hike on Multi-Purpose Trail Wheeler Dam

Today, a group of hikers meets at JWSP Cabin Office (24921 Alabama Hwy 101) for a little over the 2-mile hike. We followed in our cars to the hiking spot "The Multi-purpose Hiking Trail" with park rangers Sam and David. The trail is between Wheeler Dam and Fishmans Resort camping and lodge. It is a scenic loop that runs along the Tennessee River and Big Nance Creek.

Bathhouse 

We saw several historic ruins of the 1930s, a bathhouse/restrooms. We saw a couple of overgrown Chimneys and Picnic Tables, once used by the people living here during the building of TVA's Wheeler Dam. We also saw a collapsed viewing area that overlooks the Tennessee River. The rangers said they hoped to get a grant to restore the viewing area. We stopped about midway for a group picture. (The ranger David took our picture with his cell phone and said he would email everyone a copy; I have not received mine yet)

This spot overlooking Big Nance Creek is where the group stopped for a picture. We saw several different kinds of hardwood trees, oak, and hickory. We saw a variety of wild mushrooms & berries that feed the animals that are in the park. We saw signs of deer in the soft mud and could hear the many different sounds of Alabama's songbirds.

Open Pit

We also saw a large open grill/pit used to cook outdoor meals for a large group, overgrown with a tree growing in the middle. It was a very overcast day with a chance of rain and snow. The hike began at noon and ended around 2:30 PM. It began to sprinkle as we were leaving. TVA is planning to build a powerhouse to feed the growing community. Hopefully, they will not destroy too much of the walking forest area.

Mushrooms on log 

Everyone received an "I hiked Alabama State Parks New Year's Day." The first-day hike scheduled for Jan 1, 2022, was canceled because of inclement weather. (High winds and threatening tornadoes) and rescheduled for Jan 15, 2022.

Group of hikers

A copy of the group was sent to everyone from Sam and David. We had three dogs, 10 people, plus two park rangers. (One not showing took the picture)

Hiking & Birding Trails in Alabama 🦉🦆🦅

Hiking with granddaughter along the Tennessee River near Wilson Dam TVA

Bird Site 8 along the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam 

Jimmy Sims Birding Trail Joe Wheeler State Park
The original idea of Joe Wheeler State Park employee and Naturalist Jim Sims, the birding trail is an easy 1/2 mile hike to the back of Weaver Creek. During the winter months when the water levels are lowered, the formed mud flat becomes a haven and feeding ground for migrant and local wading birds and waterfowl.
The trail was built in the summer of 2007 incorporating the Eagle Scout project of Joshua Gray, BSA Troop #52 Rogersville, Alabama, and Joe Wheeler State Park.
The trail is dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Sims and his love of outdoor Alabama.

Birding site #3 Joe Wheeler State Park 

Wild Flower Hike with grandkids

Shoals Creek Preserve Track hiking trail with grandkids
Shoals Creek Preserve Track
Nature Preserve and Recreation Area
This track was protected through the efforts of Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust, the Alabama State Lands of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with the assistance of the Lauderdale County Commission. The land is dedicated as the Billingsley-McClure Shoals Creek Preserve to provide Recreational Opportunities for all to enjoy.

Hiking on Bluff near Sheffield Water-tower.

Exploring the many animals along Deibert Park with Grandkids

Hiking in the Dismals with daughter and grandkids 

Hiking at TVA Rock-Pile

Bird Site 6  along the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam

Bird Site 7 along the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam

2010 March 27, Saturday, Grandkid discovering the Natural Resources of Florence

I took three of my grandchildren to the Hall Memorial Native Plant Garden at TVA.
Where we saw the Iris Crostata, Jacob's Ladder, Bloodroot, Solidago caesia, Sessile Leaf Bellwort, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Ohio Spiderwort, Wild Columbine, Purple Phacelia & others. 
The grandchildren listen patiently as Mr. Rose told them about all the wildflowers. 
We left the garden and went deeper into the woods to see more wildflowers. 
The grandkids love walking in the woods. I am sure some of the information stayed in their heads.

A group picture at the end of the hike. 

Walking deeper into the woods looking for wildflowers

The grandkids wanted to explore the cascading waterfall at TVA. As we were walking along the banks of the Tennessee River we saw many birds. We could see the TVA Dam,  the Marriott Hotel River Heritage Park, and The tower 380 Degrees Restaurant. 

Standing on the banks of the river

the backdrop of the Waterfall 

We stopped at Domino for a pizza and we took the pizza to Deibert Park. 

After we finished eating we walked the trail where we could learn more about our environment. We stopped at the pond to watch the turtles pop their heads up out of the water. 

Watching the turtles

Watching for the Turtles

We walked deeper into the woods where we saw signs that listed the different creatures, plants, and trees that we might see.

Some of the signs that we saw were: muskrat, loblolly pine, Rufous-sided Towhee, Caroline Wren, ticks, Great Blue Heron, black cherry tree, dogwood tree, bluebirds, sweet pepper bush, cardinal, gray squirrel, and many others. 

The grandkids discovered some of the metal art that was displayed in the park, to bring a bit of culture into the park. 

Discovering Art 

The grandkids enjoyed playing on the train, monkey bars, swings, horses, tire swing, and seesaw.

We stopped at my dad's to wish him a Happy Birthday. It had been a full day for all of us. 

Riding the train 

Swinging 

  

2010 February 27, Saturday, Hiking on TVA Trails

I parked the car near the TVA Power Station at Birding Site Number 8. 
Where my granddaughter and I began our hike. Before 911 there was a Visitor Center at TVA where visitors could come and see how our power system works. Most of the information is now located at Muscle Shoals Town Hall.

Birding Site 6

The first thing we saw was the TVA Dam and the cascading waterfall. The path was still coved with fallen leaves and most of the trees bare. The best time to hike is in the fall or winter because of snakes.

Walking to the Rock Pile

Walking on the trail 

Rock Pile Trail
Old First Quarters 1.8 miles
Follow White Blazes
A National Recreation Trail 

You are at the Rockpile Recreation
To the east is a scenic waterfall near Wilson Dam
To go to Wilson Dam via the trail follow the road up the hill a short way and turn left onto the stairs
To travel toward the Patton Island Bridge follow the old rail bed until you get to a hill with some cross-tie steps on the left. Follow the trail up those stairs.

We passed the rock pile and we walked along the rail bed up the steps to Patton Island Bridge. 

Following the rail bed

We walked past the Patton Island Bridge and continued up the hill. 
We walked until we reached a gravel road.

Walking on a gravel road

Walking on the sidewalk

We crossed the highway over to the sidewalk and walked back to the car. 
We stopped to read the signs that are posted in a shelter near the TVA Dam Power Station

Gulls Glorious Gulls

Birds of North Alabama 

Exploring the River 

After the long walk, we were hot, tired and hungry. I drove us across the TVA dam and we went to Cracker Barrel to eat lunch.
It was a nice day for hiking not too hot. We did not see any critters along our path. We did cross several bridges and walked up and down several hills. We had to watch our steps for fallen branches. 
I had a great time hiking in the woods on the TVA Trail with my granddaughter.