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| Wildcat Creek |
This weekend, Ben and I decided to head south for a quick adventure of early spring migration birding, hiking, a bit of rock climbing, and our first camping of the year! The Red River Gorge in Kentucky is one of Ben's favorite climbing areas and the forest is beautiful so I always enjoy going. Before we left, I found a book of hikes in the region and picked one that was a decent distance and provided good habitat for the birds I wanted to see.
As soon as we arrived in the familiar area of the Red, we stopped for a restroom break. Immediately upon opening the car doors, we heard a Louisiana Waterthrush! Then a Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Northern Parula, and a Black-and-white Warbler! I forgot all about the restroom and walked along the edge parking lot bordering a wooded ravine. Two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fought over a branch just feet away from me as I listened to a Brown Thrasher singing away and even including an Eastern Bluebird chortle in his repertoire! In 15 minutes, I had added 5 new species to my year list!
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We finished the drive to the trailhead of our selected hike: The Swift Camp Creek--Wildcat Loop. The supposed 5.3 mile hike (which turned out to be 7 miles) led us through deciduous and pine forest, along rocky cliffs and into the ravine to a stream, over a 456 ft. elevation change. Warblers were abundant! I could hardly keep a count of the numbers of Black-throated Green Warblers, Black-and-white Warblers, and Northern Parulas we saw and heard along the way! After about a mile and a half of hiking, we found ourselves on a trail between a rocky wall and a ravine full of rhododendrons when Ben heard a Swainson's Warbler!
We waited and listened as he got closer, further away, then nearly beside us! He jumped out on a branch right in front of me and I got an exceptional look at him for maybe 3 full seconds before he was gone again, deep within the brush. We waited around to see if we could get another look but he seemed to be hiding for good.
Along the way, the wildflowers were fantastic! Red Trillium, Rue Anemone, Wild Blue Phlox, Halberd-leaf Yellow Violet, Wild Geranium, Dwarf Iris, and more! If I would have stopped to get photos of all of the beautiful and unique flowers we saw, it may have taken us twice as long to finish our hike! But some, I just couldn't resist! Here are a few of my favorites:
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| Red Trillium |
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| Foam Flower |
As we hiked on, several species of birds seemed curious and watched us from the edge of the trail. We had stellar looks at a Hooded Warbler, several Black-and-white Warblers and a Blue-headed Vireo! Around the 5th mile, we heard another Swainson's Warbler and this time we both got to see it!
We finished our hike before sunset and headed to Miguel's for dinner and to camp for the night. We ordered our favorite pizza with black beans, mango salsa, green peppers and spinach before selecting a spot to set up our tent. Along the way we heard Pickerel Frogs, a Bullfrog and quite a few Spring Peepers calling. Exhausted from the hike, I fell asleep quickly. At 6 AM, I awoke to a familiar and exciting sound. an Eastern Whip-poor-will calling from the dark skies above our tent! I tried to fall asleep again as the Chipping Sparrows, Northern Parulas, American Robins, White-throated Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Brown Thrashers all began to wake up around us.
Our plans for our second day in the gorge were a bit different than the first. While we were still hoping to see more migrant birds, our goal for the day was to get in some rock climbing! Ben is a skilled climber and really enjoys getting outdoors to climb. I, on the other hand, have a slight fear of heights, and get anxious while climbing. I still enjoy the hikes to the crags, the wildlife we see along the way, the peacefulness of the forest, and the view from the top! My favorite thing is to get to the top of a route and look down over the valley and hope to see a Turkey Vulture or a Black Vulture!
The weather for our weekend getaway was perfect and I felt rejuvenated and ready to start back into the work week. For me, hiking 7 miles and birding is much more relaxing than lounging around at home.
In all, we saw 13 new year birds on our trip! Broad-winged Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Hooded Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Ovenbird, Swainson's Warbler, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Yellow-throated Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, and White-eyed Vireo!
A few more pictures from the weekend:
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| My favorite wildflower: Wild Columbine |
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| Pleasing Fungus Beetle |
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| Red Eft |
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| After climbing! |
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| My lovely husband watching a Blue-headed Vireo on the Wildcat Trail |
As we hiked on, several species of birds seemed curious and watched us from the edge of the trail. We had stellar looks at a Hooded Warbler, several Black-and-white Warblers and a Blue-headed Vireo! Around the 5th mile, we heard another Swainson's Warbler and this time we both got to see it!
Our plans for our second day in the gorge were a bit different than the first. While we were still hoping to see more migrant birds, our goal for the day was to get in some rock climbing! Ben is a skilled climber and really enjoys getting outdoors to climb. I, on the other hand, have a slight fear of heights, and get anxious while climbing. I still enjoy the hikes to the crags, the wildlife we see along the way, the peacefulness of the forest, and the view from the top! My favorite thing is to get to the top of a route and look down over the valley and hope to see a Turkey Vulture or a Black Vulture!
