Definitely a Fowl Place

Tuesday May 21, 2013
Site 44 White Tail Ridge COE Campground
LaGrange, Georgia

 

 

Today I discover how spring has sprung here at Whitetail Ridge. 

 

The birds are out in numbers around our campsite.  They are such fun to watch.  They are apparently building nests as well as taking care of young depending on which bird.  

While I am sitting on the patio, I see  a swallow (I think) with a beak full of nesting material.  

 

 

Then several brown thrashers come with young ones hopping about.

 

 

 

Who is feeding whom here?

 

 

The morning slips away easily just watching the things going on in my own backyard.  

After lunch we see the goose family out paddling and it looks like a good idea so we put the kayaks in the water and follow them for a bit.

 

 

It is a blue sky puffy white cloud day.  Perfect!  We paddle out to the end of our spit.

 

You can see how flooded the water is. 

Good thing these are cypress trees.  They don’t mind being up to their waists in water.  Their green is just the color of spring.  It looks so  light and feathery and new.

 

 

 

 

We paddle around a lot of campsites on the fingers that jut into the lake.  The sites look even better from the water.  Some are in full sun and some in shade.  Something to suit everybody it seems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We paddle out to this island where we find a great blue heron nest with part of the family at home.

 

 

 

When I paddle around the island I find there are actually two nests in this tree.  A sort of mini rookery.

 

 

 

We go on around exploring more fingers and more coves.

 

 

 

Our site is in the middle of a finger rather than on the end so we are somewhat protected from heavy winds and from some of the motor noise from jet skis and boats.  Winnona is visible from both sides of the finger.  I see her from the back here.

 

 

 

 

 

The sun is beginning to wear us out so we head for the other side of our finger and some dinner. 

Yes the awning is really askew.   I sometimes leave it that when there is even a possibility of heavy rain so the water will easily run off away from the entry.

 

We are greeted by a mallard couple on our return.  Well not greeted as they hustled off when we approach in the boats.

 

We get out of the kayaks and pull them up on shore, walk up the steps and who shows up, the Goose Group.  Are they following us now??

 

 

 

After dinner we grab the kayaks and go back out on the water. 

 

This site with its docking spot makes that so easy to do.  There is a carpet of leaves on the shore so we don’t even have to put a tarp down to set the kayaks on while they wait for us.

The sun is low in the sky when we set out but the clouds are still beautiful. 

 

 

We paddle a different direction this time and find an osprey nest in one of the flooded trees in the lake.   Talk about tidy!  If that is a chick, it’s a mighty big one.

 

 

I look up in the sky and see a flock of white pelicans winging northward.  They turn and regroup and turn again.  What a beautiful sight.

 

 

 

  

 

After the speed boats finishing their evening zipping around and motoring, it is beautiful on the water.  Much calmer and a lot quieter.  I can’t think of one other place I’d rather be. 

 

 

 

 

I am hoping to break the string cloudy sunsets but it is not to be.

The sun slips between the clouds and the trees before disappearing.

 

 

 

There is some nice after glow and then another flock of white pelicans, or I suppose the same flock an hour or so later, flies overhead.   This is the perfect time to be out on the lake.  It is just gorgeous.  I hate to go in.

 

 

 

 

David takes the camera to get a shot of the moon above me just before we go in for the night.  She looked a lot bigger from where I sat than she does in this picture. 

Tomorrow is our last day in this sweet campsite but things will change here a lot over the memorial day week-end so I’m not too sad to be going.