Sulphur, LA
When we arrived in southwest Louisiana, just a few miles from the Texas border, it was sunny with temperatures approaching 80 degrees (sorry, friends in the northeast). The name of this place makes most RVers cringe but it is a very nice suburban park with many pull throughs and all sites are level concrete slabs. We got setup in our pull through site, put out the awnings and sat down for our new tradition of having a beer after our traveling for the day is over. The weather prompted us to have grilled chicken for dinner. Even though it was dark by the time we wanted to cook and eat, the LED lights on the awnings provided more than enough illumination to enjoy the warm weather while it lasted. The next two days were still projected to be sunny but temps more in the low 60’s.
It turns out that this RV park is on the road that forms the western branch of the Creole Nature Trail, one of 43 scenic byways designated as an All-American Road. I have no idea where the other 42 are but maybe someday we’ll check those out as well. We spent Monday driving down the trail and stopping at a couple of wildlife hikes where we were able to photograph birds and a couple of turtles. No alligators this time but that was a possibility. This one bird that we took several pictures of still remains unidentified but it does appear to be in the warbler family. We just can’t seem to match up all the color schemes to anything in our references. The greenish head and brown back coupled with the black and white wings and tail should make it easy to identify. Leave a comment if you think you know what it is.
For Tuesday we decided to forego traveling the east side of the Creole Nature Trail and instead visited Sam Houston Jones State Park. The park was a short drive away and had some nice hiking trails through the woods and along the river. Wildlife photography opportunities were much fewer here but we did manage to see and photograph a pileated woodpecker. Not the greatest shot but it is good enough for identification. These are one of Dan’s favorite birds.
It’s hard to believe it’s already been two months since we left work for the final time. We’re starting to get the hang of the new lifestyle but still have a lot to learn. We have managed to follow the advice of many full-timers and only travel about 200 miles when moving from place to place. So far we’ve pretty much pulled out of one place before 10:00 AM and have arrived at our destination between 2:00 and 3:00 PM. This makes for a manageable travel day.
80 degrees out. Yes, those temperatures are but a memory for us right now. Currently 19 degrees out.
I sent the picture of the mystery bird to a bird loving, family member who lives outside Atlanta. We’ll see if she can identify it.
It sounds like you are establishing your routine. I like it. Travel, park, crack a beer. 🙂
Looks like the winter phase of a goldfinch.
Jim’s cousin’s wife (my bird expert) also said the mystery bird was a goldfinch in it’s winter plumage.
If Greg is right, does he get a prize? All the years we worked together and I never knew he was a “birder”!
Miss you, Jane.
I would have to agree with Greg and Jim’s cousin’s wife. I have seen and photographed plenty of goldfinches in the summers of western NY. This is the first time I’ve seen one in the winter months. I didn’t know they changed so much. I think I prefer the bright yellow of summer.
I guessed goldfinch right away. I remember the first time I saw them in winter plumage…had no idea what they were but oh, the joy of seeing them change in the spring when the bright yellow feathers start to appear! I get them regularly at the niger seed feeders. I know, I’m way behind on reading your blog but I think I’m caught up now.
Thank you for sharing all the adventures, techno-babble, photos etc. 😁.
Are you going to check out the Mark Rothko chapel in Houston?