Just Parkin' It

On one of the bird walks, a local told me about another good birding spot at a municipal park that is between Black Mountain and Asheville.  I had looked for it with no success, but finally found it yesterday.  It is beyond Warren Wilson College campus in the town of Swananoa, and really is a little jewel!  It has a nice .8 of a mile walking path around the lake, and part of it runs by a trout-stocked stream.  On this visit, I didn't see any unusual birds, but saw plenty of red-winged blackbirds, robins, song sparrows, and swifts.

I arrived late in the afternoon, and storms began to roll over the mountains just after I had done my "intentional" walking and started moseying to take photos.  So I had to cut my visit short, but hope to make it back at least once more before I leave the area.

View toward the mountains - basketball courts, baseball field, and parking to the left.  Stream runs alongside the lake to the right.

There weren't a lot of access points to the stream without risking poison ivy exposure, and I didn't have on long pants.  So this is just a peek through the bushes and trees.  I did see a great blue heron on the opposite bank while intentionally walking, but he wasn't there when I moseyed back.  I don't know why, but I had did not think I would be seeing herons inland.

Despite all sorts of "no swimming" signs, someone clearly has a great idea about enjoying the stream! 

Several mallard pairs were around the lake, and I am thankful no one was feeding them like happens in other places!  If you aren't sure why that's a problem, please see this link: http://wildlifecenter.org/news_events/news/problem-feeding-ducks And please find other ways to enjoy wildlife that do no harm. (End of rant)

Following are a few more photos from the park closest to my place - Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain.  People feeding waterfowl was a huge issue the last time I was there, and I had to resist the urge to be "educating" people.  Despite that....a few scenes of interest:

It was toward sunset - I had actually gone down there hoping to see the "super Moon".  With the cloud cover it was not to be.  But for a time the clouds were beautifully reflected in the lake.

Two wildflowers of the same type, different hue.  It would really help if I had a good wildflower identification guide!

I'm still thinking this is a Merganser, though it doesn't look exactly like the guide illustrations, and the books describe them as commonly being found in flocks.  I have only seen this solitary one, so I don't know if there is a mate, whether or not it can travel to find a mate, or if the mate is off somewhere else when I'm there.  It seems to be shy and certainly not drawn in by the people feeding the ducks.

When the light is low, I love seeing the little "trails" the ducks and geese leave behind as they travel through the  water.