And besides, the long hike through woods and wetlands worked up some warmth. We saw massive cypress trees, tupelos, and loblolly pines, along with holly trees 30 and 40 feet tall. We lost track of how many pileated woodpeckers we saw, including two pecking at opposite ends of one branch, and we saw many ruby-crowned kinglets flitting through the undergrowth. A black-and-white warbler showed off its elegant stripes on a tree alongside the trail.
What would these woods look like in spring? I've wanted to visit Congaree for years, and now that I've seen it in the depth of winter, I'd like to come back in warmer weather--with the canoe.
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| A very invited 2.4-mile boardwalk through woods and wetland |
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| Look for two pileated woodpeckers on one branch |
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| Ruby-crowned kinglet. |
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| Hairy or downy woodpecker? |
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| I do love a swamp |
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| Lots of old-growth trees |
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| Black-and-white warbler |
2 comments:
Cool pictures! I think you've got a downy there. In the absence of something to compare for size, you can look at the beak in comparison to the head. Hairy beaks are about the same length as their heads. Downy beaks are shorter, less robust looking.
Also the books always say that Downys have slight dark barring on the outer (white) tail feathers. I can never quite convince myself that I've seen that.
I can't tell a downy from a hairy unless they're sitting right next to each other, and how often is that going to happen? But thanks for the help.
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