Oak Pond

Sorry about the lack of action here. The cold days are too depressing and the warm days too busy to sit down at the keyboard and say much.

However, we have gotten out birding here and there. Found a nifty little beaver dam in a place called Oak Pond, in the Charleston State Forest. It was a short hike on a path lined with the blue plant from a couple of days ago, which has been thankfully identified as Veronica or Speedwell.

At the pond itself there was evidence of  serious partying, with piles of glass shards from whiskey bottles that had been smashed on tree stumps. I shudder to think of meeting the perpetrators on the road after the party.

The dam itself was brimming to the very edge after all the recent rain. There was a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers right near us, which was pretty cool. We twisted down a couple of short paths looking for a vantage over the water to see what was out there....

And then I happened to glance down. I was up to my (bare, as I live in shorts when possible) ankles in poison ivy.

Yippy Skippy. 

We cut short our morning and hurried home to wash with plenty of soap and throw all the clothes in the laundry.

Must have got it in time, because no blisters resulted, but I guess we will cross that location off the list. Too bad...it was kind of pretty and I think on a better day...it was quite nasty as usual...we might have seen some good warblers. There sure was a loud Ovenbird crying teacher, teacher right next to the path.