~Bald Eagle
Tag Archives: Fairview Riverside State Park
~Our Ride Today, 11/17/2015
To my RV friends…
If you are ever traveling down Highway 49 near Alexandria, Louisiana, consider stopping at River Cities RV Park in Boyce, LA. It is new, it is nice and clean, it is convenient. Notice the security gate in and out.
After leaving Boyce, Louisiana we traveled Highway 49 to I10 heading toward Madisonville, Louisiana (all interstate travel today) .
We crossed the Atchafalaya Basin, traveling on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. A little information about this unique area taken from the web.
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north through parts of eight parishes to the Morgan City area in the south. The Atchafalaya is unique among Louisiana basins because it has a growing delta system with nearly stable wetlands. The basin contains about 70% forest habitat and about 30% marsh and open water. It contains the largest contiguous block of forested wetlands remaining in the lower Mississippi River valley and the largest block of floodplain forest in the United States. Best known for its iconic cypress-tupelo swamps, at 260,000 acres, this block of forest represents the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal cypress in the US.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, also known as the Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge, is a pair of parallel bridges in the U.S. state of Louisiana between Baton Rouge and Lafayette which carries Interstate 10 over the Atchafalaya Basin. With a total length of 96,095 feet or 18.2 miles, it is the second-longest bridge in the US and fourteenth-longest in the world by total length.
A few photos, I took, out the window of the RV….
After exiting the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge we crossed the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We arrived this afternoon, under cloudy skies, at Fairview Riverside State Park in Madisonville, LA. We have enjoyed visiting this state park many times. Here is our site for the next three nights.
Howard and I enjoyed a late lunch today at a New Orleans style restaurant here in Madisonville. Howard had a Shrimp Po-Boy and I enjoyed what is called a Southern Thing, which includes green-fried tomatoes, shrimp and coleslaw with special sauce, all on french bread (a Po-Boy). Yummy!
What’s for lunch tomorrow?
~A Few Birds from Fairview Riverside State Park and #359~
A few more bird photos from Fairview Riverside State Park. And, number 359, a new sighting!
When I first spotted this beautiful little warbler, I though it was a new sighting; however, after checking my records I had seen it previously. It was truly a joy to get to watch this little bird for a few seconds.
Finally, a new bird – Yellow-throated Warbler. Number 359!
(backside)
(not good photos, but proof of sighting)
I enhanced the last two photos of the Yellow-throated; I tried to improve the photos highlighting the bird better. Of course the best shot is of its back-side!
It is always fun to take a walk, because you never know what you might see!
~With our nose pointing west….
With our nose pointing west….
We sadly leave family and friends in Mississippi and Louisiana….until next time our hearts remain with each of you.
Two weeks ago we visited our family in Purvis, Mississippi. We had a wonderful time and it was truly sad leaving them. They spoil us rotten while we are there.
We stay at my brother and sister-in-law’s farm. While there we also get to see my younger sister and many nieces, nephews, greats and great-greats! Love you guys and thanks for making us feel loved and welcome!
A few Mississippi photos:
(my brother loves to plant trees and blooming scrubs)
I saw twenty-three species, of bird this visit
A pair of Blue-winged Teals visiting the Back Pond
-back pond
Goodbye Mississippi, we’ll be back!
After our visit in Mississippi we drove to Madisonville, Louisiana and again stayed at Fairview Riverside State Park. We stay there, because it is close to friends, who also spoil us rotten! We had a great time and hope to see yawl soon. Love you guys!
I have been posting a few photos from Fairview Riverside State Park and I have a few more to share, including my new bird sightings!
One evening we had dinner with Howard’s brother and our sister-in-law, who drove from Hobe Sound, Florida to visit with SIL’s family in Metairie. Remember we spent time visiting with them and family in Hobe Sound. We will see all of you very soon, with all our love!
We all met at a restaurant in Covington, Louisiana. Howard and Bob’s childhood friend and his family jointed us for dinner and we had a very enjoyable time visiting.
One morning we drove the 22 mile causeway over Lake Pontchartrain traveling, as they say, from the north shore to the south shore to the city of Metairie, which is near New Orleans. We went to visit with our 82 year old cousin. Joy is her name and she is a joy to be around.
As you can see we had a busy time and again our visit has come to an end. This morning we pulled out of Fairview Riverside State Park and pointed our nose west!!!
Goodbye Madisonville, Louisiana, we’ll be back!
We are slowly making our way home to Colorado, stopping along the way where ever we want, to enjoy birding, hiking, sightseeing and some more good eats!
We are staying a few days in Duson, Louisiana (can you say the cajun pronunciation of Duson). While here we will visit a state park in Abbeville, Louisiana to see if we would like to stop there on future trips through this area. We really love the State Parks!
Tomorrow night we plan to eat dinner at a restaurant near Lafayette, while a cajun band plays their unique style of music!
We have not decided on a specific route home.
We don’t have any firm plans beyond this point, except to visit some of the national wildlife areas near Beaumont, Texas, hoping to see some migrating birds.
Which way, which way shall we go?
~Blue-headed Vireo-not~
zipping here and there
small flock, blue-headed vireos
lost hope, did not see
A small flock of Blue-headed vireos landed in Fairview Riveside State Park one day this past week. If I remember correctly, it was after heavy thunderstorms. Another birder, here in the park, was telling me about them.
This morning, while on a walk, we first heard and then saw a tiny bird flitting about. I was hoping it might be a Blue-headed Vireo, it wasn’t. The bird we saw and the one in the photo below is a White-eyed Vireo.
This is the only photo of the White-eyed, from this morning, that is worth showing and it isn’t good. If only it wasn’t such a small bird and only if it didn’t zip here and there so darn fast. [grins]
I have seen the Solitary and the White-eyed previously and it would have been nice to record, as a new bird, the Blue-headed. Maybe another time.
This info taken from wikipedia: The Blue-headed Vireo is a common and vocal bird of northeastern forests. Formerly lumped as a “Solitary Vireo” with the more western Plumbeous and Cassin’s vireos, it is now considered a separate species.
Fast forward several hours…..
We went for another walk this evening and we saw the White-eyed Vireo again! This time I managed to capture a few nice photos, which was fun and a challenge.
(Setting sun hitting the little guy just right)
Beautiful little bird
I believe, because the setting sun was highlighting this Vireo just right, the photo looks like it has been color enhanced, but it has not!
This info taken from All About Birds: The White-eyed Vireo is a small and secretive bird of shrubby areas of the eastern and southern United States, the White-eyed Vireo is more noticeable for its explosive song than its looks.
It was a fun walk for sure, not only because I managed to photograph the White-eyed again, but also because I added two, yes two, new birds to my Birding Life List.
More on them later!
Live in the Now
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