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.
River Cities RV Park, Boyce, LA (Sie 20)The only building on the property, laundry, restroom/shoewer.River Cities RV Park, Boyce, LA
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….
Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya Basin
After exiting the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge we crossed the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Bridge over Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, LAPort of Baton Rouge, Mississippi River in the backgroundTug Boat on the Mississippi River
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.
Site 41, Fairview Riverside State Parl. Madisonville, LA
The Tchefuncte River is high, flowing into the state park.
Fairview Riverside State Park, Madisonville, LA
Beautiful old, Oak Tree
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!
Southern Thing from New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company
The Daily Post – Photo Challenge – Week of April 24, 2015 – “Motion.”
In Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado).Annie, running in the pasture (Mississippi).“This feels so good” Hot Rod rolling in the grass (Mississippi).Coming in for a landing (Florida).Fiesty Female Wild Turkey (Florida).Snowing (Colorado).“Come soar with me!” FloridaOsprey (Florida).Canada Goose, over the falls (Montana).
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!
Yellow-throated Warbler (backside)Yellow-throated Warbler (not good photos, but proof of sighting)
Very hard to photograph this little guy, because it was flitting around in the heavy foliage and zipping in and out of the moss.
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!
Great Egret on the hunt
Getting close
Closer
Snowy EgretYellow FeetTexas Two-Step
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pileated Woodpecker
High up in a tall Long Leaf Pine
Mourning Doves
It is always fun to take a walk, because you never know what you might 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]
White-eyed Vireo
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.
White-eyed Vireo (Setting sun hitting the little guy just right)White-eyed Vireo Beautiful little bird
Notice the white eye!
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.
A few more bird photos from Fairview Riverside State Park:
Great Egret“I see something”“Getting Close”“Got It”Loggerhead ShrikeLoggerhead ShrikeNorthern Mockingbird ~Going the Wrong Way~Hairy WoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerFly Away
This past Saturday we left Fairview Riverside State Park, one day early, and headed to Purvis, Mississippi. We are staying at my brother and sister-in-laws home on 160 beautiful acres. We left a day early in order to visit our nephew visiting from Texas. We are having a great time.
Wolf Song Blog 