Along Rookery Road

Rookery Road winds along the eastern half of Lake Martin.  Mostly consisting of rock gravel, it's a dusty and bumpy  ride.  At least it's wide enough to park without blocking others from passing. My husband and I made several trips along this road in our pursuit to seek out birds and other wildlife in the area.  

Portions of the swamp near the southern end of the road are literally covered in duckweed which gives it a bright green, slimy appearance.  The duckweed dissipates and water hyacinth dominates the swamp near the northern end of Rookery Road.  

On my right side (heading north) I viewed some tropical appearing plants (I don't recall the botanical name of these green fan-shaped plants), beautiful yellow wildflowers growing alongside the road, several turtles warming up on logs, a unique camp house, an old wood-framed house (I like old houses), cows in a pasture of yellow wildflowers (signs of spring), squirrels and a variety of birds.

Among the birds we viewed- Red-winged Blackbird, Pied-billed Grebe, Barred Owl, Killdeer, Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.  

Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful, safe weekend!
Linked with Eileen for Saturday's Critters

White-Throated Sparrow

I adore the beautiful things of our earthly home.  Mountains, forests, lakes, the moon, flowers...and birds. I see them all as gifts.   Thank you, God for the wonderful creations you have given us to enjoy!

Just look at the natural beauty of this White-throated Sparrow...

The White-throated Sparrow breeds mostly in Canada but during winter they are known to migrate into the United States.  What I find interesting about them is that the White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned. The two forms are genetically determined, and they persist because individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite morph. Males of both color types prefer females with white stripes, but both kinds of females prefer tan-striped males. White-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped ones, and white-striped females may be able to outcompete their tan-striped sisters for tan-striped males.

Too bad they're not that common in my neck of the woods.  I had the fortune of watching this one for a little while as he nibbled on a few seeds near my front porch.  I was able to capture a few images of him on my digital camera.  That was the first, and last, time I've seen this species of Sparrow in my yard.   How unfortunate because he is such a beauty!  These birds have a pleasant song as well...

Video by The Music of Nature on YouTube