Red-Eyed Vireo

All posts tagged Red-Eyed Vireo

A Beautiful Mosaic of Spring Emerges From May Showers

Posted by Lee Hiller on May 27, 2014
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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I relinquish the burden of the past to step lightly toward my future. ~ Lee Hiller

May showers arrive as waves of thunderstorms barreling out of Texas and Kansas into Arkansas.  After each passing storm the ground cover thickens and new Wildflowers appear as others multiple across the Forest floor.  A lovely Mourning Dove walks us down the trail as a Male Cardinal and Red-Eyed Vireo serenade. Each colorful Wildflower becomes a tile in an always changing Spring Mosaic.

Another line of thunderstorms are heading our way and I wonder what new life the rain will bring forth. Nature patiently teaches us the beauty of change.  Nothing can stay the same, nor would we want and unchanging landscape to greet us each day.  Her subtle shifts between each season soften our Hearts to the unpredictability of life.

Love to ALL!
Lee

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Fire Alert, Sparrows, Thrashers and Vireos

Posted by Lee Hiller on June 25, 2012
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

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Love resonates lightly across the Forest as Nature reveals her Heart. ~ Lee Hiller

Pretty birds sent us off into the hot humid Forest and were there to greet us on our return.  I am so thankful for their strength and beauty…

During the extreme heat I have formed a new appreciation for the words “North Face”, on the park trails it translates into comforting coolness.  Bird song echoes softly in the high canopy of the shaded side of the mountains.  The last bastion of  relief the leaves flicker on the light breezes along the trail.  Even on the hottest days it is hard to stay away from the Forest.

It feels like late August in the Forest. The under growth is already receding and the usually abundant wildflowers are a rare sight.  Today the state is issuing a wildfire alert as we head into ten days of 100+ temperatures.  So I am implementing my personal don’t hike in when you don’t know an alternate way out rule.

Please do not smoke in Arkansas Forests the fire risk is VERY HIGH
because we are struggling through drought conditions.

Near the free flowing water fountain at the edge of the Forest I smell Deer musk. It appears they cannot resist the lure of fresh water.  Please consider leaving a fresh bucket of water each day in your yard or on a balcony to help the wildlife.

Love to ALL!
Lee

Hiking On West Mountain A Day Of Discovery and Firsts

Posted by Lee Hiller on August 29, 2011
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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As each moment unfurls I loose myself in the wonder of it’s creation for it will never exist again. ~ Lee Hiller-London

It was the First Time…
my Beloved Husband Rick has hiked on West Mountain (only took a few years 😉 ).
Jack (Nightmare Before Christmas) appeared in a window on my way to hike.
I have seen or photographed a Box Turtle on West Mountain (tiniest one I have spotted in Hot Springs National Park).
I photographed or spotted Asiatic Dayflowers on West Mountain and along the sidewalk on Central Avenue.
I have seen Butterfly Peas in clusters and not as a single bloom (they were on every trail we hiked on West Mountain).

Savor the joy of discovery, see new things in places often traveled. I treasure each photograph, it is a memory of a point in time that will never occur again.

Love to You ALL!
Lee

Hot Weather Hiking Tips Plus Hummingbird Moth, Skipper, Butterfly and Birds

Posted by Lee Hiller on July 21, 2011
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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The heat wave continues to flow across the south and even the earliest morning hike resembles a sauna.  As I head along Central Ave to the West Mountain Trail access House Sparrow chicks are peering at me from between the metal spears of an iron fence. They are so cheeky looking with the splashes of yellow on the sides of their still forming beaks.  I am sure they think I should head back home instead of hiking in the heat… so I decided to devote this blog text to some important hiking tips during the heat wave that is crossing the USA.

  • First thing to remember if you are thirsty you have waited to long to take a drink, drink before you think/feel the need for fluids. Take a drink every 10 or 15 minutes, more often as the temperature climbs. You can loose up to a liter of water every hour from sweating.
  • Mix electrolyte powered into your water or bring Gatorade. Alternate with your plain water.
  • Hike in the cooler shaded mountains rather than in the valleys where heat is trapped and there is often no shade.
  • Wear clothing that will wick the sweat away from your body and keep you cooler.
  • Powder your body to avoid chaffing and tend to blisters immediately.
  • Bring something to help repel insects (heat means deer ticks and Lyme disease), heat can accelerate the venom in stings and bites.
  • Bring more water than you think you will need, especially if you are venturing out on trails that are new to you.
  • Make sure you have a first aid kit.
  • Bring a dried fruit nut mix for protein and energy

Extreme heat it never a good time to test your hiking limits,  plan to take more time than you would on a mild day.  Please drink, drink, drink and then drink some more water. Sweat is your cooling system, more water equals more sweat.  One more thing avoid hiking when both heat and humidity are high, knowing when not to go hiking is just as important.

Love to ALL!
Lee

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Summer at the Fordyce Ricks Pond and Gulpha Creek

Posted by Lee Hiller on June 30, 2011
Posted in: Desoto Park, Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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My beloved Rick is off for the morning getting therapy for his ankles at the wonderful Levi Hospital.  He is much stronger and I am thankful for the expert medical care they provide.

I went to Ricks Pond in Hot Springs National Park expecting to see water fowl.  Sadly there were no ducks, swans or geese were in residence.  The Hawks, Herons and Kingfishers I saw in the winter months were nowhere in sight either.  Although the sunrise is spectacular and everything looks beautiful I felt a lonely in the silence.  The smooth surface of the water is broken by a fish seeking the many moving insects hovering above the pond.  I miss the Hawks and Kingfishers teasing me with their loud calls and staying just out of lens range.

As the sun crests the Pines a light mist is traveling through Tree tops and all is sill quiet.  With the sun at my back the still water of the pond reflects the beautiful summer greenery.  It is in stark contrast to the bare winter Trees this past winter.  New Trail, Ricks Pond, Colorful Fungi and Birds

I hike into the Forest along the sunset trail and in the distance a lovely song is filling the air.  Further along the path I see to tiny birds flitting between small Trees and Bushes.  They are a pair of young Red-Eyed Vireos, the first I had seen in the park.  Although I could hear rustling in the distance I was never able to see the source of the many cracking sounds paralleling my movements along the trail.

As I left the pond I decided to pay my respects at the wonderful Purple Heart Peace Memorial located in DeSoto Park.  The parks gardeners were replanting the Purple Heart shaped flowerbed, I will have to come back in a few days to see it’s beauty.  Sadly as I was leaving the park I noticed oil had been recently dumped into the Gulpha Creek

At the Gulpha Gorge Campground I noticed the creek is extremely low and several gravel islands have formed.  Taking into consideration the heavy rain the day before this was surprise.  A lovely Blue Jay lands in a Tree above me, unlike those found on the west side of Hot Springs Mountain this one has both aqua and royal blue feathers.  As I turned I noticed a Squirrel standing and observing my photographic endeavors.  A beautiful butterfly landed at my feet when I began to unlock my van, a perfect end to a beautiful summer morning.

Love to You ALL!
Lee