In August of 2018 one of my favorite local birding spots was devastated by extreme flooding. As I noted back then, “bridges were washed out, crushed or displaced by the strong current and crashing trees. Chunks of the asphalt trails fell apart and flowed downstream where they piled up.” The estimate was 2.5 million dollars in damage.
The area was mostly closed during spring bird migration season in 2019. And although temporary bridges were eventually constructed over the creek while the area underwent repair and restoration, I figured it would be a busy place in 2020 with so many people trying to find outdoor activities to do with their families. It’s a lovely place to hike or bike or take a stroll, so I avoided it.
Over the weekend my husband and I went there to check it out and it was still shocking to see so many open spaces where the hickories, oaks and other large trees used to be.
But even though it was a chilly 14 degrees outside, I counted lots of chickadees, juncos, woodpeckers and even a couple of ducks.
Despite fewer trees, I hope the migrating spring birds still consider this spot a good place to stop over and rest and refresh before heading further north to their nesting grounds for the summer.