Salado Creek Greenway, Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead, South

For today's adventure, we begin at the Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead and walk south towards Loop 410. As can be seen in the photos, this section of the trail consists primarily of old growth forest with large oak, elm, and pecan along with many other types of trees. For the first half mile or so, the trail is opposite the creek from a very high cliff typical of the hill country.

The birds were numerous. However, other than a surprising number of cardinals that were a bit more amenable to being photographed than I have previously experienced, the other birds managed to stay mostly out of sight. Their presence was made known by their songs echoing off the cliff. A red shoulder hawk could be heard high up in a large live oak, but it did not take flight staying well hidden in the dense foliage. What appears to be a black dot in the sky of one of the photos, when magnified, is actually a bird. It appears to have the wing conformation of a swift, but it is difficult to tell for certain.

The photos tell the rest of the story:

If things go as planned, Friday's walk will be on the Lady Bird Johnson trailhead walking west toward Wetmore Road. This is a very different section of the greenway than the previous entries. I am uncertain about the photographic possibilities, but am certain I will have something to show. Hopefully, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Tomorrow's post will be Part 2 of the Brackenridge Park walk last Friday.