Jackson River Scenic Trail

In between thunderstorms, the Monday Morning Hikers walked a section of the trail from the Natural Well trailhead south to the bridge over Falling Spring Creek.

In a number of places, the trail is squeezed between cliffs and the river. The cliffs show how the rocks have been squeezed and deformed during the geologic process that created the "Valley and Ridge" physiographic province.

Ferns grow in the rock crevices.

A "concretion" embedded in the bluff.

I'm not sure if these radial lines are natural, or an artifact formed when the railroad blasted the rocks to create the railbed along the river.

Board Tree Run is a pretty mountain stream that crosses the trail just before flowing into the Jackson River.

We almost always see deer along the trail.

An Eastern Box Turtle on the trail. This one was particularly brightly colored.

Berries and Birds

The black cherry tree outside our kitchen window is full of ripe fruit, and all the birds know about it.

Cedar waxwings travel in flocks and are favorites at trees with berries. The bird at right is a juvenile.

A brown thrasher pulls at a cherry with its beak.

Another look at the brown thrasher.

Other visitors include a lot of robins (mostly juveniles), a catbird, and Carolina wrens. I'm sure there are others - most of the action is on the inaccessible back side of the tree.

Way back in 2014, I had a post about a black bear eating serviceberries in the next tree to the right, and trying to get to the unripe cherries: https://srollinson.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-large-black-visitor.html.

Hawks (most likely red-shouldered) don't eat berries (or cherries), but our game camera caught this one swooping by.