A foraging dark-eyed junco

In the lawn near the Pisgah Inn, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, there were juncos foraging on dandelion seeds.

We were tagging along on a birding preview, with our friend George Ellison, a well-known naturalist in this area, and his friend, Rick Perry, an amazing birding expert (and a retired local physician of long tenure).

We had fun trying to hear the birds that they did, and looked them up on our birding apps (iBird Pro is my favorite).

Amid a LOT of great birds, I actually enjoyed seeing these dark-eyed juncos eating dandelion seeds the most "blog" worthy.

A dark-eyed junco foraging on weed seeds

I don't see many juncos, as they're not normal feeder birds in our ravine, so it was fun to see them in a naturalized habitat off the parkway.

Of course, this image (from my iPhone on a rainy day) is quite sub-par -- but the real thing was fun to see.

Bear corn

Lots of bear corn!

Bear corn (Conopholis americana) is a parasitic plant that derives its nourishment from the roots of oak and beech trees.

On a recent hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway on the Mountains to Sea trail, there were large patches of bear corn in flower.  Striking!

Bear corn in flower

Lovely winter hikes

Even if the unseasonably warm weather seems odd for this time of the year, it made for some lovely winter hikes.

The views along Beaver Lake were fabulous yesterday.

Sycamores at Beaver Lake (along Merrimon Ave) in late afternoon

Today, along the Blue Ridge Parkway (walking a segment of the Mountains-to-Sea trail), the views were equally nice, complete with strange balmy air, more suitable to April than December.

View from the Mountains-to-Sea trail, below the intersection of Town Mountain Road and the BRP

Fungi, moss, and lichens

Woody was happy.  He was cooling off in a muddy spot.