May 23 - Lick Creek trail on the Hoosier Natl. Forest

I woke at 5:30 to the sounds of thunder.  A major system was moving just to the north of me, and it was raining hard, with Donder und Blitzen here in Paoli, Indiana.  I waited until about 10 a.m. to let the worst of the storm pass, did a quick eBird Checklist, then drove south to skirt the line of heavy weather.

Driving south of Highway 69, I saw a sign directing people to the Lick Creek trail on the Hoosier National Forest, so took the turn-off.

A bit of history for the area

It was sprinkling a bit, and this morning’s rain was dripping off the trees and undergrowth when I started on my walk.

The birds were beginning to feed after this morning’s thunder storm, and their chirps, chips, tweets, and trills frustrated me a bit.  Back home in Washington State, I do much of my birding “by ear”, as I am familiar with the birds’ quieter notes.  The deciduous forest here is pretty well leafed-out, making it more difficult to see the birds in the high branches, so I only identified half (or less?) of what I heard.

Some day, I'm going to figure out how to focus this darned camera . . . Kentucky Warbler

But, I got good views of many of the birds, and actually learned (or re-learned) the songs of several when the hidden songsters popped up on a branch.

Red-eyed Vireo

I’d made it up the trail, slowly, for about a mile and a quarter when I decided to turn around and move south a little further away from the unstable weather.  On the return trail, I jumped when what I thought was a mouse crossed the path just at my feet.  Then, it hopped up on a low limb and gave its trilling call.  I saw that it was a Worm-eating Warbler!  This handsome creature was a Life Bird for me (sorry, just had one not-too-good photo - it was moving ‘way too fast and keeping to the low cover).

Worm-eating Warbler - My ABA Life Bird No. 608

The eBird entry for Helmitheros vermivorum reads: “Drab warbler dressed in subtle shades of olive, brown, and buff. Note black and tan stripes on head and long, sharp bill. Pinkish legs.”  How Unflattering!  Its song was distinctive, and I recognized that I’d heard two other birds of this species this morning.

There were a few Prairie Warblers in the woods, as well

After spending 3 ½ hours in the woods, the sun was coming out and it was time to leave.

Spicebush Swallowtail

I continued south on State Highway 37, getting a feel for the rolling hills, farms and forest of south Indiana, finally crossing into Kentucky at Hawesville.  I followed the map on State Highway 69 toward South Carrollton and Central City, only to find that the road ended, as the paved State Highway terminated at Armstrong Coal Company's Equality Boot Mine!  So, I back-tracked and made it down to Interstate 69, which used to be called the Western Kentucky Parkway, but now appears to be called the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway, after a former Governor.

Ohio River at Leavenworth, Indiana

I took the turn on I-24 into Paducah, where I pulled into an America's Best Value Inn, which is clean, comfortable and relatively inexpensive.  I ate at the Rafferty’s, where a meal of their catfish platter and a beer cost about half of what I spent on the room . . . it was good, though.

Paoli, Indiana eBird Checklist is Here

Hoosier National Forest – Lick Creek trail eBird Checklist is Here