After a prolonged absence, my wife and I returned to Perry Phillips Lake early this morning. While "development" continues along the Park's rim, it was a pleasant visit, having completed our loop walk before heat became a factor.
Annual cicadas provided a background chorus while pockets of ironweed, trumpet vine and bright red wild plums added color to the verdant landscape. Following recent heavy rains, the lake was full for the first time this year though swallows and a lone great blue heron were the only birds to take advantage of its bounty. Birdlife was otherwise limited to common summer and permanent residents and, as is usually the case there, northern mockingbirds were most conspicuous.
While I have previously decried the development along the edge of the Park, this former farm lake and its adjacent woodlands, fields and wetlands continue to attract an interesting mix of wildlife. We'll keep visiting whenever we're in Columbia.
