DECEMBER 2015 (continued)
As it has been for months, the rain continued. The week preceding Christmas was pretty soggy and the Chattahoochee River was straining to handle the flow. Miles of the river saw levels top out at 15 feet above flood stage. All of Chattahoochee Bend State Park saw every inch of that high water.
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| At the boat ramp. River was rising rapidly, in only minutes after this photo everything was submerged. |
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| River rising up to meet the swing which usually sits twelve to fifteen feet above the river. |
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| The river crested and receded quickly but left a mess. Once the waters over-topped the boat ramp they freely flowed into the public use area, flooding the playground and picnic pavilions. |
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| At least six feet below the water is the River Trail and its bridges over multiple creek crossings that are now fused into one single river. |
Even with the nearly continuous rain we managed to squeeze in a Christmas tradition of a trip to see the lights that
Callaway Gardens puts out. They have miles of decorated roads with millions of lights. Actually there are two big decoration displays, the other being at Lake Lanier Islands north of Atlanta. When we lived in the suburbs north of the city that is the one we went to. But now that we are south of the city at the state park, Callaway Gardens was an easy choice.
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It took more than an hour to snake through the woods and see all the displays.
Plus, there was a Christmas Village where we enjoyed spending almost two more hours. |
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| An added bonus is that Callaway Gardens has a superb nature center that includes a multi-level butterfly house. |
FEBRUARY and MARCH
Back in October I posted about the return of a Bald Eagle. It has a nest (a huge nest) in a tree along the western edge of the park property and now it has been joined by another eagle. Evidently they are a mated pair as we now have two chicks in the nest. Hikers have reported seeing one or both adults fishing in the river and then dropping their catch in the nest where the chicks squawk and frantically eat, each afraid the other might be getting more.
I visit the nest tree when I can, usually just before sundown. It always looks the same - one bird is sitting in the crooks of some branches with its back to the nest and looking out in the direction of the river.
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Every visit to the nest tree is the same - always just one bird and
always sitting in this exact spot looking west to the river. |
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That is the nest, well, part of it, in the bottom, left corner.
Every so often I will catch a fleeting glimpse of a chick raising up and moving. |
