Duke Farms (Northeast)



Northeast Duke Farms (7/7/2014)

We first hiked in this gorgeous place in late May. On that day we focused on trails south of the Orientation Center and in the southern part of the park north of Dukes Parkway West. Today, following a series of trails too complicated to list here, we focused on a bunch of trails in the northern-most part of the park. The park was nearly empty today. It was a total delight. My birthday was a couple of weeks ago and Laura got me an awesome pair of binoculars to enhance my growing hobby of birding. Armed with my Vanguard Endeavor ED Series, 10.5x45 binoculars, we strolled around the beautiful grounds in the 90 F heat. We finished just after 12 noon and ended up getting a grilled cheese, a veggie wrap and orzo salad in the café inside the Orientation Center called Mallery's Eatery. It was quite good!

Total distance hiked today was 4 miles in just under 3 hours.

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Orientation Center

A Red-Tailed Hawk...

...was perching...

...right above the road


See its red-tail?


Wildflowers abound

Dan on culvert [photo by Laura]

 

Stream under culvert

Laura below

Wildflowers and waterfall

Turtles sunbathing
 


Another pair


Bird blind [photo by Laura]

View through blind
 


Remains...

...of the old...

...Hay Barn

Turned into statue gallery
 



Farnese Bull Statue detail [photo by Laura]

Two Brown-Headed Cowbirds

Farnese Bull Statue
 




Bumblebee on Milkweed

View of greenhouse
 


Beautiful path

Greenhouse

Statues outside

[Photo by Laura]
 


Inside the greenhouse

Very old growth


 



View of greenhouses


 


Immature Eastern Bluebird

Meadow in front of greenhouse

Heading to...

...the Coach Barn
 


Coach Barn clock tower

Durham Bull Statue

Sign at crossroads

 


Now in the woods


Very fast White-breasted Nuthatch

 


Dragonfly Pond

RR Way & Oak Way intersection

Heading into gated Research Woods

Juvenile Finch?
 




Morning Glory

 



Old cabin and doghouse

[Photo by Laura]

Informative signs abound
 


Lichen

Chipping Sparrow

Blue Jay

[Photo by Laura]
 


Blue Jay

Views of...

...the Nursery

Back to the Hay Barn
 


Statue with flower



 

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