Mt Fir Park

We went birding this morning at Mt. Fir Park in Independence, and once again we were reminded that there is so much more about bird watching than just the birds. To begin with it takes place in the great outdoors amid the wonders of nature. We like to concentrate on city, county and state parks. On this trip we started from the parking lot off of F Street between 7th and 8th. From there we took the trail along the South Fork of Ash Creek.  With the recent rains I was hoping for good water levels in Ash Creek that would be bringing in some waterfowl. This was not the case, but we did notice two nice beaver dams. Next as we walked along the creek we noticed fresh chewed marks on the willow trees. At first, we thought about beavers, but the marks seemed a little too high, and I realized that beavers typically chew off a whole limb or tree and drag into the water where it is stored, then chew off the bark. As we approached the second beaver dam, we came upon a pair of Blacktail Deer. Suddenly we had an answer to the marks on the willows, the male deer use the willows to scrape off the velvet from his antlers. and there he was with polished antlers. I continue to be amazed at what there is learn from nature by simple observation. Here is our eBird Checklist for our mourning.