Turkey Trot

This weekend, I had an amazing 67-mile bike ride past Benbrook Lake and back. While on the Trinity Trails I kept thinking how thankful I was for such a long-paved route that allowed me to use my road bike and stay in nature. I prefer to start on the trail by HG Supply, and I get off briefly at Trinity Trails Southwest 183 Trailhead. This is my least favorite part of the trinity because it doesn't feel like you are actually experiencing nature. That being said, the sun rise over the river is consistently impressive. Once I get off the trailhead, I briefly ride on a main road then join back on the trail. My ride from this point on is really great. I particularly enjoy the windy trail and all the native Texas plants alongside the trail.  

Something I noticed was the increase in developments along this route. When I reached Bear Creek, I noticed new developments and construction that I had not noticed when I did this ride in September. In terms of nature, I made a lot of observations. First, I saw a flock (rafter?) of wild turkeys. I was super pumped about this because I saw them in September and was hoping to encounter them again. Secondly, I noticed that nearly every sign and post by Benbrook Lake had a bird house on it. This led me to start noticing the birds in my environment. I saw quite a few vultures, but I cannot remember if they were Turkey or Black vultures. I also noticed quite a few birds of prey circling above me. While I could not figure out their specific species due to distance, I concluded they were birds of prey due to their behaviors. Lastly, I noticed so many Cardinals. I am not sure if this was a Baader–Meinhof phenomenon (frequency illusion) or if there were just a surplus. I point this out because I see them all the time. When I started seeing Cardinals, I tried to look for Blue Jays, but I did not see a single one. 

I finished my weekend by walking my friend's dogs at the South z Boaz park. During our walk, I headed down to the creek bed to do some fossil hunting. While some rocks were promising, I was unfortunately unsuccessful. I noticed a lot of grass lying flat a few feet above the current water level which caused me to admire how much this creek fluctuates in water level.