North Carolina county #65 Raven Rock State Park
In the afternoon my kids and I stopped at Raven Rock State Park in Harnett County.
It had already been a long day with hours of driving and walking and now the temperature was up to 95 degrees. We did the Raven Rock Loop Trail which is a little over 2 miles and a little bit hilly but the kids were troopers. My daughter was dragging a little bit especially since we left our water in the car and we were all drenched in sweat. I took some photos, but maybe I was distracted from the heat or children, because after I checked them I realized not one photo was of a bird on this birding trip! Oh well. I did get to see a Louisiana Waterthrush – it had been a few months – and a few other decent birds like Northern Parula, Acadian Flycatchers, and Eastern Wood-Pewees.
At one of the overlooks we had a very friendly butterfly that played with us for a while, landing on each of us in turn.

I am having trouble identifying this one, and will have to update the post after I figure it out. I want to say it is in the nymph family but I don’t know butterflies very well so am not sure.
At the far end of the loop there is a wooden staircase that goes a long way down to Raven Rock. There is apparently a place to swim in the river down there. I didn’t go down – I was tired enough at this point – but the kids ran down to check it out. I also saw several groups of people on the hike clearly headed for some swimming.
When we got back we were happy to find a water fountain and some bathrooms near the parking lot. We drank all the water in the car and refilled and drank it again before going to a gas station to buy lemonade. This was a memorable and fun day. I think the kids enjoyed themselves also.
My next trip won’t be until sometime late August and I plan to finish off the coast and get back into the swing of things for the fall. 35 counties to go!
ebird checklist
I happened to be in Harnett County for a family gathering three days after your visit. I was also at Raven Rock, adding a few species to my Harnett County list.
It is a really nice park, too bad I missed you. It is great running into another birder in the field. Although it was so hot that day I don’t think I would have been a great talker.
Hey Peter, your butterfly there is a Hackberry Emperor!
Thanks Martina! At least I got the family right. Now I can label the photo correctly.