Davidson County

North Carolina county #18

Boone's Cave Park

Thursday morning, I went to Boone’s Cave Park.  The land in and around this park was mostly owned by Daniel Boone’s relatives and has a cave that was rumored to have been where he lived for a little while his family was building their house.

I didn’t get many photos of birds or otherwise.  It was mostly paths through the woods as you see above, which suited me fine.  I do enjoy walking through the woods, but it doesn’t make for amazing web photos.  There were a pretty good number of birds around for mid-February, and I am betting this is a nice spot in the warmer months as there is a significant diversity of terrains for a relatively small area (there are about 6 miles of trails in total).

I wish there was a map at the entrance or online.  I was unable to plan my trip very well and just took random paths as I went, but it worked out OK.  There are frequent signposts which is helpful, with such path names as Woodlands Path, Wetlands Path, Cottonwood Path, etc.

Eventually I happened upon the area of the cave which is on the Yadkin River.

Overall I saw 13 species of birds.  It’s not much but we are coming into one of the slowest times for birding in the Carolinas.  One of the really nice things about county listing while birding is that every common species is another tick.  It adds to the fun and I get a little excitement every time I see a Kinglet or Creeper.

I enjoyed Boone’s Cave Park and it is not very far from me so I could see visiting again in another season.  There are several trails I did not go on which could be interesting, including one that ran along the river, and one called Boone’s Peak Trail, which has signs warning it is not for children or the elderly.

ebird checklist