NEW RIVER STATE PARK-NC

Last week, Glyn and I spent several days visiting West Jefferson, NC in Ashe County. This is an area northwest of Boone which I had never visited and I was excited to be able to explore the birding in nearby New River State Park. This is an area in the mountains where birding can be very different than in the flat, coastal plains area of eastern NC where we live. I was hoping to see a few warblers that hang out here all summer and only visit the coastal plain briefly in spring and fall migration. Because of rainy weather, and foggy conditions, I was only able to explore the trails in the park for about 2 hours on one morning. This was on the River Run trail which runs along the New River for about a mile and a half. Here, I saw many Indigo Buntings and Common Yellow throats, but no other warblers. This is a very beautiful area and I will return under better circumstances. If you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit to the park! See pictures below.

While in West Jefferson, our favorite dining spot was Boondocks.  It is a brewery and fine restaurant with inside and outdoor seating. Great food!! Interesting to see in the area were the two area Episcopal churches, St. Marys in West Jefferson and Holy Trinity in Glendale Springs. Each of these are home to art frescoes painted by Ben Long  after being trained in Italy in this technique. These two churches are a must see!! We also visited and observed cheese making in West Jefferson at the Ashe County Cheese Factory.  See pictures below.

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