Out Playground parking area > Tasajilla Flats > Nature Loop > park road to Isabel Harte > service road (NW) > Lanky Lackey > Suzanne's Trail > Winding Snake (N 20 meters) > Burkett park 4.8 miles
Return Burkett park > Winding Snake > Chaparral > Playground parking area 3.1 miles
Temp started at 70, ended at 82. Sunny, light breeze.
Easy hike along dry, easy to traverse, familiar trails as well as a walk along an old service road. Lots of birds out today - saw four nighthawks hunting, three Vermillion Flycatchers and a Yellow Billed Cuckoo (first I've seen in a year or more) in addition to all the other usual birds. Also saw a couple of cottontail rabbits and some small lizards - no snakes spotted this time!
The heavy rainfall we experienced last week helped "green up" the park and got a few more cactus flowers to bloom. Don't know why but the first wave of cactus blooms were almost all a solid yellow color; today, there were numerous blooms that were orange-ish with distinct red highlights. Saw quite a few yellow flowers and some patches of Mexican Hat flowers. The bee brush is blooming in numerous spots and their vanilla scent was present for most of the hike.
NOTES
Water, shade, info kiosk and toilets available at Playground parking area.
Water, shade, info kiosk and dry toilets available at Burkett park.