William L. Finley Wildlife Refuge, Cabell Marsh and Woodpecker Trails ~ Photo Blog

robyneggs (66)in #photography • 7 years ago

Seasonal Pond located on the Woodpecker Trail

Nestled in the fertile Willamette Valley

The refuge is one of my new favorite places to visit. Open dawn-to-dusk, from April 1 to October 31, Finley has designated hunting and hiking zones for a wide variety of day use. It closes down (mostly) in the Winter to protect the Dusky Canada Geese that migrate there.

Wildlife and nature photography is encouraged on the refuge. Permits are required for hunting and fishing.

There are multiple hiking trails

Lots of hiking in between the marsh, meadow and forested areas. No wonder the elk love it so much. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Trail Descriptions

The Homer Campbell Trail

Trailhead is east of the historical Fiechter House.

Circa 1855, the pioneer-style home is said to be one of the oldest buildings in Benton County.

This is a great trail to catch both sun and shade. And of course, wildlife. The shaded boardwalk takes you from the gravel parking lot to Cabell Marsh. The reservoir is banked by a raised gravel road and storm drains, to control overflow. To the right of the panorama below is a dedicated wildlife viewing blind aka gazebo and seating area, which connects the Boardwalk to the marsh.

1490 × 330 Cabell Marsh Panorama

The trail wraps around to connect at a crossroads with the Beaver Pond, Cattail Pond, Mill Hill and Pigeon Butte trails. An alternate start of the trail begins at the Fiechter House and heads east to the old lodge. Just past the lodge is another viewing blind that includes a telescope.

Telescope view of Cabell Marsh as seen from the blind near the lodge

Black and white, out-of-focus, artistic shot of the Marsh as seen from the Viewing Blind next to the Fiechter House

I had been too creeped out to go near the lodge until this last visit. I know it has security cameras in a couple spots too. We got curious, though and had a peek anyway. We went around the back to the large porch, which drew us in. From the porch we could see into each room on the first floor. The stairway was elaborate and open and led up to the mysterious second floor. The kitchen faced west and had windows above a large sink. Otherwise it was dark and musty looking.

Then I realized the porch had a large space underneath it. Light crept in from the south side as I peeked over the railing to look. Indeed, there was an entrance underneath us, where trucks used to load and unload. So we went down below and checked it out. And boy, was it creepy...I bet they used to hang deer or elk back here, many years ago.

Underneath the old lodge back porch

Actually a pretty chill spot

From underneath the lodge we walked back out, across the yard and towards the the trail-head. A few feet away, the Wildlife Viewing Blind offers a fresh view. The telescope is great for catching birds on the water, or flying in the sky, but it does not see further than the road that wraps around the marsh, in the distance. If you step down from the blind, and continue across the yard, you will reach the start of the road (as seen below).

My son, running ahead while I stop to take the picture

Just past that bend in the road, you will see the water. The view opens up in front of your eyes as you walk east, past ripening blackberries that are good to eat. When I take my son here, he loves to run along this straight stretch until we reach the gazebo and seating area on the boardwalk.

Flora of Cabell Marsh

It is interesting to see everything that is blooming, here in early summer, at the marsh. Turns out these large, budding weeds I took pictures of last time are extremely poisonous!! I had my face right in them, taking close-ups and everything! Needless to say I was perfectly fine...thankfully I didn't breath them in too much, or I might be in trouble. I completely avoided them, this time, after seeing the sign.

So much for those obnoxious blooms that can cause damage to your lungs. Please stay aware of your surroundings when visiting these areas. I did not notice very much poisonous oak, though, and that is good. I think most of it has been cleared from the side of the trails.

Auto-focus surprised me on this one, but I still love it. Not sure what theses are called.

Yellow caterpillar on yellow weeds

The Woodpecker Trail

Starting in the meadow and winding up to oak and fir, this trail teems with ferns and lush undergrowth. It is my favorite to hike in the afternoons, when it is hottest. The Woodpecker trail wraps around and loops into Mill Hill Trail, which I still have yet to traverse. It would be the longest hike, unless it was accessed near the Fish and Wildlife Headquarters.

Undergrowth close-up, off the side of the trail

View from under the log, ground level

You actually come upon the pond quite quickly. Right after the overlook, which is a nicely built veranda on solid oak trees. From the vantage point you can see the meadow and marsh splay out before you, spotted by trees and rivets of water, facing East.

Seasonal Pond Panorama. Photo taken with my Samsung SPH-L710 (SIII) 1857 × 526

View from the center of the pond, referenced in the panorama (above)

During our visit, we discovered a bunch of tadpoles, swimming around in the pond. You can see the major shrinkage in water here. I feel bad because I know the pond will dry up. Luckily for the frogs, it will probably still remain a little marshy, but maybe not. Hopefully the sun does not kill all the frogs in the heat of this summer. It has been a lengthy Spring, at least, with the heat only just now coming on, here in Oregon (June 2017).

Complementary shadow picture

We found this by the side of the trail. The log had been cut in order to free up the trail. Upon closer inspection, however, we discovered the tree was completely dead and fallen over, whether from natural causes or by force. The cut looks recent.

Sap dripping from a recently cut log

On the way back, down the Woodpecker trail, a meadow is spotted. A great place to hunt, for sure. We did not see any animals but they usually come out when it is cooler. It was about 5pm, or the hottest time of the day. It if had of been dawn or dusk, I bet there would have been plenty of activity. I saw a sleeping area, where something large had laid down recently, most likely an elk. Maybe two or three deer. Maybe a group of picnickers with a blanket, but it didn't look like it.

Where the forest meets the meadow, panorama

Some of the oaks on the trail are over 200 years old. The loop reveals old trees, full of character. This tree has been struck by lightning. You can see in the vertical panorama I took (below) where it split the tree. The dead wood is full of woodpecker holes, which is probably where the trail got its namesake.

1536 X 512 Old oak tree panorama

Black and white, lightning-struck oak tree

The way the light shines through as I try to capture this tree is amazing...

Oak at Finley, 1280 X 960

Thanks so much for following along with me on this Oregon adventure!

~It took me over 4 hours to craft this post~

I curate the Poetry (and greater Steemit community) by upvoting posts with the tag "One Human Basket."

Use "onehumanbasket" on photography, art and other types of posts besides poetry. Posts using both "poetry" and "onehumanbasket," however, will remain higher priority since I wish to curate the poetry community specifically.
Official entries to the Poetry Dice Challenge 3000 will have the highest priority vote.
ONLY use the "poetrydice" tag for official entries to the contest.
I also curate posts with just "poetry.” Any left-over voting power gets used for highly selective posts that I hope contribute to the "onehumanbasket" feel.