Broad Run Park

21st Century Parks is developing the area around Floyd's Fork as it winds through Jefferson County. They are a donor funded group, with many wealthy corporations and individuals supporting them, so they have been able to do a great job without the limitations of county government. We enjoy going to their two original parks, Beckley Creek and Pope Lick, to walk, go birding and look for wildflowers.

Now they have opened two more parks downstream, and we finally managed to find time this morning to check them out. Broad Run Park is just off Bardstown Road, and still in Jefferson County, although it feels like you are driving clear into central Kentucky. They have a very nice splash park and playground near the entrance, and the road winds up and down hills, by-passing some property which is still privately owned. Since it just opened in the last month or so, we found nice signs pointing to trails that don't seem to exist yet. The Limestone Gorge exists, but we couldn't find the trail down into it. Well, it's still a work in progress. The Louisville Loop is a paved trail extending through the entire park system, and very pleasant to walk on. Just watch for speeding cyclists as they come down the hills!

The park people have done a terrific job planting native wildflowers along the Loop, and we enjoyed them immensely. It's a challenge to identify them when I get home though!

The next park north of Broad Run is Turkey Run Park, named for a tributary of Floyd's Fork. At the top of the hill is a big yellow silo, approximately 6 stories tall! I declined the climb, but Dick made it with little trouble for a bird's eye view. They have a big barn that looks like it's available for events and some nice picnic areas. Again, the "trails" aren't always completed.

We heard many different kinds of birds this morning, starting with a Yellow Billed Cuckoo, but were unable to find many of them. Several Gold Finches flew by, and one Indigo Bunting perched nearby to serenade us as we climbed back up the hill to our car.

Several Barn Swallows flew around the information kiosk, so I knew there should be a nest around somewhere, and sure enough, there it was just under the roof. Looks like these guys are just about ready to fledge!