Last week we took a picnic lunch to Corkscrew Audubon Nature Preserve and enjoyed a nice long (for us) nature hike around the preserve.
We used to see Roseate Spoonbills more often, but haven't had good sightings this season until this early April walk. Maybe we just haven't been in the right place at the right time. On that hike we saw several.
These birds were in the garden area just outside the Audubon Visitor Center. I know that Cardinals are frequent backyard visitors for many, but they don't live in the Pacific Northwest and so they've never become routine birds for us. (Actually I can't imagine ever being anything but excited to spot them.) The two feeder birds on either side of the female Cardinal (top row) are Painted Buntings. They are certainly the most colorful bird I've ever seen (in person) .... and they are another bird that we never saw until we traveled outside of the Pacific Northwest.
The next pictures are from our March overnight trip to Redland and Homestead.
We visited Coral Castle, a feat of engineering that has been placed in the National Register of Historical Places. The structures in the Park were built by one man, Ed Leedskalnin.
An immigrant from Latvia, Ed was a small man, weighing only about 100 pounds at 5 feet tall. Without any help at all and using only simple tools, many homemade, he excavated, carved, and moved tons and tons of coral rock (which weighs 120 pounds per cubic foot) to create his coral castle.
To us, it seemed more like he created a kind of strange dream of a magical garden than a castle, but I guess they had to call it something.
Mr Leedskalnin was born in Latvia in 1887 and in 1913 was engaged to a woman ten years younger. On the eve of their wedding, she told him she didn't want to marry him because he was too old.
He soon immigrated to the United States and eventually, still broken-hearted about his lost love, began to construct the coral castle to honor her. Maybe he hoped she would eventually join him, but nobody knows for sure.
He eventually opened his Castle to the public .... (and he obviously wasn't modest about what he had done). When asked how he was able to move all of the heavy blocks he said it was because he understood the laws of weight and leverage.
He built all kinds of structures: thrones, beds, children's play structures, a bathtub, fountains, heart-shaped tables, rocking chairs that weighed 1000 pounds each but can be rocked by one person, a table in the shape of the State of Florida, a working sundial, and much more. These are just a very few of them. The picture on the right is me moving the 6,000 pound gate into the grounds. There aren't any gears or bearings -- it is perfectly balanced so that it can be turned by one person.
This sign was in the small upstairs apartment where Ed lived among bits and pieces of tools and ongoing experiments and very little in the way of creature comforts. It's probably not a coincidence that he spent his life alone .... but looking back at what he did (from a safe distance of many years), you've just got to love an eccentric genius! I think the last sentence of the sign means that it has been open to the public under the current ownership since 1953. We learned on our tour that during his lifetime Ed opened the area to the public on his own schedule (when he felt like it).
Although man-made marvels are fun and we always learn something, most of them (Ed's castle included) are a one-time-only affair.
But we never tire of nature here in Florida -- all of our favorite parks and sloughs are worth visiting time and time again. (And there are so many where we haven't been at all.) Finishing up this week's post with one more natural wonder from Corkscrew: I'll have more from there in another week.
Grateful that we have time and energy to explore the wonders -- and for digital cameras that allow me to take hundreds of pictures in order to get a few that are worth sharing!
LINKING TO: OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; MOSAIC MONDAY; TUESDAY TREASURES; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING. Thank you to all of the hosts!!!
I wonder how many people have been turned onto birds by their first encounter with a Roseate Spoonbill? It is a very dramatic species and it's hard to believe that anyone could see it without wanting to learn a little more about it. For me it is the signature bird of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, although I understand that it was a rarity there for a while following a series of hurricanes a few years ago.
Posted by: David Gascoigne | April 15, 2018 at 08:35 AM
I like everything about your Roseate Spoonbills, from the fab color to the fancy name.
Amalia
xo
Posted by: handmade by amalia | April 15, 2018 at 07:04 AM
For this week, I send my thanks to you for sharing with us bird lovers at I'd Rather B Birdin'!
Loved this post...my favorite is the spoonbill with the vignette effect.
Posted by: Hootin' anni | April 15, 2018 at 02:50 AM
Wow....loved this..we are waiting for a major ice storm and 3 inches of rain..I hope we keep power....sigh...
Posted by: ramblingwoods | April 14, 2018 at 01:27 PM
I visited the Corkscrew years ago and still remember it well! Saw my first Bald Eagle there.
Posted by: RedPat | April 14, 2018 at 09:42 AM
Hello Sallie, Corkscrew was one of my favorite places to visit. I love the birds there, the Spoonbill and Painted Bunting are favorites. The castle and garden are beautiful, the man is amazing.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Thanks also for the comment. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
Posted by: Eileen | April 14, 2018 at 04:33 AM
wow very clever, I'm loving the bright pink Bougainvillia flowers.
Posted by: Amy | April 13, 2018 at 11:43 AM
I love seeing the roseate spoonbills. I wish we have them here.
Posted by: Photo Cache | April 13, 2018 at 08:06 AM
Fascinating post and photos! Sounds like a great time!
Namaste,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Posted by: A ShutterBug Explores | April 13, 2018 at 07:58 AM
The coral castle is so interesting. Enjoyed the beautiful birds, too. I think I would love to see a painted bunting! - Karen
Posted by: Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie | April 12, 2018 at 08:39 PM
Amazing that one man working alone could accomplish so much!
Posted by: Peter B. | April 12, 2018 at 06:00 PM
What a talented man. I cannot imagine the work it took to build that castle. Thanks for linking up today and have a great weekend!
Posted by: Michelle | April 12, 2018 at 05:40 PM
Color, color, everywhere!
Posted by: Magical Mystical Teacher | April 12, 2018 at 05:31 PM
I'm back for a second visit, coming from Skywatch Friday this time, but no less impressed.
Kay
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Posted by: Kay L. Davies | April 12, 2018 at 05:24 PM
wow, this is extraordinary. Amazing work for one man :) Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: NatureFootstep PhotoArt | April 12, 2018 at 02:58 PM
Beautiful pics from your walk. I have cardinals year round but never tire of seeing them. It's always a delight. The painted buntings are gorgeous. Nice rocks and an interesting bit of information.
Posted by: Judy Biggerstaff | April 12, 2018 at 11:54 AM
Really admire this guy. And to think he did all this before 1951.
Great.
Posted by: Joe | April 12, 2018 at 06:01 AM
Great shots.
Posted by: Jim, Sydney, Australia | April 12, 2018 at 03:36 AM
Wow! That Spoonbill is amazing. Love, love, love that last photo. God's natural creation is so abundant and wonderful to experience. It is nice to enjoy the man made wonders here and there, too. I'm taking a break from boxes to do some visiting.
Posted by: ellen b | April 11, 2018 at 07:11 PM
Hi Sallie, I also tried to link your post to signs, signs - no success (at the moment)
There are many cardinals around where I live, and I always get excited when I see one!
Posted by: Lesley | April 11, 2018 at 03:28 PM
I'm grateful for time and energy and digital cameras too! Love the Roseate Spoonbill photos. That "castle" and the story about its creation is amazing. An eccentric genius indeed!
Posted by: Barb | April 11, 2018 at 02:03 PM
A very enjoyable post! Beautiful birds, and an amazing Castle!
Posted by: Lea @ Lea's Menagerie | April 11, 2018 at 04:20 AM
Great shots and an interesting story about Coral Castle.
Posted by: Linda in Virginia | April 10, 2018 at 10:01 PM
Personally I'll take the natural wonders any time and I would love to see one of those beautiful pink colored spoonbills. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: mick | April 10, 2018 at 01:58 PM
Such a lovely place for a walk and some birding. I see maybe two Cardinal couples here daily. What an amazing man, creative and understood the science as well. Thank goodness for digital.
Posted by: Gaelyn | April 10, 2018 at 10:23 AM
Natures are always nice to see and enjoy:)
Posted by: weekend-windup | April 10, 2018 at 08:19 AM
Sallie, I love the Painted Buntings. The castle an amazing accomplishment. Have a great week. Sylvia D.
Posted by: Sylvia D. | April 10, 2018 at 07:25 AM
I always enjoy viewing your phots. The birds are so colorful!
Posted by: Sarah | April 09, 2018 at 08:09 PM
The spoonbill is such a beautiful colour. I have never seen such a bird. The Coral Castle is unique and Ed does sound like he was a bit eccentric, but very intelligent and interesting. Amazing that he was able to construct that gate so that it could be moved so easily.
Posted by: Lorrie | April 09, 2018 at 07:43 PM
That castle is an amazing place - it really shows what one person can accomplish. Thanks for the interesting tour!
Posted by: Al | April 09, 2018 at 04:31 PM
Give me nature any time over man made structures but what a fascinating man he must have been to construct something like that on his own.
Posted by: fun60 | April 09, 2018 at 02:59 PM
I would love to go there! I see another google search in order soon! heehee! That really is amazing! And the Roseate Spoonbill is just about my favorite FL bird...one we don't see often. Loved your photos...google here I come! Hugs!
Posted by: Lavender Dreamer | April 09, 2018 at 01:41 PM
I hardly know where to start commenting...so many beautiful birds of amazing colours, a unique castle by an eccentric genius...!
I have met many eccentrics, but I don't know if I've ever met a genius, although I do know many very smart people!
Thank you for all this beauty — and the reminder about the voyage and the destination.
Kay
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Posted by: Kay L. Davies | April 09, 2018 at 01:18 PM
What beautiful and colourful birds. I never heard of the Roseate Spoonbill, it sure is pretty. Thanks for sharing all the lovely photos.
Posted by: bill burke | April 09, 2018 at 01:03 PM
the spoonbills are such beautiful creatures! The man who made all of this, can make beautiful things, but his life sounds lonely and sad. That is how it often is with geniuses. Thank you Sallie for sharing his memorable work and his life with All Seasons! Have a lovely week!
Posted by: jesh StG | April 09, 2018 at 12:29 PM
We have a good friend that can build almost anything all by himself. He learned most of what he knows in high school shop classes, and of course experience. I think it is important to maintain shop courses so we can become more self reliant. - Margy
Posted by: Margy | April 09, 2018 at 11:55 AM
I love the Roseate Spoonbill, fantastic.
Posted by: Bob Bushell | April 09, 2018 at 09:38 AM
I would LOVE to go there and see that castle!
Posted by: Linda Brown | April 09, 2018 at 09:00 AM
Lovely mosaics Good Monday Sallie
much love...
Posted by: gillena | April 09, 2018 at 08:56 AM
Very beautiful picture ! A very nice "sightseeing" tour !
Posted by: Gattina | April 09, 2018 at 08:23 AM
Corkscrew Audubon Nature Preserve must be a great place to visit. The bunting is amazing. The coral castle is something else!!!! Thanks for sharing it's story. Happy Monday!
Posted by: Snap | April 09, 2018 at 07:29 AM
nature...wildlife, so amazing, so captifing!! your images are really gorgeous and i always enjoy your presentation in mosaics!! i really love the painteds, i don't see them here and it is such a gorgeous bird...almost hard to believe it is found in the wild!! i see cardinals here at my feeders and never loose my appreciation for their brilliance - both the males and females!!
i'm glad you photographed the sign, explaining the story of the coral castle!!!
Posted by: Debbie | April 09, 2018 at 07:04 AM
Those cardinals are, indeed, bright spots that I don’t see in my neck of the woods either. What a fascinating story about Ed Leedskalnin and his Coral Castle. Perhaps trying not to think of his broken heart inspired him to occupy his days carrying and creating amazing works of natural art. It’s the stuff of homes … beds, doors and tables that seem to lead to dead ends in the same way that his love did. Fascinating!
Posted by: Penelope Puddlisms | April 09, 2018 at 06:38 AM
I have never seen a pink bird here! Right now the cardinal is banging on my window, a territorial reflection reaction. That castle is so cool!
Posted by: Colleen LOOSELEAFNOTES | April 09, 2018 at 06:20 AM
Dearest Sallie; What GORGEOUS birds Pictures from Nature Preserve♫♫♫ I wish I could see spoonbills myself :-) Such colorful birdies.
Oh, the Coral Castle♫♫♫ The story of Mr Leedskalnin behind the castle surprised me as well as his devotion.
I can't help but agree with you about the camera; remembering how fascinated my late father was when he bought his first one more then half a century ago p;)
I AM SO SORRY for mt absence, I truly remember and appreciate your sweet comments like kindly praised me writing in English.
I am happy reading your post with full of excitements☆☆☆
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*
Posted by: orchid(Japan) | April 09, 2018 at 05:54 AM
Ed might have been eccentric but he surely was a genius! What an amazing place to visit. I so love a Cardinal and the Painted Buntings are incredible, I once saw a Cardinal in Pennsylvania but have yet to see a PB.
Thanks for taking us with you on this trip.
Happy MM.
Posted by: Maggie | April 09, 2018 at 04:55 AM
Hello Sallie!:) What beautiful vibrant colours of all these gorgeous birds. I always enjoyed seeing the Painted Buntings at Theresa's blog, The Run Around Ranch. A bird I will never see in real life.
Mr Leedskalnin's unrequited love story is a sad one, but what an extraordinary feat of engineering his unhappy love life led him to accomplish.It's totally fascinating how these structures were made by him alone, and like Phil, I believe it explains a lot about how other such ancient structures came to be.
Posted by: Breathtaking | April 09, 2018 at 04:21 AM
That's a good read Sallie. As above it goes to explain Stonehenge and other such places all over the world. Poor Ed, snubbed by the one he loved and then devoted his life to his project. A rather sad tale. Thank you for explaining about Florida wines. As I thought, too hot so no reason to visit now. LOL.
Painted Bunting is the one species I regret never seeing in Canada. I think they are quite late migrants there and I was back in England by mid-May.
Posted by: phil | April 09, 2018 at 02:56 AM
I enjoy tagging along on your hike through the pictures! Beautiful and colourful birds and flowers. Interesting to see the rock formation!
Posted by: nancy chan | April 09, 2018 at 01:57 AM
Poor bloke, I guess he couldn't really Facebook all his accomplishments to see if he could ever win back his true love, could he? I think that is what they call a true labour of love!
I enjoyed seeing your colourful little birds!
I'm like you with my photography and have millions of pics to choose from!
Have a great week.
Wren x
Posted by: Little Wandering Wren | April 09, 2018 at 12:42 AM
We don't see cardinals here either, and I miss them! We do see hummingbirds, which I never saw in NYC, so I guess that is a good trade-off!
The Coral Castle looks amazing! I guess building it kept the man busy and his mind off his loneliness? There are a couple of similar strangely built buildings here in Colorado, but I haven't visited them as yet
Posted by: Pat | April 09, 2018 at 12:16 AM
I love the Spoonbills and that is a great photo on top there Sallie, Thanks for your kind comments on my blog. I always wanted to see this place and I am very excited to see your pictures of the Coral Castle. I wonder if he knew something about the earth's magnetic field that we do not understand. There are all kinds of theories about how he did the things he did. Even some theories that all his writings and plans were taken by the government when he died. I am not sure about any of that but I really enjoyed this posting so much! cheers.
Posted by: islandrambles | April 08, 2018 at 11:55 PM
Well, this could explain Stonehenge .... eccentrics that know something about leverage ...
I agree with you - worth a one-time visit but then back to nature for its many and various gifts! Love the bird shots ...
Posted by: Angie | April 08, 2018 at 09:43 PM
I guess the castle was Ed's humble kind of Taj Mahal!
Lovely birds shots - what wonderful sightings!
Posted by: Lady Fi | April 08, 2018 at 08:24 PM
Cool post, Sallie. I wonder if that woman ever learned about Mr. Leedskalnin's home. With his imagination, creativity, ingenuity, and engineering mind, he could've been a difficult man to live with, but oh the fun and joy he and his loved one would have if they fit each other. I wonder if any of the archeologists who studied Easter Island or the pyramids ever checked out his castle and how he put it together. If I ever get to Florida, I want to visit the castle.
The View from the Top of the Ladder
Posted by: Su-sieee! Mac | April 08, 2018 at 06:17 PM
I love the Coral Castle - another fabulous dream of an early resident of South Florida!
Posted by: Carol | April 08, 2018 at 05:28 PM
Incredibly beautiful photos!! Thank you!
Posted by: Cathy | April 08, 2018 at 05:08 PM
The spoonbills fascinate me. Lovely post. Have a wonderful week.
Posted by: Betty Crow | April 08, 2018 at 04:57 PM
Roseate spoonbills are wonderful birds and we don't see nearly enough of them over here. Is the Corkscrew Audubon Preserve the same thing as the Corkscrew Sanctuary or am I thinking of something else. We had cardinals that nested in the bushes, front and rear, of our former home. The cats would watch them from the office window! Fun times. And that coral house. We never got there probably because I wasn't that interested, but your commentary was very helpful and now I think it was a mistake to pass it by. Thanks for all these gorgeous photos and for sharing your trips with us. Hope that all is well along the Gulf Coast and that you're having a great time. It's hard to believe you'll be heading north before long. Seems like you just got here!
Posted by: Lowell | April 08, 2018 at 02:44 PM
So so interesting and beautiful!
Posted by: Kelleyn Rothaermel | April 08, 2018 at 01:28 PM
You have to love our eccentrics. I wonder where they are now. I suspect they are homeless. Thanks for showing us this, I think it is amazing.
Posted by: Yogi | April 08, 2018 at 01:26 PM
Coral Castle feels like what is sometimes called a Folly. I like it.
Posted by: William Kendall | April 08, 2018 at 11:57 AM
Wow! What an interesting man. What a legacy he left behind.
Posted by: a spirit of simplicity | April 08, 2018 at 11:49 AM
...nature is a wonderful thing!
Posted by: tomthebackroadstraveller | April 08, 2018 at 11:49 AM
Amazing and beautiful photos, as always. it never fails to surprise me how well Florida caters for everyone, especially nature/bird lovers.We have had so much rain/wind and three helpings of heavy snow, so everything is late-and many of my shrubs will die right down, but hopefully grow next year from the roots.
Posted by: Hazel | April 08, 2018 at 10:22 AM
The castle looks like a fscinating place to explore. Lovely photos of the birds too, specially the cardinals!
Posted by: craftygreenpoet | April 08, 2018 at 10:12 AM