A Full-time Life

Summer before it sizzled

Eugene Oregon is seriously HOT  right now.  We are also under a hazardous air quality alert because of a  wildfire in the eastern sections of Lane County, so I'm posting some memories from the earlier and prettier part of the season.       

Just like for almost everywhere these days, extreme heat and wildfire are both pretty much normal now for at least part of our summer months.   The current fires are not a danger to us here in the City, except for the smoke and air inversion.    We can only offer hope for the people affected by the flames.  For our own health, we stay indoors as much as possible.  Instead of any new day trips,  one of us is planning for the future and the other is documenting the past.   As usual,  I'm the memory person and Bill is the planner, but we do work together on both.   

All of the pictures in this post are very recent memories.  I'm still working on some posts from our June trip.  The ones directly below are from our son-in-law and daughter's yard back in July:

 

The butterfly was quite cooperative taking its time at each nectar stop.  I'm usually not that lucky with these flighty beauties.

 

 

The pictures below are even more recent -- from our trip to the Coast earlier this month.  (We probably should have stayed there -- it is always cooler at the Ocean!)  To be perfectly honest, even without the heat and smoke we would probably be staying close to home right now anyway.  We actually do a lot of that -- I just don't often blog about it.

 

 

This is Simpson Beach at Shore Acres State Park.  The  eerie tree trunk in the center picture is along the path leading from the beach to the "tamer" part of the Park.

 

 

At the end of one of the forested paths from the beach viewpoint, you arrive at this small gate.  On the other side, in just a few yards, you are in the middle of the precisely landscaped gardens of Shore Acres.   The entire park, including the beach, forest, lawns and gardens, was once the estate of  the Simpson lumber baron family.  Heirs donated the property to the State for public use.

 

 

We were kind of between flowering seasons at the Gardens, but there is always beautiful color and the Japanese-style garden and pond are so calm and restful.    We visit Shore Acres almost every summer -- one of my favorite State Parks.  I like the combination of wild and tame.

 

Store front mural, Bandon Oregon

I am grateful  for the memories  and enjoy planning for future ones.  But this week I'm especially grateful for   not-so-simple things that don't get blogged about -- the shade trees around our home that keep the outside temperature a little lower than the official reading and  the air conditioner and air purifier that continue to keep it comfortable indoors.  

LINKING THIS WEEK (and next) to these sharing opportunities:  

THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   SATURDAY CRITTERS ; MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  and MY CORNER OF THE WORLD      

Wakodahatchee Wildlife

This post is a wrap-up of our walks at Wakodahatchee Wetlands earlier this month and it's very picture heavy, because I just couldn't put my camera down.  There was so much  that I want to remember.

 

 

Wakodahatchee Wetlands is located at Delray Beach near Fort Lauderdale.  We had no idea on this beautiful blue sky day that this area would experience three days of heavy rain and severe flooding starting the day after we were there.  

 

 Florida Wood Storks -- adult and a nest full of young ones.

I can't find any information about whether the floods affected this wetlands.  I hope all the families who live there are still OK.  I suspect the birds knew how to manage.

 

Great Egret on a nest

We tried to decide if there was a baby in that Egret's nest or if that was just a stray feather.  Hoped a closer look at the pictures would show more, but still not sure.

We spent a longer time watching the birds in the series below, trying to decide what they were and what exactly they were doing.  

 

Any guesses?  (I do know the answer now, but it took us a while.)

They were very noisy and very engaged with each other.  At first we weren't even sure what kind of birds they were, but then a large black bird swooped into the picture and cleared things up.  Apparently these two were just a couple of hungry teenagers killing time waiting for dinner to arrive.  We recognized the adult  Anhinga immediately as we see them often here in Florida.    Dad flew right to the young ones and opened his beak wide:

 

 

He wasn't  much larger than his two nearly grown and very hungry offspring.   I didn't know this while we watched this behavior but read later that the parents feed new babies by dropping regurgitated food into their mouths.  It doesn't take long for the babies to learn where the food comes from and by the time they are as big as these two birds, they just reach right down  into the parent bird's mouth for the food.  That's what's going on in the picture above.   (I love learning first hand about bird behavior.  But maybe I should have added a "slightly gross" warning about the above photo for those of you learning it second hand.)  

 

 

Later, we saw a different adult with younger babies.  (This one's a female because she has a brown head and neck.)  Mom looks less frazzled than the dad in the other picture.  And the babies are cuter at this stage.  Although it doesn't demonstrate as much about their behavior,  it's probably a more suitable family portrait for sharing.  

 

Common Gallinule

We watched a whole family of these birds, also known as Moorhens, but they were hard to photograph in the vegetation where they like to forage.

 

 

Stork Spa!  Their wings are much cleaner and the black and white contrast is more noticeable than when they're in their nest.   (Click on the photo to admire their pretty feathers.)  

 The photo below is from a different place and a different time (but still from Florida).  I just wanted to end with a sunset.

 

Grateful for all we see and all we learn.

 

LINKING this week to the following:  Thank you to the hosts.

SATURDAY CRITTERS ;  RATHER B' BIRDING; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  and SKYWATCH FRIDAY     

Fort Lauderdale Escape

We spent a few days over Easter weekend in Fort Lauderdale -- a perfect place for a Holiday escape.  

 

Florida wood stork -- adult and juveniles 

Friday and Saturday were beautiful days.  We walked all the lovely boardwalk trails at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, took a lot of pictures, explored the metro area and enjoyed some good meals.

 

Wakodahatchee Wetlands - Saturday April 8

We had reservations downtown for Sunday brunch and then headed to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, a pretty green space and beach that's pretty much right in the center of the City.  The weather was still fine,  but by mid-afternoon (as we were walking of course) the rain started so we headed off to our "home away from home."  By the time we got across town the rain was coming down in heavy sheets. 

 

Green Iguana

We had planned to come home on Monday anyway, so it really didn't feel like our get-away had been shortened by the weather. 

 

Whistling Ducks

 As we drove Monday, it rained until we left the greater Fort Lauderdale area behind,  but the rest of the trip back to Fort Myers was all sunshine and blue sky.    (And that's still what we have here, at least for now.)

 

Great Blue Heron

In Fort Lauderdale however, on Wednesday the storm that we had seen just the beginning of  turned into what is being called a thousand-year-storm.  The rain there just didn't stop.  The area got over 25 inches of rain in that one day and it continued.    HERE  is a link that talks about the perfect storm conditions, in case you haven't already seen enough about this awful flood on the news.  It's  deja vu to see pictures of the damages the rain caused that city -- some of the flooded homes looking very much like those damaged here in Fort Myers after last Fall's hurricane.

 

 

I'm glad we had decided to come home on Monday!!   We had thought we were escaping to Fort Lauderdale, but we can't help feeling as if we escaped from it -- getting away just in time.  And we are grateful.  

 

THANK YOU to the hosts of these sharing opportunities where we're linking this week:

MOSAIC MONDAY;   NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

 

Day Trip of the Week

 

 

Starting out with the return portion of our week-day drive last week.   It's big sugar country east of us and coming home we drove past miles of cane fields.  They look pretty at this stage, blowing in the light breeze.  Sometimes in that area (and even at the Canal Cottage), you can smell sugar in the air --they still burn off the leaves before cutting the cane.

 

 

You can't always go to the Keys or the Beach to admire the beautiful Florida sunset -- but  it's a pretty good show even driving along the freeway at the right time of the evening.

 Now I'll share some pictures from the "Old Florida" attraction we visited earlier in the day.

 

Sulcata Tortoise

 Sulcata Tortoises are unique looking, smart and friendly and for this reason people often think they would make good pets.   But they can weigh up to 200 pounds, they poop a lot, and they can dig through practically anything.    The rescue portion of the facility  gets a lot of "adopt my pet" requests from people who can't manage them any more.

 

 

 Peacock

These exotic birds need a lot of room  and can be very destructive and noisy.   They roamed freely around the facility -- and this one made quite a commotion when it flew right over our heads into the trees..

 

 

Galapagos Tortoise

Galapagos tortoises are one of the longest-lived land animals, living an average of 100 years. 

I have been secretive so far about the name of the place we visited for a reason.    Seems like many readers really, really don't like alligators --   and I wanted everybody to have some pictures to look at before the very name of the place scared them off.      Yes, we went to Gatorama in Palmdale  --  a place we hadn't visited for years.   Here is a link to that post which tells more about this old Florida roadside attraction.  (It was here before Disney World in other words.)   I didn't actually take too many pictures of the animals in question, because we see them pretty often in the wild.  

 

 

The place has evolved from a kind of cheesy reptile roadside attraction to a facility that actually cares for animals although there are still elements of the former.    It's  a rescue facility, an alligator farm (raising animals for meat),  and a kind of reptile zoo.      They also educate the public about the reptiles that are housed here and about co-existing with alligators which live everywhere in this State.   Kind of a mixture of the good, the beautiful, and the ugly actually.

 

 

Grandpa is the oldest alligator in captivity.  Brought here in the late 1950s, he was already a full-grown mature bull alligator and has sired many  generations.  He's a favorite of everybody who works with him and who sees him.   The sign goes on:

"This species, scientists say, is more than 150 million years old, managing to avoid extinction 65 million years ago when their prehistoric contemporaries the dinosaurs died off."   

That sentence explains pretty well why I think these animals are fascinating rather than repulsive.  They trigger my imagination!   Thankful to be alive now and standing near animals that easily could have been alive in prehistoric times.  (But not too near of course!)   

 

LINKING to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

 

 

Saturday Special

 

We took yesterday off -- a rare thing on a weekend.    The weekend part is rare only because we usually choose to go places on weekdays,  leaving Saturday and Sunday for people who work the rest of the week  (as we used to once upon a time).  But the day off part (on any day of the week) is a little more rare this year than usual for reasons I've already mentioned probably too many times.  

 

Ann Olesky Park, Collier County Florida

So of course since this is Southwest Florida during the snowbird season, we were not alone in our getaway plans. September's devastating hurricane didn't seem to stop snowbirds from coming to this area for the warmer Winter.   Although we try to pretend otherwise after all these years of wintering here, we are  included in that number so we can't complain (too much).    Saturday traffic was seriously heavy and the lots at our original destinations, Corkscrew Sanctuary and CREW Environmental Area, were nearly full. 

     

 

We wanted to avoid the crowds, but we didn't give up.  First of all, we found wildlife along the canals on the way to Corkscrew.   After driving along that Canal we headed to Lake Trafford, another place where we always see birds.

 

 

The collage above shows how the area along the Canal near Corkscrew would appear to people in the cars that hurry by intent on getting to the "official" wildlife areas.  There are several spots along the road to pull off and the shoulders along the road are wide.  All it takes is a little time to look and focus and you will see wildlife.    Mostly birds, but also take a closer look at the top left photo above.   Or below:

 

 

Keeping a close eye on the passer-by (me),  our first alligator of this season was about six feet away as I walked along that shoulder.

 

Six feet away and about six feet long.

This is the closest I've ever accidentally come to an alligator (as far as I know anyway).   It was a  good reminder to look down as well as up.

Lake Trafford 

Ann Olesky Park on Lake Trafford was next on our itinerary and it was far less crowded.  The people who were there were mostly families fishing.  It was a beautiful day -- slightly overcast which made it perfect for walking and watching.    It was 70 to 75 degrees F, only a bit cooler than normal this month -- our cold spell seems to be over.  And of course that last sentence goes far to explain  why there are so many people here this time of year. 

  

 

Lake Trafford is more noted as a fishing place than a birding destination and the people we see there always seem to be locals.  And we always see birds.  Not as many this time as we have seen, but enough to make me happy!

 

 

Though we'll try to make the next outing on a less popular day of the week, we were happy with our Saturday.  We saw some good birds (and other interesting creatures).  And we were grateful just to be relaxing outdoors on a beautiful day.   It was a good one.

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   SATURDAY CRITTERS   and  RATHER B' BIRDING

BURROWING OWLS OF CAPE CORAL 2020

 

Like probably just about everybody else in the world, especially those in our age demographic, we spent a lot of time last week trying to make sense of the corona virus news and thinking about our options.   And touching base with everybody we love.     As always, in good times or not-so-good, being outside improves my mood.  (And it's an approved activity as long as it's done only in small groups.))

 

 

 

Our neighbor friends told us they had never seen any of Cape Coral's burrowing owls, so we took them on a photo safari around the Cape's maze of streets and canals to some of our favorite places to find these adorable ground-nesters.

 

 

 

Burrowing owls are diurnal -- that is that unlike most owl species they are out and about in the daytime.   It's a little bit early in the season -- by the end of April or May, we will see whole families out by the burrows.   Here's a LINK to one of my posts from another year that provides more information.

 

 

 

We need a little color too -- so from the archives here are some typical Florida Spring flowers.   Gardens are  showier and more flamboyant here in the subtropics than what we remember (fondly) from our gardening days in Oregon.    Oddly, I found these in the same photo file as some owls from a few years ago -- I was searching to see what month it was when I got wonderful pictures of the owl babies.  (It was May).  And sorting my photo files  is obviously something I need to do (and maybe I will  --  if we end up being quarantined and I get seriously bored.)

 

 

Beautiful Florida sky -- this one is also from the archives.

 

I'm grateful this week for weather that allows us get outside -- and I'm especially grateful for cell phones and texting -- technology that allows us to stay in close and instant touch even though we're far away from family.

 

 Sweet Dreams!

May we all sleep as easily and well as this little guy.

 

 

Linking this week to the following:

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;   SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

THANK YOU to all of the hosts!  

 

 

 

 

 

WORK and (mostly) PLAY (now and then)

 

 

Except for the first two rows, this week's pictures are all from last Summer and Fall.  But like the best second meals from the same day of cooking, it's not just leftovers served because there's nothing else, but rather "planned-overs."  In this case,  good experiences that we really want to remember.

Here are the new servings:

It was a beautiful day for the January Boat Club lunch.  Above, the Captain is bringing our boat in to the dock in front of the restaurant for a passenger pickup.  Bill's piloting and our friend is ready to help.    I'm always happy to cede  first-mate duties to someone more experienced -- and we enjoyed the company during the "voyage."    The spouses formerly known as first-mates were waiting at the dock.  It had been a  long walk to the place where we'd tied up during lunch and we were happy for the water-taxi service.

But below is what that Captain was busy with for most of the week ....

 

... which explains why there were few new experiences to blog about.   "We" are putting in a second bathroom  at one end of the Florida Room that we added a few years ago.  It's in  a very small space planned for this purpose -- but finishing it requires not only  skill but also  acrobatic ability (neither of them mine, although sometimes I stop blogging and go hold something or fetch something as requested.)   The addition of this bath and then renovation of the existing one are the last parts of the remodeling project begun when we bought the "Canal Cottage."   

Now onward -- or backward -- to last season when we were in Oregon.

 

Late November 

The picture above is a view of the Willamette River from one of the walking paths we can access easily from our apartment.   Autumn is  beautiful in Eugene and we are happy with our location where we have the ability to walk these natural surroundings as often as we wish.  

 

Early November
Birds and a Bat!  

 

All of the above critters were seen on the same day as I walked through residential areas on the way to the river.  There were dozens of robins on the grass behind our apartment complex -- perhaps a migration stopover (although Eugene seldom gets too cold for them -- maybe this was their final stop).  There are always ducks -- but the center picture was a big surprise.  It was taken behind our apartment complex, an area where the sun had not yet reached, on the same walk where I photographed some of the many  robins.   I have to admit that I didn't realize I'd taken a picture of a Bat until we downloaded the pictures -- what a surprise that was.

 

 

Burney Falls, California

October

 

Burney Falls was the first California stop on our October Road Trip.  We were in the area to visit  Lassen Volcanic National Park -- which is another "planned-over" for a future post.

 

September

 

This is Parker, our daughter and son-in-law's dog.     He is half McNabb Terrier and half Mastiff.  This big puppy thinks he's hiding behind that tree.     There's a family tabby cat as well and one of my photo goals is to get a good picture of Parker and Chloe playing together.  They really do like each other -- and the great part of it is that the two have almost the exact same coloring.   Some day I'll get that perfect picture.

 

August

Swallows migrated through our area in August -- I caught a few of them in a very rare moment resting moment.   

 

 

 Auto-correct is one of my pet peeves,  so I had to laugh at this sign seen in a coffee shop somewhere on our summer travels.   This is dedicated to every blog friend who has ever wondered what the heck it was I meant to say when I didn't catch an error in a comment before I hit "send".    We won't even talk about text messages.

 

October -- Mt Lassen area 

Beautiful blue skies from our Autumn Road Trip -- and at the lower row corners, what I can fairly confidently say is the only snow we'll see this season.         

Thankful for memories this week and for the new ones we're making -- of both work and play  -- today, last season,  and always!     

 

LINKING this week to the following:  Thank you to all of the generous hosts. 

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

WILDLIFE BREAK

 

Taking a little  break  from our Grand Tour 

with pictures from familiar places.

(See the previous two posts for the first two chapters of our trip.)

 

 

 

 This Green Heron was perched in a bare tree at the Delta Ponds near our Eugene apartment.   It was just a short neighborhood walk during the first week we were home.  Not really even looking for birds but very glad I had taken the little camera anyway.  Nice welcome back to the neighborhood.

 

 

 

The week before that we were in Colorado with our son and daughter-in-law, our Colorado family.  Toward the end of our stay,  more-or-less recovered from jet lag and travel weariness,  we spent a day with them in one of our favorite places --  Rocky Mountain National Park.  As always, we had a great time with Geoff and Lisa -- and as always on our Colorado visits we saw beautiful scenery and wildlife.

 

 

The Moose (Mooses?  Meese?) were having a lovely splash in what was really just a large puddle.  (The background photo shows what it looked like from where we stood -- without our binoculars or zoom lens.)

 

LINKING to    WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY ,  NATURE NOTES;  SATURDAY CRITTERS, and RATHER B' BIRDING .  Thank you to the hosts.

 

 

BABCOCK RANCH TOUR

 

It's getting close to time to leave the Canal Cottage for the season.   So Saturday morning I probably should have been scrubbing stoves or cleaning  refrigerators or one of the million other last-minute things that have to be done to get ready.   But instead I went to Babcock Ranch.

 

 

About eighty percent (0ver 90,000 acres) of this  huge historical ranch is preserved as open space, nature reserves, and agricultural use.  It is owned by the State of Florida and Lee County.    (Part of the ranch was sold to a developer and contains the new planned development city of Babcock Ranch that I have blogged about before.)         We toured several habitats -- open lands, farmland, swamps, and lots of watery spaces.  

 

Barred Owl

Every habitat had its unique plant and animal life.  The above  in one of the swampy areas was my favorite sighting.  The barred owl was a first-time bird for me!   He (or she) was calling its mate -- I wish I'd taken a video to share that distinctive sound.  

 

Great Blue Heron 

 

Some of the (too) many feral hogs and one of  the (few) Florida cracker cows that make their home on the Ranch.   This now-rare breed of cattle was brought here by the Conquistadors.  They are hardy and well-adapted to the Florida climate.   The ranch is still a cattle operation, but according to the tour guide modern methods allow them to raise more familiar breeds nowadays.   (I assume  -- for better or worse -- that means fatter ones.)   They will still breed and raise a few of the Cracker Cows because of the historical value.

Feral hogs cause many problems to farms and parks and they are trapped or hunted.  (They were brought to Florida by DeSoto in 1539; they adapted well, and breed rapidly.  It is estimated there are currently over 500,000 in the State.)

 

 

Snowy Egret

 

 Soft-shelled Turtle

 

Osceola Turkeys 

Limpkin

 

More alligators than I've ever seen in one place -- one area was called Alligator Ridge and I counted over 15 in the water there. 

 

 

This smiling guy soon slithered  into the culvert and the pond. 

 

 

More pictures of the Barred Owl --

just because he was my favorite.

 

Thank you to the hosts of each of the following sharing opportunities, where I'm linking this week:    

NATURE NOTES; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;   ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;  OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  SAY CHEESE;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE WEEK THAT WAS

In the middle of another "cottage improvement" project, so we stayed close to home  this week.   The weather was perfect -- sunshine and warm (but not too warm).    We are grateful.  

 

Another week, another owl ....

because Saturday errands are fun when they include a stop to look at Burrowing Owls.

 

Willets (maybe); Pelicans, and Roseate Spoonbills

On Easter Sunday we enjoyed dinner with friends followed by a drive  through Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.    Above are some of the birds we spotted.    Too bright and sunny for good pictures, but never too sunny for good memories.   I hadn't realized before that Roseate Spoonbills sometimes stand on just one leg -- like the flamingos some people mistake them for.   

 

Deep Lagoon Restaurant, Fort Myers

The  biggest shrimp in the world garnished our Easter cocktails.    (A fact that pleased some of us more than others!).  We all loved the food that followed and the water view as well as the lovely drive after dinner.

 

 

This Sunday morning we stayed even closer to home.    Squirrels and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were feasting on acorns under the live oak trees at Caloosahatchie Creeks Preserve next door.  The white flower is Bidens Alba, more commonly known as beggar tick or butterfly needles.  It's blooming all over this time of year.  We think of it as a weed, but it is edible and thought to have healing properties.  Here's part of what Wiki tells us:  

Bidens means two- toothed, describing the two projections found at the top of the seeds, and alba refers to the white ray florets.^[2] This plant is found in tropical and subtropical regions of North America, Asia, South America, and Africa,^[3] situated in gardens, road sides, farm fields and disturbed sites.^[4] B. alba is an annual or short-lived perennial, which is considered a weed in the United States.[2] However, B. alba leaves are edible and can be used as medicinal remedies.^[1]

Just think of the errands we wouldn't have to run if only we could skip the trip to the drugstore and just boil up a mess of leaves from the park next door.  (But that sounds like a lot of work ... and besides that,  those errands give us such a good excuse to stop by the owl burrows again.) 

 

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities:

NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;  OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  SAY CHEESE;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

Thank you to all of the hosts!! 

 

 

 

MANATEE PARK 2019

 

Spring flowers, Southwest Florida

 

Close to home nature this week.   We've been busy with end-of-the-season activities here in the RV resort.  (We will be here until the end of May, but most of our snowbird friends will be gone by mid-April. )  I walked Saturday at Manatee Park which is about a 10 minute drive from home.   

 

 

The flowers, the butterfly, and the ground dove below were in the Butterfly Garden at the Park.  The plants are all native to this area.

 

 Ground Dove

 

Manatee 

 

Yes, I was at   Manatee Park, but I actually didn't expect to see any at this time of year. This one was a surprise.   Because the water at this park is warmed by a nearby power plant, these big gentle creatures hang out here in the "cold" weather.    December and January are the best months to see them.  By this time of year, the water in the Caloosahatchie River is warmer and the manatees have mostly disbursed out in the wider waters  (we even glimpse them in our canal occasionally).  There's not much for them to eat in the water at this park, so they usually just stay there until the river warms up.

Manatees are aquatic mammals whose closest relative is the elephant.  They are vegetarians, subsisting on water plants.  It's really hard to get a good picture of them, because they don't emerge from the water much.  Just occasionally to take a quick breath (and to eat green stuff where there is any).  

 

 

The Peace Pillar was erected to honor  Manatee Park volunteers .   I like the message so much and always walk this path when I'm here.  This is a collage I lifted from a previous year's post.  

 

 

There weren't many people at the Park (in the Winter, it gets really busy) but there was another kind of noise (and another interesting thing to observe).  A crew was replacing the  roof on the Chickee Hut, a well-recognized  feature of the park.  It's a replica of the kind of huts the Seminole Indians used.  It has a a raised floor, open sides and a thatched roof made from palm fronds.   One of the workers told me that the roof needed to be re-thatched every six or seven years.  This year they are also repairing the inside and the wooden part of the structure.

 

 

 

 This picture (also copied from a previous post) shows what the hut looks like in its finished state.  I don't know why I did it in black and white back then (and I couldn't find the original.)

 

 

I drove a few miles down the road to Hickey Creek Park to walk a little more.   I was the only person walking the trails here and I enjoyed the peace and the blue skies.  I'd gotten too late a start though and the heat and humidity kept it to a short walk (and there were no birds or animals about at all -- they were too smart to be out in the mid-day sun).   I need to start getting around earlier this time of year.

 

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to all of the hosts:

 

NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;    MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  SAY CHEESE;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

 

I Heart BUNCHE BEACH

 

I love Bunche Beach ....

 

.... and Bill for going there with me on Valentine's Day.   Especially because he would rather walk on boardwalks than on sand.    I'm not a Beach person either, in the way that many Florida natives and snowbirds are -- neither of us enjoy lazing about on the beach, getting a tourist sunburn.    But unlike my significant other (of over 60 years),  I do love a quiet beach where I can walk for miles (or yards), occasionally dipping my toes in the water.    

 

 

And it's even more perfect when I find birds!   This is a Reddish Egret.   They are fun to watch because in addition to being beautiful, they put on a great show,   kind of dancing in the shallow water to stir up prey.     

 

 

This season, Little Blue Herons seem to be the bird that shows up everywhere we go.   That's OK with me -- I am happy observing birds no matter how often I've seen them.  And it's nice when they pose prettily with their reflection. 

 

 

A couple of pictures to show size perspective.   On top,  brown pelican  with terns.   I can't ever get over thinking it looks as if the big gawky pelicans are watching over the smaller birds .... but really, I'm sure it was just a good resting spot.    The lower picture is a Little Blue Heron and a Reddish Egret ignoring each other. 

 

It was a perfect Valentine's Day (at least in my opinion!).

 

A couple of catch-up thank-yous  from earlier posts:   Last week, I asked if anyone could identify these edible red pods that were for sale at the Immokalee Farm Market.  Denise of An English Girl Rambles did the research I should have done and identified them as Guaje Seed Pods.  

 

Guaje Seed Pods 

 Click here to go to the link that Denise provided.  The plant is native to Oaxaca Mexico and its seeds can be eaten raw or used in cooking.  If you go to the link, you will see that the pods are  identical to the ones in the picture.     Thank you again Denise (and if we go to Immokalee again when Guaje Seeds are still in season, I will try them and let everyone know how they taste. 

 

 This bird was one of those we saw on a rainy-day drive a few weeks ago.  I thought maybe it was some type of sandpiper  but learned from several comments that it was a Yellowlegs (either Greater or Lesser).  I hope I see one of these guys again soon, so I can identify it on my own and then it will count as a first-time bird!    Thanks to Phil of Another Bird Blog and Anne of Creative Cornucopia    for pointing me in the right direction.  

Thank you to everyone who reads these posts, especially to those who take the time to comment.   And as always thanks to the hosts of the sharing sites that make it so much easier to connect.

NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;  MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE; WILD BIRD Wednesday;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

LIVE ACTION AT HARNS MARSH

 

  We stopped at Harns Marsh in Lehigh Acres on our way to the Everglades Canals last week.

 

 

 

We were watching a few Limpkins who were looking for  -- and finding -- apple snails.   These snails are pretty much the only thing these birds eat.  The shallow water made for easy pickings.   Then Bill pointed out a couple of white heads across the pond from where the Limpkins were feeding.

 

 

 

This bad picture is here on purpose to show how far away we were from the birds.     I'm grateful for binoculars and zoom lenses - you witness  all kinds of wildlife adventures with them.

 

 

 

(This is not the same pair of eagles in the nest near where we live -- we were in a different area.)  

 

The Eagles were taking turns eating their prey and standing guard.  And then suddenly they seemed to go into high alert.  I scanned my camera in the direction they had turned...

 

 

... and saw  this pair of rascals that looked as if they were  planning something nefarious.  And I was right.  In another minute they sidled over toward the eagle's prey.

 

 

 

 

And then this happened.

 

The lower panel shows  one of the  Black Vultures  flying away after snagging a small piece of the prey.    The Eagles made a lot of noise and almost seemed to stomp  their feet as they hopped and flew chasing away  the intruders.

 

 

The two vultures flew back to a grassy area where there was a whole family gathering.   Maybe to report that it was slim pickings out there.

 

 

And the two Eagles went back to their meal.      It's kind of odd that we think of Bald  Eagles as majestic and  Vultures as vaguely creepy.  They are both birds of prey.  But the Eagle, besides eating 'road kill'  will actually catch and kill live prey, while the Vulture eats only things that are already dead.    (Benjamin Franklin wasn't happy that the Eagle was chosen as our national symbol -- he thought they had a  “bad moral character”.)    I think both the Eagle and the Vulture are just doing what they're supposed to be doing -- and both are interesting to watch.

 

 

 

And meanwhile, not too far away from all the action, this guy was just basking in the sun.    (Zoom lens, remember.)   Unlike most of us, alligators don't need to eat every day.  He had probably already had a meal earlier that week and wasn't hungry yet.

 

 LINKING this week to:  NATURE NOTES; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD Wednesday; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL Thursday; Saturday CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

HAPPY EASTER (NO FOOLING)

 

   
 

Happy Easter  to all who celebrate. 

 

And this year, the  Holiday falls on a date that is perfect to remember the English tradition/superstition which says (no fooling):

 

 "a person should say or repeat the word 'rabbit' or 'white rabbit' three times upon waking on the first day of every  month, because doing so will ensure good luck for the duration of the month."  (from Wikipedia)

   

 

 In the interest of honesty (and not  fooling anyone even on April 1) the rabbit pictures and tradition appeared in slightly different form on the first of a different month in a different and earlier year.  But this month's  timing is  too perfect not to repeat them.  The pictures in the rest of the post are more current.

 

 

In March we spent a couple of days exploring  Florida's Tropical Trail (around the towns of Redland, Homestead, and Florida City).  This trip was also when we visited  the orchid nursery/farm shown in  last week's post.

 

 

 We learned about and sampled all kinds of tropical fruits at a park called The Herb and Spice Farm and at a locally famous farm store called Robert is Here.  Both places were interesting and the fruits we sampled were delicious.    But   the couple of kinds we bought to take home didn't quite taste the same.  I don't think we  have the knack of choosing these unfamiliar fruits.  I'm sure we'd get better with more practice (but it's a bit too far to travel for that.  Mangoes are the only ones we see in the stores here).

 

 

 

 It wasn't a birding trip this time, but I couldn't resist making portraits of the sweet purple martins at Robert is Here.   They seemed to love their southern home!

  

 

 

Grateful that there are  new things to see and learn and that we are able to get out and find them.    Thankful too for the hosts of the following sharing opportunities and for all of you who visit  -- and especially for those who take the time to comment.

 

Linking this week to:  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY and  RATHER B' BIRDING

 

 

 

 

CHECKING IN WITH THE EAGLES

     

E-10 and E-11, this year's  two (no longer) baby eagles,  are practicing for the soon-to-come day when they'll leave their North Fort Myers nest for good.  

 

  

 

My timing was perfect when I stopped at the pasture last week.  Right in front of where I parked in the next door church lot I saw one of the two perched on this snag tree which is closer to the parking lot than it is to the nest tree.    Wings were fluttering and so was my heart as I tried to fumble the camera into position (using the strongest zoom lens position I have).

 

 

 

But I made it .... camera ready.... there was about ten more minutes of fluttering and hopping before E-10 finally flew off the snag.    

I learned later that this was the first 'long-distance' flight either of the two had made.  They'd been flying or hopping to higher branches in the nest tree for a while, but this was the first time either of them had actually left the tree.   

 

 

 

 

 Here's (s)he is  ..... flying gracefully across our cloudless blue sky and then smoothly gliding into the nest with landing gear extended. 

 

 

 

Once more back home  (s)he appeared to try to poke her less adventurous sibling awake.  Who knows, maybe narrating the tale of the first flight adventure.  Eventually she succeeded in the sibling jostling match   -- and both flew to the 'attic' branch just above the nest.

 

 

This,  though, is my favorite part of the story.   The whole time E10  had been gone and while all the action in the nest was taking place, their Mother (Harriet) was perched on the next branch up.  With her head resolutely turned away.     Can't you just hear her mom thoughts?     "I'm not going to pay one bit of attention to you ....    but  I'm right here if you fall."    It will only be a matter of a few weeks before Harriet and her mate M-15 will once more be empty-nesters.   Every season they handle this  transition beautifully.   Instinct is a wonderful thing.  

 

 

 

 

Here's a better view of the adolescent pair. 

E-10 hatched on December 26 and E-11 on December 27.    

Every year, we winter resident birders are grateful that nesting season corresponds so perfectly with Snowbird season here in North Fort Myers.  Hatch happens right about the time people start arriving .    The babies fledge during the main part of our season  -- and  those of us fortunate enough to stay late in the season will still be here when they leave the nest for good.   

 

 

Beautiful Harriet. 

(I think she was calling Dad telling him to bring home some dinner  -- or maybe she wanted him to take over the nest watch.  Although by this stage, Harriet and M-15 sometimes leave the youngsters alone for brief periods of time.

 

We live about a mile and a half from the Eagle pasture which is on a street that we drive pretty much every time we leave our RV resort.  But most of the time, like fans of the eagles everywhere, I check the progress on the Internet.     

Here is the link to the North Fort Myers Live Cam website where there is also great information about the history of this nest.   

 

THANK YOU to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities:    

 

OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES; IMAG-IN-ING; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING.  

 

PALM ISLAND FLORIDA by boat

 I'm posting about a boat-trip again -- but this week closer to real time, in a (much) smaller boat, and (much) closer to home than the cruise ship trip I posted about last week (and earlier).   We traveled to Cape Haze/Palm Island toward the end of February. 

 

 

 

 

This is   Palm Island Marina where we spent a mid-week long weekend recently.  (And if you know what a mid-week long weekend is, you are probably just as retired as we are.)   We were a flotilla of three  from our RV Park, cruising down the Caloosahatchee River and then across Charlotte Bay to Cape Haze -- about a 60-mile boat trip.    It is a beautiful Marina facility with a good restaurant, outdoor kitchen/coffee facilities, swimming pool and hot tub.    And a water taxi that ferries you across to a private island where the only form of land transportation allowed is golf cart.   There's a good restaurant there too and a few of the requisite beach shops (souvenirs = nah  .....   ice cream = oh yes).

 

This is how we collect shells these days.

 

On docking overnight at the Marina, we received a guest pass that allowed us to use the private beach over on the island -- we beach-walked first and then rented a golf cart to access some of the more remote corners.  (And enjoyed looking at the private vacation homes and condos as we tooled along.)   

    

Ibis Tree

The  more remote private area that we golf-carted to is called 'Shark's Tooth Beach' and we found a few of those teeth (I did keep a couple of those -- they are small.)   That is also where I spotted a dead tree that, from a distance, looked like it had white flowers growing on it.   This is the view as I got closer.    The Ibis were not disturbed at all.

 

 

 

A little while after I walked past the tree, I looked up from my shell collecting and saw that the time for resting in the tree was over -- now it was time to eat.

 

 

 

We saw several of these big old guys -- the Gopher Tortoise is on the endangered list in Florida, but they appear to be doing well on this island.  And that is undoubtedly because there are no cars, which are definitely not a friend to these slow-movers.

 

 

 

I think that these are Willets in winter plumage.  But shore-bird ID is always hard for me.   In any case, like all shorebirds, they were fun to watch as they raced up and down the tide edge looking for things to eat. 

 

 

A long-shot across from Shark's Tooth  to where some people were enjoying the sand and waves.  I include it mostly because I love the way it shows the colors of the water.   The river where we live is usually muddy looking (the tourist brochures call it 'tea' or 'coffee-colored'.)  It's from tannin and polluted discharge from Lake Okechobee.   So it is nice to see water that is actually the "color of water" as it should be. 

 

 

Grateful for good friends, beautiful scenery, warm weather --

and for the time to enjoy all of that.

 

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities:   THANK YOU to all of the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.   

 

 

 

VISITING THE SWAMPS AND SLOUGHS

    

We've had company .... and we took them to the swamps and the sloughs.  Whoever said we weren't great hosts?   Our brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Spokane (the Eastern half of Washington State) where they left frigid temperatures and deep snow.    So we've had a great time showing off our Florida sunshine. 

In addition to getting warm again (at least for a while), they really wanted to see alligators -- and we knew just where to go.   And of course we saw lots of beautiful Florida birds too.     

 

 Egret keeping an eye on a fellow denizen of Big Cypress Swamp  

 

 

Anhinga

 

 

 Birds of Prey

 Osprey, CaraCara, and Red Shouldered Hawk (I'm sure about the first two -- I think on the hawk)

   

 

Green Heron -- trying to hide as he preens

 

Still in hiding!

 

 

X

 

Little Blue Heron

 

 

And some more shots of what our company wanted  to see!

(And of course  I know nobody would believe we were actually in SW Florida until I posted my annual alligator pictures.)

 

Not a lot of words this week because we're still busy seeing the beauty and fun of our area through new eyes.     It is so good to see family!  Thanks for coming Rik and Lyn!       

And thank you also to the link hosts who give us an opportunity to share with virtual friends  even when we don't have company in real life:  

SHARING  this week with:  MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

  

Almost in real time for a change, today's pictures are from a couple of days out and about last week -- right here in SW Florida.      

 

 

The beautiful evening skies along the river were an unexpected bonus when we went for a boat ride one day last week.    It was meant to be an afternoon trip to enjoy the O!Zone and  late lunch at this river-front tiki bar    ...  but  service was really slow.    ('Tis the height of the snowbird season.)     We got fed before I starved to death though and  sunset on the way home was super.

 

 

 

 

 

On another morning we drove to Six Mile Cypress Slough where the sky view was a little different.      We were glad to visit one of our favorite  nature walks for the first time this season.  This park sustained some damages from Hurricane Irma and was closed for a couple of months after.  It looks just great now, thanks to the Park District and volunteers.

 

 

 

 Red-bellied woodpecker before, during, and after lunch.

 

   

 

 

It was a little cool that morning and the song birds were flitting around like crazy -- not many photo ops.   But sometimes it's good just to see the old familiars.  At the viewing platform, we heard a lady exclaim about the beautiful big bird with the huge feet.  She meant the Great Blue Heron. 

And we realized that our old familiars are exotic and wonderful and different for some visitors ... and that we are fortunate to see these beauties often ... and shouldn't take them for granted. 

 

 Happy to see  cypress knees again too.  This group looks like a little swamp family.

 

 

Thank you to the hosts of each of the following sharing opportunities ... and hello and thank you to the lovely lady who spoke to us just before we stepped on to the board walk.  She and her husband are snowbirds from Germany .... she reads the blog and somehow recognized us!   We talked a little bit about Costa Rica (the last FT-Life blog post at the time)  and about how lucky we all were to be here in beautiful (and warm) SW Florida.    They were, I think, returning from their walk while we were just starting and we didn't see them again,  but wow ...  I was completely flabbergasted to be recognized -- and pleased to know they enjoyed the blog.

 

 

LINKING this week to:  ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

TRAVELING, CLOSER TO HOME

   

Today's pictures are from two recent overnight trips... one by boat, one by car.      We are fortunate to have so many interesting destinations near our winter home.         

  

 

I'm convinced that  Southwest Florida is blessed with some of the most beautiful skies in the world.  The above pictures were taken on our New Year's Eve boat trip.  We stayed two nights (on the boat) at Salty Sam's Marina on  Estero Island. There were fireworks on the beach at midnight  ... but honestly, they couldn't rival the earlier sunset.

  

 

Earlier in the month we traveled by car to the Crystal River and visited Homasassa State Park.   A large population of flamingos calls  the Park home. 

 

 

Amazing to observe these beautiful birds from the boardwalk ...  Wonderful whether they were awake or asleep -- and whether standing on one leg or two!  It really was usually on one,  just like picture books and cartoons always show them.    

 

 

Skipping back  to the start of this post (or ahead in time) to our New Year's boat trip.  We had a pleasant boat ride getting there and a lovely time while docked at the Marina.    This picture (above)  is the OH! Zone -- our boat -- across from a somewhat larger one.  The boat behind ours belongs to friends  from our RV resort ... we traveled with two other couples.  It was great to spend the Holiday  with our boating friends in this beautiful location  ... and definitely a time to give thanks for our mild winter weather.

 

 

Pictures from the Marina --  in the center is a sailboat mast decorated for the Christmas Holidays ... it must have been quite a feat to climb up that high with those lights!   The third boat on this trip is in the lower right photo.      

 

I've been posting for a couple of months about our recent longer trip on a bigger boat to get home this season -- and  here in blog-land we haven't even made it through the Panama Canal yet, so there will be more cruise posts to come.  But in real time we're happily at home in our corner of the world collecting more memories.  And we're more than grateful that we can do that.

 

 

Thank you to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:     OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.  

 

 

 

CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA

    

It’s really true that we are at home in the Sunshine State for the season --  and I'm taking a  break from posting about our sea-to-sea journey to get here in order to show some "natural Florida."   These pictures were all taken on last week’s car excursion to the Crystal River area.   It's a couple hundred miles from our 'Canal Cottage'.   

    

 

There were a LOT of wood ducks on the river!   I was so excited.     This beautiful duck had been on my birding wish list for a long time .  A couple of years ago, I finally did see one in Oregon and then another off in the distance near Fort Myers -- but both were very long-distance views.  So then my wish-list changed from 'see a wood duck' to 'get a good picture of a wood duck.'  

 

 

This is the way we spotted them at first -- and I was pretty happy just to witness this interesting vignette.  Mr and Mrs Wood Duck were swimming along with a mallard -- which seems huge in comparison.   We watched the trio for a while and then walked on  -- and that was when I spotted some more of these ducks up closer.   While we were watching them  (the first picture here was taken then) the trio came along again going the other way.    They seemed happy to be together -- we spotted them a few more times as we explored.   Kind of made us wonder what that was all about. 

 

 

We saw tons of other birds   -- including pretty much every  species of Heron known in these parts.  Here are a few of them.     I'll probably post more pictures of at least some of these guys again -- and I will definitely be showing pictures later of some other amazing  birds we saw at Homosassa State Park during this trip .....   

 

 

.... but today's post is really all about the Wood Duck.   I feel like I can definitely check this bird off my wish list now, because I honestly don't think I could possibly get any better pictures of one.  But  I’ll  certainly never get tired of seeing these beautiful birds and I hope we get to see them again.

 

Grateful for the opportunity to see these wonderful birds and thankful to be where it's warm and sunny this time of year.  Thank you for visiting our FullTime-Life.  Special thanks to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

AUTUMN CATCH-ALL

  

 It's a catch-all post today, because last week was just that kind of week. 

 

     

The sign above made us laugh.   This high-rise student apartment sits across a very busy street on the edge of  the University of Oregon campus.  Some of those students have been working hard emptying those window decorations.   (There's an excellent brewpub on the other side of the street, which was why we walked to that neighborhood.  It serves better brew than comes in those cans.  But we are old and can appreciate the difference.)

 

 

 

Another beautiful day, another beautiful walk.  The Fifth Street Public Market always does a nice job of seasonal decorations.

 

 

 

 

Taken from a third-story window while waiting at the  Doctor's office.  Just there for a routine checkup -- and for the view.  

 

  

 

We went for a drive to the Mountains last Monday  and took a short easy hike to Salt Creek Falls.  It's the second highest waterfall in Oregon.  That is snow in the bottom left picture!!  The roads were completely clear, but the rain we had in the valley the previous week was snow up there.  It was a beautiful walk.  And the mountain drive was lovely too ... although we found that there is more color down here than up there.  The native deciduous trees are mostly all yellow in this part of the country, so all the reds we see in the neighborhoods are from decorative trees. 

   

 

On still another day, we have a turkey stare down.   Daughter and I were driving down her road on the way to have lunch and we had to stop the car to let a flock of these birds cross the street.  They pretty much owned the road there for a while.   Apparently they aren't too worried (yet anyway) about becoming someone's Thanksgiving dinner.

 

 

 

 These  are some more shots from our son-in-law and daughter's place.

 

 We are grateful for beautiful Autumn color  and beautiful  blue-sky  days ...

 and for time to enjoy them!

 

LINKING this week to:  ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL Thursday;  SKYWATCH Friday; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING. 

And I'm grateful for the hosts of each of these great sharing opportunities.  Thank you.

 

 

October at KIRK POND

WILD IN THE CITY

    

We're starting to get a little Autumn color here in Eugene -- even if part of it is reddish algae on the Delta Ponds.

 

 

 

 Delta Ponds is a 150-acre waterway, consisting of  ponds, channels, and wetlands.  The whole area is owned by the City of Eugene and  is just downstream from the area's largest shopping mall.    

 

 

Great Blue Heron on the hunt

All of it used to be part of the Willamette River floodplain, but the present ponds and channels were formed by gravel extraction in the 1950s and 60s.  (The gravel was used to build the Lane County portion of the  I-5 Freeway and other roadways in the area.)  The City bought the area from the gravel company in the late 1970s and has been actively restoring and reclaiming it since 2004.

 

  

 

Maybe this guy was tired from building the beaver lodge we saw across the pond.  He appears to be napping.

 

Great Blue stare-down.

 

 

I'd taken the bus  to meet a friend  at Valley River Center (the mall mentioned above) .    It was way too pretty a day to stay indoors, so after lunch we headed for the path around the ponds.   (It's good to have friends who would rather take a nature walk near the mall than shop inside it!)

 

In fact, the weather was so lovely, I decided to walk  all the way home.   (We live a little over three miles from the mall.)    Every year I think I'll take this walk oftener and every year I  almost forget.   

  

 

 

Just a slight detour on the way home took me through the City's Rose Garden.  Again,  I should have visited in July when the roses were at their prime.  But there were still lots of beautiful flowers. 

 

 

 

Pretty much every stage in the life of a rose here on this one bush.

 

 

 

LINKING my urban walk to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to all of the hosts for providing them:

 

OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; FLORAL BLISS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

HAPPY FALL 2017

     

Because this is the blog's 10th Anniversary year and the picture is so appropriate for the season, here is a re-run photo used in our very first Full-Time Life post around this time of  year in 2007.    

It was taken  on  our first RV trip to the East Coast (in 2003).  So it was already old when I  used it in that first post.         (We first blogged to keep in touch with family and friends when we spent Spring 2007 in  London.  A while after we came home, I  decided to start another blog about our adventures in this country.)   

     

 

 In most parts of the USA, 'Fall' is the word for the season between Summer and Winter.   I actually prefer to use 'Autumn' .... but 'Fall' is funnier.  

 

   

 

The next two pictures are also old  because we don't have much Autumn color here yet.  The one above is in the Ozark Mountains, on a different trip.

Instead of beautiful colors, the last week of summer here in Eugene brought rain and for that we are beyond grateful.  The moisture has cleared the air of wildfire smoke that permeated the Willamette Valley for much of September.  We hope for continued rain and snow in the mountains because it is needed to  put out all of the fires completely.   I will not even think of complaining about rain this year!   

 

 

 

The marigolds and matching butterfly are also from the Vermont trip.    I could pretend it was more recent, because it could be from an Oregon flower bed -- or lots of other  places -- but we don't believe in fake news or fake pictures around here.

 

Meanwhile,  some  current pictures from here  in Oregon  --  (more current than the above pictures, but not from last week ... because ...   did I mention it's been raining?):

  

 

Out in the country while visiting  our daughter and son-in-law, I took some pictures of Parker -- their big puppy (half  McNab and half Mastiff).    (When we left for Florida in November a year ago, he was a tiny ball of fur.... now at not quite a year old and still growing it's a different story.)    

 

We are  easy to entertain --  the dog and the house birds always provide a show.       (Two different house birds here   -- a couple of house wrens and a house sparrow.)

 

And, in between showers, late summer is great in downtown Eugene:

 

 

The sculpture of Rosa Parks waiting for the bus (and for her place in history) is appropriately situated on the plaza in front  of the Lane Transit District terminal,  just a few blocks from our apartment.  People love to give her flowers -- she is almost always holding a fresh bouquet.  The pictures on the right are flowers (and a few things to eat) purchased at the Saturday Farmer's Market.  

 

 

 

 We don't have to worry about parking,  because the Market is also within very easy walking distance.

 

LINKING  this week to:  

 

OUR WORLD on Tuesday;  MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; TUESDAY TREASURES; FLORAL BLISS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS;    RATHER B' BIRDING and THE BARN COLLECTIVE.

 

 

Thank you to all of the hosts!

 

DEAN CREEK DISTRACTION

9

 Every year before we leave Fort Myers for the summer, "we" install hurricane shutters.  Here's Bill finishing up that job last June -- just before we left on our cross-country road trip back home to Oregon.  We never doubted that it was a necessary job even though  Hurricane  Irma is the first one to hit the area since we bought our 'Canal Cottage' ten years ago.   Definitely no doubts now!  

Reports from  management  are that there was no significant damage to any homes within our resort.   There is still no electricity so we are  waiting for more detailed information as soon as they are able to check further.   All of our friends who live there year-round evacuated safely and have not yet been able to return.    

It was surreal watching and waiting from all the way across the country.  Our thoughts are with all of those in Florida and the Caribbean who were harmed by this terrible storm.  

It seemed like we spent every minute for several days watching Fort Myers TV on the station's website (an odd experience watching local Florida news when we're in Oregon --through the wonders of the Internet.)     But to distract ourselves, one day we took a short drive to Dean Creek, near Elkton, to view the Roosevelt Elk herd that lives there.  

   

The Roosevelt Elk is Oregon's largest land animal.    These Elk can be found along the Pacific  Coast  from British Columbia to  northern California.  A herd of about 120 ranges along  Dean Creek.    Fall is the best time of year for viewing them.  

At first we spotted only a couple of large groups of females and young and just this one young bull who was hanging out alone and quite far away from the rest of the herd.

 

 

 

There was some light coastal mist and not much color in the sky -- but the air was fresh and clean along this coastal creek.  It was good to be away from the Willamette Valley where the air still smelled smoky (it is a bit better this week).  And of course it was good to think about something besides our Florida house. 

 

 

 

After a few minutes of watching we spotted this magnificent bull -- obviously the Alpha male of the herd.    He was taking it easy as his harem grazed, until that smaller bull started to move toward the females.   

 

Then he let the youngster know who was boss. 

 The young bull wisely turned around and went the other way -- so (happily) we didn't see a fight.

 

 

 

 

The bull then began herding his cows and calves into a tighter group, but he stopped for this tender moment!  This young one didn't seem to want to get up and move, so he got a few gentle nudges from his pop until he got up and joined the rest of the herd.

 

 

Our visit to Dean Creek was a happy distraction from what turned out to be not such bad news as we had feared. 

 

Linking   to SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; and THROUGH MY LENS.

 

Thank you to all of the hosts.

SMOKE and MEMORIES

 

The picture below is an un-edited photo of the sun near our apartment last Tuesday evening  -- around 6 p.m.   While it makes a rather pretty sky picture,  the reason  is not at all good because the dramatic tones are due to smoke from wildfires... and it has severely socked in our valley.  

 

 

According to an article in our local paper (The Register-Guard, Thursday, August 31), wildfires in Oregon are burning an area equivalent to half the State of Rhode Island, affecting air quality throughout the state.  There are two dozen fires in southern, eastern, and central parts of the state that have scorched a total of 571 square miles.  

Because of the bad air quality, we have done no playing outside this week --  the rest of today's pictures are 'look-backs' and memories.

Our  weather/climate problems are of course as nothing compared to last week's devastating hurricane and unending heavy rains on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.    Damages are horrendous and the aftermath continues.     

During our RV travel years, we spent several winter seasons in that part of Texas.  The collage below shows just a few of our memories of those stays: 

 

 

We stayed twice in Port Aransas and once in Fulton/Rockport, where Hurricane Harvey first made landfall.  (The coastal towns are on opposite shores of  North Padre Island, near Corpus Christie.)    From what we have seen and read, it looks as if both  are completely devastated and will take years to rebuild.

 

 

Our traveling home at Water's Edge RV Park, Fulton Texas, Winter 2006-07

 

As full-time RVers, whenever we stayed in an area for three or four months, we always considered ourselves to be residents.  Of course, it isn't the same as it is for people who have spent their whole lives in an area, but it was long enough that we  would felt at home and get to know the community far better than one would just passing through.   North Padre  was one of our all-time favorite areas and we have wonderful memories of both towns.  

Travel certainly taught us a lot about our country and brought  much joy  -- but it also makes losses such as the one from this horrible storm more vivid as we recognize places  being destroyed and remember them and the people we met.    

Our thoughts are with all those in the affected area.    

   Our current road-trip vehicle

 

The bird below is a more recent memory, but was also on the Gulf Coast -- of Alabama .  We saw this bird on our road trip home to Oregon this past June.    I included it then in a collage of pictures from an evening walk we took where we stayed (Gulf Shores State Park).  And I didn't even try to ID it ... but Eileen, our Saturday Critters host and my (blogland) resident bird expert  told me in a comment on that post that it was a shrike!    Thank you Eileen.   (Most will know already, but Eileen's blog is VIEWING NATURE and it is HERE.) 

 

Loggerhead shrike

 

Many years ago on a camping trip  Bill showed me  evidence of the way shrikes impale their prey, and I probably saw the bird too -- but that was long before I became really interested in birding -- so I'm definitely calling this sighting a first.  

 

 

The flowers below came from a walk around  town that we took when my sister and brother-in-law were visiting last week (after Eclipse Day)... they're part of a wall of hanging baskets in front of a Nursery.

 

 

We are hoping for more dramatic flowers and fewer dramatic smoky skies in September.    

 

 

Thank you for visiting --  and special thanks to the hosts of 

 the following sharing opportunities:

 LINKING THIS WEEK TO:   SATURDAY CRITTERS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   MOSAIC MONDAY;   NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; FLORAL BLISS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

THE END OF THE TRIP AND HOME AGAIN

      

Yes, our annual summer migration is over.... in real life we've been home since the very end of June and, with this early August post, the trip will be over even in blog-land.    (It was a long trip, but not quite as long as it's been here on the blog.)

 

 

 

 Since our ultimate destination (our Northwest home) was Eugene Oregon  ....

 

 

.... I'm tempted to say, in the words of local icon and world-famous  author Ken Kesey "What a long, strange trip it's been." 

 

But although our home city might be a little  different -- "left of normal" (and we're all proud of that), our trip itself was actually a great one, with nothing strange about it.   We explored new places and favorite old ones, had not a speck of trouble on the road, and arrived safely.

 The above pictures are from around town, close to our apartment.   The Eugene Parade was held about a week after we got home ...  we were watching on a street corner less than a block away from our upstairs terrace apartment  -- where the street noise doesn't reach,  but the street excitement is  close by. 

  

 

 

Here is the road-map for the last part of our trip -- from Longmont Colorado  (where we stayed with our son and daughter-in-law) to Eugene Oregon.   The map for the first part of the journey (from our winter home in Florida to Colorado) is HERE.    Because we always break up the trip with a lovely stay with our Colorado family, I've called that our half-way point, but  that's not at all accurate.    (We drove 2,159 miles from Fort Myers to Longmont and then 1,222 miles from there to home.  A total of 3,381 road miles -- not counting side-trips  (mostly in Colorado and Utah).   

 

Abandoned -- along a back-road somewhere  --- Wyoming or Utah or Idaho  -- but the poppies don't know or care.

 

We did not necessarily take the shortest possible route on either 'half' of the journey  and we do not drive long days.  We never have enjoyed that kind of travel -- even when we were younger.    We also took a little longer on the second part of the trip because, while we were in Idaho, we read that temperatures of over 100 F were happening in Eugene.  So we decided to play on the road a bit until it cooled down some at home.

 

Onion seed field somewhere in Idaho

 

Temperatures in the triple digits do not make for good moving-back-in-weather.    And we knew that, this being western Oregon, the extreme heat would not last for long.   Happily it did soon cool down a bit and we arrived in good time for the family picnic on the Fourth of July:

   

  

 

Here are two members of the clan who do not mind having their pictures taken one bit.   We were in the "woods" .... the far back part of the boys' grandparents place.   (Their grandparents are our daughter and son-in-law. We are proud to be the 'GGs' ... the great-grandparents.)  

I took the bird pictures below a couple of days before the Holiday, also in our daughter's yard (closer to their house.)    I was meant to be unpacking our travel van, which we leave out there (we have a small generic car for city use) -- but it was more fun to sit and chat with the family while watching the birds.

 

 

I'm not having any luck identifying this amusing 'little brown job'.  We used to call all our brown feeder birds "LBJs" but that was years ago .   Now it bothers me not to be able to name all the birds we see and I'd love any help I can get with a name for this one.

 

 

Seen in many yards in Eugene 

 

It's good to be home on the West Coast.  We like it here!

   

LINKING this week to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

Thanks to all of the hosts for providing these sharing opportunities. 

 

SCENIC IDAHO

 

This week's pictures, nearly the end of the road-trip,  are all from the State of Idaho.   We've spent quite a bit of time in that State  over the years (both of us grew up in a tiny town in Washington State that borders  Northern  Idaho) and we have camped in  and traveled through parts of it many times in our life.     But surprisingly on this trip we found several new and interesting places to explore.

 

 

This is Shoshone Falls on the Snake River near the town of Twin Falls.   I love waterfalls and Shoshone Falls was stunning.  We don't know why we'd never visited  before, as we have driven through that town several times in the past.    The contrast between the swiftly flowing water and the rugged Idaho landscape was fascinating.

 

 

The Park area above the Falls was donated to the city of Twin Falls by the ranchers who owned the land, for the purpose of public enjoyment -- and of course we were not the only members of the public doing just that on this day.

 

 

Among all the other tourists there was also a group of plein-air painters set up at various points around the Falls.  It was fun to sneak a peek over their shoulders to see the various artistic interpretations.   (I'm more than happy to let my camera interpret for me.)

 

 

We saw these petroglyphs  in the Snake River canyon near the tiny town of Melba. Humans have lived in this area for at least 10,000 years.   We walked the trail to try to see some of the etchings left on the rocks.  They are quite faded and hard to see and the trail was fairly rugged, so I'm sure we missed a lot.

 

 

We visited the World Center for Birds of Prey near Boise.  Naturalists at the Center are among those working to re-introduce California Condors into the wild.  This vulture, the largest flying bird in North America is also the most endangered bird on our continent.  Although ancestors of the bird were alive during prehistoric times, by 1982 only 22 of the species remained.  All of these were placed in captive breeding programs at that time.   Most of the young condors born here in Idaho are released near the Grand Canyon.   

Today, the greatest danger to the newly wild condors are lead bullets.  Because the condors eat only dead animals, they may ingest particles of lead in animals left by hunters.   There is a push to stop the sale of leaded bullets, but I believe they are still being sold.   In addition to breeding condors for release, this Center also treats sick condors for rehabilitation.

 

 

 

This pretty little Kildeer was among several wild birds we saw on the grounds of the Center.   At 9 inches or so, it looked awfully small  after we had just gazed at the Condors which have over a 9-foot wing-span.  

 

 

There were lots of reasons to be glad we spent some time in Idaho on this trip.  And this amazing rainbow upstream from Shoshone Falls was definitely not the least of them.

 

 

LINKING this week to:  OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SIGNS SIGNS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.  

 

Thank you to the hosts for making these wonderful sharing opportunities available to all of us.

 

DRIVE-BY WYOMING and a STOP IN UTAH

 

   

We've been happily at home in Oregon for over three weeks, but I'm still road-trip blogging -- because there are still  fun pictures and experiences we don't want to forget .  

After  we left Colorado on our way to the Utah stop I showed last week, our route took us across southern Wyoming.    We don't drive a lot of miles in a day, so we did stay overnight in Rawlins,  but, as it's been on most of our cross-country trips,  Wyoming was pretty much a drive-through State.    

 

 

Blue sky, green grass and red rocks when we first hit the Wyoming border -- outside of Laramie -- but it wasn't  many more miles before we began to see the landscape that defines this part of the State ... endless miles of sagebrush.

 

 

 It gets monotonous, but Sagebrush  is an important part of the ecological system ....

 

(click for easier reading)

... as the above sign (at a highway rest-stop area)  explains.

 

 

 

In the mosaic above, one farm animal behind the fence and some wild animals in the open are browsing that sagebrush.    We always lose count of how many pronghorn we see when driving across Wyoming.  I think there might be more of them than there are people.  

Among the 50 States, Wyoming ranks 50th  in population but is the 10th largest in area.  According to Wikipedia there are 584,000 people populating just over 97,000 square miles.  (That leaves a lot of room for sagebrush and the wildlife it supports.)    

 

 

 

We stopped in Kemmerer for lunch.     It is in this tiny town that James Cash Penney founded his first department store in 1902.   This, the "mother store" is still in the same downtown location where it all began.   Nowadays, you would almost always  find this national chain store in malls.   (If you found it at all, the way things are going these days. )  That very morning, we'd read yet another story about how brick and board stores are rapidly declining as more and more of us do our shopping on line.    

 

We arrived at Bear Lake  (on the Utah/Idaho border) that afternoon and that was where we took the bird pictures I showed last week.   That State line is one of the few in the country (in our experience)  where you actually notice a difference in terrain and landscape almost as soon as you cross into the next State.   

 

 

  Bear Lake Valley  as seen from Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, Utah

   

 

LINKING THIS WEEK to OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; SIGNS SIGNS;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and SATURDAY CRITTERS.

 Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

BIRDS OF BEAR LAKE

  

  On our way home to Oregon, we spent a couple of nights camping at Bear Lake.  The Lake, which straddles the Utah/Idaho border,  has been a favorite stopover  for years.  

 

 

 

It is one of the prettiest, bluest lakes ever -- though I never seem to quite capture that technicolor blue in pictures.   We always see birds when we stay there and again we weren't disappointed.    On this hot summer day we didn't see as many as on past visits which were in the Spring or Fall, but we had one sighting that made the stopover oh so worthwhile ... 

 

 

 

The American Avocet wasn't  a first-timer because in our previous  (pre-retirement)  life, we used to see them sometimes when we went camping in Eastern Oregon.  But that was long before the days of digital cameras (or blogs).   And even though I know these birds hang out sometimes in Florida as well as in Oregon, it had been years since we'd seen one.    So I was delighted with this sighting.   

 

 

 

Above are some other birds near where the Avocets were hanging out.   I am guessing that the top birds were Wilson's Phalarope, but am more than willing to be corrected.  And we saw quite a few White Pelicans -- it always surprises me to see them on inland waters.   

 

 

 

This yellow-headed blackbird watched the water birds from a fence post and sang loudly to let them (or us) know he was claiming the territory.  

The red-winged blackbird below is from when we were back in Colorado earlier in the trip, but included because it is interesting  to compare the two blackbirds.... 

 

 

 

...and also because this picture  was taken by Geoff (our son) and it's a much better blackbird picture! 

 

 

 

Here are a few more shots of the Avocet  --just because it was so nice to cross this beautiful bird off my photo wish list!  (I'd still love to see them again though -- anytime, anywhere!)

 

LINKING this week to :  MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; OUR WORLD;  ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING.  

  

THANK YOU to all of the hosts.

 

 

 

SKYBIRDS

 

 

 

 Sky-gazing on a lovely day out in the country (at our daughter's and son-in-law's) ...

 

 

 

... when my attention was diverted by a slight commotion at the edge of my vision.

 

 

It's hard to be sure of these little brown birds, but I'm thinking Lesser Goldfinch.    Whatever, they were really working over the cedar berries.

 

 

There were actually at least half-a-dozen birds flitting back and forth in this one tree.   I  managed to get three in the frame -- barely.

 

 It was a lovely warm Fall morning but it clouded up later in the afternoon.   The birds are always more active just before it rains.    Understandable  -- I don't like to play outside in the rain either!

 

LINKING this post to  SKYWATCH FRIDAY hosted by Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy; to Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS;  to Anni's RATHER B' BIRDING; and to Michelle's NATURE NOTES.    Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT

 

There is a fun English tradition (which I first learned about from my British Columbia blogging friend Hildred*).    It says that "a person should say or repeat the word 'rabbit' or 'white rabbit' three times upon waking on the first day of every  month, because doing so will ensure good luck for the duration of the month."  (from Wikipedia).  

And so ... since the first of August falls on Saturday Critter Day, here are some lucky bunnies from the Full-Time archives:   

 

 

RABBIT,

 

 

 RABBIT,

 

 

 RABBIT,

    

 

 

RABBIT, RABBIT, RABBIT!

 

Have a happy ... and lucky... August! 

 

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS.  Visit her lovely blog and click the links to see animals and birds from all over the globe.  

 

*AND:  If you're not already visiting her, you will enjoy Hildred's wonderful blog "Day By Day"   --  it is about much much more than superstition!   I  remembered her brief mention of this particular one because it was new to me and because I have always loved to see rabbits --  and take way too many pictures of them.  

GREBES IN HIDING

The Wetlands on the edge of the Lake are full of ducks and pie billed grebes.  But they really don't love to pose for me!  Here are a few I caught (barely) on a background shot of 'where the grebes used to be.'

 

 

 It is quite dry here in western Oregon -- the wetlands are looking more like September than July - every morning when I walk there is less and less water and more and more grass.  

 

 

Another shot of the wetlands (also known as 'where the grebes probably are hiding'.)  The morning sky started out gray and cloudy, but it wasn't long before the sun was shining -- and there was no rain.  

 

 

 

 

LINKING TO:     Michelle's  NATURE NOTES;   Gemma's WEDNESDAY WATERS; SKYWATCH FRIDAY (Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy);  Gemma's SCENIC WEEKENDS; and Anni's  RATHER B' BIRDING.  Thank you to the hosts of each of these great sharing opportunities.

 

BIRDS OF ANOTHER COLOR (part 2)

 

We see White Ibis very frequently when we're in Florida -- in our RV Park, on street corners, in yards everywhere as well as in the parks where we walk.

 

 

When I first saw these dark-colored Ibis  (by themselves) around town, I thought they were another variety.     But then I looked them up and decided they were first-year juvenile white ibis.

 

 

Here is one in a family group (on the street in the RV Resort where we live when we are in Florida.)   Seems fairly clear that he belongs to the clan.

 

 

LINKING TO:  SATURDAY CRITTERS (thanks to Eileen); RATHER B-BIRDING (thank you Anni) and WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart)  

CRANES OF ANOTHER COLOR

We saw these Sandhill Cranes along a country road last month (yes, still blogging from Florida although in real-life we are across the country).  

 

 

We were surprised to see them wearing brown!

 

 

Last summer we saw brown Sandhill Cranes in Alaska -- on the Kenai Peninsula.  Until then we had thought they were always grayish white.

 

 

 I posted a couple of the above picture to a Florida birding site on FaceBook and people thought the brownish ones were first-year juveniles.   All of the ones we saw in Alaska were a richer red-brown color (picture below):

 I found the following information about Sandhills on the National Wildlife Federation website:  

 

Although the feathers are gray, sometimes they can have a reddish-brown appearance. The reason for the change in color is that sandhill cranes preen themselves by rubbing mud on their feathers. The mud can be brown or red. The red mud comes from iron rich environments.

 

 

LINKING TO:  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you to Stewart) and to   RATHER B' BIRDING (thanks to Anni).  

 

PILEATED WOODPECKER

 

We're not in Florida any longer, but the blog hasn't caught up yet.

 

 

Even though it was super hot the last week we were in the Canal Cottage -- and even though we were really busy closing things up for the season -- I  still walked  early every morning before it got too hot.  And there were still great photo-ops.

One day, I caught this handsome Pileated Woodpecker hanging out (literally) in a carrotwood tree.

That tree is an invasive species for the area (this link).  When we first came to Fort Myers we saw them everywhere.  Now most of them have been removed.  But I still think it is quite a pretty tree.  

 

 

 

 The canal streets in our RV Park in Florida are out-and-back walks.  No round trip because the streets end at the entrance to the River.  This carrot tree is in a yard on the lower end of one of those streets.    I took the top picture going up and the bottom two coming back.   Just before sunrise, the sky was flat white (as in the top picture), but a few minutes later, on the return walk, the blue was beginning to show.

 

 

 

 A couple of days later I saw a different Pileated hopping along a road in the Park.  I think this one might be a female because the red stripe on the cheek isn't so obvious.  It was rather unusual to see one of these birds on the ground and I was a little worried.  She was gone when I passed this spot again, so I hope she flew up to where she belongs.   

 

 

Red-bellied woodpecker

There are still a few more un-blogged photos from Florida -- of birds and other subjects.  

A good thing too, because we are busy catching up and getting organized on this side of the country.  

Good times, but not necessarily good photo ops.  

They will come eventually!

 

 

I will be linking this post to these memes later:   Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS;  Anni's I'D RATHER B'BIRDING; Michelle's NATURE NOTES;  and  Monica's  TREES AND BUSHES.    Thank you for hosting ladies!!  

 

 

 

 

 

MORNING SHOTS

 

 

 

Back on the left coast and delighted to be here!   We arrived just in time to celebrate Independence Day  with some of the family.  But as usual I have no people pictures.  Too busy catching up. 

 

We're in full summer mode here -- it was hot on the Fourth -- and it is too dry, especially for the Pacific Northwest.  Even so, many of the tiny yards here in our RV resort are full of seasonal color.

 

Today the weather is more like what we've looked forward to -- in the 70s with some sunshine.    No matter what the temperature, we would be happy to be here where we can visit family and old friends. 

But it is an added bonus to be able to open windows and turn off the AC.    

 

 

 And it was definitely an added bonus to see this Western Grebe family out on the Lake early this morning.  Mother was taking turns giving her two babies a piggy-back ride.  Highly cropped obviously -- I hope I'll be able to get a closer view before the little ones don't need her any more!

 

 

LINKED TO:  MOSAIC MONDAY;  OUR WORLD on TUESDAY;  WEDNESDAY WATERS;  and  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

 

Thanks to all of the wonderful hosts.   It's good to be back  ... and to again have time to visit blog friends.  

 

SUCCESSFUL CATCH

 

We saw this osprey way up high when we were out walking one afternoon ...  

 

 

 We wondered about that flattened out branch and the way this big bird stayed in that one rather uncomfortable-looking spot so patiently.    (We watched for quite a while and it barely moved.)    I zoomed in ...

 

 

and couldn't tell much else at the time.  But  there was a surprise when we downloaded the pictures.  Our eyes didn't see that the osprey was guarding an already headless fish.   I don't know if he was saving it to share with another osprey or just making sure he kept ahold of it until he got hungry again.

 

It's fun to get an unexpected gift from your camera!

 

 

 

Linking to SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING.  Thank you to Eileen and to Annie.

CHASING WOODPECKERS

 

For a couple of weeks earlier this month my morning walks were all about chasing Woodpeckers.  We had at least three different kinds right here in the Park.    

 

Red-headed Woodpecker

 

 The red-heads are my favorites.

All of these birds are pretty camera shy.  I felt really lucky to get a few halfway decent shots.  Mostly they fly as soon as I aim the camera.

 

Pileated Woodpecker

 

I hear the Pileated oftener than I see it.  I'm not great at bird songs (or calls) but this one is unmistakable.  These were taken at a distance (from our yard across the canal actually).  This model for the cartoon Woody Woodpecker is much larger than the other two types here.  (My bird book says 17" for this one, and 10" for the other two.)

     

Red-bellied Woodpecker

 The Red-bellied like to drum on the light posts.  This post is on another street in the Park, but   one year we had one who loved the post near us on the street side of the cottage.   It certainly was a noisier morning alarm than the soft mockingbird song we're used to.   I worried that the bird had some mental problems thinking he could get bugs from a metal post.  But then I read that the more noise they make the more attractive they are to the female of the species.  

   

Red-headed Woodpecker

 

 It took quite a while to record my favorite red-head's progress up this electric pole.  (I don't necessarily get an hour's worth of exercise when I walk for an hour before breakfast.)  He just seemed to be climbing for the joy of it.  I never really saw him pecking at the post at all. 

 

 

 

He seemed happy that he made it to the top of the pole.  

Maybe he just wanted to be king of the castle.

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• Linking to Judith's MOSAIC MONDAY; to Michelle's NATURE NOTES; to OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY (Lady Fi, Gattina, Arija, Sandy, Sylvia, and Jennifer); and to Stewart's WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY .  Thank you to all of the hosts for providing these fun sharing opportunities.

BIRDS ON SPRING MORNINGS

Scroll for SIGNS and FENCES. They are down there.

Because it is spring -- and because it is quieter in the park now -- I'm seeing many more birds on morning walks.

It was a great start for the day when I caught this Blue Jay contemplating   a bounty of acorns fallen from some of the live oak trees around the park.

 

 Although a typical bird for many in the US, this Jay is very different from those we see in Oregon and I have wanted to get a picture of one for a long time.   

While the Jay was a first time sighting (here in the RV park), mockingbirds are much more common.  They are everywhere...   

     

 

 On fences ....

  

 ... on lamp posts ...   

 

 

And on signs*.     (And, sometimes, even in trees.)

 

They are such a cheerful little bird.  I don't get tired of seeing (and hearing) them. Lately, fledglings have been testing their wings and learning to navigate.  Some mornings I see what are probably the parent birds chasing crows and grackles away from the little ones.  

 

* That sign is one of our most (UN)favorite kinds.   We call them CYA signs -- in this case it is there so that if any of us residents get hit by a car if we venture outside of the park, the management will be able to say 'we warned you.'      We live dangerously and often dare to walk past it!  

 

 

LINKING THIS POST to:   MOSAIC MONDAY (thank you Judith);  NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle); WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart);  GOOD FENCES (thank you Theresa);  and SIGNS SIGNS (thanks to Lesley).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Meanwhile) UNDER THE BOARDWALK

 

While still focusing on the Osprey (here) UP above the boardwalk,  I heard a splashy disturbance below. 

 

By the time I was able to focus  DOWN,  I'd missed the moment of the catch, but here's the splashing Anhinga -- now balancing his prey rather precariously.  

 

 

 He jumped around on the pilings some and tossed the fish this way and that.  I thought sure it would get away.   But no such luck (for the fish).

 

It's a stretch!

 

 

But he's going to get it all.

 

 

Poor fish!  Hard luck being the bottom of the food chain.

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Sharing the story by linking to OUR WORLD TUESDAY (thank you to Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, Arija, and Jennifer) and to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you to Stewart).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MORE FROM MERRITT

These are some more of our sightings from Merritt Island the first of this month.

 

 

 We were not lucky enough to meet any expert birders on this trip, so I studied our books and Internet pictures for those birds we couldn't immediately identify.    Self-education does not always work though, so suggestions and corrections are always welcome.

 

 

Because of the pink  legs, I think the bird in the first picture and in the collage above is a Tri-Colored Heron in Adult Breeding mode.  It is the only heron I could find that has pink legs. 

I'm pretty sure that the bird below is a Glossy Ibis.

      

 

 But only pretty sure.  

 

And below, finally, one I am finally absolutely 100 percent sure of.  Because nobody who has ever seen one  could be confused about the  Roseate Spoonbill.   

 

 

The spoonbill has to be my favorite Florida bird!  It's fun to watch them forage as they fish by sweeping  that spatula-shaped bill from side-to-side through the shallow water.   One of my photo hopes is to someday get a decent flight-shot of these birds.   They are lovely to see against the blue sky.

 

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This post is linked to Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS; to Annie's BIRD D'POT;  to Judith's MOSAIC MONDAY; and to Stewart's WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.    Thank you to each of these hosts for providing these sharing opportunities.  

 

 

THE PELICAN CHORUS

 

"The Pelican Chorus" is an old poem by Edward Lear -- who was obviously inspired to write his deepest and most beautiful thoughts  utter nonsense when he looked at these crazy-looking birds.

 I apologize in advance to all readers for whom English is not their first language.    It's a silly poem with made-up words that my Dad read to us when we were kids and we read to our kids.  And I like it.  And I like pelicans.  But they really are kind of silly. 

 

 

 

"King and Queen of the Pelicans we;

No other birds so grand we see!

 

 

None but we have feet like fins!

With lovely leathery throats and chins!

 

 

 

  

Ploffskin, Pluffskin, Pelican jee!  We think no Birds so happy as we! 

 

 

 

 

 

Plumpskin, Ploshkin, Pelican Jill!

 We think so then, and we thought so still!"

 

The (whole) Pelican Chorus by Edward Lear is here.  (I notice that Mr Lear used even more exclamation points than I usually do.  Gotta' love him for that.)

All photos taken last week at Lover's Key (Florida) State Park.

 

This post is linked to OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY (thanks to Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, and Arija); NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle); and WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart).

 

 

BIRDING ON A FLORIDA ROADTRIP

 

We went on a short road-trip last week -- mostly to go birding.   I posted a little about the trip and some of our sightings a couple of days ago (here).   Here are  a few more.  

 

Northern Shoveler

 

We might have seen Northern Shovelers before, but I didn't used to even try to ID ducks.   So it's officially a first-time sighting.

 

 

 "Rear views" certainly don't make the best pictures, but I think it's kind of cute to see them "duck" for dinner. And besides my only pictures of the female have at least one of the pair with tails up.

 

 We saw several Common Gallinules  ...

 

 

 

... and a few pie-billed grebes and about a zillion coots.  

 

I have more Merritt Island birds to show later and probably should even have parceled yesterday's and today's pictures over a few more weeks for linking to the birding memes.    

 

Redwing blackbird on Merritt Island

Since we don't have backyard birds here* it can sometimes be a while between bird photo-ops.  

*It isn't that there are no backyard birds in this part of Florida -- it is just that our own backyard is essentially a boat dock with a patio in front of it.  

Our canal has no shoreline, so it doesn't invite birds.   

But we love having our boat docked at our doorstep and we love day trips and road-trips  to go see birds so it's a perfect compromise for us.

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This post is linked to OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY and to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.  (Thank you to Lady Fi, Arija, Gattina, Sandy, Sylvia and Jenn for OW and to Stewart for WBW).

 

 

 

 

AT HOME IN THE PINE

This is the third year that Ozzie and Harriet have starred on their own Eagle webcam.   Their tree home is a couple of miles from where we live here in Fort Myers, making it almost as easy for us to watch them either live as on camera.   I'm not quite as obsessed this year, since we saw so many bald eagles in Alaska last  summer, but I can't resist stopping by the nest once in a while. (And of course we were too early for eaglets in Alaska.)

 

 

I stopped by to visit our neighbors last Saturday morning.    Here is Harriet enjoying the early afternoon sunshine.   

 

 

Her little one woke up from a nap and soon started peeping plaintively.    It sounded like "Hey, I'm all alone here." 

 

 

 For all E-6 (the baby) knew, mom and dad could have been miles away, but the whole time I watched, Harriet was only this far from the nest, practicing a little healthy parental neglect.    Watching, waiting, starting to teach independence.  

 

"Well, if there's not going to be anything new to eat, guess I might as well practice flapping my wings."

 

 

I'd hoped to see Ozzie fly in with early dinner, but he didn't oblige.  Harriet and E-6 continued to wait (with differing degrees of patience), but I had errands to run.  Maybe next visit.

 

(Harriet hatched two eggs again this season, but sadly last month E-5 died from unknown causes.     E-6 was about 50 days old in these pictures.)

 

 This post is linked to Eileen's SATURDAY CRITTERS  to Annie's RATHER B' BIRDING, and to Michelle's NATURE NOTES.  

 

Thank you all  for hosting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIRDS IN BLACK and WHITE

Here's an Anhinga drying his wings.  These birds, like cormorants,  have no oil glands -- so their feathers are not water repellent (the way ducks and duck-like birds are).  Both Anhingas and cormorants  move easily underwater, but they have to spread out their wings in the sunshine when they want to get dry.

 

 

Both birds also have long snakey-looking necks and both can move easily underwater.  The anhinga is a little bit bigger usually, but it can be hard to tell the difference between cormorants and anhingas.  

The easiest  way to tell is that anhingas have straight beaks and cormorants have hooked ones.   

I had to search through my archives to find this picture of a cormorant.  You can click to see it better.  

For some reason, I really do like the Anhinga better and so I hardly ever take pictures of a cormorant. 

(We  see the cormorant everywhere, but only see the Anhinga here in Florida.)

    

 

 I  took this picture of the Great Egret mostly because of the interesting  tree shadows in the swampy water.  We see lots of Egrets, pretty much everywhere we are (from Florida to Alaska and in-between).  So I don't always take pictures (even though I never tire of seeing them).

  

 

It was a circular boardwalk (round-trip) and the Anhinga was still sitting on the same log on our return trip.  But this time, it looked like he was ready to get those wings wet again.   Just waiting for the perfect fish dinner to swim by.

  

 

 The Egret (or one very much like it) was still in the same spot as well.  But this time, he had been  joined by a whole flock of Ibis.   It looked sort of like it was babysitting the little ones (and letting them eat first apparently).

 

 

LINKING to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart);  to next week's SATURDAY CRITTERS (with thanks to Eileen); and to I'D RATHER B' BIRDING (thank you Annie).

THE CRITTER THAT KILLED MY CAMERA ....

A Flashback Friday post  --  back to last October.  

 

 

 

 

I heard a sort of small hissy noise one evening last Fall as I was walking down the road near the RV Park. We had just returned from our Alaska trip and I didn't think people-eating wildlife would be a problem at all now that we were back in the northwest.   But I wondered about that noise and of course I stopped and looked around.

 

 

 And then I saw this little crawfish almost right under my shoe.  (He was about four inches long -- the photos make him seem much bigger, I know.)   The feisty little fellow was doing his level best to scare me away.  

I wondered where he came from since we had never seen crawfish around the Lake before.  I  kept taking pictures while thinking about how to get the poor thing across the road to the small runoff stream that was the nearest water. 

   

 

But he wasn't having any of my help -- every time I would bend down  to get closer he'd wave that threatening claw.  It couldn't have killed me -- but I hate pain -- and of course had nothing with me except my camera.  

 

Then I decided to take a picture without the zoom lens -- to show exactly how tiny this scary little creature was -- and that was when I found that my zoom lens was stuck as far out as it could go. I think he threw sand at my camera.  Nothing I did could make it retract!  I forgot all about saving the crawfish and headed home.  

As it turned out, the person in our house who can do stuff couldn't get it to go back either, so we returned the camera (it was still under warranty).  I used an old one for the rest of the time we were in the northwest and while we were in Colorado.    It came back shortly after we got to Florida (we had it sent here) and is  working fine so far.  

 

Bill wondered where on earth I'd been when he looked at these pictures  (we couldn't look at them until we got the repaired camera back) -- and for a few minutes I couldn't remember this little adventure either!  

I was just very glad that I did not meet up with this camera-eating critter while we were in Alaska -- because I sure wouldn't have wanted to take pictures of those bears and bison without my long lens!

 

 

For   Saturday Critters.    Thanks to Eileen for hosting.  ---  (Click over to visit her lovely blog and then click the other critter links -- many of which will undoubtedly be cuddlier and cuter.)

A BIRD (OR TWO) FOR ALL SEASONS

 

 Four bird pictures, four states, four  seasons.  

Wherever we go and whatever we're doing and whatever month it is -- somewhere in the back of my mind I always hope to see birds.    Here are a few random sightings (none from "on-purpose" birding expeditions). 

 

Winter, 2015

 

Ibis in Mangrove Swamp, Estero Bay Preserve. 

 We found a new (to us) boardwalk trail last week.   Only a few miles from the Canal Cottage -- this was just an afternoon walk before going to dinner on the deck at a bayfront restaurant.   

 

Autumn, 2014

 

 Collared Dove in our Colorado family's front yard.

  The dove is all puffed up because it was a cold day in Late Autumn ... but it was Colorado and the sky was blue!   

 

 

Summer 2014, Alaska

 Perchers in Talkeetna Alaska (the foot of Mt Denali).  

I'm not positive about either of these birds, but I liked the pictures and didn't want to lose them.  The one on the left might be a redpoll.    (My New Year's Resolution, as always, is to improve my ID skills.)           .

 

Spring, 2014, Fern Ridge Shores Oregon

A few of the many many  violet-green swallows spotted during our brief stop at the Shores  (on our way to Alaska).    

Hundreds of these birds were swooping around the Lake -- and when they finally landed they seemed to love this one particular house in the neighborhood more than any other.  I wonder why  --  and I imagine the home-owner would like to know  too, because as pretty as they are, their perching must add hours to his clean-up time.  

 

Sharing the randomness with OUR WORLD on TUESDAY and with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.  Thank you to the OW team (Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, Arija, and Jennifer) and to Stewart for WBW.

 

 

COLORADO CRITTERS - ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

We saw this magnificent and iconic Rocky Mountain Elk near the entrance to the National Park when we were in Colorado last month.    

 

 

 Such a photogenic state -- and Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the best parts of it.   

  Later that day, when we were leaving the Park, we came across what seemed to be whole family of Moose (mooses?  meese?).

 

 We had seen quite a few  Moose during our summer trip to Alaska --  and we'd  spotted them a few times in earlier years in the Yellowstone area and elsewhere. But never  a whole family group.    Geoff and Lisa, who live so near RMNP that they visit often, said this was the first such group they'd seen as well.  

 

 

And it was great to get a decent picture of a bull.    A young one obviously, but still  there are horns!   Of all the moose we saw in Alaska,  the only male was a large one that walked right through our campsite in Talkneeta while we were filling our water tank.  No camera of course -- (It was pretty darn exciting there for a minute or two though).     

But it's always better with a picture.

 

 

 These Colorado moose were a richer dark brown color than those we saw in Alaska.  HERE is a link to my favorite Alaska sighting for comparison.  (Another Mama Moose with her very young calf.)

 

SHARING the wonder with SATURDAY CRITTERS (Thank you Eileen) and to NATURE NOTES (with thanks to Michelle).  

In Alaska EAGLES ARE EVERYWHERE

 (Like many of our neighbors here  in Fort Myers Florida I've been a little obsessed  over the past couple of seasons with following the adventures of  Ozzie and Harriet, our local eagle pair.  This lovely couple  have their own nest-cam and have become local, if not worldwide, celebrities as a result.   They were the first bald eagles I'd ever been able to photograph and so they'll always have a special place in my birding heart!  On Christmas Day they hatched their second egg  of this season.  I'm sure I'll still check on the family's progress occasionally, but I won't take as many pictures   -- because my files are really full of eagles from our summer's trip.  Here are some of them.)

This past summer in Alaska, we saw more bald eagles than I ever imagined we would see in our whole lifetime.   They are simply everywhere in that beautiful State.   Here are just a few  of our summer sightings (along with the stunning scenery in the places these Eagles call home). 

 

COOK'S INLET

Most of the people fishing at this beach weren't very excited about the birds,  so I wondered if seeing them would become so routine to us too that they'd soon be "just another bird."  But that didn't happen.   It was still just as much fun to spot them at the end of our trip as  it had been at the beginning.   

 

Above is more scenery from the Cook's Inlet beach, in South-Central Alaska.  

 

YAKATAK BEACH NEAR FERRY DOCK

 

The picture above is a little out-of-sequence.  We actually saw these mature and young eagles early in June while we were still on the ferry ride from Washington.  We got off the boat and walked during a brief loading and unloading stop in tiny Yakatak.  So these were our first Alaska Eagles. 

 

HERITAGE RV PARK, HOMER

This was the prettiest RV Park ever in the prettiest little coastal city.  There was a pair of eagles who loved that light post.  The recreation room/office for the park had an observation deck perfectly positioned to watch them.

  

BELUGA SLOUGH, KENAI PENINSULA

 It was a lovely easy walk around the slough -- we saw several eagles, some   cranes and as always the amazing scenery.  

 

HAINES

The guide on one of our nature tours told us that Bald Eagles were never endangered in Alaska, the way they were in the lower 48.  

He said they have always thrived in the State because DDT was never used there.  

This is how nature is supposed to be!

 

 

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Sharing these Alaska memories with NATURE NOTES,  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY, and the next SCENIC WEEKENDS and SATURDAY CRITTERS.

 

 Thank you to Michelle, Stewart, Gemma, and Eileen for hosting these wonderful sharing opportunities!