You know...it really hasn't been that bad this summer. I always tell myself if I get too hot, I can just turn around and go back home. I've tried to hike in the evenings but the wind dies down and it feels 'close' and even more humid. I would rather be out in the sunshine and the trails I hike have shady areas along the way too. I've hiked 3 times this week. I keep a hiking journal and I use my Apple Watch for some of the info and then fill in what I've seen along the way. This week Hike #89 was 82 degrees with 81% humidity, Hike #90 was 83 degrees with 86% humidity, Hike #91 was 81 degrees with 89% humidity. The humidity is what makes it feel HOT but I had a nice breeze on 2 of these hikes. And there's always so much to see that it beats staying at home by a long shot!
We started our hike at Pruitt Trailhead by seeing this beautiful Blue Grosbeak.
He has been a regular in this area this summer.
When we got near a big live oak tree we heard quite a chatter in the branches.
I got a couple of close ups and determined it was full of Grackles.
A bird we've only seen once before at Pruitt.
And while we stood near the tree,
they started to fly....
more....
until we were seeing hundreds of them in the sky!
Felt a little like the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, 'The Birds' with all the chatter!
No, this isn't a bird! But when we were looking in the sky we saw a hang glider too!
We ended the hike with 2 of the most beautiful Sandhill Cranes.
Have you seen lots of birds this week too?
Enjoy your weekend!
I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE
and I’d Rather B Birdin’.
43 comments:
...neat sightings, stay cool and safe.
It's good though hot weather is not keeping you home. I went for my morning walk this morning by the time I came back home I was drenched and the thing is the temperature was only 78 but the humidity made it dripping. It's odd that you should ask about birds we were talking about that on our walk this morning we have zero Birds NADA none. We don't know where they've gone there was a roadkill out in the road down the street the buzzards are not here the Hawks are gone I did see one dove sitting online all the black birds are gone all the loud birds are gone there's nothing. And I can't believe that because it's never been that way we've never had a time that we couldn't go out in our backyard and see the buzzards circling
Beautiful photos as always. I haven't been getting out and about much but I have noticed that we have had a little breeze most days this summer that really helps! Have a great weekend :)
Great picks of the birds! The one picture does remind me of THE BIRDS!
Beautiful photos like always. I saw a lot of chew birds last week. Have a nice weekend. Greetings Caroline
And I thought the humidity was bad here in Mississippi! Our temperatures have been running in the low to mid 90s by noon, though the early mornings are pleasant to be outside.
Great bird photos! I have never seen Grackles in a huge flock like that. A dozen or so are about average here.
Have a wonderful weekend!
This week we have seen a huge flock of herons on the lake closest to our house. They were mostly on the grassy slope, but some perched on the house roofs. It was quite a sight.
Another particularly noisy bird with a not-so-pleasant chirp was talking in our back yard yesterday as we had our afternoon coffee break on the back porch. He was not only noisy, but he repeatedly flew off his perch to then swoop around in a circle and come back. Some of his circles were small and some quite big. He must have done that for ten minutes or so. Since his song was not pleasant to hear, we kept hoping he was leaving but then he would come back.
That must have meant something but we are clueless.
I think it's awesome that you can still get out to hike. I love seeing your photos. I so miss seeing all the beautiful birds in Florida. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
Wonderful nature shots of your hike ~ love last one ^_^
Live each moment with love,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Wow! I hope those grackles didn't run into that hand glider! That would definitely have caused some "engine trouble"! LOL. Amazing to see so many of them at once. Not a very pretty bird, but I guess they can't all be pretty! I love that Blue Grosbeak! I've never seen one of those before! I wouldn't think of it being a bird that would stay in Florida! Amazing. I love your little hiking journal of temps, etc. I was remarking to my hubby just this morning that it really hasn't been all that bad this summer. We've had a lot of breezes to keep the air flowing and that helps so much in this high humidity. We take our walks early around 8:30 am and then in the evening around 6:30 pm, so it usually isn't too bad at those times. And we walk in a shady area too, so that helps. I haven't really seen too many birds this week, however. Finally had Mr. Great Blue Heron back at the pond this morning, but he doesn't come every day. It's been too hot for the birds I think! They must be hiding in the shade too. Have a blessed day.
Have only seen the cardinal, feasting on Japanese Beetles, in the grape vines around the pool. And the robin, who stops on our back fence post... Checks out the area.... Then goes to his/her nest, on top of the back door cover, on the new house next door. ~grin~
I am glad to see you say "we" go hiking. I'm fussy enough, to not like the sound of a woman, out alone on trails and etc. Call me old fashioned. I am and I'm quite proud of it. ~smile~
Oh yes, it's the humidity which is the *Awwwwwwful Part*!!!!!
Enjoy!!!!!!!
Things to feast on,
now....
🍑🌽🍅🍆🍇🍈🍉🍓🍦🍨
Awesome birds. The blue grosbeak is one of my favorites. I'm not a fan of the movie, but you sure got some great shots of a large number of birds! Happy Saturday!
Ah, how lovely, and you are correct humidity is the demon. I lasted about 3 hours outside the other day, until the humidity sucked the life out of me.
Your birds are always fascinating, and strangely the grackles here haven't appeared to raid our bird feeders this year. Which is fine, we still have red-winged blackbirds that do a great mess for a bit each afternoon. They swoop in terrorize the feeders and then dash off. But, I do love their song, when a lone one is calling for the crew...lol.
Hope you have a lovely weekend. Sandi
your temperatures are much lower than ours but you have very high humidity. the blue grosbeak is beautiful, it picked the perfect spot for you to photograph it!!
i get a lot of grackles at my suet feeder, i would rather not see them. they and company can empty a suet in less than one day!! the cranes are so pretty and a treat for me to see as we do not have them here. enjoy your weekend!!
oh and most of my bird sightings have been in my yard!!
So glad you still have places that you go and hike. I know some parks, trails, etc... Are not open in some places because of the virus. Crazy, huh? I think if we can manage being at Walmart amongst people socially distant - then we can manage being outside and be careful too. Anyway, I live in the country, so I'm so thankful I have the space and fresh air. I think it's important to get out and get oxygen and sunshine. Hiking or walking makes one feel so good inside, mentally, spiritually, and physically!
You're birds are all so beautiful... especially in flight! And how cool you spotted a hang glider! I've seen those in person too and it's always so neat! I always wonder where they'll land! :)
Blessings on your weekend! Net
Hello,
You are brave to go out walking on the hot humid days. Great captures of your bird sightings. The large flocks of Grackles are amazing to see. My favorites are the Blue Grosbeak and the Sandhill Cranes. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Enjoy your day,wishing you a happy weekend! PS, thank you for the visit and comment.
Nice assortment of bird photos. I haven't been out for hikes this year because most of the trails I go on are too narrow to social distance for covid-19, and it's too hot here in Connecticut to want to wear a mask while walking on a trail, so I don't go. Most of my bird photos this year have been in my yard, so I don't have much variety to show this year.
All those birds flying does make you think of the "Birds" by Hitchcock. Lovely photos, a little too hot for me to be out in those temps. Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe.
You encounter so many wonderful animals and birds on your hikes and I'm so happy that you also are good photographers. I lived in New Jersey for nine years and that's where I first learned about humidity. I was not made for it, sick a lot of the time, even though I was young then. I've never felt better than here in the dry air of the West. But it's great that you can handle it because Florida has a lot to offer. And it's always fun to come here and see what kind of animals or birds you saw when out hiking.
Nice shots. The Blue Grosbeak is a handsome bird.
I don't think I've seen any birds this week, other than the guinea hens and chickens at the farm (Joe's client). I always enjoy going on your hikes with you! Great photos, as always!
Hello,
Terrific series of birds and non-birds! ;)
Today I saw a female Pheasant with two chicks.
Happy Sunday to you!
Hi Diane, You are the hiker girl. I love seeing the birds you come across. I am happy to see our cardinals, hummingbirds, and robins. We do see the gold finches here too. When it's hot, it's like they stay in the trees and woods. Blessings for more hiking fun days. xoxo,love, Susie
Birds don't seem to care about the weather---they have things to do and places to go. LOL
Nice pics
MB
Glad it ended with the cranes. Those grackles are not the cutest, sweetest birds. You are to be admired for hiking in the heat and humidity. I couldn't do it. It must be fun to see a human "bird."
Great shots. Must be a beautiful view up there in the glider and so quiet too!
Por aquí se ven bastantes aves, tengo mucha suerte. Un beso.
We take our walks on the trail early mornings as well, Diane. The heat and humidity is too great later in the day. This morning we saw two lovely Blue Herons in the canal. They then gracefully took flight down stream. We always see a lot of cardinals on our trail. So lovely to begin the day in nature.
I know one's body adjusts its internal temp to tolerate the heat over time. It is the same with cold weather. We often see dog walkers, hikers, and bicycle riders wearing shorts here in winter. The young children especially don't seem bothered by the cold.
I loved seeing all the birds on your hike! We never see so many at once here.
Humidity is no fun! Our weather has been fickle for the past few days.
Hello. Thank you for sharing your hiking trip. Great photos.
That was a very fruitful hike, sighting different types of birds and a hang glider up in the sky. Definitely hiking is more fun and staying in the house. Have a fabulous weekend.
Any walk that starts out with a Blue Grosbeak is pretty special in my book. i think I could stand a little heat and humidity for that pleasure!
Hurricane Hanna. ...I think it's over. Power went out yesterday about 1 pm...didn't get any A.C. until it was restored about 9 this morning. High winds, sporadic heavy rain, and last night tornadoes all over the area. No damage for us except lots of small branches.
Thanks for stopping by and linking up this weekend. Bud & I have a bit of clean-up to do, so my visit is short.
A tree full of grackles! I bet that did make you think of The Birds. Look at all of them. Wow. Like the cranes better. Hope you've had a wonderful weekend so far!
Oh how beautiful!!! Thank you for taking us along on some of your hikes... and for sweating in order that we don't have to. :-) Love, Andrea xoxo
The only birds I saw this week were Audrey and Joshua. lol But we are heading to Ga so maybe we will see if our hummingbird is still nesting.
Your tolerance for humidity exceeds mine and that is a good thing because I enjoy the photos you take and share with us. Thank you Lavender Dreamer. And thank you for your kind comment on my blog.
I’ve never seen a blue grosbeak...how pretty it is! Grackles, not so much, but boy that’s a lot of them. Last year (back in the good old days when we could still go places) we went to the town in CA where “The Birds” was filmed ... it was kind of funny this time.,, not scary like the first time )).
You've shared some great photographs.
I have to agree all those birds flying does make you think of the Hitchcock film "Birds".
All the best Jan
Beautiful pictures that you could take during your evening walk.
I love the Blue Grosbeak.
Best regards Irma
That Blue Grosbeak sure is pretty. It looks more blue in the first picture than the other ones. I remember the movie, "The Birds." Such a strange one, huh? But a movie that people remember. What a delight to see the Cranes too. Oh, there's just something about the birds in nature that speak to us. : )
~Sheri
Hitchcock movies - you never forget them.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
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