It was in the low 80s with a nice breeze so we drove over to Halpata Tastanaki Preserve!
We were anxious to see what the water levels were like in the low areas.
This was the most water standing we've ever seen at the Pruitt trailhead. The low area filled with water is usually where we park! (the red Jeep is photo bombing my photos again, Sandra! heehee)
The trail was dry until we got to our turn around and then it was a big mud hole. It was a good place to see animal tracks though!
But it felt great to be out in nature seeing so many birds and 'critters'.
Lots of dragonflies, butterflies and grasshoppers and we weren't bothered by mosquitoes or flies on this particular day. It may have been because of the nice breeze.
We always see quite a few birds that we don't get good photos of so I'll just list a few. We saw a Stork fly overhead and 2 Little Blue herons. We saw a young bluebird, warblers and tree swallows. We even had a beautiful Red shouldered Hawk fly across the trail in front of us.
Lots of flocks of Cattle Egrets,
Great White Egrets,
and Ibis.
And at the end of our hike, we turned to look back and saw 2 deer bound across the trail.
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful hike.
Florida in the summertime....it's still pretty nice!
36 comments:
Hello, Diane
Wonderful photos from your hike. You saw a nice variety of birds and I love the deer too. Great flight captures of the Ibis and the Egret. I wish we saw more Cattle Egrets around here. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.
...the cattle egret in flight are lovely. Put on rocks in your pockets. Fred is coming.
Glad to read you can get out when the temperatures fall. What's the humidity like?
Great photos!
Beautiful critters!
Have a blessed day!
Good post! I liked the birds in flight, the animal tracks and the grasshopper. Great that you could sight a deer too.
Love the way you share Florida on your blog. The birds in flight photos are gorgeous. And I see you still love your red Jeep.
I always love going along on your hikes!! Beautiful photos, as always. xo
Great assortment of photos.
As an FYI: a bird native to your area was spotted here in Connecticut recently: a Roseate Spoonbill! What a thrill for the lucky bird enthusiasts who got to see and photograph it. :-) (Either the same one, or a different one, was also spotted in a nearby county in New York, too.)
You saw a good selection of birds Diane. I'm a little worried about those paw prints - a large (very) cat?
That Jeep is a real nuisance. Best way to stop those tricks is to send it over here to me and I promise to look after it.
Wonderful photos! I miss our treks in the forest, and you help bring it all back home to me. Thank you for sharing it with us, although I don't know when you had that nice "cooler" day...I must have missed it! LOL.
Oh what a wonderful nature hike with you and your awesome photos ~ Never heard of Cattle egrets so that a new one for me ~ thanks ~ Yep ~ seeing deer go by is a great ending your lovely hike ~ Xo
Living in the moment,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I love that 1st shot! What a fruitful hike that you had.
Nice hike though I cannot help think of mosquitoes bighting you in the wet areas.
Impressive captures of the birds in flight.
You are lucky to have low 80's to enjoy your hike. We are looking forward to our lower temperatures coming this week. It's exciting to see the birds flying against the blue sky. Have a nice weekend.
Beautiful pictures.
Nature sure uplifts spirits! Beautiful sights captured.
I love your outings in nature!!
These are beautiful pictures that you could take with your walk.
The flight photos are really great.
I wish you a nice Sunday.
Greetings Irma
Marvellous adventures! I enjoyed the tracks the most, though!
Stunning bird photos
I didn't know that it was possible for the temps to be in the low 80s in Florida on an August day. No wonder you're out and about.
I just love that last photo! What a beautiful capture! I agree, Florida is pretty nice. You have a super day, hugs, Eda B.
I haven't seen deer in a couple months.... pretty!
Lovin' all your flight photos!! Thanks for linking in and sharing.
Hi Lavender Dreamer, Thanks for taking us along to Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. You got some neat photos and no worries about the Jeep! :-) The Great White Egrets ... they look Great Blue Herons, except for the color. Nice captures! Thanks for sharing your blog and for your kind comments on mine. Wishing you a fine week ahead! John
Sounds like a perfect day for a hike. You sure get to see a lot while you're out there.
Such exceptional pictures today, the egret in flight, spectacular and that image really stole the show!!! Nice capture of the grasshopper, beautiful pictures from your hike!! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!!!
What a lovely day out. Love the animal tracks and the flocks of Egrets flying.
-Soma
This looks like a great outing. I love the cool breeze and wonderful to see the birds, deer and etc. out in the open. My favourite are the birds in flight.
Oh, those precious deer, I just love them. You know, my son sees deer almost every time he takes a walk in the woods. It's such an incredible sight. The White Egrets are fantastic birds. So graceful in flight. That little grasshopper is cute hehehe.
~Sheri
Very interesting photos from your hiking.
Thanks for dropping by my blog today
Much❤love
I'm rarely capable of being where water birds are anymore, so your beautiful photos are a lovely sight.
Oh my! The birds in flight photographs are lovely.
All the best Jan
nice to see so many different species. Both birds and others. Loved to see that grasshopper. Love the way it is striped. :)
The waterlevel probably drop soon. :)
wow- you take a wonderful photo-I enjoyed them all.
Me encantó tu paseo. Abrazos.
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