I've admitted to talking baby talk to the animals we meet in the forest. Now I'm naming them.
Meet Little Sooty
Isn't he tiny?
We drove over to the 49th Ave Trailhead of the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway to check on the control burn/prescribed fire. They had burned a section just a few days before but it wasn't blowing smoke or even smelling bad, so we took a hike.
Control burns are important in this part of Florida where we have forests. They reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires, and enhance the beauty of the land. They are also beneficial for the wildlife. I'll include the link HERE to learn more about them.
The reason we called this little Gopher Tortoise, Sooty because he did have traces of soot on his underside.
He had clearly walked through the burned area.
Hubby picked him up and put him into the unburned side of the forest and away from big hiking boots and bikes riding by.
He didn't waste any time taking off in a tortoise RUN!
RUN Sooty RUN!
We also saw a big Cottontail Rabbit on the trail ahead of us.
He even had a snack while we waited!
We have time and plenty of film in the camera! lol
He watched us for awhile.
Finally a bike came by and he scurried across.
On the side trail (limerock road) we saw this beautiful Brown Thrasher.
He made a series of calls that reminded us of a Mockingbird!
I'll show pics of the forest in a couple of weeks to show you how soon the forest recovers here in Florida. It will be green before we even get back over there!
Happy Mother's Day to all of the special mothers this weekend!
35 comments:
Good morning, and talking to the animals that includes all animals is something I love to do too, as far as naming them that often applies for me as well. Enjoy your weekend and roaming about nature, the best place to roam.
It is so encouraging to see these tortoises and I hope their numbers keep rising. Brown Thrasher is a member of the same family as a mockingbird (Mimidae) so perhaps its ability to sing is not surprising. I always clue in to Brown Thrashers when I hear their familiar couplets.
Hello,
What a great outing! I love the cute baby turtle, the Brown Thrasher and adorable bunny. Wonderful photos. Have a Happy Mother's Day weekend!
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
...which one won the race?
Great photos!
Love the little turtle!
Have a blessed day!
Sounds as if controlled burns could be the answer for many other areas of the country. Little Sooty is very cute.
Awww--thank you for helping little Sooty find a safer spot. Love the rabbit munching away!
I remember the fast recovery of burned areas in FL. It is amazing what that environment does to provide new growth.
Happy Mother's Day-I believe all your boys are far away? xo Diana
Happy Mother's Day to you ~ Xo
Great photos of the little Sooty and the rabbit ~ love them both ~ so glad you put little Sooty in a better place ~ Xo
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
tiny, cute Tortoise.....
you found many interesting things on the trail...
thank you for sharing beautiful photos
What a great place to hike. When weather permits, I've just been walking through the neighborhood. Maybe I need to get in the car and go somewhere to walk so it's more interesting. The little turtle is happy it seems to be out of the burn area. I wonder why they don't do that in other areas. Seems like a good idea, a small controlled burn.
Sandy's Space
Good luck to all the little turtles and tortoises! I hope that the planned fire has the desired effect of improving habitat.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Aw, what a sweet little tortoise! I'm glad you rescued him and put him in a safer spot. He is so cute. And that is a beautiful rabbit! Yes, the controlled burns are very important in our forests here. I always worry about the critters who live there during that time, however. It must be hard for them. I pray they can find safe places to hide until the fire is over. Have a blessed and beautiful Mother's Day.
I thought everyone talked to critters. I certainly do. I have 2 'relationships' with 2 different brown anoles that live in our yard, the male loves the sound of my southern accent. Sooty is beyond adorable. I have stopped traffic a few times around town moving them off the middle of the road, but not the busy streets, they are smart enough to stay off those
The picturesque is a beauty, the tiny Tortoise is adorable.
How wonderful for you to spot Sooty. He is so tiny. I love the look of that trail through the trees.
Who could resist talking to an animal. Such a cute little tortoise.
Be careful on handling turtles as they can carry salmonella. You need to wash your hands thoroughly after handling. He was a cutie though!
Always fun to visit here and see photos from your adventures! They do controlled burns where I work, too, and Joe's client on the ranch did burns on his property. It only takes a few days for the green to come back. Amazing!!
Sooty is so cute. I name the animals I come across too. : )
Encantada de ver tu reportaje de hoy. Feliz domingo.
Thanks for sharing the great little creatures you saw.
The small turtle is just lovely.
Thanks for showing it to us.
Happy Sunday and happy Mothers day!
What a cute little turtle.
Good thing you moved him to the other half of the woods.
Due to global warming, there are unfortunately more and more forest fires.
Greetings Irma
I hope sooty does well & lives long!! I love to listen to thrashers sing!!
Than you for taking the time to share by linking in!
I've never seen a tortoise in the wild! So cute.
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Sooty didn’t look that small until you backed up for a longer shot. How cute!
Little Sooty is very tiny and very cute.
I liked the bunny too.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
All the best Jan
I love seeing all the things you see! You live in the perfect place for all the things you love to do!
Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!
Lovely little turtle.
We have controlled burns here too. Just lately there seem to be many and every morning we are blanketed with smoke. Not so bad today. Oh that tortooise is so tiny! cute! I had to smile at your rabbits as I have just started re-reading Watership Down. Stay safe, enjoy your week, and thankyou for visiting my blog last week.
Interesting sightings! Sooty is cute.
another great hike, thanks for taking us along! Love to see all the pictures, what a cute bunny and Sooty too!! You always see the neatest stuff!! Hope your Mothers day was real nice and oh....you changed your header....love that big pretty flower! Thats a passion flower right? We had cool and sunny weather here this weekend, it was so nice!!
I used to talk to my pets too and I sometimes will talk to the stray dogs I pass by on our walks. Sooty is really tiny and the rabbit looks big.
Another great hike! Glad you found no leftover smoke -- one of the places where I like to go has had three controlled burns this season! I do understand the reason, but it is not fun to walk when there is smoke! I have been "wasting a lot of film" lately as I've been walking so early in the mornings that the light isn't good at all. (It has been hot and/or rainy later in the day over here.)
love this post. Both the Sooty and the rabbit. Kind of strange to see the little Tortoise walking around in the burned area. I kind of, feel sorry for it, but it might have been it´s home. :) You never know.
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