Monday, August 22, 2022

Let's drive over to the recycle center!


 I know that doesn't sound exciting but our recycle center actually borders Ross Prairie State Forest so it's a good place to see birds and wildlife (and to recycle! lol).


The wild turkeys were fun to watch!

I think we scared them and scattered the flock. 


They were strutting and trotting on both sides of the car.

And then we made a loop to get back home and stopped at 3 more trailheads!


Shangri-la is a trail we have to save for cooler days. The trail goes into the dense forest and is perfect for a cool windy day. After you climb a steep hill, you drop back down into the canal diggings and you don't get any wind or even a breeze down there. There's also a little issue with poison ivy on the trail. But we'll be there when the weather changes! I can't wait!


We pulled into the 49th Ave trailhead and looked around too. And then drove around to another entrance that doesn't have parking. 


We were fortunate to see Florida Scrub jays, a female Cardinal and a Rufous-sided Towhee singing his heart out. We saw lots of animal tracks on the soft sand too. But it was too hot to do a regular hike. We were just scouting around!


So that was our exciting trip to the recycle center! We saw White Ibis in our backyard before we left too. Summer time is a great time to be in Florida! And recycling is always a good idea!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

32 comments:

Tom said...

...neat gang of turkeys.

MadSnapper said...

I had to smile when I looked up and saw Tom..neat gang of turkeys. I fear Tom Turkeys for sure.
I have never seen wild turkeys. we have them hear but way out east of the coast. my friend has them on her farm, wild ones I mean. our recylce places, 6 of them are all surrounded by TRAFFIC and Thousands of houses

Lea said...

Great photos!
Have a blessed day!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
It is neat seeing the wild turkeys. I love the Scrub Jay and Towhee.
You have a lot of nice trails there for your hikes. I like the name Shangri-La for a trail. Take care, have a great new week!

Irma said...

Beautiful photos and collages.
The wild turkeys are great to see.
Greetings Irma

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Great pictures!
Your recycle center scenery is wonderful. The transfer station, as we call it here, is surrounded by trees, but no trails.

Marcia said...

We see turkeys too when we go to our recycle center which is also where we take our trash. These turkeys are in the fields that we drive passed.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

I miss our trips to the recycling center. We don't have that here in Putnam County like we did in Marion County. Ours was also a nice country ride and we looked forward to it each week. I love that you are seeing Scrub Jays in particular...they are so rare to see. I don't think we have any here in this area as we are out of the "scrub forest" where they thrive. We do see Rufous Sided Towhees occasionally, and wild turkeys too, or at least I see their tracks in the dirt road where we like to walk. Occasionally if we get there at the right time we might get to see a flock of them. I am looking forward to some cooler weather so we can get out and walk more. Thank you for sharing the beauties you see with us. I love it all!

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

I've never seen such a large group - just 2 or 3 together

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Those turkeys look well-fed! Recycling is always a good idea and to have such a nice view of wildlife while doing it is a bonus. The trails there look interesting too. Have a wonderful week, Diane!

Carla from The River said...

Fun photos!! I like #4 with all the trails. :-)

Debbie said...

our recycle center also borders on 2 beautiful wild parklike areas. we see a lot of wild turkeys in this areas, but they always scatter when you pull over!! awesome bird sightings...and recycling IS always a good idea!!

Rainbow Evening said...

aww... must be exciting to see wild turkey...
I never seen this bird in nature

Soma @ InkTorrents.com said...

Thankfully our recycles get picked up at home. Such a lovely place certainly makes a trip to the recycling centre fun. Enjoyed seeing your photos. I look forward to seeing photos from the Shangri-la trail.

-Soma

happyone said...

That trail looks like a great place to take a hike.
There are lots of wild turkeys around here by us in the woods.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I liked all your sightings and I LOVE that you take advantage of a routine errand to do some nature scouting. And I especially love that you actually saw all those wonders from basically just the trailheads!

Linda said...

Great sightings for a recycling center trip. I'd be going frequently just for the trails and the birds.

Gillena Cox said...

Some nice ones. Luv the turkeys.
Have a good week.

Much💖love

Terri D said...

It is much too hot for hiking right now, for sure! Nice to catch the turkeys and various other birds, though! Come on October!!

Vee said...

It was worth the trip to see all those turkeys and birds. Poison ivy on the trail sounds most unpleasant.

Angie said...

Diane - we have a gang of turkeys in our neighborhood, and I love how the Moms are always nearby, but the little ones seem to be a bit scatter-brained. It has made me wonder how they gather them all back together when they fly or run off in multiple directions? It has been very hot here, and even I can't work up the energy to go out in the afternoon! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

Ann said...

Who knew a trip to the recycle center could be such fun.

Bob Bushell said...

I love the Wild Turkeys, they are my favourites.

ann said...

Only you can turn a trip to the recycling center into an adventure!

Wally Jones said...

Those are great looking trails for future exploration.

Where else but Florida can you recycle and enjoy Wild Turkeys at the same time?

Life is good.

BeachGypsy said...

I love going on hikes with y'all! My favorite picture is that one of the trail. I love seeing the pretty trails y'all have down there, and the birds, butterflies, wild flowers, dragon flies, DEER etc!

Teresa said...

Tus paseos siempre son preciosos y me gustan mucho. Besos y feliz día.

Veronica Lee said...

The wild turkeys are interesting to see!

Love all the fun photos.🦃🦃

Red Rose Alley said...

Oh, those turkeys are so funny to watch. They used to roam my neighborhood and even in my yard at my old house! I really miss their character. This looks like a bushy area with lots of birds to see. The cardinal is always a delight to see, as they don't make their appearance here. Sounds like a lovely day at the trail, and the skies look so pretty.

~Sheri

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Itemizing to me that the wild turkeys live just about everywhere! We once saw them way up high in Rocky Mountain National Park. Beautiful spots you have there!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Autocorrect got me again! Of course I meant that "it's amazing" to me. 🤣

EricaSta said...

Yes, the Roseate Spoonbill is really a lovely bird. I see them or a similiar here in the Zoo.

Wish you a very good next week. Greetings by Heidrun