We had cold air come down and stay for a few days but we're back into the 70s now! We took a drive on Christmas day and a hike on the day after Christmas when it was in the 50s! We put on our long sleeve flannel shirts and fleece vests and braved the elements to hike at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. lol But we didn't get photos of the best sightings. We saw a coyote. The same one we saw a month or so ago. It's bigger than usual and darker so it's easy to remember. We also saw deer...but no photos.
Northern Cardinal at HTP
So let's take a drive to the Gulf Coast when it's in the 60s and nicer to get out and walk.
This is a view of the Gulf of Mexico from the end of the Withlacoochee Bay Trail at low tide.
It was the lowest tide we had ever seen and the exposed mud was popping and snapping and making all kinds of crackly noises. I laughed out loud!
And here are some of the birds we saw there.
He's blending in!
Dipping for something to eat!
Willet
Great Blue Heron
Great White Egret
Belted Kingfisher
Another Kingfisher with belt showing
Birds all along the exposed sandbars!
Oystercatcher
Cormorant
I hope you've had a lovely holiday and I'm wishing you a Happy New Year!
Enjoy each and every day!
And get out in nature whenever you have a chance!
53 comments:
Hello Diane
Your walk on Christmas and the day after looks very nice. I like the views of the gulf. Wonderful bird sightings, you saw a great variety of birds. The Kingfisher is one of my favorites. In the last photo the Cormorant seems surprised at the gull flying in. Great photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. I wish you and yours all the best in 2023, a happy and healthy New Year! PS, thank you for all your comments and links this past year.
Hello Diane,
I hope you had a very Happy Christmas! Wonderful sightings at the park and the gulf coast. The Kingfisher is one of my favorites. I like the last shot of the Cormorant and the gulls. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. I wish you and yours all the best in 2023, a happy and healthy New Year! PS, thank you for all your comments and links this past year.
...I'm trying to keep up with you, but it's tough. We are in the low 50s. Happy New Year.
Great photos! Love the Kingfishers!
Happy New Year!
Beautiful photographs. The cardinal is just beautiful. I am glad for the more normal weather!
I walked Beau every day, it was way to cold to be outside, so no hiking for me, now if the sun was out, might do it, but we had 5 days of cold with no sunshine. now we are back to sun and warmer, perfect for walking
Me ha encantado este paseo, vistes aves maravillosas. Feliz año 2023, que sigas con tus paseos y nos muestres lindas fotografías. Salud y amor para ti y tu familia. Abrazos.
Well, despite your "chilled" weather (beats 14! But we're in the 50s now... go figure) you managed to take some wonderful photos. Happy New Year, Diane!
I always like to see a Kingfisher. They look like fun birds to me.
Have a Happy New Year!
Ohhh the cardinal is gorgeous...that scarlet is exceptional. Glad that you had a good Christmas and a here's wishing you and yours a Great New Year.
Beautiful shots of our 'feathered friends' and lovely nature shots ~ love the cardinal! Xo
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year ~
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Kingfishers are such beautiful and fascinating birds. We only have one species here in Michigan, but there are many in other parts of the world, some incredibly colorful, and I just love when I get to see them.
Have a fun evening and a great year in 2023!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Beautiful photos. I love the Kingfisher!
I wish you a happy new year!
Love the kingfisher with a different look from down under. Love your bird photos
Diane - what a terrific collection of bird photos! With winter well ensconced here, we only see a few species such as Chickadees, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers. Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
It must be such a relief to hike in these pleasant temperatures. All the best for 2023.
Great bird photot you captured. Love the Kingfisher and the Great Blue Heron Have a happy and healthy 2023.
Loved the cardinal. How he pops out!! Beautiful.
Happy New Year!!!
Lovely photographs you've shared, the cardinal is my favourite.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023.
All the best Jan
Happy New Year!! Wishing you many fun and interesting hikes to share with us in 2023! Is that selfish of me? I love your photos! xo
Happy New Year! We saw a cormorant sitting on a branch in our lake a few weeks ago. Lovely photos as always!
wow...awesome sightings on these hikes, i thought the cardinal stole the show!! our christmas was really nice, my youngest son was home for a week making it super special!! enjoy the rest of your weekend, happy new year as well!!
Oh my goodness great critter captures but that Cardinal what a glorious deep and vibrant red! He’s so handsome! Happy New Year to you and take care!
Beautiful captures all!
Wish you and yours a very happy 2023!
What a wonderful series of photos.
The Northern cardinal is really amazing as are the kingfishers.
I wish you a happy new year.
Greetings Irma
Love that Cardinal and the Belted Kingfisher. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year. Love all the pictures but my favorite is the cardinal. I just love their bright red color.
Sage advice: I am going walkies this afternoon!
Happy New Year!
Walking in the forest. Enjoying the Gulf of Mexico at low tide. Birds, deer, coyotes (!). Balmy weather.
Winter in Florida.
It doesn't get any better than this!
Happy New Year, Diane!
Happy new year my sweet friend! Wow those birds are having them a big new years party out on that sand bar aren't they!?? Lol
It heals my soul to see the warm pictures of the ocean after all of the bitter cold we have had here. We sat out on the front porch and drank coffee this morning. It has gotten up to 60F degrees here in Tennessee! I think it is a great way to start the New Year!
This year will be better than last year.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
Luckily, we saved much of our outdoor clothing when we moved to Florida from the mountains of New Mexico, 19 years ago. Now, in Connecticut, we are making good use of the fleece and fluffy down jackets. They aged very well in those vacuum-shrinking transparent bags.
Happy new year !…thanks for your friendship last year blgging….love love love from me and Leaf 🍀❤️🐾🍀
Love the pictures especially the red bird. Love red birds. I had the oven and stove tops going earlier today and had to cut the AC on a bit! Happy New Year to you. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
So many lovely photos you captured.
Great photos. Not easy to miss the bright red cardinal. Wishing you a great new year.
photos of kingfisher look great....
wish tou happy new year
Great photos. I find Kingfishers very elusive, and hard to photograph. I saw that arctic blast made it all the way down to Florida for a few days. Brrr for all of us. Happy New Year!
I tried to leave a comment, but I got an error message. Great photos. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year to you.
A lovely set of photos.
A very Happy New Year to you. May it be a healthy, happy and peaceful year. Cheers t'other Diane
The Pacific Coast was having king tides around this same time. I never thought that it could be the same phenomena along other coastlines. That cardinal is sure red. That’s one bird I’d love to see in person. Happy Cheery 2023 hugs, Diane!
The King Tides around here have been extreme, too. Love the beautiful photos of birds even on a grey day. I envy those Kingfisher photos - they are so hard to capture here. Happy New Year, Diane.
What a great Christmas outing that you had. I love all the birds you found.
I loved seeing all the beautiful water birds you were able to capture in photos. Truly wonderful to live in Florida in the winter and year round! We are both blessed! Happy New Year!
Diane, visiting your lovely blog is always a pleasure. Thank you for sharing the amazing wildlife of your gorgeous state.
Happy New Year!! I LOVE that bright red cardinal. We had five cardinal visit us Monday. We have received snow storm after snow storm here as of late. We feed the birds. They always feed heavy before a storm. I am thankful we can feed the birds, it is a fun hobby of ours.
I laughed about how you described the mud.
Oh, that red cardinal made my heart sing! What a lovely photo of it. Your flannel and fleece vest sound warm and comfy to wear on your hike. You saw so many different and pretty birds. The White Egret is my favorite. Such a special and wonderful bird. I hope the new year is being good to you, dear friend. : )
~Sheri
I enjoyed looking at all of the photos of the birds you saw on your hike. I'm wishing you and your husband a happy new year!
Fun to take a walk with you while I'm sitting here looking at all the snow on my deck! I love oystercatchers, with their bright orange bills!
Fabulous series of bird photos, Diane.
I especially love the Great Blue Heron.
Wishing you a blessed and joyous 2023!
Hello, dear Diane, happy New Year to you and your family.
A new year and we hope for better time, isn't.
Hugs by Heidrun
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