We are enjoying the Spring weather and spending time on our favorite trails and preserves.
The nice thing about living in North Central Florida is the proximity to the Gulf Coast. It takes us about 40 minutes to drive to the Gulf Coast on back country roads with very little traffic. The 'real' Florida!
The temps were in the 70s when we started our day and 85 degrees when we drove home at about 4 pm.
It was perfect for a walk on the boardwalk at Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve. More info HERE.
As I've written before, this is a beautiful preserve that most people drive right by. The dirt road is narrow and may not look as inviting as other trailheads. But of course we love it!
The highlight of the day was the Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage.
Do you see the white feathers coming out of the back of his head and the white feathers on his rump?
At first we thought we were seeing something 'new' but the long neck, small head and large beak is the description of a Tricolored Heron.
A few 'ruffled' feathers!
Something else we rarely see are the huge Blue Crabs.
They were almost as big as a dinner plate!
Small colorful crabs were in the wet sand.
It was a beautiful day at the preserve and we had it all to ourselves. I always hope others will discover these hidden treasures. We love the peace and quiet but there's always room for more nature lovers!
Do you have a peaceful place to spend some time this weekend? ENJOY!
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60 comments:
...delightful and no graters, I love it.
It is truly a beautiful place and the Old Florida is what I crave.
Beautiful!
Have a blessed day!
Lovely photos! I really like the reflections on the water. They are just breathtaking. Thank you ad have a grand weekend! Cathy
Wonderful photos! I love seeing the Tri-colored Heron! I've seen one here in our pond before and was so thrilled to see it! They seem to be much more rare than the Great Blue Heron. Oh, those crabs! Glad they didn't grab your toes! LOL. Looks like a picture perfect day in every way! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Wonderful!. Your blog posts make me wish I lived closer to the gulf coast.
I asked the vacationers in the family if they had seen "Old Florida." They had no idea what I was talking about. ☺️ I'd be far more interested in your scenes than in the Disney attractions. I had a beautiful orange from Florida...so much more flavorful and juicy.
More lovely photos, the crabs are a nice discovery. Your area gives another meaning to the expression, neck of the woods.
Diane, I always enjoy looking at the nature walks you take with your husband. It's great that you have nice weather there and I love the photos of the heron. Thanks for the blog visit and I hope you have a nice weekend.
Nice walk and I like the crabs
I love the boardwalk, and love the real old florida, the one we loved so much that they have filled it with STUFF, it was a natural place to go, now it is not.
You really show the beauty of your place in the world! It's a shame that people will feel constrained to visit or move there or attend school there because of all the political implications to their health and well-being. A damn shame. I wish you all the best my friend!
Your temperatures are very warm.
Your photographs are lovely.
We are fortunate to live close by a lake, always a nice place to walk.
Enjoy your weekend.
All the best Jan
It was a good day to go!
The crabs are so colourful and cute.
What a great place to spend the day. It looks beatiful there.
A beautiful place for walking and your pictures are beautiful.
It is a bit hotter than what I am used to walking in though. :)
My daughter lived in Gainesville for four years while attending grad school at the Univ. of Florida. I'll have to ask her if she's been to this place. Birds are her thing, too!
Those crabs are amazing!! Wow! A beautiful place for a hike and thanks for taking us along!! I love the boardwalk! I can't handle uneven trails anymore so paved is awesome! Happy weekend!
What beautiful photos.
It's a nice place to stay.
Greetings Irma
The crabs alone made the walk worthwhile.
Hello,
Lovely sightings of the Tricolored Heron. The crabs are a cool sight, in Maryland they would be turned into crabcakes. Nice shots of you and your hubby. Great outing and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
You have such a beautiful blog. Keep up the good work!
It is nice to find a bit of nature that is not teeming with people.
This seems the most beautiful place to go for a walk, as it is so diverse in wildlife. I would have loved to be with you. If this happens to post, please know I read your blog, but all my comments are denied. It is a bit flustrating.
I looked back at the previous post, and you must think I'm crazy with so many replies. Actually blogger told me something went wrong with the reply and I would have to try again, so I tried again four times with the same message popping up, so I gave up. I can only laugh at this one.
Gorgeous photos ~ beautiful tri-colored heron and awesome crabs of all sizes ~ Xo
Wishing you good health, laughter, and love,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Beautiful place to explore. You captured some great photos. I love your new header, it's a beauty. Enjoy the weekend.
Lovely and peaceful, indeed! There are such places in my neck of the woods, too, although one never knows when suddenly folks arrive by the boatload. :)
Beautiful pictrures, Diana. My peaceful place is this wicker chair and ottoman on our back porch lanai. No traffic, some birdsong outside the open windows, and a ceiling fan fluttering my hair directly above. And a glass of red wine on the lamp table beside me.
I live on the Gulf Coast…it is real Florida
Haven't seen a tricoloured heron in person, happy to see your photos.
What a wonderful place to visit nature. I love your tri colored heron.
Oh wow! The crabs are huge and the tricoloured heron is cute!
What a beautiful environment! Love the crabs shots.
Happy Sunday! 🌞
Diane Dear,
Your shots are always far precious, you can catch the most wonderful details of the Nature of the amazing corner of the world you live in.
Thank you for sharing such gorgeousness!
Have a most lovely Sunday and new week ahead
X Daniela @ ~ My little old world ~ (Dany)
Love the beautiful pictures, Diane.
I always enjoy the walks you take.
Hugs and blessings
Awesome spot for exploration. Great views of Tricolored Heron and crabs!
I love the off-the-beaten-path roads of Florida. When I lived there I always sought those out and got away from the commercial roads. What a wonderful spot you discovered. Those crabs are just amazing..and so is the tri-colored heron. I hope you have a wonderful upcoming week. xo Diana
Hello Diane :=)
Great sighting of the Tri-coloured Heron, which I have only seen on Annie's blog. The Crabs were also a pleasant encounter.Lovely post Diane.:=)
All the best.
Beautiful heron! Thanks for sharing.
Me alegra que hayas disfrutado, el lugar se ve maravilloso. Sí, yo también tengo un bonito lugar para pasear. Un abrazo.
How strange that people drive by such a gorgeous place full of wildlife. Great pics of the Tri-coloured Heron. I think I could easily spend many hours there Diane.
You find so many pretty areas! You really do live in just the perfect place for YOU and YOURS!!! Thank you for sharing what YOU see with all of us!
Good afternoon from Japan; I truly attracted by Tricolored Heron♬ Bit different from ones with only white or blue colored P;-) Always LOVE to see your beautiful nature. Thank you very much for your kindness for me; With Lot's of Love; Miyako
love the boardwalk. Placed in a very interesting place it seems. Love the Tricolored Heron. Cool to see the colorful crabs, Quite strange for a species to see so different coloration.
Thank you for sharing the Blue Crabs... amazing creatures.
:-)
Carla
A beautiful trail to enjoy with wonderful sights. I never heard of a tricolored heron--it was so wonderful to see that in your photos. The crabs made me hungry...lol
lovely boardwalk....
Thank you for sharing beautiful views
lovely boardwalk,,,,
thank you for sharing beautiful views....
Geogeous pics Diane
Have a nice week.
Mine is HERE
Much💖love
I just checked and we haven't visited there in over two years! It's past time.
Thank you for showcasing the "Real Florida", Diane! We tend to take it for granted. Hot, cold, buggy, wet, dry - there is always something special to see. As you so wonderfully illustrated!
It must have been a treat seeing the tricolored heron! So pretty!
What a neat place to visit. The Tri-colored Heron is beautiful and I loved seeing the crabs. Crabs are such funny creatures. Have you ever seen an alligator near a boardwalk like that? That would be scary.
It sure looks like a beautiful place to me! What great pictures!
I'm glad you enjoyed a peaceful hike, and you were able to see such interesting creatures. xxoo
Those little crabs are so cute, aren't they? And they do get quite big. I've never heard of the blue crabs before. The Heron is such a graceful bird with its long neck and beak, and I love the little white feathers on his head and back. The walkway on the trail is nice for those who want to visit for the day. Sounds like a good hike with the weather being just right.
~Sheri
I wish we could take you up on the invitation to invade your privacy at this beautiful preserve! It's such a lovely place. A bit easier to find quiet trails this time of year in this part of Florida .
Thank you for showing me a place I could only dream about! What a wonderful Nature Trail you uncovered! The variety of creatures you find along the way, is amazing! Your day was perfection; perfect temperatures! Love, Aunt Helen
Sorry ... I`m again lagging behind to comment. But now I`m here to read and I enjoy your post, dear Diane.
It`s a great pleasure again. Today we have here in Germany the church festival Pfingsten and now it`s enough time to read with calm. Thats important to pay due attention for each post.
Thank you for sharing at
MosaicMonday
Have a good time.
Hugs by Heidrun
I like the boardwalks. It has to make walking so much easier and no chance of getting lost. Not that I don't pay attention to where I am going when out in the woods. Or that I am known for walking into trees because I am looking up at something flying or something crawling or something blooming...
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
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