Friday, June 21, 2024

A nice long hike at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve!

 
I finally got on the trail at Pruitt for a nice long hike. 


It was less hot, less humidity with a breeze! 
Those days are few and far between in the summer months.


I took my time and took wildflower photos to my heart's content.


I saw 4 Bobwhites and 1 deer and a Hawk (no photos) but I took my time and enjoyed 2 hours in nature.


A quick photo of the wild honey bee hive, still active.


One small airplane flying overhead,


as well as Swallowtail kites and buzzards.


It was a welcome sight to see the Eastern Meadowlark and I enjoyed the song they sing.


Velvet Ant


The old shed with all of it's rustic beauty.


And a spider.

I got back to the Jeep and thought there was NO WAY I would stop for another pretty flower and neat bird. I had apple slices to munch and water to drink and I was ready to go home! 


But as I drove the dirt road to the hwy, I looked out in the pasture and saw a family of Sandhill Cranes.


So I took my one last ounce of energy and got out to walk the fence line and take pics. 


They walked and I tried to keep up!


Mama staying close to the young one!


Papa with all of the brightness of his colors! 


And the little one trying to keep up!


Getting to see the young Crane and this beautiful family was worth the effort!


I hope you find a nice day to get outside this week!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

36 comments:

Tom said...

...wow, the wild honey looks sweet and wild! Take care and be well this weekend.

MadSnapper said...

the sandhill crane babies are worth the stop for sure. way to hot here to be hiking except at daybreak to about 8 am.. glad you found a cooler day.. our back yard has hit triple digits 3 times in the past 10 days. this morning walking Beau we were dragging by the time we got home and we were back by 6:35.
that spider is what i call Jumping Spiders. we had several in teh house a couple of years ago and i bought blinking red light things that said it would keep spiders out. it worked on them, but not the teen tiny ones. they don't bother me, but these I do not want inside. my grandmother loved them and protected them, she had one living in her bathroom and I hated to go in there.. your butter fly header is goregous. it reminded me of a butterfly I saw in our yard yesterday that i have never seen before. I just went out to find out what it was. thrilled that i saw it now. Atala. they are rare and found out they are only 6 miles from us at the campus of the college here. I will do a post on them, since they are new here and rare

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

Usually when I read a blog with wildlife pictures I try to determine which one is my favorite. At first, I thought it was the honeycomb, as that is really cool. Then I thought it was the meadowlark, then the ant. Then I just gave up. They are all awesome. Well, except one. I do not like spiders!

Katerinas Blog said...

How many beautiful creatures in one walk!
Incredible beauty!
Birds, ants, ducks, bees... all perfect!!
Have a nice weekend!!

Cloudia said...

So pleasant! Thank you. Aloha 🌺

Ann said...

Such pretty wildflowers. That bee hive looks huge.
Glad you got back out to take the pictures of the sandhill crane family.

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

What a nice hike you took. I love all the nature and the bee hive looks amazing. Have a nice weekend.

Carla from The River said...

I love that wild bee hive, I have never seen one. That is such a treasure to find and see in nature.
Do Velvet Ants bite?
Carla

Aunt Helen said...

Hello Diane, what a great hike! Thank you for sharing. You saw so many wonderful things!The Birds were so pretty. My favorites were the Cranes! It was nice to see the whole Crane family! Papa Crane looked pretty proud! I hope you have a nice weekend. Love, aunt Helen

Jeanie said...

I love the sign at the beginning and you had some fabulous sightings. So glad that the weather was nice for this one!

HappyK said...

All great photos from your walk.
Love the old shed.

BeachGypsy said...

Howdy Diane, loved our hike today, especially the wildflowers and please post a "warning" before the 8 leg creature pictures, ha ha LOL. Glad you had a nice not so hot day to get out. Those sand hill cranes look just like Pam's, not sure if you know Pam in florida or not? Hope y'all have a really nice weekend. SUMMER IS HERE!! PS....please show us a picture of your stretchy bead bracelets?...would love to see.

roentare said...

The buzzards and kites fly in the sky. What a view. Love them very much

Terri D said...

Great photos as always!! Thanks for taking us along on your hikes! I love the Swallowtail Kites. So majestic!! The Sandhills are always fun to watch. Happy weekend!

Angie said...

Diane - the photos of the young Sandhill Crane made my heart leap with joy! So glad you used that last ounce of energy to capture a stunning set of family photos! Have a great weekend!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
I always enjoy your walks. You are always seeing wonderful nature scenes.
The bee hive looks huge. I love the Swallowtail Kites and the Meadowlark. The wildflowers are pretty. I am glad you stopped for the Sandhill Crane family, great sightings and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

Marit said...

The wildflowers are so pretty, and the Sandhill Cranes are very beautiful. I always enjoy your hikes.

carol l mckenna said...

Oh wow! ~ So glad you got that last ounce of energy for the awesome photos of the young crane and family ~ Wow! Wonderful wildflower photos too ~ hugs,

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Bill said...

Another beautiful hike with lots of nice wildlife. The Crane family was definitely worth going back for. Excellent photos, have a great weekend.

Lea said...

Great photos!
My favorites: the Meadowlark and the Sandhill Cranes.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

What an outing you had topped by Sandhill Cranes. I have never seen one in real life.

Mae Travels said...

Your photos are great — sandhill cranes are all around us, but we only sometimes see the young ones.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Jenn Jilks said...

The honeycomb was amazing! As are all the critters. I like your header, too. Summer is so short around here.
I enjoyed your walk!

RedPat said...

How lucky were you to see the Crane family. It looks like it was a fine hike. We have had the hot muggy weather here this week too.

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely photographs and especially nice to see the sandhill crane family.

Take care and enjoy your weekend.

All the best Jan

magiceye said...

Gorgeous captures!

Teresa said...

Como siempre un precioso reportaje. Me encanta el panal y la familia de las grullas. Gracias y besos.

Debbie said...

awesome images, i am so happy for you that it was cool enough for you to get out for a walk. it was so hot here yesterday, hotter than florida and we enjoyed the pool!!

the velvet ant is very cool, the spider...i am not a fan of spiders. LOVED the old shed and the cranes, what a bonus. we never know what lies ahead, sometimes the best is last!!!

Wally Jones said...

Quail, deer, hawk, kites, cool bugs, wildflowers, sweet meadowlark song - all that topped off with a crane family!

Just another day in Florida. Ain't we lucky?
We certainly appreciate you sharing highlights of your hike with us.

We were also out trekking on Friday and it was unusually pleasant. No complaints.

Here's hoping we all have a great new week.

GreenComotion said...

What a wonderful hike that must have been (sans the humidity and excessive heat perhaps)! Great photos as usual and the baby Sandhill Cranes gave me a chuckle.
Be well!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I loved everything about your walk as I always do, but I am beyond happy that you stopped just one more time, because the Sandhill family is just wonderful.
Thanks for sharing -- pure joy!

Veronica Lee said...

Diane, your hike sounds absolutely enchanting!
I could feel the serenity and beauty of the trail through your vivid descriptions and stunning photos.
The sighting of the Sandhill Crane family must have been such a magical moment!

Have a great week ahead!

Villrose said...

The Sandhill Cranes family were worth the effort!

John's Island said...

Diane, Love your new (to me) header photo. Just great! Thanks for taking us along on your hike. Wow on the live honey bee hive! Neat bird photos. Thanks for all the walking to get the shots of the moma Sandhill Crane and the little one. What sweet photos. Thanks for your recent kind comment on John’s Island. Wishing you and yours a fine week ahead! John

Soma @ InkTorrents.com said...

You have captured so many beautiful activities with your camera. The sandhill crane family photos are amazing!

-Soma

Rainbow Evening said...

love to see Swallowtail kites, but very rare in our areas now....
have a great day