A Good year for Hiking!

 It was such a difficult year for us all...

all over the world!

But we were fortunate to have good hiking trails to hike and unusually good weather this year. I feel blessed to have the good health to get outside and enjoy nature.

I wanted to choose a bird or critter from each month to highlight but I didn't realize how hard that would be. We see so many amazing sights here in Florida. 

Join me for hiking through the months of 2020!

January - River Otter at Blue Run Park

February - Bobcat at Blue Run Park

March - Eastern Coral Snake, Florida Trails

April - Fox Squirrel, Florida Trails West

May - Blue Grosbeak at Pruitt Trailhead (Halpata Tastanaki Preserve)

June - Bobolink flock, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

July - Gopher Tortoise, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

August - Bobwhite Pruitt trailhead, Florida Trails

September - American Redstart, Blue Run Park

October - Barred Owl, Florida Trails West

November - Barred Owl, Florida Trails West

December - Great Horned Owl, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

How privileged we were to see so many owls this year! We even saw one early in the year too. 

We've ended the year with 157 hikes. 

Now let's keep going!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

The American Redstart at Blue Run Park

We finally got to hike at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon for the first time in 3 months. It was closed for awhile and then when it did open, it was too hot to hike there. I've mentioned before that you walk with a swamp on one side and a river on the other so it's a great breeding ground for mosquitoes and bugs. But on the first day of Fall, the weather was perfect! Warm but lower humidity and a breeze! 

And what a thrill when we got to see a bird we had never seen before.

The American Redstart!

We could see it really well but it 'flitted' so it was difficult to get good photos.

It was easy to identify when we got home though.

It's considered "the butterfly of the bird world".

And how about this? What's black and white and red, yellow and orange all over?

Setophaga Ruticella, of course!

It was quite a day of bird sightings, starting in the parking lot.

A Great White Egret.

Limpkin

Green Heron 

(Duck weed is the beautiful tiny plant that looks like moss or scum in the swamp)

Black crowned Night Heron

He was busy fishin'!

And doesn't this alligator look like it is smiling?

We were high on the bridge looking down when we saw it so no danger there. And no people at Blue Run either. We saw a total of about 8 people in the 2 hours we were there. Incredible!

We spotted another alligator in the swamp, draped over an old log. How funny!

And the log this turtle is on looks like a 'gator! lol

I'm pretty sure this is a Black and white Warbler! 

Let's stand on our heads for a better look! lol

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.