The Foxy Family in the pine forest!

 

I had planned a quick hike on the Greenway. (hiking the section between SR 484 and Hwy 200)

But before I even had my camera on, I looked ahead and saw something unusual on the ground!

Sherman's Fox Squirrel

Of all the critters you might see in the forest, the fox squirrel is one of the cutest!

I saw the one next to the trail run into the forest so I watched him climb a tree.

And lo and behold I saw another one scampering at the base of the same tree.

I was trying to stand perfectly still so they wouldn't go deeper into the forest when I lowered my camera to look around.

And there was one in the tree right next to me, watching ME!

I got lots of photos of him.

They are such beautiful critters!

There were really only two that I could get good photos of but I enjoyed watching them chasing each other!

I think they had fun watching me too!

This one was ignoring me. Doesn't it look like a cat in a tree?

But after awhile, I decided to finish my hike. 

It was hard to step away.

Right at the top of Bluebird of Happiness Hill, there was a big bird in the distance.

I love photographing this palm tree that grows in the wild.

And it turned out the big bird was an Eagle! WOW!

Bald Eagle.

When I turned to go back to the Jeep, I saw the Fox Squirrels again.

Two of them were together chasing each other up and down a tree.

One of the signs that a Fox Squirrel has been around is the stripped pine cones. They love to eat these.

I had fun watching them but they were playing their tricks to get rid of me.

Stretching out to be less noticeable?

This one was in a big hurry to get away. lol

And don't worry, no animals were harmed in the making of this post. They jump from limb to limb and keep on going!

What a fun sighting to see THREE of these critters in the forest! (two in the photo below)

Have you had a good week? Did you get out in nature to enjoy the surprises it holds? ENJOY!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.  

'Bluebird of Happiness Hill' hosts the American Kestrels!

 

Did you notice that I said Kestrels...plural?

I hike this section of Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway....often! 

I park on hwy 484 and walk West (there's a good turn around at SR 200).

We see Kestrels pretty often in the winter months but I don't remember seeing 2 of them perching together.

Male American Kestrel

After awhile the female flew to another branch.

Female American Kestrel

This bug or dragonfly 'photobombed' me but it does look like she is wondering if it will fly close enough for her to snag it.

I saw a beautiful Mourning Dove on an old snag closer to the trail.

Mourning Dove

And when I looked at my photos, I could see that the Kestrel was in the distance.

I'll include this photo of one that has been preening.

And one more of the pair! It may be a long time before I see 2 Kestrels together on a branch!

Well, you expect to see Eastern Bluebirds on the hill so I'll end this post with these remarkable beauties!

Eastern Bluebird

They are such a bright blue at this time of year.

He's looking for YOU! lol

Have you seen some pretty color this week? Birds or flowers?

Enjoy your weekend and if the weather's nice, get outside to enjoy nature! 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.  

The Bluebirds are back!

 Sometimes I get out in nature and laugh out loud at what I see!

And that's what happened when we got to the trailhead of Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.

A pretty bluebird was peering over the trail sign.

And then another one flew in and told him it was safe to come out.

They both looked pretty regal on the posts of the sign.

And I had a good laugh!

Eastern Bluebird

They were also on the Florida Trails when I hiked the section between hwy 484 and State Rd 200. 

I watched about 30 Bluebirds at the top of Bluebird of Happiness Hill and then before I left, another flock joined them.

They were beautiful and I smiled when I turned around to head back to the Jeep.

I hope everyone in the US enjoys a blessed Thanksgiving day.

Get out and enjoy nature when you can. You'll smile and maybe even laugh at the unexpected things you see!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.   

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

10...9...8...7...

 I parked at the gate on hwy 484 to hike the Florida Trails to the top of Bluebird of Happiness Hill to watch a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center here in Florida. I live in the center of the state but I can still see the launches if the weather conditions are good. 

And they were perfect!

There wasn't a cloud in the sky and I knew what direction to focus on.

6...5...4...3...2...1

It was exciting and exhilarating to watch this marvel.

A quote from the website HERE "A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force. The mission is expected to deploy two spacecraft payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit, one of which is the TETRA 1 microsatellite."

I did a contrast in PhotoScape to be able to see a different view.

And a good website for seeing more of the photos taken on the site is HERE.

Taken on the way back down the hill.

It was an incredible way to start my day.

The sky was perfectly clear except for this neat little clouds to the North. 

I saw a lot of neat things in nature on my hike too.

Flycatcher

I took all of these photos. (you can barely see the clouds from the launch in the right side of the photo)

Another beautiful day in Florida! I wonder if today will have some excitement in it....

you just never know until you get out in nature and explore!

Enjoy your day! 🚀

Join me for a hike on the Florida Trails!

Thanks to everyone who leaves sweet comments. It's a trying time for all of us and we have our own personal challenges to deal with along the way too! I'm glad we can encourage and support each other. Let's continue to keep each other in our prayers. 
Just added....And for those that criticize me for what I blog about, you're free to blog about whatever you want and so am I. Just because I don't discuss political views or religious beliefs doesn't mean I don't have strong beliefs and it certainly does not mean I don't live my life according to those beliefs. I don't plan to defend myself in every post. Enough said. 

So I'll do my best and then take a hike on the Florida Trails!

We have blueberries

and blackberries providing food for all the birds and animals in the forest.

And butterfly weed to feed the butterflies and insects!

This looks like a place the fairies might live!

And isn't this berry interesting?

I'm not sure what it is but I'll try to ID it soon.

We are seeing the Red-headed Woodpecker up on Bluebird of Happiness Hill again!

He is striking!

And a welcome sight.

We also saw the Red-bellied Woodpecker on this hike.

He's a 'regular'!

And I even saw a little Downy through the leaves!

Have a beautiful weekend! Do you have plans to get out in nature? We have a rainy forecast so I'm not sure when our next hike will be...but it will be soon!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.