Happy Thanksgiving and camping out!

We are enjoying the beautiful Fall weather to take some camping trips.

But hopefully I can blog a little and visit everyone along the way!

I am sharing photos of the second half of the 'half a hike' I posted a couple of weeks ago.

This hike was along the Florida Trails from the Pruitt Trailhead.

It's a trail I hadn't taken in a long time.

But the weather is nicer now so I'm taking advantage of the cooler temps to get out more.

Summer Tanager

Flycatcher

A mosaic of another one that posed for me.

Hawk perched high in a tree

Wooly worm

Has anyone else every heard that you can count the stripes on the Wooly worm to see how bad the winter will be? I never can remember if more stripes means a harder winter or the other way around! lol

There's finally some water in the horse pond so it's been especially pretty lately!

I stopped on the dirt road to get the horse farm pics.

Grab your sunglasses before you get out! 

I hope you are all having a blessed Thanksgiving week!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

Cormorant day on the Gulf Coast!

 

We drove out to the Gulf Coast AGAIN this week and hiked the Withlacoochee Bay Trail! 

Remember, this isn't the sandy beaches that people walk on and pick up seashells.

These beaches are lined with oyster shells and vegetation....

and Oystercatchers!

It's only 30 miles from our house and fast becoming our favorite place to go. We drive past Halpata Tastanaki Perserve AND Blue Run Park to get there though so we feel the pull to stop and hike there too.

But that will be for another day. 

We timed our arrival to coincide with low tide.

That way there are more exposed sandbars.....

and more birds like this Cormorant in the sand.

Pelicans and Cormorants

Great White Egret

Little Blue Heron

At the end of the day when I was writing in our hiking journal....

the cormorants won the day. We saw at least 100 Cormorants!

I always end up with a few mystery birds so I'll ask for help with this one. 

My first thought was Red Tailed Hawk for this bird,

until he landed. Is he a dark morph or a juvenile?

He sure looked amazing with the sun shining through his feathers.

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy nature this weekend. 

We'll be 'out and about', cameras at hand enjoying Florida in February!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

Cross Florida Greenway "Felburn Park"

We walk a lot of the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway trails and love finding sections that are new to us. 

This hike started at J. Phil & Ethyll L. Felburn Park and followed the canal.

You could either stay on the paved trail or get off onto the primitive trail.

We did some of both!

Isn't this a beautiful Hawk?

Seagull, Mockingbird, Hawk and Great Florida birding sign.

Red berries and a beautiful flower in bloom.

Isn't this the craziest vine you've ever seen?

And sometimes I think it looks like we live in the wild West instead of Florida! But here we are driving the Jeep along a dirt road with wooden fences, cedar trees and brown grasses as far as the eye can see. (the palm trees might give it away though)

Do you have a nice park near you with walking trails?

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!

One more linky party HERE! 

Bees and Bugs and Birds

 

We headed out on a warm muggy morning to hike Halpata Tastanaki Preserve from the Pruitt trailhead.

It wasn't terribly hot and there were some clouds in the sky but the humidity was high and there wasn't the slightest bit of breeze so it felt pretty oppressive. But we have to pick and choose hiking days in the summer months. And I was SO ready to get out in nature.

This bee looked like he had enough pollen collected to head back to the hive!

And hubby took a great photo of this beautiful green dragonfly.

But then we saw that a Robber fly had captured the dragonfly.

They were very still for a few minutes and then the Robber fly flipped it over and gave us a stare down.

Doesn't it look like something from a Science Fiction movie?

We saw Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Hawks, Grackles, Ibis, Warblers and Herons.

We heard Bobwhites calling to each other all along the way and thought we saw one at a distance.

We zoomed in for the photo but it appears to be a Meadowlark. 

Possibly a juvenile Meadowlark. Another good sighting.

Halloween Pennant

It was a good hike and worth a little 'perspiration'. Hike #88!

We are supposed to be in the high 80s for the next few days. I know it's hotter in other parts of the country right now. What are your temps this weekend?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

HOP IN! Maybe we'll meet an artist on the trail!

 

We hiked the Halpata Tastanaki Trail at the Pruitt trailhead last week and met a well known local artist.

We've seen him before and spoken to him but this time I asked if he had art displayed locally. And he does!

Meet John Romaine. His facebook page is HERE.

I took a photo of the huge live oak tree nearby but he may have been drawing the one across the trail.

It's a beautiful place to set up your easel and spend some time.

We've had some good hikes lately and enjoyed our time outdoors.

(Mississippi Kite, Swallowtail Kite, Cattle Egret, Hawk)

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday weekend!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

Also I like Thursdays HERE.