I've admitted to talking baby talk to the animals we meet in the forest. Now I'm naming them.
Meet Little Sooty
Isn't he tiny?
We drove over to the 49th Ave Trailhead of the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway to check on the control burn/prescribed fire. They had burned a section just a few days before but it wasn't blowing smoke or even smelling bad, so we took a hike.
Control burns are important in this part of Florida where we have forests. They reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires, and enhance the beauty of the land. They are also beneficial for the wildlife. I'll include the link HERE to learn more about them.
The reason we called this little Gopher Tortoise, Sooty because he did have traces of soot on his underside.
He had clearly walked through the burned area.
Hubby picked him up and put him into the unburned side of the forest and away from big hiking boots and bikes riding by.
He didn't waste any time taking off in a tortoise RUN!
RUN Sooty RUN!
We also saw a big Cottontail Rabbit on the trail ahead of us.
He even had a snack while we waited!
We have time and plenty of film in the camera! lol
He watched us for awhile.
Finally a bike came by and he scurried across.
On the side trail (limerock road) we saw this beautiful Brown Thrasher.
He made a series of calls that reminded us of a Mockingbird!
I'll show pics of the forest in a couple of weeks to show you how soon the forest recovers here in Florida. It will be green before we even get back over there!
Happy Mother's Day to all of the special mothers this weekend!
