We walked at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon last week and it was like being put in a snow globe, except instead of snow, there were leaves!
It was windy but it wasn't cool. It was 82 degrees! And the wind was warm.
But the wind was blowing the dead leaves off the trees and it truly was magical.
All around us the leaves swirled and drifted overhead. I took my cap off to look up and cypress leaves (that resemble evergreen sprigs) caught in my hair.
So beautiful!!!
There were lots of people out walking and enjoying the warm, 'Fall like' day.
Have you had a chance to get outside this week? It's the best time of year to hike here in Florida!
So take a walk with me....
the video is less than a minute and we'll walk along the trail and then look over at a stream of water. (where the baby alligators were a year ago) And speaking of neat sightings! If you missed my amazing Barred Owl sighting, click HERE!
I drove out to Pruitt Trailhead two days in a row and saw a herd of deer BOTH DAYS!
I went at about the same time of day, right after lunch. The first day, I walked down the trail and saw them through the trees.
The second day, they walked through the woods parallel to the trail. I kept hoping they would come into an open area to give me a better view, but they did something even better!
The video below shows them crossing the trail in front of me!
What a thrill to see them all...twice!
I saw this pretty little Blue-gray Gnatcatcher back at the parking area.
There are so many pretty birds at this preserve!
I even saw a Juvenile Little Blue Heron.
He's in his white stage, with just a little blue showing on his neck and tail feathers!
As Hurricane Dorian barrels towards Florida, please keep us in your prayers! Thank you!
It's so much fun to get out in nature and I love taking you along!
Let's drive over to the Pruitt Trailhead of the Florida Trails in my hubby's Subaru Outback and park in the grass. We love this car and even the commercials on TV are neat. Maybe they'll want to film me on one of my adventures in the 'outback' of Florida! lol
If you live in Florida, you'll notice these mounds of dirt along the side of the highways and roads. They are everywhere!
But it's a rare sighting to actually see what's making the mounds!
A Pocket Gopher!
My husband did some research on them so I'll steal borrow what he wrote. I know he won't mind. After all, he lets me drive his Outback down white sand roads!
"If you
are new to North Central Florida you may be surprised to see
all the little mounds of dirt along the roadways and across
some yards as you drive around the area. Most people think
they're ant hills but they're not. It's the work of a little
tunneling rodent, the Pocket Gopher.
The "pocket" in their name refers to two fur-lined cheek
pockets or pouches, which have external openings on either
side of the mouth. The pouches are used to transport food
and nest material. At only 10-12 inches long from nose to
tip of tail they are capable of digging tunnel systems that
may extend for 500 feet, although 145 feet is the norm, with
dirt mounds every 6-10 feet.
As they dig, they push piles of loose dirt above ground.
Their shallow tunnels run parallel to the surface providing
access to their diet of roots and tubers. Nest and food
storage tunnels are deeper. They will plug tunnel openings
to prevent snakes and other predators from entering. Pocket
gophers are solitary animals and do not share a tunnel
system."
I took 2 short videos!
I hope you enjoy them!
After taking photos and videos of the Pocket Gopher, I walked over to this fence and saw an Eastern Meadowlark singing his heart out.
I took a few pics of course.
And he stayed longer than I expected.
He has such a beautiful song to sing!
But the video above is from an encounter very near here awhile back.
Hike #76 was only about an hour long but I had some really neat sightings! It had rained that afternoon so I hiked at 7pm. There were still some clouds and the sun was getting low but it was still 86 degrees.
As I started up the first hill, I looked ahead and saw something brown on the side of the trail.
So I stopped and zoomed in.
This is a mother and her young one. I have seen them a couple of times on my hikes...one time the mother even snorted at me. But these were the first good pics I've gotten.
What was a little freaky was the way the mother acted. I stopped to take photos and she took a few steps TOWARD me. So then I walked forward a few more steps and stopped. And yes...she walked a few more steps in my direction! I thought, at this rate one of us is going to have to 'give'! And I'm guessing it will be ME! lol
You can see her step forward in this short video.
But after I closed the gap a little more, they decided to leave.
She stopped in the woods and watched me though and I took one more photo.
It looks like she's daring me to follow them!!!
Then when I got down to 'bobcat holler'....the spot where I saw the Bobcat earlier this year, I spotted a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Bobcat post is HERE.
It was a beauty against the darkening sky.
I went just a little farther and then headed back to the car. I even had a few sprinkles as I walked. But you'll be glad to know....I didn't melt!
The heat might make me melt if I go out this week though. We'll see how bad my 'cabin fever' gets!
OK...let's start this post with a heart to heart talk.
In March...of THIS year, I started doing some art. I began with some watercolor markers, then bought a small set of watercolors. Next I bought a sketchbook and started sketching some birds. I've been encouraged to share some of my art here on my blog. But we need to make a deal before we start!
I am beginning....I am practicing....I am NEW to it all.
I already know that some of the heads are too big and the necks are too skinny. I know the beaks don't always come out like I see them 'in my head'! So I don't really need a lot of constructive criticism. Believe me....I am my own worst critic. But having said all that, I would like to share but I'm still feeling shy about it. Be kind....(I know you will be).....I'm still learning! And yes, I'm having FUN!!!
I decided early on to try to make my birds realistic. (the first bird I painted was a 'blue' bird, probably a make believe bird! haha) I use some of my bird identification books for inspiration and the photos I take as well. I am concentrating on 'Birds of Florida'.
Cattle Egret
Red-headed Woodpecker ( in progress)
I've been seeing this woodpecker at the Florida Trails and even got 2 of them in this short video!!!
Pied-billed Grebe
My next art challenge is a bird I saw on Hike #75 at the Florida Trails late in the evening. The light wasn't very good but the coral color of this bird stood out. I got to hear it's melodious song too.
A female Summer Tanager
I love sketching the birds and the Tanager will be beautiful if I can get the watercolors right. Are you learning something new this summer?
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