The Golf course Parade

 

Are you imagining a home on the golf course?

With Canada Geese parading by?

Even a poor goose with a broken wing?

I've seen Canada Geese on the golf course before but this was the first time I've seen them followed by a flock of Florida Eastern Wild Turkeys.

Pretty fancy golf course with it's own zoo!

A good day to play golf?

Maybe not!!!

I've shown Golf Cart parades before at Christmas time.

And a Golf Cart parade on the 4th of July.

But never a Golf Course parade.

Discovering the real Florida....it's WILD!

Any parades at your house this week?

Love, Diane 💜

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE!

Sightings close to home!

 I haven't been on the trails as much this week but hopefully I'll get back out more regularly after this week. We've gotten a lot of things done around the house and in the yard so I feel good about how my time has been spent! 

But I'm going to need some trail therapy soon! The weather has improved and I can't wait!

How do you like this Great White Egret that walked through the neighborhood?

And this was a funny sight looking out the window in the back!

Off you go!

They look like they are saying I'm not very nice. They only wanted to scratch in the courtyard and make a mess! 

We have a Dove family that I see every day. 

This looks like a young one!

And the sunsets have been spectacular.

I didn't enhance these colors.

(taken from the courtyard)

It really was this vibrant!

I also ordered a new camping journal. 

The green one is from this past year and I filled it up.

The brown one will be ready when we are....which I hope is soon!

Enjoy your weekend!

I hope you have something fun planned!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE. 

Hiking and biking on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway!

 

We got back from our camping trip and I headed for the Greenway!

The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway! 

It's close to home and always a good hike.

I did not ride a bike but when I looked up the hill on a side trail, these guys waved at me!

Of course I'll get off the paved trail for my hike!

It's a great place to see birds!

These Palm Warblers really have some pretty color at this time of year.

And there are monsters in the forest.

I tried to make this one a monster but I'm not sure. 

What do you think?

At the end of the hike, I looked down the firebreak and saw a Wild Turkey.

We may be camping again soon! I'll visit when I can!

Happy weekend!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

"A Tall Turkey Tale"

 

We started our hike at the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve from the Pruitt trailhead.

I'm calling this a Florida Christmas card!

But we hiked a different trail. When we got to the Arrowhead, we turned left.

 

And then when we got to the point we were planning to turn around, we kept going on an old roadbed to the South.

We went farther down that road than we've ever been before and we saw so much wildlife!

There was an Armadillo digging up a storm and not the least bit bothered by us.

And when we walked away from him, we saw a dozen or more Wild Turkeys down the trail.

They were TALL and chasing each other back and forth across the trail. 

So we had a good sighting but they were so far away, our photos are a little washed out.

It looks like their are some young ones with the flock too!

I think these were talking about US!

It was fun to see so many.

And as soon as they left the trail, a White tailed Deer walked out. 

He looked away from us most of the time but finally looked around.

Then he went back to browsing. 

We heard the Sandhill Cranes overhead and turned our cameras to capture them.

Hubby even had a photo bomb in one of his pics. There's a Buzzard in this photo, going the wrong way!

Lots of other sightings for the day but I'll save those.

I hope you get outside to enjoy nature and maybe even find a spot you've never been before. You just never know what you'll see! Don't turn around TOO soon!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.   

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Let's drive over to the recycle center!

 I know that doesn't sound exciting but our recycle center actually borders Ross Prairie State Forest so it's a good place to see birds and wildlife (and to recycle! lol).

The wild turkeys were fun to watch!

I think we scared them and scattered the flock. 

They were strutting and trotting on both sides of the car.

And then we made a loop to get back home and stopped at 3 more trailheads!

Shangri-la is a trail we have to save for cooler days. The trail goes into the dense forest and is perfect for a cool windy day. After you climb a steep hill, you drop back down into the canal diggings and you don't get any wind or even a breeze down there. There's also a little issue with poison ivy on the trail. But we'll be there when the weather changes! I can't wait!

We pulled into the 49th Ave trailhead and looked around too. And then drove around to another entrance that doesn't have parking. 

We were fortunate to see Florida Scrub jays, a female Cardinal and a Rufous-sided Towhee singing his heart out. We saw lots of animal tracks on the soft sand too. But it was too hot to do a regular hike. We were just scouting around!

So that was our exciting trip to the recycle center! We saw White Ibis in our backyard before we left too. Summer time is a great time to be in Florida! And recycling is always a good idea!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

The Star of Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

 

Would the star of HTP be the Florida Scrub-Jays?

It is such a privilege to see this rare endangered bird at Halpata Tastanki Preserve that we would be quick to give these birds the title of "Star of the Preserve".

We've found a small flock of them there a few years ago and we usually spot them on the loop that we take. 

A good website to learn more about the Scrub-Jay is HERE. 

Lately they have been at the Savannah.

We love the Savannah with beautiful grasses and marshy areas as far as the eye can see.

This week we even spotted a Northern Harrier overhead.

What a magnificent bird!

And the little Phoebe flits around as we follow the trail.

But then!!! What's that ahead? 

It came out of the woods to the left of us, 

ran onto the trail 

kicking up dust

 sprinting down the trail ahead of us.

I'm not sure if something was chasing him or if he caught sight of us.

But as quick as a wild turkey can run, it veered off to the right, never to be seen again! heehee!

So we think since he was so unexpected and fun to watch

the Wild Turkey was the star of HTP on this particular hike!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.