From the elegant Great White Egret to the rugged Alligator....it's all at Blue Run Park!

 We spent a couple of hours at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon one afternoon and took about 100 photos!

Withlacoochee River

It's easy to do! 

Rainbow River

But I'll share just a few.

Great White Egret

Great white Egret, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis

Cormorant

Too much 'picture taking', he's taking off! 

Moorhen and Pied-billed Grebe going their separate ways!

Wood ducks

It's the one place we can see a lot of birds and wildlife right from the paved trail.

And yes, we saw 4 alligators...every size! 

Small Alligator observed (zoomed in) from the bridge.

We even saw a baby gator but didn't get a great photo of him. We'll go back and try again though!

Always an adventure to hike the Blue Run Park trail! 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.  

I love maps! 'Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway'

 

I've always loved maps. I'm not the best at following them but they have always intrigued me. 

And now they are a great tool for planning a hike!

A few years ago a sweet couple that volunteered for the Cross Florida Greenway gave me a set of maps. We used to see them on the ATV with the blower attachment that cleaned off the paved trail. And then the last time I saw her, she told me her beloved Kenny had passed away.

Now we can walk past the bench dedicated to Kenny with fond memories. 

We hike from several different trailheads when we hike what I usually call  the 'Florida Trails'.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon when we started our hike at the 49th Ave Trailhead.

And it was too nice to stay on the pavement so off into the woods we went.

Lots of neat things to see like this Fence Lizard.

And the wild plum is blooming all through the forest!

Lots of green year round here.

Lots of palmetto palm and ferns in this area!

And a view from the trail.

Several people have poured over these maps to look at the trails close by but I can't be talked out of them! 

I love pouring over maps. Do you?

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Birds of a Feather in February?

 What do Sandhill Cranes, Tree Swallows, American Robins and Cedar Waxwings all have in common?

I see ALL of these birds just about every day right now. 

We start seeing Robins around Christmas. 

They usually show up on the golf course behind our house on Christmas day.

And this month, they are everywhere! In the trees, on the ground and using the bird bath in our courtyard! According to the info I found, they come for the abundance of food here in Florida.

Is there room for one more?  

The Cedar Waxwings usually show up for my birthday in January. They are 'hanging out' with the Robins!

Don't LAUGH! This one is enjoying the wind in his feathers! 

Tree Swallows spend the winter months here in North Central Florida. 

We talked with some bird watchers from the Audubon Society in January and they said they had counted over 500 birds at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve that day. We saw the big flocks too but couldn't determine the number. We were surprised and happy to know there were so many.

And we always see families of Sandhill Cranes at HTP.

They are such beautiful birds!

Now we are hearing the large flocks of the migratory Sandhill Cranes flying over when we hike. 

There are hundreds of them!

You can hear them squawking overhead and then the challenge is to find them in the bright blue sky!

I learned a lot by doing an online search.

Bring your camera when you visit Florida in February!

And take some pics where you live too!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.  

Yellow Jessamine and the Red-banded Hairstreak

 

We always feel like Spring is just around the corner when we see the Yellow Jessamine in full bloom.

It blooms in February here and our weather has been in the 70s and 80s for highs so it does feel like Spring.

The vines were draped all in the trees and at one point we were walking on a carpet of yellow blooms that had fallen on the trail.

We hiked a part of the Florida Trails that we call Limerock Road.  (views from the trail)

It has a gate but there's no sign. It's off SR 200 across from Ross Prairie and a trailhead that is easy to miss. We turned down a side trail and hiked a trail we hadn't been on before.

There was a water hole but it was just about dry. (hopefully there are others nearby for the animals)

And up on a plateau was a new bench.

Don't you love the details on this bench?

It was a beautiful day to be trekking through the woods.

We even spotted a small butterfly and identified it as a Red-banded Hairstreak.

Have you seen any signs of Spring yet?

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Which trail will YOU take?

 

We drove over to the Pruitt Trailhead and parked at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.

The gate is locked and only authorized personnel are allowed in but the road surface makes for an easy trail to hike. 

But look ahead! Do you see the storm in the distance? 

Let's turn to the right and get 'off the beaten path'!

Today was a beautiful day and we saw a few people riding horses. 

We asked this couple if the horses they were leading were in training but they said, "No, they just didn't want to get left behind." Everyone wanted to take a ride!

Another couple enjoying an afternoon ride.

The views were gorgeous as we walked.

And we saw lots of birds along the way.

Hermit Thrush

Robin

Flycatcher

This is the trail that beckons me. A tree lined trail that goes deeper into the woods.

But it's been a good day and the storm went away from us so we stayed dry.

And I took this photo from the side window, with hubby driving 55 mph down the highway.

Pretty spectacular to see so much beauty, even on the drive home.

We see horses just about every time we go anywhere here in North Central Florida. Do you see horses where you live?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.