Baby Blues and Petite Yellows, the birds are back!

 I've been hiking the Florida trails from the 49th Avenue Trailhead a lot this summer because it has tall trees that shade the trails. 

Eastern Bluebird juvenile

And I've seen lots of wildlife and some birds.

But on Wednesday, I hit the jackpot!

In one area there were birds fluttering from tree to tree (and one on the trail in front of me).

I didn't get good photos of everything I saw but I saw a nice flock of young Eastern Bluebirds.

I think this is one too but it sure is hidden against the bark of the tree!

The Warblers were back.

These are probably Pine Warblers but there were some that didn't look like Pine Warblers.

And my photos aren't that great for ID. 

They wouldn't stand still! lol

I saw 3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a Pileated Woodpecker.

Pileated Woodpecker

Beautiful wildflowers and butterflies all through the forest.

Beautyberry Lane

It was hot but I managed to get a full hike in and take lots of photos to share. 

Has it cooled off at your house? Or in your forest?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.   

A Fun Start to the Week!

Isn’t it fun to start the week on Tuesday?

I remember when we started school the day after Labor Day and when I saw this doodle, I just had to share. View all doodles HERE.

Have a FUN day!

Learn something new!

This is an old post I found from 2015, when I was searching for something else and just had to share! 

🍎 Have a FUN week! 🍎

Happy Labor Day - Butterflies and Bees

 Thanks to all the hard workers that do so much to contribute to the strength and prosperity of our country.

These are some of the butterflies and bees I've seen this week, on the trails and in my neighborhood.

This is Sumac and the clusters of flowers are fragrant and attracting the honey bees!

What a joy to have so many wildflowers blooming now!

And pretty flowers in the flower beds!

Mosaics to share...

Bees...

and butterflies.

You can even see the rain falling from the sky before the rainbow came out!

Have a wonderful happy day! 

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Trail Updates - A week later

  

Even though I hike some of the same trails from week to week, things are constantly changing.

This summer, I've had to stick to some of the trails that provide shade.

And it's nice to walk on the paved trails where there are fewer pesky bugs. I prefer those that take me deep into the forest.

But even though it's hot and humid here in Florida, I still like to get out. 

Loggerhead Shrike

After I stay inside for a day or two, I'm looking out the window to see if there is any sign of a breeze!

White-tailed Deer

This deer was standing so still, I'm surprised I saw it!

These are some of the things I've seen on my hikes this week.

And for changes?

A lot of you commented that this looked like a Snowy Owl.

And it looks even more like an Owl this week. (It's actually a web of caterpillars, a very LARGE web!)

And the Lion's Ear wildflower I showed a week or so ago, is starting to dry and droop.

I can report that my Jeep is even dirtier and dustier now too. But that just makes it look better I think!

Photos taken from hikes at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve, the Pruitt Trailhead, and the Florida Trails, 49th Ave trailhead.

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.   

The Abominable Snowman moves to Florida!

 OK...maybe I exaggerate! Maybe he just came for a summer vacation! 

But I did look out in the preserve at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve and wonder what in the world was out in the marsh.

I thought it was a mound of sand or a bleached out tree maybe.

But when I got home and looked at my photos.....

it was a big web full of caterpillars.

I couldn't resist playing with photos and overlaying a few to get some neat effects!

And I put him up in this big tree right along the trail! EEEEE!!!

And then I looked around at some of my other photos and found a few more 'monsters' to share.

So even when the sky is blue and bright, the woods could have monsters lurking.

You just never know......

if you let your imagination run WILD!

And come walk in the woods with me!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

The Roseate Spoonbill, my Florida Favorite

 It's hard to pick a favorite bird when you live in Florida! 

But I fell in love with the Roseate Spoonbill when I first moved here.

And we've only had a few sightings of this beautiful pink bird 'in the wild' over the years.

You would think you could go to the same trails and see the same sights but that's not at all true here in North Central Florida. 

My husband and I went over to the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve and hiked from the Pruitt Trailhead a week ago and looked up in the sky and saw Roseate Spoonbills!

 

It was cloudy and they showed up nicely against the grayish silver sky. Later we saw another one fly over when we were having a snack.

Roseate Spoonbill flock, Cedar Key

I looked back at posts that have featured the Roseate Spoonbill and found the one of our sighting of a flock of them in Cedar Key, back in July 2012 HERE.

That was the first time I had seen them in the wild and I wasn't even sure what they were!

We can see them at Ellie Shiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

This is a mosaic I made of photos we took there a couple of years ago and posted them HERE.

Close up of their feathers

So that was our excitement on Hike #104! We also had a really good sighting of an Owl but only one photo. I stood there and watched it fly by without even lifting my camera but hubby got one. It was amazing!

Owl in flight

I went back over to this trail a week later and didn't see any of the same birds. Time and chance!

Roseate Spoonbill

Hope you can get out in nature this week and see something neat. Time and chance...but you have to get out there often for that to work in your favor!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.