A few Birds from Florida

We stayed at the Escapees Sumter Oaks RV Park where we have camped many times.  It was from here we traveled to Leesburg FL for Cathy's Oncology treatments 6-years ago.  This year we are simply biding our time until the Spring Break for schools in PA when our granddaughter, Kendalyn, will join us with her mother, Laura, and her Uncle Randy to celebrate Kendalyn's upcoming tenth birthday with a 5-day stay at Disney World in Orlando.  More about that in a future post that will have many pictures.

While here this year we were entertained by some of the local birds, some old friends and one first-timer for us.  Below is the Red-headed Woodpecker which  is a new addition to our life list of bird sightings.  A pair were nesting in this lamp pole and apparently tending to some offspring.  Here in flight leaving for a new batch of food for the brood.

And below here, working on the nest opening.

Old acquaintances, the Bluebirds seemed to be quite numerous this year and this one was checking out one of the many nesting boxes around the outer perimeter of the park.  This one happened to be directly behind our space so we saw lots of activity,

And a visit to Sumter Oaks in winter would not be complete without seeing the local Sand Hill Crane which was frequently seen first thing in the morning on my walks with Dixie.

The treat of the stay was numerous sightings of the Swallow-tailed Kite and this year the bird seemed to be much closer to the treetops and I was able to get some great action pictures.  This bird's range in North America is limited to the Southeastern states including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.  It is seen in Texas where it is considered to be a "threatened" species as it is also in SC.  In Georgia they are "rare".  So we were fortunate to enjoy this wonderful bird. The photo below shows the characteristic tail shape that gives its name as well as the distinctive coloring.

Swallow-tailed kites eat and drink on the fly and apparently only roost in tree tops at night.  I was taking continuous exposure shots as I tried to follow its sweeping path across the open area in front of our rig.  In the picture below the kite had just taken a baby bird from a nest in the oak behind it.  I have annotated the picture with two red arrows to locate the catch.

And below it has the bird in its talons as it flies away.

Here turning to make another pass at the tree.

And my favorite as it turns to get close to the trees for still another pass.  We have seen them in past years but usually much higher in the sky so photography was not as good.

At the rear of the RV Park is a wet, swampy area with a stand of Bald Cypress trees between the camp road and the swamp. 

Cathy is fascinated by cypress knees, the short shoots the tree sends up from its root system.  You can see them in the shot below.  The function of the knees is not known but it is suggested by some biologists they may help with oxygenation of the roots of trees growing in water.  Others think they may aid in anchoring the tree in soft muddy soils under the swamps.

It seems to us we are seeing more beef cattle in the fields and ranches around the central part of Florida.  Perhaps the high price of beef  has gotten the attention of the local ranchers who recognize potential profits.  The property adjacent to us has about a dozen or so cattle that appear around sundown every day.  Sorry about the butt shot, but they wouldn't listen to me to pose!

We also had a great experience while driving near Center Hill FL which is just about 10 miles from our park.    As we were driving along a secondary road we saw a large bird swoop down across the highway and land on the shoulder.  To our surprise it was a mature Bald Eagle and looked magnificent.  Alas, no camera, no photo.  Our friend, Lynell, who volunteers at a Maryland Natural Environmental Area near her home tells us injured raptors are often victims of collisions with automobiles.  Careless drivers toss trash and leftovers from fast food lunches which attract small rodents which in turn attract the raptors who are not traffic wary.  It is likely this eagle was after prey attracted in the same manner. 

Other regular visitors to Sumter Oaks are Barred Owls and Red-tail Hawks.  We heard the owls during the first few evenings after we got here, but not since.  Maybe the cool weather has chased them farther south.  Cathy has seen the hawk in her tricycle excursions with Dixie leading the way.

The following morning as I was walking Dixie in the frosty chill I saw this wildlife in the field adjacent to our parking spot.  Below are some local deer out for breakfast.  I can see 5 in the photo.

And here are at least 9 wild turkeys browsing for their morning meals ...

Now we really do have top get busy packing!

Rocky Bayou State Park FL

Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park is named in honor of the U. S. Air Force Colonel who was instrumental in preserving this site with a large stand of old growth longleaf pine trees.  Rocky Bayou is the central feature of this park and is a small branch of the much larger Choctawhatchee Bay situated just north of Destin, Florida.  Eglin Air Force Base is also nearby the park as is the small town of Niceville.

Our parking spot, above, was just a few yards from Rocky Bayou nestled among pines, magnolias and native palms.  And below, you can see our front window view.

We had to hunker down for most of our stay here as we were inundated by heavy rains for several days. More about that in the post about Falling Water State Park.  Below is a Red-bellied Woodpecker who was a frequent visitor to "our" pine trees!

Falling Waters State Park FL - 2013

This very small park and campground (24 total sites)  is situated on and around the highest point in Florida at 323 feet above sea level.  We were both fortunate and unfortunate to have been here when we were!  We left Rocky Bayou in a relative break in an ongoing rainstorm that had been with us for more than two days and when we got to Falling Waters the storm caught up to us.  Until it ended early this morning (2-26-2013) the region had experienced from 10 to 21-inches of rain in a little over 4 days.  Local schools were closed today due to road flooding.

The good news is that there was a good flow over the falls and we were able to see it at its best.  It is located in an area marked with many sinkholes formed when underlying rock collapsed. Falling Waters Sink is a 100-foot deep, 20-feet wide cylindrical pit into which flows a small stream that drops 73 feet to the bottom of the sink.

Left above is the top of the falls and on the right is looking down into the sink.  Below is a view from a little farther away.

Native Americans utilized the nearby sink holes as a hideout by warriors fighting against Andrew Jackson during the Seminole War. The waterfall was harnessed to operate a grist mill to grind grain and in 1891 a distillery was established on the site to serve the needs of railroad construction crews.  In the 1920s the first oil well in Florida was drilled here based on information in a 400-year old diary to a depth of 4,912 feet, but proved to be a dry hole.

Spring seems to be underway as some decorative trees are in bloom. 

If you in the northeast think you have stinkbugs, they look like babies compared to this one.

Above is a native azalea which grows in the woods in wet areas.

The park is comprised nearly completely of long-needle pine trees which are also native to the region.  The park staff conduct controlled burns of areas of the park to discourage invasive hardwood species such as oak and others.  The pines are unaffected by the fires which are set about every 2 to 3 years.

Above is another native of the southeast, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker seen here on a tree by our bedroom window.  One curious behavior of these birds is to peck holes in the pine trees adjacent to their nests causing the pine gum or resin to ooze from the holes.  We have seen them in Florida on other occasions but this is the first photo for us.

On our drive from Falling Waters to our next stop we saw this sign on a little-used highway through the Appalachicola National Forest.

We got a kick out of the "Rooter to the Tooter" line but a quick look on the internet suggests it is commonly used in the BBQ community. 

Way Down Upon the Suwannee River...

On our final stop of our trip across the Florida Panhandle we tried a different campground than we had used before and we are glad we did!  The name of the place is somewhat off-putting, Yellow-Jacket Campground, but it is a piece of old Florida situated adjacent to the Lower Suwannee Wildlife Preserve and the Suwannee River.  The river rises in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and flows south west into Florida being joined by other drainages along the way.  In summer months the river is visited by Manatees, but at this time they are usually in one of the fresh water springs which also feed the river.  Temperatures in the springs range from 70 to 74 degrees year round and that attracts them in winter. So we did not see manatees this time.

However we were lucky enough to see some beautiful birds rather up close from our vantage point at river's edge.  I'll mention each below with the photos I took. 

First is the view of the River looking downstream from our site.

And from the boat dock in front of us, here is our parking spot.

On the chilly morning as were getting ready to leave this Blue Heron was huddled on the dock trying to keep warm.

And he eventually flew to the edge of the water exactly in front of our windshield.

 This turtle sunned itself every day on this same log.

I had walked out to the dock one morning and was treated to quite a show, first by a Blue Heron and later by a Great Egret.

 The following sequence of 3 pictures shows the arrival of the Egret to a quiet place along the river bank.

Adjusting the flaps for deceleration...

and braking hard for touchdown.

I had seen this on TV about jumping fish on some southern rivers.  This warning sign is at the public boat launch site on the campground.

Another camper saw me taking pictures and told me he had seen a Pine Warbler and that would be a new sighting for us so I was on the lookout and finally saw it working in the Spanish Moss hanging in the trees.  When I went outside the Pine Warbler was nowhere to be seen. But this Yellow-Rumped  Warbler was flitting around the bases of the cypress trees.  It was getting toward evening and the light was failing so his record is a bit dark.

While I was watching the warbler I saw a large bird flash to my right and eventually I spotted the Pileated Woodpecker you see below.

And once again, as at Falling Waters State Park, the Red Cockaded Woodpecker was a regular afternoon visitor the to trees in front of our rig.  The red topper appears almost brown in reality as in the photo.

Greetings From Lower Alabama

As we are getting prepared to move East to Florida I thought I should post some pictures from our relatively uneventful, but restful, beginning of winter, 2012-13.  Since we have been here a few times before, we  have just about seen all the touristy attractions in the area and reported on them previously.

On Friday the 15th of February we will drive to Rocky Bayou State Park near Eglin Air Force Base between Pensacola and Panama City Beach.  We will stay there for a week.  Our stop after that will be at Falling Waters State Park where the highest water falls in Florida is located.  It is a whopping 73 feet high and falls into a sinkhole.  There is Seminole Indian and Civil War history from the region and we will explore that for a subsequent report.  We will be there 5 days before heading to Ho Hum Campground literally on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola.

So enough with the travel schedule, here are some pictures.  When we are here we always get absolutely the freshest Gulf Shrimp right off the boat at Billy's Seafood in Bon Secour.  The harbor there is just off of Mobile Bay and is a safe harbor for shrimpers.

We have not seen any new birds this trip, but some of our old favorites appeared again.  In a couple of cases the picture is taken through the window since they are very skittish and apparently camera shy! 

Below is the Yellow-rumped Warbler who show the yellow splash at the base of the tail and on the sides usually in winter.  They are busy and seem to find sustenance in the live oak trees lining the rows of RV parking spaces here at the Rainbow Plantation.

Blue birds were frequent visitors this winter too and could be seen diving from the trees to the grassy areas catching bugs.

The American Kestrel was normally perched on utility lines along fields of sod which are a common crop in this area.  On trips to town or for propane, we would always see them and frequently did not have the camera along!  I went prepared one day and wasn't disappointed, but it was impossible to even get out of the car to photograph them as they would fly off as soon as the door opened.  So, this the best effort, was taken through the windshield. 

And finally some recent pictures of Dixie, who gets a lot of sleep, day and night!  Looks like she is ready to nod off right here!

She is so good at sleeping, she can even do it in strange positions as here...

or here.

And occasionally she is actually awake and especially if there is food around.  Here she is in her favorite spot on the dashboard where she can keep track of all of her friends as they pass by outside on their daily rounds.

That is it for now.  I will have more, original photos in the coming weeks as we make our way to Orlando for an Easter meeting with Kendalyn and her Mom and Uncle Randy.

Christmas Greetings for 2012

Warm Wishes and Happy Holidays from Cathy & Larry

As this is prepared we are comfortably settled in LA enjoying warm days and pleasant evenings.  Oh, not that LA!  LA here refers to Lower Alabama, or that little chunk that sticks down into the Gulf of Mexico.  And the photo I have selected for this, our first eChristmas letter is from 2005 in New Braunfels TX. 

Our travels for the past year were somewhat limited by design but we had a good winter in FL shuttling between Escapees Parks and Thousand Trails Preserves all somewhat near the Orlando area.  Our journey northward included a sobering stop at the Civil War Prisoner Camp at Andersonville GA.

We had planned to stay for the summer at the Thousand Trails Preserve near Hershey and it was a good decision that we did.  Cathy missed a step leaving the RV with Dixie for a walk and landed hard on the ground suffering a concussion, 2 broken ribs and 8 cracked ribs.  We were just 8 miles from the Hershey Medical Center and a quick ambulance ride got her to the Emergency Room for treatment.  After spending the night in the hospital, she spent the next few weeks recuperating.  

Also while in the Hershey area we had several weekends with Laura and Kendalyn visiting before Kendalyn went to be with her father in Illinois and again after her return.  We also had the opportunity to visit some old friends in the area and to take a long weekend visiting Larry’s brother’s family in Leechburg PA.

Our drive to Lower Alabama was generally along the “Great River Road” which parallels the Mississippi River.  We camped several times right at the river’s edge and enjoyed watching the tugboats and their loads of barges moving up and down river.  We got our history fix taken care of with a stop in Vicksburg, scene of major Civil War activity and also in Natchez where enormous fortunes were built from cotton, lumber and river trade, before the Civil War. We got to see some of the mansions and to visit a great museum in Vicksburg.  Never have we seen in one place so many mini-balls and other munitions from the Civil War than in the Old Courthouse Museum. But there we also saw wonderful displays of such genteel items as cups and saucers, period clothing and river memorabilia.  It was a nice afternoon.

Our final stop on the way East to Alabama was near Pascagoula MS at a small state park with very simple accommodations and a lot of quiet woods along the Mississippi Sound.  We learned that a Sound is a relatively narrow passage of water between the mainland and an island and is generally deeper than a bay.  By contrast a Bay is usually protected on one or more sides.  End of geography lesson!

In closing we are generally healthy and likely to be liabilities of Medicare for several more years to come.  We hope each of you is enjoying good health as well.  And Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to all.

If you want to look again at the details of our trips and stays from 2012, look to the right at the Blog Archive and click on 2012 to get a list of all posts for the year.