Nature Walk – Before the Rains

There was a thick bank of clouds building on the eastern horizon when I left home this morning, heading to Wakodahatchee Wetlands, which had been closed for about 11 days.  The place looked cleaned up when I started on the boardwalk.  With all the birds around, it’s sometimes hard to keep the walkways cleaned, but today they looked freshly scrubbed.

Little Blue Heron

Nesting season is already beginning.  The Great Blue Herons are preparing their nests.  And the Double-Crested Cormorants have nests full of swiftly growing, demanding youngsters.

Also seen today was a lovely woodpecker (no photo), a Belted Kingfisher, two gators, numerous turtles, herons, egrets, anhingas, Speckled Ducks, and some colorful little finches who were gorging at a birdfeeder.  I spent some time at both Wakodahatchee and Green Cay.

Belted Kingfisher

More photos below:

Wood Stork

Red-shouldered Hawk

Iguana

Young Gator

Green Heron

Young Cormorants being fed.

Night Heron

Turtle family.

A Painted Bunting male!

It was great to be outside in the milder temperatures even as I kept a weather-eye out for the growing clouds.  Autumn is beginning to feel pretty nice here in Florida.  And Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

“Sunny” VaCoupe (aka Eliza Ayres)

© All Rights Reserved, Eliza Ayres, http://www.bluedragonjournal.com