Saturday's Critters #319

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!


If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!


For my critter post, I have mostly birds and two cute furbabies we met while walking on the River to Sea Beach Park and near the Washington Oaks State Park.   Osprey eating a meal at the top of a light pole, Starlings and a nearby Hawk. 

 The Osprey watching the Starlings above on the pole.

 We saw a lot of Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones. 

 Ruddy Turnstones on the coquina rocks near Washington Oaks State Park.

 I am guessing at the id below, the Royal Tern.

Dogs just love hubby, we met these two goldendoodles while in Florida. They were cute and friendly.

Thanks to all my visitors and for all the wonderful comments. I appreciate everyone who loves critters and has linked up their post.

Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the host Anni.

Check out My Corner of the World  Thanks to Betty the host. 

Happy Thankful Thursday

 Happy Thankful Thursday! 

 Is Florida the sunshine state?  Washington Oaks State Park has a two parts. There is a beach area with the Coquina Rocks and the formal gardens.  We visited this park on Christmas Day, we walked on the beach and around the gardens. It was another 7 mile day.

 When in Florida, you have to have a pretty day for a beach walk.  Yes, clear sunny skies did appear on our December trip.  I am thankful to see the sunshine.

 Shorebirds landing on the Coquina rocks.

Tidal pools in the Coquina rock formations. 

A pretty sky and Brown Pelicans. 

The rocky Coquina Beach, Washington Oaks State Park.

 The formal gardens at Washington Oaks State Park. Christmas decorations and trees, Monarch Butterfly, pond, Zebra Longwing, rose and iris. Our total miles walked on Christmas day was 7.2 miles. Most of the Garden walk was a loop trail at Washington Oaks, I think it was almost 4 miles and the rest of the walk was at the beach.

I am thankful for sunny skies on my vacations. 
I am always thankful for the beauty all around me.  
I am always thankful for your visit and comments.
Live simple and be happy!  😊




Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to Yogi the host of   Skywatch Friday




Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

Our World, My World

 Hello, Happy Monday everyone!


I am sharing more on our road trip to Florida. I mentioned before how I like to research new parks and places to visit before leaving home.  On this day I already had the address in our GPS for the Haw Creek Preserve State Park.  It is nice to find these parks, which are new to us. Florida as a lot of nature preserves,  state parks and local parks.  The 1005 acre park is located in Bunnell, Flagler County. 

The park has a 1.5 mile round-trip boardwalk and also has a boat launch. 

It was a cloudy day and some rain the morning we were there. The scenery is beautiful, even with the rain drops. There are spurs off the main boardwalk that take you to views of the creek. The birds we saw were mostly waders and very shy, they flew off as soon as they noticed us.

Two birds hung around for a photo op, the Limpkin and the Wood Stork. Other birds seen were the Great Blue Heron, Great Egret and a Little Blue Heron.  Yes, people there are trash cans for your trash. Please use them. 

 A view of the Haw Creek.

The boardwalk views remind me of our other park visits in Florida like Lettuce Lake and the Hillsborough River State Park.

 

 The boardwalk goes by Cypress trees, tall Palms and  lots of Palmetto Palms.  I am sure there were lots of alligators there too. 

 Another look and view from one of the boardwalk spurs, the Haw Creek.

 A nearby Limpkin did not seem shy around us, it must have been searching for snails.

 The Wood Stork was a little hidden by the tree.

 Please check out and visit the following memes and links. I hope to see you there. 


Thanks to Angie the host of  Mosaic Monday

Thanks to LadyFi  the host of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks for visiting and commenting, have a happy day and a great new week!

Saturday's Critters # 318

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!


If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!


 I am sharing more birds and critters from our December Road trip, we were in Florida for 5 of the days.

The Gopher Tortoise likes sandy soil, dunes and coastal grasslands. They dig a burrow and spend most of their lives in the burrow. This Tortoise shares their burrow home with possibly as many as 360 other species including snakes, mice, fox, skunk, frogs, rabbits, armadillo, lizards and burrowing owls. The burrow can be 52 feet long and 23 feet deep.

Down the road some at another beach, we found 2 Gopher Tortoises outside their burrow.

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We stopped to see what birds were at the Matanzas Inlet, Flagler County Florida.  If there was a time for my birding scope ( hubby says I told you to pack the scope)  this was it. The birds were too far away, it looked like  a large flock of various gulls, terns, shorebirds and I assume Black Skimmers.

 A Semipalmated Plover.

 Pretty sure these are Willets. Id update: thanks to Ken and Anni the birds below are Dowitchers.

 









 Thanks to all my visitors and for all the wonderful comments!





Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the host Anni.

Happy Thankful Thursday!

 Hello, Happy Thankful Thursday!


Dec 23rd it was our 2nd day in Florida. Yay for the sunshine! We headed to Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine Florida and stopped at various beach parks on the way back down the coast.  

We spent some time walking on the beach at the Anastasia State Park, had a view of the Saint Augustine Lighthouse, me and my shadow, flowers, Gopher Tortoise, Brown Pelicans, Osprey and the Great Egret.

The Gopher Tortoise likes sandy soil, dunes and coastal grasslands. They dig a burrow and spend most of their lives in the burrow. This Tortoise shares it burrow home with possibly as many as 360 other species including snakes, mice, fox, skunk, frogs, rabbits, armadillo, lizards and burrowing owls. Can you imagine  co-existing with so many different species? The burrow can be 52 feet long and 23 feet deep.

Me and my shadow on Anastasia State Park beach.  LOL, I look headless, my camera up to my face.

The Brown Pelican is one of my favorite birds, I love watching them in flight.

Heading back down the coast we stopped at the River to Sea beach.  I heard and saw a group of these birds before I found one of them sitting on a wire near the River to Sea Preserve. The Nanday Parakeet or also known as the Black-hooded Parakeet.

I am always thankful to be able to go on a road trip or any kind of trip.
I am always thankful for the sunshine!
I am always thankful for your visit and comments.
Live simple and be happy!  😊




Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday. 
Thank you to Yogi the host of   Skywatch Friday




Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!