Thursday, January 31, 2019

Happy Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!

January has flown by, I am hoping February will be short and warmer. 

During our trip to Florida we visited many parks and this post is on the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is actually part of the northern Everglades wetlands. It was another wildlife refuge that was partly open during our visit, located in Palm Beach County. We had a nice walk, saw some birds, 2 alligators and a very pretty sky. 

Below are some of the birds and the wildlife we saw at the refuge: the Tricolored Heron, American Kestrel, Cattle Egrets, Moorhen, White Peacock Butterfly and I am guessing a Florida Cooter Turtle?



Below are some White Ibis hiding in some tall grasses,  I had to zoom in for this photo. The White Ibis have an orange curved beak.



A pretty sky, reflection of the sky on the wetlands. 


More capture of the clouds reflecting in the canal. 



A limpkin was seen walking among the tall grasses. 


We saw a couple of gators, this bigger one and a smaller one was nearby.


I am just guessing at the id of the turtle below, could it be the Florida Cooter?



Another look at the trail and sky. 


A Great Blue Heron was standing perfectly still.



I am thankful for each day, even though I am wishing the cold winter weather  away. 
A thankful heart is a happy heart. 
am thankful for all your visits and comments. 


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


Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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

54 comments:

  1. What a wonderful place to visit which I would love to do someday Eileen. the skies, reflections and birds are all wonderful.

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  2. ...such exciting creatures in a gorgeous spot.

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  3. The turtle is a Florida red-bellied cooter.

    The photos are beautiful.

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  4. Hello Eileen,

    Beautiful images! The trail and the sky is so pretty, and the reflections too. Nature is fantastic.

    Happy Thursday!

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  5. Again many pictures of beautiful critters... especially the butterfly!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a nice day!

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  6. Ahhhhh...love the American Kestrel...a beautiful bird!! Good to see the warm sunshine in all the pics!!...:)JP

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  7. It will begin to warm up tomorrow. Next week is going to feel downright balmy!

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  8. Hello Eileen,
    Beautiful pictures and a nice collage is this from your trip to Florida.
    Here in the Netherlands too, it is cold, but not as cold as it is with you.
    Best regards, Irma

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  9. my tops 3, limpkin, canal, alligator. beautiful shots. a wonderful place to wander

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  10. an aside...one of my characters like to call people, Cooter.

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  11. What a fabulous place to visit! So much wildlife to see in one visit! We are having the best weather for getting out here now. I wish you could have stayed all winter. That does look like a cooter! Great pics!

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  12. I'm imagining all those critters were thinking as you took their pictures "What a strange version of human that has that box in front of her fac? Is that a new innovation, or what? At least it doesn't go bang and kill anyone!" Great Florida photos. Thanks for stopping by my blogs and commenting. Have a great day!

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  13. Beautiful natural wetlands to walk though and watching birds and other species! Great capture on birds and the trail is inviting along pretty sky views.

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  14. Too bad you aren't in Florida now, Eileen!

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  15. this looks like such an awesome place for a nature lover!! i LOVE the birds but those reflection images are the best!!!

    the heron is gorgeous, the limpkin too!!!

    i think you would be extremely thankful to be in florida right now...i know i would!!!

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  16. Shore birds certainly have their own unique adaptations to get food and protection.

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  17. What a beautiful area to visit with so much diversity to explore and enjoy

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  18. Beautiful! I love the sky reflected in the wetlands. Wonderful birds!

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  19. As much as I love the birds that sky is tremendous
    MB

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  20. A great place to walk around Eileen, with impressive wildlife. Thanks for sharing and have a great day :)

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  21. Beautiful weather, beautiful reflections in the water, birds and turtle I admire, but the aligotara is not. :)

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  22. Love those reflections. And such beautiful bird shots too.

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  23. What a lovely place to enjoy a hike and see all kinds of wildlife. Wonderful photos, Eileen. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day.

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  24. Another great outing for you!! That alligator looks kind of fat.

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  25. Wonderful photos, Eileen. Those reflections and the skies are stunning. Glad that Great Blue stood still for you!

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  26. Beautiful photos as always. Hope you are laying low in the vortex!

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  27. More great pictures. Favorite is the turtle.

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  28. What incredible photographs of the beautiful wildlife! Except for that gator! You are so lucky to be able to see such amazing places and wild life and your photography is awesome, Eileen!
    Hugs,
    Nancy

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  29. So pretty how the puffs of cloud look like flowering foam on the water in the canal.

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  30. I like the turtle, especially. Thanks for linking up today.

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  31. Wow, the trail and sky shot is wonderful! It appears to go on forever. Love the canal and sky shots, too. And I'm totally fascinated by gators!!

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  32. Love the reflections..wonderful pictures..pretty sky..It's nice when the birds pose for you;) Hope you are staying warm..

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  33. LOVE that sky in that next to the last shot. Wonderful birds to show us, too.

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  34. So beautiful pics. Great post.
    Greetings.

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  35. I love the canal! If I was a critter I would want to live there too. Nice shots!

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  36. So interesting to see diversity and beauty in your collections of shots! Sky view is so grand!

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  37. Gorgeous sky and nature shots, Eileen ~ hope you are warm and cozy where you live.

    Happy Friday to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  38. Wonderful shot of the landscape and the friendly sky. The photo of the two alligators is awesome. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend.

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  39. So many beautiful creatures to photograph and enjoy. I like the reflections!

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  40. Beautiful walk Eileen....I saw turtles like those ones on our walk today, but I don’t know the ID.

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  41. Looks like a place I'd love to visit

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  42. thank you for this fabulous look at your trip to Florida Eileen. Happy travels. I hope you are not in the "deep freeze" !

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  43. Wonderful photos from your trip. Pretty sky, reflection on the water and so many types of critters. Happy weekend!

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  44. I've never heard of a cooter!
    Such amazing critters. So good to see greens and open water!

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  45. It looks so nice and so warm …
    The reflections in the water are gorgeous and so nice to see the different critters.

    All the best Jan

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  46. the canal must be stunning when it is flowering :)

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  47. Another look at the trail and sky. is my favorite. I can breath the sky and love the open road ahead.

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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