Monday, February 18, 2019

We 💗 Florida State Parks 💗


Hello and Happy Monday!


During our Florida trip Jan 4-13th we tried to visit as many Florida parks that were new to us. On Jan 8th,  we started off at the nearby Savannas Preserve State Park, then we drove to the Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Next we went to the Hobe Sound NWR Beach and to end the day we went back to the Savannas Preserve State Park. I have to say when we travel we do not sit still, it is go, go, go. My steps and mile count were high for each day of our trip. 

Savannas Preserve State Park located in Port St. Lucie Florida.
We talked with a park employee during our early morning visit and he gave us some great info on the park . He told us the birds come and go, they are there in the morning and return in the evening to roost. The Sandhill Cranes, Osprey, White Ibis, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Glossy Ibis, Great Egret and Blue-winged Teals were some of the birds we saw during our morning visit. 




A view of the trail at Savannas Preserve State Park.





Jonathan Dickinson State Park located on Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound Florida. The sky was filled with Swallows, I am guessing Tree Swallows. During our walks on the trails we saw the Florida Scrub Jays, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk and a couple of Mockingbirds. 


Seeing these two Florida Scrub Jays was a treat at the Jonathan Dickinson State Park. I wish the lighting was better on my photo below. 








Hobe Sound NWR Beach, Bridge Road, Hobe Sound Florida.

The street lined with ficus trees took us to the Hobe Sound NWR Beach. There is a wildlife refuge parking lot at the dead end street for this beach. We have a national park pass or you can pay $5 to park. We enjoyed a walk on this pretty beach. We watched two guys paddle out to go diving.  The gulls, Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones were some of the birds hanging out on the beach. 


We loved this pretty beach, it was a gorgeous day!






Savannas Preserve State Park. At the end of the day, we decided to go back to see the birds coming back to roost in the trees. There must have been a hundred or more White Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Blue-winged Teal, Wood Stork and Glossy Ibis, Great Egret. We also saw a pretty Sun Dog and the watched the sunset.  


It was not possible to get all the birds flying in on one photo. Below is a large group of White Ibis that will roost in these trees overnight.





Sunset @ Savannas Preserve State Park









Thanks for your visit today!  I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.


Thanks to Angie the host of  Mosaic Monday

Thanks to LadyFi  the host of Our World Tuesday!




I hope to see you there. Thanks to the hosts today. Enjoy your day and new week.


As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

116 comments:

  1. Hello, it really looks like a beautiful place and what a variety of aviary fauna!
    It was nice to see your shots in this cloudy snowy morning...
    Have a nice day!

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  2. What a magnificent area to visit, Eileen. Wonderful skies, wonderful wildlife... I am longing to see a Glossy Ibis!

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    1. Hello Caroline, you must visit Florida. We saw lots of Glossy Ibis there. Wishing you a happy day and new week ahead.

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  3. Um encanto cada uma das fotos!Adorei! Linda semana! beijos, chica

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    1. Thanks Chica! Wishing you a happy day and new week ahead.

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    1. Thank you Francisco! Wishing you a happy day and new week ahead.

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  5. Wonderful set of photos. Thanks for sharing them.

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    1. Thank you Anne! Wishing you a happy day and new week ahead.

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  6. It's a long time since I was in Florida, but I have never even heard of these state parks! My personal favourite locations for birding were The Everglades and Loxahatchee NWR. One of my best memories was a colony of Burrowing Owls on the campus of Florida State University in Boca Raton.

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    1. Hello David, we went to the Everglades NP and Loxahatchee NWR too. I have seen the cute Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral Florida years ago. Thanks for the visit. Wishing you a happy day and new week ahead.

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  7. Hello Eileen,

    Beautiful images! The beach is so pretty, and the sunset too!
    Happy Monday!

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    1. Thank you Marit! Wishing you a happy day and new week ahead!

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  8. You guys are unbelievable in how much you travel to see 3 parks in a day. I'm content with just one. Beautiful photos as always. Hope your week is outstanding!

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    1. Thank you Carol! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  9. Very beautiful and natural series of trails and pretty photos on birds and beach images! Wish I could walk along the beach front taking in the cool breeze and watchable blue sky and sunset.

    Happy Week ahead !

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    1. Thank you Jeevan! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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    2. Hello Eileen,
      Wonderful series of photos and collages of your trip to Florida.
      Everything perfectly photographed, my compliments.
      Best regards Irma

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  10. Beautiful as always. And it looks as though your weather was terrific for this. Much nicer to enjoy all the beauty!

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    1. Hello Jeanie, we did have great weather. Thank you, enjoy your day!

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  11. so many beautiful places you visited. my favorites are the collages of beaches and that last photo is WOW

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    1. Hello Sandra, thanks for the nice comment. Have a happy day!

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  12. Ha, you had me there for a moment...looking for the sun dog. Is it a dog? Is it a bird? No it's that lovely shine in the clouds that looks like a second sun! Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting too.

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    1. Thanks, Barbarba! The sun dog was pretty. Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  13. I will say one good thing for Florida, they have SPECTACULAR sunsets! ;-)

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    1. Hello, Dee! We have seen some beautiful sunsets in Florida. Thanks and enjoy your day!

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  14. Beautiful collage of photos Eileen. The sunset photos are amazing!

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    1. Thank you Sami! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  15. Thanjs for a very interesting post. Happy Mosaic Monday

    Much🌻love

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    1. Thank you, Gillena! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  16. You had a great day. Yes , the harder you work the more you see.

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    1. Thank you Red! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  17. i did not realize until seeing all of your pictures, how many florida parks there are. it is always good to talk with park employees and also people who live in the area - they have a wealth of information! you captured some really great wildlife, i am not going to try to pick a favorite but rather say i enjoyed all of them!!

    gorgeous sunset to end the post!!!

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    1. Thanks Debbie! Florida does have a lot of parks. We could go back again and still go visit parks that would be new parks for us. Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  18. awwwww, you encapsulated why I don't mind-much, living here.

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    1. Thanks Mac! You live in a beautiful state! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  19. ...I can see why you love them!

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    1. Thank Tom! Wishing you a great day and a happy new week ahead!

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  20. Hari OM
    Oh my word... you excelled yourself with this post and those marvellous mosaic collections Eileen!!! gorgeous!!! YAM xx

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    1. Thank you for the nice comment Yam! Have a happy day!

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  21. I enjoyed your Post. It’s a wonderful landscape... fantastic scenes!
    Heidrun xxx

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    1. Thank you Erica! Enjoy your day and have a great week ahead!

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  22. What a wonderful post, Eileen. I loved visiting Florida over the years. I especially loved watching the pelicans and use that image of them dipping down to the ocean whenever I'm having my bloodpressure taken, it is such a calming image! I also loved spotting great white egrets spaced out along the drives especially to Key West. Such beauty to be found there and thank you for reminding me.

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    1. Thank you Jocelyn! Enjoy your day and have a great week ahead!

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  23. Hi Eileen
    Wonderful mosaics! Do I see a move to Florida in your future? It seems like you and your husband would love to live there and enjoy all the beautiful nature preserves and coastline beaches. I always tell my friends how many wonderful birds you find on your walks and give them your blog address.

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    1. Hello Pat, thanks so much for the comment. we go back and forth bout moving to Florida. There are so many pros and cons, just a hard decision. Enjoy your day and have a great week ahead!

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  24. A wonderful nice park with many nice pictures

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    1. Thank you Mikael! Enjoy your day and have a great week ahead!

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  25. Wow - these are gorgeous! What a lovely area.

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    1. Thank you, I hope your day and new week are great!

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  26. Beautiful collages, stunning sunsets and beaches and lots of wildlife. Perfect place for you to explore, Eileen.
    Have a wonderful day and new week.

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    1. Thanks Bill! Enjoy your day, have a happy week ahead!

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  27. I love the collages and the beaches are wonderful! Makes me forget the snow outside for a while! ;-)

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    1. Thanks Pat! I prefer the beach over snow any day! Wishing you a happy day!

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  28. Amazing place Florida. .Very nice pictures and collages.. Happy week my friend

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  29. beautiful photos and what a wonderful selection of birds

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  30. You visited many beautiful places with such a grand variety of birds, sunsets, and beaches, plus other wildlife. What a great getaway.

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    1. Thanks Lorrie! Hubby and I do enjoy our getaways! Wishing you a happy day!

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  31. Yes indeed it is go, go , go with you. Great collection of shots!

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    1. Hello Yogi, we need to go, go and go more. Wishing you a happy day!

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  32. Oh such beautiful sky! We haven't seen much of the blue...for way too long!

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    1. Thanks Anni! The skies were a pretty blue! Wishing you a happy day!

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  33. The range of birdlife is wonderful as are your photos. I can understand why you want to visit so many parks with a delight round every corner.

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    1. Thank you for the comment. We do enjoy the park visits. Wishing you a happy day!

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  34. Replies
    1. Cloudia, you are so kind. Thank you! Wishing you a happy day!

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  35. Enjoyed looking at all these wonderful photos.

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  36. These scenes are so beautiful and it all looks so warm! *sigh* Looks like heaven to me :)

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  37. Wonderful post and I’m in awe of how much wonderful stuff you two pack into your short trip. The secret is go go go....words that don’t work for us any more, if they ever did! I’ve bookmarked each of the parks you mention for next time we travel (leisurely) to another part of our part time State. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and the great ideas.

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    1. Hello Sallie, since we retired we enjoy traveling. They say it is good to keep moving. Wishing you a happy day!

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  38. Love the Florida photos! That beach is so inviting!!

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    1. Thanks Sondra. I do enjoy all the beaches. Wishing you a happy day!

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  39. I am amazed you had time to sleep. What fun this would have been.

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    1. Thanks Rose! We did have fun! Wishing you a happy day!

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  40. Oh Eileen - I love everything about this post. The variety of birds. The number of parks. And the wise decision to return to Savannas State Park to witness the birds coming back to roost - amazing!! The second picture in this post made me think of Africa with the majestic trees - only the palmettos gave it away as Florida! I am very grateful that you created these collages and shared them with all of us at Mosaic Monday! Have a wonderful rest of the week!

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    1. Thanks Angie! I do enjoy making the mosaics. We had a fun trip and saw so much. Wishing you a happy day!

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  41. You're lucky you have so many birds and wildlife there.

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    1. Thanks Amy! I appreciate the comment and visit. Wishing you a happy day!

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  42. Beautiful pics.
    Have a nice week ahead.

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    1. Thank you for the comment, Rupam! Wishing you a happy day!

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  43. Wow Eileen you thoroughly enjoy every inch of new places you explore. All the wildlife too. Fabulous photos - great post and I love the collages :D) xx

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    1. Thanks Sue! Hubby and I do enjoy our travels and the wildlife. Wishing you a happy day!

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  44. I always enjoy your wanders and wonders!

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  45. Beautiful Mosaic Monday ~ great photos and a great place too!

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

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  46. The rewards of nature are for those who go out and enjoy it and you two really do that! Beautiful spots and beautiful photos.

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  47. Hermoso día para disfrutarlo bien. Naturaleza con mucha vida. La playa y los collages maravillosas Eileen.
    Te deseo una buena semana.
    Besos.

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  48. Gorgeous photos! I love seeing the sunset.

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  49. that sunset is gorgeous. Such an unusual landscape when I am use =d toe either prairie, cropland or forest

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    1. Thanks for the comment. Wishing you a happy day!

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  50. Olá Eileen,
    Fotos fantásticas do vosso passeio à Florida!
    Adorei as aves, o pôr do sol e a praia, semelhante às nossas de Portugal;))!!
    Abraços,
    Ailime

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    1. Hello, there are so many places to visit. I would love to visit Portugal one day. I hope you day is great, have a happy week!

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  51. Eileen, brilliant mosaics. I love them.

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  52. una gran visión de avistamiento de aves que veo por aquí y es maravilloso tener esa oportunidad de poder verlos tan cerca y mejor que sacar esas fotos porque no es fácil retratar aves, me ha gustado como siempre estas fotos que demuestran como siempre la belleza de la Tierra.
    un abrazo.

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  53. Hi Eileeninmd
    Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos, I especially loved the pictures of the beach and the sunset, they are amazing.
    Warm hugs
    Maria
    Divagar Sobre Tudo um Pouco

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  54. The beach shot reminds me of a typical NZ beach. Lovely

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  55. Thanks for sharing the places you visited and the birds you saw, Eileen. I enjoyed imagining myself there. :-)

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  56. Beautiful photos, such a joy to see..
    Amanda xx

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  57. Gorgeous photos! These parks are a delight.

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  58. These are all such lovely photographs, and so nicely presented in the mosaics too.
    A great post, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  59. Ohhh ..... I'm jealous of your cranes !!!
    Mar also on all the other photos you show of your trip.
    Wonderful to experience this and very nice that I can travel a bit like this :-)

    Groejtes, Helma

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  60. nice place to spend a day :) Love those "fluffy" looking trees :) They look col.

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