Sunday Sunrise and Sunset..

Howdee all,

We said goodbye to John Prince Park….

Limpkin, Lake Worth Florida (sunrise)

We are now in Jensen Beach, Florida

Funky little RV park by the intercoastal....

See the peachy building in the distance?

(Sunset)

Nice little café on the water…bridge in the distance beyond.

Sunset Jensen Beach

We have some exploring to do…

Hope you are all Counting the birds..

They are counting on you!

Goodbye~ John Prince Park~

Howdee all,

We have been here in John Prince Park, Lake Worth, Florida for two weeks now…and its time to move on.

We tried to extend our time here, but, the park is full. I called many places to try and get reservations for this busy weekend…I was able to find availability a bit further north at Jensen Beach.

I wanted to share a few videos here taken while at John Prince.

Goodbye John Prince …I will miss my morning Limpkin Wake up call..yeah, believe it or not I looked forward to that

The video below is from my morning walk…There is a small craft airport nearby…so toward the end of the video..that is what you hear…otherwise it is very quiet..

This next video is sunrise over the lake behind our Homey…Stay with the video to see the Common Moorhen couple.

Take Care and see you all at our next Destination.

 

Jensen Beach…if you know the area and want to recommend things to see..just leave a comment below.

Thanks!

Oh..and hot of the presses..this one is not to be missed!

Featured Bird Blogger of the Week

An amazing 12 year old Bird Blogger..

Limpkin, Green Cay Wetlands, Florida

Howdee all,

Today I want to show you one one of my favorite birds..

See the dead tree in the distance?There is a Limpkin on top…

An unusual bird of southern swamps and marshes, the Limpkin reaches the northern limits of its breeding range in Florida. There, it feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, which it extracts from their shells with its long bill. Its screaming cry is unmistakable and evocative.

 

A  Limpkin can extract a snail from its shell in less than 20 seconds.

Limpkins were once common in Florida, but because of the decline of its primary food source, the Florida Apple Snail and habitat loss… it is listed as a species of special concern.

Florida is the only state in the US where Limpkin breed.

These photos were all taken at Green Cay, where we saw a few Limpkin….

When we first birded in Florida four years ago we searched for Limpkin and felt lucky when we saw them…

Jeff and I went for a walk at John Prince Campground the other morning and saw about 20 Limpkin….

This Limpkin hung out on its tall perch and called for quite a while

until an Anhinga took its place..

They are locally known as the "wailing bird" or "crying bird" due to their loud mournful call

Play the video below and hear the call….

Limpkin Calling

This video below is from John Prince Park in Lake Worth

Green Cay Wetlands with the Badbirdz

Howdee all,

I cant say enough about Green Cay Nature Center..

Green Cay Nature Center is the county's newest nature center that overlooks 100 acres of constructed wetland and provides educational opportunities about this unique habitat. The wetland features 1.5 miles of elevated boardwalk featuring interpretive signs about the habitat. The Nature Center includes a lecture hall, gift shop, and live animals in an extensive exhibit room that highlights wetland attributes. Come for a visit and find that there's something for everyone at this fantastic new facility!

I love this place! I could spend all day here…Granted its not in the wilds,it is an Oasis in a noisy sprawling developed area in Boynton Beach.

I love the Colors here..the green of the algae and Duck weed…Close up views of birds…

This particular day we met up with Angel and Mariel Abreu of Badbirz-reloaded.

Below is a bit about their website

Noel Wamer made us all “radar junkies”. Just because he’s off the official scene, doesn’t mean we can all up and quit cold-turkey. This blog is an attempt to keep the radar images coming, and to engage birders, scientists, and anyone else who is interested, in the study of migration using radar. Beginning in October 2008, Angel and Mariel Abreu joined the Badbirdz team as contributing authors, and as of Spring 2009 have become the primary authors and administrators of the site.  My other site, www.woodcreeper.com, tracks nocturnal migration over New Jersey, and was heavily influenced by Noel’s old website, badbirdz.com. ~David LaPuma

They could use your support..if you would like to donate to keep their website running go to this page.

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We had a wonderful time with Angel and Mariel, they are great naturalists and birders, who enjoy taking their time to study all things nature. They don’t rush around to see it all, they immerse themselves into what is happening at the moment.

I filled a 4gb card taking photos and videoSo I wont be showing them all here…Instead, I will, feature a few of the critters we saw in their own posts....

So..until then enjoy some of the highlights of the day..

Turtle stack!Moss covered Turtles…A huge Alligator…Some sort of wasp… American Coot..Common MoorhenBlue-winged TealGreen HeronSora…..we saw six of them!Tri-colored Heron

Limpkin… 

White Ibis Black-bellied Whistling Duck Blue-headed VireoPied-billed GrebePainted BuntingGlossy IbisA Lovely place…

Stay tuned for more from Green Cay!

Space Coast Birding festival~Viera Wetlands

Howdee all,

We had a great time at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife festival.

One of our first outings was to Viera Wetlands.

Located between the Moccasin Island Tract of the River Lakes Conservation Area and the Brevard Zoo, the wetlands are a popular site for birders, photographers, and eco-tourists.  The entire wetland system is accessible by automobile, making the site popular among those who find the rigors of hiking trails and summer temperatures daunting.  Even better, viewing the site from one's automobile serves to screen visitors from birds and wildlife, enhancing the experience

Our alarm didn’t wake us and we missed the bus..but luckily after some scrambling around to get directions we made it to the wetlands just in time to start the Bird outing with the group.

Our group leader was the very knowledgeable and friendly Laura Erickson.

Fourth from the right..

We joined the group in the bus which took us to various spots on the loop road..

A beautiful sunrise

Tree swallows land on grasses…White IbisBirders shadows…A palm warbler…Oh..what's this? A lovely Limpkin…

Lovely Limpkin with Laura Erickson speaking with the birders

Common Moorhen with its candy corn bill….It was a chilly morning and my fingers were cold and numb…in our rush to get ready I forgot my gloves…

Limpkin and Little Blue HeronBeautiful surroundings….for a water treatment plant..

I highly recommend birding here…Wonderfully scenic…

And great birding!Common Yellowthroat

A raft of Coot

These photos below were digiscoped by Jeff

American BitternBlue-winged TealSleeping..Sandhill CraneGreen Heron

A great morning of Birding!

More of the Space Coast Birding Festival to come….

The festival is over…Jeff and I are in Mims for a few days then we head south to Lake Worth for a few weeks..after that we haven't decided where to go.

If anyone is interested in getting together for some birding..let me know..I am trying to get a group together…have a few birders interested already.