Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is one of the more reliable places to see Snail Kite here in South Florida. We decided to brave the dodgy weather last weekend and hike out along the Marsh Trail to see if we could find any. The clouds gathered ominously as we arrived but I was hopeful the storm would move off, so away we went.

We were greeted by this Rough Green Snake. Its been a while since I have seen one.





We continued walking and spotted this male Snail Kite from a distance. He was unperturbed by people walking by so I got to approach closely to photograph him.



There were thousands of Lubber Grasshoppers about, many of them mating pairs that would continue walking along like nothing was going on.



This one was munching on some fresh tasty pickerelweed blossoms.



See exciting chewing action.



As we continued, this young Snail Kite flew up and perched on a willow branch.





About the same time, the wind started picking up and the clouds began to darken and swirl threateningly. The young kite started making a racket as another kite approached carrying a snail.

Here's a video of said racket, followed by a good scratch.



At this point the thunder and lightning started up so I decided we had better get moving back to the truck. We suspect there are at least two pairs of kites, since the first male we saw was sitting in the same spot as we were leaving. We got to the truck just as the rain started to fall, ending our exciting day of wildlife watching.

Last week I went to Tallahassee, Florida's capital, for work stuff.

These days I fly a lot more, but usually on large passenger jets. This little guy was a new experience for me (the ride was not as bad as I feared, and the convenience of walking right off the plane to collect your bags is very nice indeed).



On my first evening in town, I took a quick stroll through a nearby state park- unfortunately rainclouds threatened and sunset was rapidly approaching so I didn't get to see much. I did, however, see my first Mississippi Kite through a gap in the dense tree canopy. Too far off for pictures though.



I stayed at a little B&B called "The Little English Guest House." It was quiet and comfy and there was a cute little garden.



As I was leaving early the next morning, I spied adult and juvenile bluebirds in the trees- the juvie was another first for me!





The meeting was held on a large preserve in the "Red Hills"- amid beautiful countryside and plenty of wildlife. I saw another new bird, a Red-Headed Woodpecker.



Purple martin nestboxes





I don't know what is going on with that guy on the lower right. Looks like he is flying in upside down.


Dwarf passionflower


In other news, I am not sure if I have mentioned on here before that I volunteer at a local wildlife rescue, the Folke Peterson Wildlife Center in Palm Beach. I feed orphaned baby birds on Sunday mornings and it has been the highlight of my week. Well, I was shocked and saddened to hear today that the center will be closing in about a month due to lack of funding. They are in the process of placing the animals with other facilities right now.

My pictures for today seem to share a theme of duality. Or maybe its just me.

Grazing beside sleeping ducklings


Contemplates stealing souls as he nibbles tender greens


Least tern


Plagued by gnats (as were we)


Anhinga above


Gator below


A majestic pose


A closer look

I have not posted for a couple of weeks for various reasons, the main one being that I have been insanely busy lately. Between work and all the thunderstorms I have had no chance to get out and take any photos. And one of Tadpole's babies from last year died. But I got out this weekend so here we go!

Here's Tadpole eating a mealworm.


We visited Green Cay wetlands for the first time in ages yesterday evening. Dark clouds threatened from the southwest but luckily they held off. The entrance boardwalk was crawling with tiny treefrogs. Literally hundreds, if not thousands of them.










I found it funny to watch people tromp by, oblivious to the thousands of little eyes watching them go by. One gentleman pointed out some moss growing on a tree trunk and advised us that it only grows on the north side. This was while I was in the middle of photographing the frogs, which he did not even notice. I think he may have thought I was taking pictures of the moss.

I planted some coneflowers a few weeks ago and the other day I thought it would be nice to take some pictures of them. They are popular with the local invertebrates.


I thought how cute, a little green spider. But he is rather scary up close!

Last night we went to the beach in hopes of witnessing a sea turtle nesting. We have been a couple of times in the past few weeks, with no success. Last night we got lucky and sat for a couple of hours watching an enormous female Loggerhead turtle excavate her nest, lay eggs, and return to the sea. It was an amazing experience!

We were walking along the beach when we spotted the tell-tale tracks leading from the water up the beach. The tracks of a sea turtle resemble that of a bulldozer- like a huge tread mark. We carefully made our way up toward the dune and spotted the turtle digging her nest. We sat very still and kept a respectable distance away. Rich's video camera has a large zoom lens and IR so we were able to see her clearly although we were 15' to 20' feet away. I have posted a few video clips and stills below.

Excavating the nest





She continued digging for about twenty minutes and then began to lay eggs.







Eggs being deposited into the nest.



After she had finished laying eggs, she began to fill in the nest chamber and cover the eggs with sand.



Finally, satisfied that the eggs were well covered, she heads back to the sea.









She quickly disappeared below the waves.

It was such a privilege to watch her nest. We are thrilled with the experience and glad that I can share the video clips with you.

The rain continued through the weekend, with brief interludes of sunshine in between. Hopefully we will get into the normal summer pattern soon, with the thunderstorms rolling through every afternoon, but clear the rest of the time.

Last weekend we journeyed down to Homestead for the annual Redlands Orchid show. I set myself a budget and vowed to only buy one specimen. Four orchids later all of my money was spent so it was time to go. We decided to swing by Everglades National Park since we were in the neighborhood. We are now over a hundred miles from the park, so we don't often get to visit.

Lots of gator activity


Water levels were abysmally low (this was before the rain started last week) and the gators were crowded into smaller pools of murky water. Some territorial scuffles ensued.







Once the sun had set, we searched for owls and snakes. We spotted one barn owl and this cottonmouth.

Here are some of my orchids:

Fragrant Vanda, "Mimi Palmer" hybrid




Phalaenopsis that Rich bought me for Valentine's day- has been constantly in flower since!


Orchid show purchase, another fragrant variety that smells like coconut. The tag broke when I repotted it but I think its an Encyclia


Tadpole watched me photograph the orchids with disdain.


When I tried to pick her up and take her inside:

Spent a few days last week working in New Hampshire. Its a really laid back place with friendly people and great food, very enjoyable.

Hampton Beach


On our way to dinner one night we drove through a picturesque little town- took these shots from a moving car.






Sunset after dinner


Sunset over Hampton Harbor


In other news, here in Florida it has rained all day, every day, since Tuesday. Which is a good thing, because we had been in a pretty bad drought. However, in a week or so the mosquitoes will be terrible! As I type this I can hear the treefrogs starting to tune up on our porch. The first rain of summer always produces the most dramatic frog orchestras at night.

Did a quick bit of sightseeing in Boston before heading up to New Hampshire for work stuff.

We did part of the "Freedom Trail" which highlights many important historic locations in the city.


Historic North End


The Old North Church is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" lantern signal is said to have been sent. One lantern lit in the steeple was to notify Charlestown that the British Army would march over Boston Neck and the Great Bridge, and two were to notify them that the troops were taking boats across the Charles. Paul Revere's midnight ride, of April 18, 1775, alerted the Colonists to the approach of the British forces, and was followed by the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolution.

Paul Revere commemorative statue outside the Old North Church.


Old North Church steeple


Plaque inside the church


Inside the church


Copps Hill Burying Ground was founded by the town of Boston in 1659 and is the second oldest burying ground in the city.


Crossing the bridge


View of Bunker Hill Monument in the distance


Near USS Constitution, which was unfortunately closed for repairs


The best part of the day was the fish and chips for lunch at Quincy Market. Yum! Not easy to get fresh cod in South Florida so it was a nice treat. It was a bit chilly out for me (50's, no laughing!) but bright and sunny and had a great time.

The last installment of the Miami zoo pics. The Amazon exhibit features several new reptile and amphibian displays, most of which are indoor reptile houses. The outdoor tanks are very difficult to see into and photograph because of reflected sunlight, so I was only able to get pics of the indoor ones. It was a shame because if they had installed some shade cloth drapes or something beside the tanks it would reduce the glare.

Tree Frogs





The deadly Fer de Lance



Various Lizards







I was captivated by these Alligator Lizards. The colors and texture of their scales was

amazing. I spend the most time watching them and taking tons of pictures.









That's it for the zoo, finally.
Next week I am traveling to New Hampshire for work so will try and get some photos to share.
It will be my first time visiting New England, so I am excited!
Back soon.

This evening we took a stroll through the Juno Dunes natural area. I had heard that there were resident Scrub Jays in the area and wanted to check it out. No sooner had we pulled into the parking lot when I saw a familiar silhouette.
The scrub jay observed our arrival with disdain.





The other keystone species of the scrubland is the gopher tortoise. Like the scrub jay, they have become rare due to habitat loss. They are a vital part of the ecosystem because of the elaborate burrows they dig, which provide homes to a wide array of wildlife, from the gopher mouse, to rattlesnakes. We saw several footprints of gopher tortoises both large and small. Finally, we came upon this individual.





It was a treat to see such a large tortoise. We watched it amble along the trail, most likely heading back to its burrow for the evening.



This black racer peered at us from the side of the trail.



As the sun went down the cottontails came out for a last forage before nightfall.



A nice walk and a great way to end the weekend.