A Full-time Life

Category: Florida exploring

Happy to be here

Happy to be back from an unintended vacation from blogging. We have been busy and well — the time away was caused by computer failure. My poor PC gave up the ghost! After several trips to the "not-quite-as-Best-as-it-used-to-be" store, my new machine is finally here. And installed and ready to go, thanks to the in-house computer person (the one in our household who is not me).

And now all I have to do is remember how to use it. I'm thankful to be back and to have new pictures to share. And very grateful that my old ones were safely restored.

Ruddy Turnstone

Except for the memory collage a little way below, the pictures in today's post were taken on Captiva Island last week. It was our first real boating excursion in over two seasons.

We stayed two nights (aboard our boat) at the historic Tween Waters Inn. It is located on Captiva Island be'tween' Pine Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Click on the sign to read some of its history.

It was kind of a bitter-sweet time because we went with good friends who have sold their winter home on the Canal and will not be back next season. They are the ones who really helped us get to know the good places to boat here in SW Florida.

Brown Pelican

We have had so much fun together, boating and ashore, during our twelve seasons here. We will miss them.

This collage is not from last week, but is just a few memories from past boat trips with these (and other) friends.

We didn't let the bitter over-rule the sweet on this trip and we had fun together. By this time in our lives, we all know that change happens.

Ospreys on historic Tween Waters cottage

Here's to happy times: Past, present, and to come!

More Sunset from Tween Waters Beach, Captiva Island (Pine Island Sound)

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May 1, 2022
EXTRAS from the archives

We stayed at home all week mostly working on our home improvement project (or watching others work). The room conversion is progressing well. On Saturday we waited through a storm warning that happily didn't amount to much at all. The wind blew all morning and it rained hard for a couple of hours. Wouldn't have wanted to be out in a boat or walking in the swamp, but not a problem snuggled in the house. Temperatures dropped last night to the mid-30s, the coldest it's been here all season. What a strange day — we had the A/C on in the morning and heat in the evening. All that in addition to the time change this morning and I am no longer even sure what day, what time, or what season it is.

The pictures are from the archives. Mostly last week's walk at the Bird Rookery. I found a picture that definitely identified the Egrets we saw in the trees:



I overlooked this picture when I put last week's post together. The yellow feet and yellow around the eye both show up well here. Both are definite ID markers for the Snowy Egret.

We spent some time trying to imagine which bird could have built this odd looking nest. Then we walked just a few yards further and found a sign explaining it was something else entirely:

Click to enlarge for the fuller explanation, but it is called a "Witches Broom" and is a tree mutation usually carried by sap-sucking insects.

This grove had good examples of pink and white lichen. I used to worry when I saw these spots on tree trunks, since they look like patches of paint on the trunks. But they are lichens — a combination of an algae which produces food and a fungus which provides physical support. Mostly we see white, but they can also be green, gray or pink. They do not harm their tree and are actually an indication of a healthy forest.

Another Tri-Colored Heron at the foot of some nice old cypress trees and newer cypress knees. Since we mostly stayed home this past week, I'm especially grateful for all the picture opportunities from our hike the week before. You've gotta' love a walk like this one that gives you enough nature to last at least a couple of weeks for blog photos (and even longer in memories).

Sunflowers have been much in the news lately. Here is a bouquet from our archives:

HOPE

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March 13, 2022
Bird Rookery Swamp

We drove to the CREW Bird Rookery on a beautiful blue-sky day last week.

We couldn't have had a better day for a nature walk. Perfect walking temperature, not too hot, not too bright …. and lots and lots of birds. There can never be too many birds.

?

There were birds in trees.

(I would have guessed this was a snowy egret but I couldn't see the yellow feet. So maybe an immature great blue heron? Or ???)

Cormorant, snowy egret ….

Different species shared the same branches. I always like to see this.

Wood Stork

Storks shared the same trees, but the other birds gave them more room. They're pretty big compared to everybody else.

And then there were birds in the water:

Snowy Egret (I think) and Immature Ibis

And there were Great Egrets everywhere.

Including the one in the center photo who owned that path and was not afraid to let everyone know it. He walked back and forth several times while the humans who were using his path waited patiently on both sides. That beautiful green color around the eye is part of the bird's breeding plumage.

Tri-colored Heron

And there were other birds in the wetlands.

We used to see Great Blue Herons all the time but the Tri-Colored seems to be more common this season. I think I've seen at least one on every nature walk we've taken.

And then there were the other guys — more than a few sightings of wingless wildlife:

Hard-shelled turtle, soft-shelled turtle, and … Ta-Da:

Our first Alligator of the season (you know I have to do it!). Doesn't he look happy?

We are grateful to CREW (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed) Land and Water Trust for what they do to save some spaces in our State for earth and wildlife – and for making parts of it available for the rest of us to visit. Click to enlarge the informational poster below:

… and then look at that map on the right. So many places to explore. Thank you CREW!

Linking to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts who provide them:

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March 6, 2022
In the Jungle

In the jungle, the urban jungle …

the monster sleeps tonight

You never know what you might find in the jungle. But things aren't always what they seem, especially when seen through a zoom lens. Here's the way the monster (an anole lizard) looked with the naked eye.

Points if you can identify the acrobatic bird in the first picture (or if you can even tell it IS a bird). More points if you even see the bird in the center picture. (Against the jungle background, the anhinga's wings look disembodied.)



The same heron as in the collage above — in a more normal (and more attractive) pose.

Waterways wind through the jungle.

Common Galllinule (Moorhen)

There were several moorhens, but they all refused to turn around for me. I did like this picture because it shows its weird feet. I've heard a lot of people call this bird a "duck", but those feet prove otherwise. Yes, it's a swimming bird. But not a duck! Things are not always what they seem.

And this whole post is really not what it seems … this jungle is really part of a County Park, within the city limits of Fort Myers. And within sight of these condo towers. All pictures were taken on a walk at Lakes Park — another nature fix on a run-of-the-mill errand day.

Ending with another beautiful SW Florida sunrise (from our backdoor). Grateful for the daily reminder that every day is a new beginning.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

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February 27, 2022
Nearby Nature

It's a pretty sure bet that everyone who sees this post already believes, as I do, that spending time in nature pays huge benefits. But it's always nice to know that the experts agree with us! So I loved seeing this beautiful BBC Earth video and wanted to share it. Even better, studies show that just watching nature on a screen will significantly boost your happiness. Here's the link to our happy place video:

"Appreciate the outdoors! Studies show that spending time in nature—or even just watching it on a screen — will significantly boost your happiness. (Click here to learn more)"

Watching it on a screen might be the only option for those of you "up North" as we Floridians say.      Our weather is of course Florida good, but for other reasons we haven't gotten too far away from home lately. It is OK though, because we are lucky to be able to spend time in real-life nature right here in our neighborhood and we're grateful. (But I still enjoyed that video!)

Above is from my latest grocery-trip stop at the Eagle pasture. The two eaglets have reached the awkward pre-teen sort of phrase — they are getting big (and, to be honest, are no longer baby cute). Harriet and her partner continue to teach them the many skills they will need. I caught one of the "babies" peeking over the edge of the nest, perhaps thinking about the big wide world out there beyond home. (The more you watch this family, the more difficult it becomes not to anthropomorphize.)

One day last week I walked a path behind our Library and a County recreation center, not too far down the street from where the eagles live. There's a small retention pond — very small compared to all the watery places in this area — but big enough for this Tri-Colored Heron:

At least that is what I think hope am fairly sure that this is. But more than willing to learn differently if I'm wrong.

The pond is just sitting there behind a Frisbee Golf Course and near the tennis and pickleball court. The Rec Center doesn't even advertise nature walking, my favorite leisure activity. But the possibilities are there anyway.

I stood there for quite a while waiting to see if any other birds would appear. They didn't, but this one kept busy and on the move.

There were several very large turtles on the other side of the pond. Something apparently scared them and they all slid into the water at once. (Or maybe it was just bath time.)

Most of them climbed back out while I was still watching.

Last Sunday morning, we drove a few miles up the highway for a friend's birthday luncheon. We were too early, so we went a ways further — that particular stretch of the highway is one where we always see birds and on this day we even found a couple of safe places to pull off.

Wood Storks

It's not a very scenic place to hang out, but these Wood Storks didn't seem to mind. I couldn't see it, but there must have been some water in that ditch. It worries me a little that the birds would choose a place like this when there are better spots to live. But who knows how storks think? (There were about ten storks hanging out in the general area.) We must also have seen at least a hundred cattle egrets in the pastures as we drove. Then, a little further up the road, we spotted the large clean-up crew seen below. These guys do a good job of what they are supposed to do, so I took a picture or two, even though they are even less beautiful than the storks:

Black Vultures

I don't really want to know what else was down there in that part of the roadside ditch. That's really all I have for this post, but I can't end on this note, so here is a little more natural beauty taken from the end of our canal (right here at home):

Grateful for ordinary days!

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February 18, 2022
Beautiful Beginning

Here's a look at last week's sunrise from our dock:

We had a couple weeks of "Winter weather" in Florida, but it seems to be over for now. Days are warm and sunny.

On the same morning, just a few steps away from the Cottage, this red-bellied woodpecker was doing his best to make sure the neighborhood was awake. Next is a picture of what's keeping us close to home these days.

The multi-talented travel planner in the family is wearing another hat these days as he adds a new bathroom to a corner of the Cottage. Photographs are to show him where the infrastructure is located when he needs to know after the walls are finished. I'm including just this one picture for our own memories. The rest of these pictures are follow-up from a nature walk the week before last.

Hickey Creek Park is a mitigation park originally established to protect the endangered Florida Gopher Tortoise.

Environmental mitigation is an attempt to offset the detrimental impacts of development on native plants and animals. The land for this park was purchased through a conservation trust. Usually, a walk in this park is a serene almost jungle-like experience (but with established trails). And indeed, most of the time last week it was exactly that. Except for a while during the first portion.

I knew there had been a prescribed burn early in November. This sign at the entrance explained the benefits of the burn. One section says that the burn reduces overgrown vegetation, resulting in a more open landscape, including for keystone species like the gopher tortoise. It says the burn will increase soil fertility and vegetation re-growth. Controlled burns also reduce wildfire danger by reducing overgrown vegetation. Controlled burns mimic the natural process that existed before population growth required them to be suppressed. I understand all this and I'm glad it happened. But even so …

… I almost turned around and gave up on my walk before it really even started, because this is what it still looked like almost three months after the burn. I was glad to read that the fire had been monitored closely by trained burn professionals, because it is scary to think of it being out of control.

It seemed like longer than it was as I walked past the burned area before again seeing the beautiful woodsy landscapes that I remembered from other years.

Here's one more beautiful morning from our dock:

Winter morning, Florida style.

Thankful for good weather and beautiful views, even when we don't really go anywhere.

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February 6, 2022
An Errand Day walkabout

I headed off for the Farmer's Market one day last week because I was missing a couple of ingredients for a recipe.

It was sunny but not too hot. A good day for a walk-about and it was early enough. So I drove right past the Farmer's Market and on to Hickey Creek Park.

This county park has over 800 acres of preserved land and includes pine and scrub flatwoods, marshes, swamps, and palm and oak forests. Even staying on the walking paths, it feels like hiking in a jungle. Hickey Creek Park is less well-known and much quieter than some of the other nature parks in this area. I like it that way. I walked an hour or so.

As I turned the car around I realized that while I'd enjoyed the quiet jungle, I hadn't been able to photograph any birds. So I decided to stop at Franklin Locks Park, where I'd be sure to see at least the usual suspects. And that was all I did get pictures of — nothing special, but fun to watch on an ordinary errand day. Next stop finally was the Farmer's Market — the real reason I was out and about.

There's an enclosure for a few farm animals. There to entertain children and photographers. What is it about goats? Especially miniature ones. I can't walk past them without taking a few pictures. This mama didn't look old enough for all that responsibility.

The Market sells a few starters and potted plants — almost as good as visiting a nursery for photo ops. And then it was inside the barn-like structure for the whole reason I was out and about on that lovely day:**

On that day, I really wanted to make a watermelon/cherry tomato salad. Both of those major ingredients are in season here right now. I swear we go through a ton of these little beauties a week.

The walk was great, I got some pictures, dinner was delicious. We are grateful.

** These pictures were all taken Wednesday. Friday and Saturday nights our temperatures dipped into the mid-30s, so I have to hope that flowers and fruit (and birds and beasts) all survived the Florida winter weather. (Which I don't even like to complain about, because it's so much better than so many places. And the sun is still shining.)

LINKING to the following, with thanks to the hosts:

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January 30, 2022
CYPRESS DOME TRAIL

Real moon and fake stars (fairy lights) from our screen porch

(Last Sunday)

It was cooler last week with some rainy days, but no more bad storms. There are home improvement projects going on here so the rain is OK and so is the cooler (for here) weather.

But we chose a sunny day on Friday for a short hike on the Cypress Dome Trail, part of the CREW Watershed. It's a few miles from home, well out of my comfort zone for driving through city traffic, so I was happy that Bill (who is the one actually doing the home-improving) was willing to take the time.

The particular trail we walked was part of the CREW Caracara Preserve. It was an interesting area – a mixture of palms, palmettos, and hardwoods surrounding prairie-type lands.

It was a perfect day for being outside. We saw a couple of woodpeckers and spent a few minutes watching a murder of crows chasing a couple of much larger hawks, but no Caracaras. So no good sightings of the bird the preserve is named for, but also no sightings of the Florida Panthers or bears for which this is also a habitat.

We did see panther tracks though!! You could see where the big cat had been bounding along the trail we were on. I would really love to see a panther in the wild, but would just as soon be in a car or shelter of some kind when I do.

CREW stands for Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed and the CREW Land and Water Trust is a private non-profit conservation organization dedicated to preserving wildlife as well as the watershed. The organization maintains public trails and some camp spots in several different areas in Collier County. We hope to visit more of them this season.

Although we didn't see Caracaras on this day, we have seen them a few times in other places in Florida. Here is one of my archived photos:

The Crested Caracara is Mexico's national bird. (Some people call it the Mexican Eagle.) It is a raptor with a face that looks like a parrot. In the USA it is seen only near the Mexican border and in Florida.

Grateful for the work of CREW and happy that they open the trails to the public.

Linking this week the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

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January 23, 2022
Winter in the (not always) sun

Sunny Saturday — 75 degrees F in the neighborhood and hardly a cloud in the blue sky. But then on Sunday …. We were actually under a tornado alert for a couple of hours. The picture on the right was taken this morning from our covered porch after it was safe to go outside. Our phones buzzed the warning at 8 a.m. and continued every half hour until 9:30. We had no damages in our immediate neighborhood — just a dark morning with lots of wind and hard rain. Other parts of our area were not as lucky, but as of right now I don't believe there were any fatalities or serious injuries.

Harriet guarding her home

I stopped by the Eagle Pasture on Saturday. Our neighborhood pair are raising two eaglets this season. As always, the very popular SW Florida Eagles nest cams shows way more than any picture from the ground can. But I like to stop by a few times during the season just for fun and maybe for bragging rights. The pasture is really close to our Cottage and just off the main road we travel for everyday errands. It's fun to know that people from all over the world are watching the nest and we can easily be there in person. I just checked the webcam and Harriet is feeding her babies. The rain and wind obviously didn't bother them a bit. And besides that the sun is shining again now. Weather is changeable here.

This is one of the other residents of the Eagle Pasture — one that you won't see on the Eagle Cam. There are always at least half a dozen horses within camera range and they are often followed around by cattle egrets.

I always like to include an un-zoomed picture of the Eagle tree, just to show how far away the fence is. The eagle family is safe.

Here is a link to the webcam. You have to put up with some ads but after clicking on the video they go away.

LINKING this week to the following. Thank you to the hosts:

NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

January 16, 2022
Winter in the Sun

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Counting our blessings as we enjoy Winter in the sunshine.

White Pelicans, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel

Unlike these pelicans, we're still trying to maintain some social distancing, which is a little harder to do here than at home in Oregon. But fortunately the real Florida — the natural places — are easy to access and they feel safe. These pictures are from some we've visited over the past couple of weeks.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Ding Darling

Sanibel is a little bit of a distance from the Canal Cottage, but it's a lovely island and the Wildlife Refuge alone is well worth it. There is a one-way wildlife drive with places to park and some walking paths. We also saw a lot of birds we didn't get pictures of including Roseate Spoonbills, shorebirds, ospreys, and the usual egrets and herons.

Ibis under Cypress Tree, Franklin Locks Park

Franklin Locks is an easy neighborhood drive. The park is well-maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers with paths and views of the Caloosahatchie River and boat lock. It's less "wild" than some of the other places I like to walk, but the ease of access makes it worthwhile. Traffic in this area this time of year is very heavy and access to Franklin Locks is along familiar and relatively lightly traveled streets, so it is a comfortable fit.

Sky Reflections (Six Mile Cypress and Manatee Park)

Watching the sky by looking down is almost a Zen thing for me. But you can do that just about anywhere around here. You only need water, blue sky and fluffy clouds – all are in good supply.

Florida Snow (Richardia grandiflora) seen everywhere here

This feels a bit like rubbing it in while everybody everywhere else is dealing with the real white stuff. But that really is what this tiny little wildflower/weed is called. It blooms here in late Fall and early winter and blankets just about every grassy area. (I think it's probably called a weed by anyone who wants a perfect lawn, but a pretty little wildflower by the rest of us.)

Manatee Park, Fort Myers (with an old photo at the lower right)

Manatee Park is another neighborhood destination. As the name implies it is a hangout for these awe-inspiring water-dwelling mammals. When the water in the Gulf is too cold, they hang out here because the water is warmed by a nearby power plant. Their closest living relative is the elephant and they can get just about as big as one. But it is very hard to get a good picture because they only surface for a few seconds every five or six minutes. And of course when one does surface it will be nowhere near where it was first spotted. So I threw in the bottom right photo from a long time ago (and from a different place in SW Florida) because it is the only one I've ever taken that actually shows its face.

Babcock Ranch

Grateful for wildlife, sky, water, winter color — and warm toes.

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS;

January 9, 2022