Going Green

"No, I'm not a crane.  I just have a long neck.  Idiot."

"Another tourist, another day.  Yawn.  Do my orange legs make me look fat?"

"O.K., I'll give the ugly wingless creature a beauty shot.  They will just keep looking at me until I do.  Weirdos." 

 There are a lot of Green Herons at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  But I never get tired of seeing them.  But I always wonder if they are tired of looking at us! 

Now here are 5 random (But not for Random 5 Friday anymore) and hopefully funny animal tidbits to share...

1)  My husband looked out the window around 7 am this Spring and stated,"Our bunny is taking the walk of shame back into our yard"  Ha!  Good one.  She lives in our back yard all year and always has a batch or 2 of babies under the deck.

2) Stop the presses! 5 buck clucks are now 6 bucks!  And if you don't know what a 6 buck cluck is, it's a rotisserie chicken at Lunds on Fridays. 

3)  People have been putting a lot of cute animal videos on facebook lately.  Have you seen the one with the chipmunk who adores the soft bed sheets?  He just keeps stretching and yawning. Cute. 

4)  I was putting on hand lotion the other day and a smidgen fell onto the floor.  Akua ran over to lick it up. (my cats think everything on the floor is food)  He tasted it and looked up at me like I was trying to kill him.  Then he ran off and hid in the basement.  Good grief.

5)  On the other hand, my cat Hana loves the taste of soap.  We had to start using soft soap in dispensers to discourage her from licking the bars.  But when I do drag out a bar and lather up, she stops whatever she is doing and runs into the bathroom to lick my face or hands.  Weird!

Saturday's Critters

Bird d'Pot

Wild Bird Wednesday

Classic Corkscrew

I've been taking photos of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for years.  And every time I snap a photo of the morning light shining down on the boardwalk I intend to do a painting of it.  So far I haven't.  But it is on my bucket list.

A green gecko was hanging around.

There were magic orbs.

A hawk looked down from above.

The swamp was in bloom.

Lettuce Lakes was ready for dressing.  (It really is called Lettuce Lakes)

A little Blue Heron was selecting a snack.

Lunch!  I love this shot!

Another beautiful morning in good old Florida.

Saturday's Critters

Wild Bird Wednesday

Let's do the Crew

I admit it.  I'm all about the big flashy birds.  And LBBs and MBBs don't even get named.  If you are a birder you know that LBB stands for little brown bird.  And I'm so lazy that I coined MBB for medium brown birds as well!  I'm sure this little guy is a song sparrow, wren or something.  I just don't know. Well, we spotted our LBB/MBB at one of the most underrated and wonderful of Florida hiking trails.  The Crew trails near Naples, Florida.  They are on the North side of Corkscrew Swamp.  And you'll have the whole peaceful place to your self.  And it is very diverse.  You start off in a jungle of palmettos and wind your way through an Oak Savannah ending in a pine forest.  See for yourself.

Cougar paw prints

If you want you can play hide and seek.  There is no one around to laugh at you.  Except some LBBs!

For more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday

Heron Habitat

click to enlarge

I think this is a yellow crowned night heron.  He looks like a realistic painting of a bird on an impressionist background. But of course it is just a photograph at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida. 

And he is part of the blog hop over at Paying Ready Attention

Fluffy Gray Bird

click to enlarge

I bought a new camera this winter with a 30 + zoom.  It has been really fun.  I don't carry a tri-pod so it takes a steady hand.  I just snap any one or any thing that poses nicely.  And this gray bird certainly did.  I took this photo at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida.  What a beautiful and peaceful place. I do wish that my husband and I started charting our bird discoveries years ago. We encounter a lot of serious birders on our trips to Central America.  And we joked that we would become one of them someday.  Now it doesn't seem like a joke.  I don't even know what this common bird is off hand.  I think it is time to invest in a thick bird book.  The khaki outfit will be determined later.  

It is Wednesday and I am not posting a recipe.  What gives?  But I came across this blog hop Paying Ready Attention and since I have hundreds of bird photos (plus my desire to wear khaki) I thought I would try something different for awhile.  If you are in need of a new recipe see my labels.  They are just waiting to be fried, baked and savoured.  But for now feast on birds.  Just not literally.  Wednesdays are now up in the air.  Literally.  Ha!

Lichen Fence

I was inspired by Laurie's blog, Creating Pictures in my Mind. To post my own colorful Lichen photos at Corksrew Swamp. She took some very interesting pictures of lichen in a cemetary. I'm no lichen expert and really don't know what these fascinating patterns of mold are. Lichen, mold, fungus or maybe the artwork of a famous fence painter. I didn't do it, honest! Below I've posted more photos. So that you can get a feel for exactly where this artwork is growing. On a beautifully weathered fence that meanders through a maze of Cypress trees and Mangrove swamps.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

This is one of my favorite places in Florida. The theme parks may be more exciting and the beaches are hard to beat. But when you're here it's just you and the birds. They sing beautifully as you walk through a maze of old cypress trees. Quiet...calm...peaceful. That's what you'll feel when you're here. And it's easy to take a good picture. I love the zig zag direction of the path in this picture. Photo tip... just bring the camera!
And stay on the boardwalks. There are Alligaters in these swamps!