Wakodahatchee Wetlands

One of the best bird watching spots nearby is the Wakodahatchee Wetlands
in Delray Beach.

Cormorant on the rail

Egyptian Goose - the first time I've seen one

You almost always see an alligator or two...

Happy birding!

Wellington, Florida Environmental Preserve

We visited the newly opened Wellington Environmental Preserve, located at 3499 Flying Cow Road.  Its a great place to take a walk, watch the birds, and get back to nature.

 We hiked out to the lookout tower (about a mile each way). It was easy to climb and the views were great.

The observation tower

View from the top



Judy & Sarah pause for a photo op




Native Sabal Palms and Dahoon Holly planted in the 365 acre preserve which also serves as a storage area for storm water runoff.



Arthur R Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Canoe Trail

This is one of my favorite places to go kayaking.

The trail is 5.5 miles, and takes a few hours by kayak. Longer by canoe.

You can rent a canoe or kayak here. We like the double kayak.

Feels great to be back on the water.

Here's my brother, Steve.

You need to keep your eyes out for these - alligator crossing ahead.

They are also basking in the sun by the side.

We always see beautiful birds - here's a wood stork.

And a heron.

So much fun!

Gopher Turtle

My Native Plants class took a trip to Jupiter Inlet, near the lighthouse, to see more plants that grow in the Florida Scrub.

We came across this gopher turtle, which is on the endangered species list primarily due to loss of habitat. He let us take his picture, then scurried away. The gopher tortoise belongs to a group of land tortoises that originated in North America 60 million years ago, making it one of the oldest living species.

We saw lots of sable palms, the Florida state tree.

This area is all sandy, even though it is a ways away from the beach.
The love vine covers up everything. Behind it is blue saw palmetto and more sable palms.

Hooded Mergansers

We have these really cool ducks living in 'Lake Buena Vida' this winter. Mergansers are large, crested, fish-eating, diving ducks. I love the shape of their heads. They are also called sawbills because their bills are slender and hooked with serrated edges.

Look who came to breakfast

We enjoy watching the birds in our yard.

Here's two fishing partners - a wood stork and an egret.
The great blue heron. In Maine they are always hiding. In Florida, they don't seem to be as shy.

The wood stork is one of the largest wading birds found in Florida. It is on the endangered list. We are fortunate to see them often.