While I now make my home in the Pacific Northwest, my roots are in the southern U.S. Growing up in Florida, I was always entranced by the saturation of colors, later learning it had a lot to do with the humidity in the air. See? There is a positive to high humidity!
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit family and friends in northeast Florida. I managed to find the window between hurricanes and tropical storms, so the weather was pretty great for exploring. Every evening, we made sure to take a peek outside and watch the sunset. But there was more to see. The area ranges from white sandy beaches that skirt the Atlantic ocean to scrub habitat to marshlands to the inner coastal riverway. You hear what I’m saying? That’s a wide range of habitat for a big variety of wildlife neighbors. To start with the megafauna, this is the time of year North Atlantic Right Whales migrate to these waters which are an important calving area. I did not get to see any but know they are out there – however, thery are critically endangered and need our help with conservation & recovery efforts.
Migrating birds are also returning for the winter. Yes, there are more than snow birds who migrate to Florida in the Winter! One of my favorites is the Black Skimmer but I was also awed to see my first Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Heading inland, we got into the transitional area of scrub around Fort Clinch State Park. Just offshore, we watched a pod of Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins. I was also on the look out for Great Horned Owls. While I didn’t see them there, my sister called one evening to tell me she was watching a pair along the inner coastal. We had a magical experience watching this pair fly from tree top to tree top while hooting to one another. I think it’d be a safe bet to say they were nest scouting. Over on the greenway, I was looking for bunnies, wading birds, woodpeckers, and alligators. They did not disappoint but my favorite was this one gator. He was the most beauitful alligator I’ve ever seen.
Soon, I will have more pics uploaded so you, too, can get a better look at these wild neighbors.