Thursday, March 30, 2017

Birding at Home



We live in a housing development neighborhood, like most of central Florida. Our unincorporated development, built in the 1970s, contains houses on a golf course (soon to be a park), on canals, on wooded areas, and for a very few, on a creek. We chose a house on the creek. Across this tidal creek less than ¼ mile south is a county park and kayak launch, with a conservation area across from that and all along the creek on the opposite side. We live a stone’s throw from the Gulf of Mexico, and in spite of the 6 lane very busy state highway with the famous Florida sprawl just over a mile away, we get a lot of wildlife, especially birds.

This year our water stations attracted a flock of Yellow-rumped warblers, who took up residence in the wooded areas along the creek and visit daily. Our resident Blue Jay does a fairly good imitation of a Red shouldered hawk, just good enough to clear the watering stations so he can have them to himself. I know spring arrived when I hear the Chuck Wills Widow calling just before dawn from a perch on our back fence as I get my coffee and try to wake up. In the warmer weather while I swim late afternoons, I can often look up and see the American Eagles soaring overhead. They nest about a mile from here as the birds flies, but a much longer distance for those of us who take the roads.


Our formerly feral cats, now happy house cats with no desire to venture outside, still love to pretend they are the great hunters in our screened in back yard. Or perhaps not so great, I think that is why they were so eager to get rescued. One recent morning we heard loud chattering and looked outside. Midnight sat looking up, sometimes crouching down as if to attack, and making the low chatter noise cats do. Looking up we saw a Great Blue Heron standing comfortable on the screen. The heron peered briefly downward and eyed the cats, then resumed its pose for at least half an hour as both Sassy and Midnight postured.

As usual, both stopped when they saw the camera. I laid down on the concrete with camera in hand waiting for them to start again, and finally Midnight, not able to resist anymore, came back to let the heron know she was still there. Getting both in the shot proved difficult, but I waited and finally managed to get it. It is only a snapshot, but a start at the challenging process I mentioned a few months ago of getting our cats used to the camera enough that we can start doing some photography with them.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Always Order the Hippie Hash


Inside The Diner

 The temperatures did not drop as far as the recent forecast indicated, but they dropped. We woke to 29°F, cold for north central Florida in mid-March. I sat in our van RV with my coffee trying to warm up. We enjoyed the four day trip in spite of the weather, which changed completely from the time we planned and booked the trip less than two weeks prior. The higher than normal temperatures and dry weather turned to colder than normal and rain. We just changed the itinerary and went. The colder than normal temperature forecasts continued to drop each day, until on our last evening around 8:30 p.m. someone knocked on the door. Since we didn’t know anyone there and just stopped for the night, it startled us. We opened the door to find one of the camp ground hosts. She told us the latest forecast, just updated less than an hour ago, called for low to mid 20s. Could we disconnect our water line and leave the faucet dripping to prevent the pipes freezing? Of course, we both pulled on jackets and complied.

Our almost three hour drive from the campground to home meant that normally we would try to sleep in and hang around for a few hours in the morning before leaving. Instead we both woke early. As I finished my coffee and reached for the pot for a refill, I turned to Karl and said I wanted to pack up and leave immediately. All I could think about was going to the diner in town for a nice, big, hot breakfast. We did just that.


One of the walls at The Diner in High Springs, FL

We had lunch at The Diner in High Springs, FL in the past, but never breakfast. This time I perused the breakfast menu and saw it: Hippie Hash. After Karl and I tossed back and forth some ideas on what in the world it could be, our server went by so I asked her. She laughed and said most people seemed to think it was corned beef hash. It couldn’t be more opposite: hash browns with vegetables such as tomato, onion, pepper and I think a few others, plus feta cheese. I ordered it with a couple of eggs, and finished every bite.

Food and travel writers inevitably trot out the old advice to order the specialty of the restaurant for the best experience. I usually do that, but it is getting more difficult. Whether due to consumer tastes or budget constraints, many restaurants no longer have that one dish that makes them unique. Even eating in local, individual or family owned restaurants so much of the menu is standard. One’s salads may be better or fresher, or another’s sandwich bread tastier, but the creativity of the unique dish, even a simple one, seems to be giving way to more homogenized offerings.

Whenever you can, support cooking creativity and always order the Hippie Hash.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Allure of the Alligators



Alligators at Wakulla Springs State Park


Whether we blame it on sensationalist news always looking for a creature story, or people growing up on Jurassic Park-like stories of dinosaurs, when visiting Florida most people want to see alligators. This fierce looking creature and the nearest living relative to the long dead dinosaurs tops the ‘must see’ list, at least the natural world ‘must see’ list. I suspect a Disney character or a Spring Break beach tops the general list depending on age.

We love playing tourist in our own backyard, and in our own state, and learning more about both. We also continuously look for ways to improve our own nature and historical interpretations, and what better way to do both than to listen to other professionals. Boat tours in our many parks, springs, and rivers tend to be a relaxing, interesting way to accomplish this. Nearly always, we hear the boat captain answer the same question any number of times “Will we see alligators?” The question asked most of the boat captains usually garnered a response of “most likely” or “it depends”.

Most slow moving fresh water in the southern U.S. coastal states eventually attracts alligators. When we moved to central Florida almost twenty years ago we moved into a new housing development. Within a month or two of moving in one of the nearby retention ponds featured a medium sized alligator sunning itself most days. It still remained when we left for a coastal location a little over a year later.

Sightings depend, of course, on the time of day, temperature, how well traveled the area, and a host of other factors. In a park or preserve however, “most likely” fits the bill. We recently went on a boat tour out of Wakulla Springs, one we usually take whenever visiting the area. We chose the last boat of the day, thinking it would be the least crowded. However, choosing to travel in Florida during March which also happens to be Spring Break week for local and northern schools, crowds must be expected. The boat was completely full.

We boarded toward the end, and heard the inevitable question as we took our seats. We saw alligators, lots of alligators. Some large, some small, some swimming, most sunning, and some quite close. Every alligator sighting caused a sudden lurch of nearly everyone on the boat to the side of the sighting. My favorite was one larger alligator watching us from a seeming nest of gators, look at those tails next to him. 

I’ve lived here a long time, and visited the state often before that. I may not run to see every alligator sighted anymore, but I still look for alligators, and I still take photographs of them. As familiar as they now are, they still fascinate me.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Otters Back for Spring



Happy Spring 2017. After a dry winter, normal for this part of Florida, we look forward to spring. Perhaps because so many wet areas dry out during the winter, we notice the otters at Brooker Creek Preserve more this time of year. They come to the deeper water areas which still hold water to swim and fish, and fortunately the main channel of the creek near the bridge attracts them nearly every year.

We first noticed their return to this area on a native plant hike, but only caught a glimpse at that time. A week afterwards, we led a photography hike, and while we witnessed signs of them swimming, no one came to the surface. We continued the hike, and a few minutes later one of our fellow hike guides caught up with us to say that the otters started swimming, fishing, and generally showing themselves. We quickly went back to the bridge, and several people did get photographs, though they moved so quickly and took cover so fast a good photo required good luck, just the right click, or positioning yourself at the bridge for a long period of time. While the latter option appealed to us, we needed to continue the hike so started again after the otters swam from view.

I managed to get an OK shot of one of the otters peaking from a den fashioned at the edge of the creek beneath the root system of a live oak. We watched the otter swim, capture a fish, take it to the den, and then exit to eat the fish. He or she paid us no mind as they enjoyed their meal, in a shaded area and behind some brush. Karl used his 70 – 200 mm lens to capture a shot of the wet otter ignoring us while eating.


If you decide to try for some photographs of your own, arrive early. The gates open at 7 a.m. After enjoying the otter show, walk further to the Bird Trail and follow that to the bird blind. A pair of eagles built a nest in the left hand power tower to the south, and an eaglet has been seen. A long lens is needed for that photograph. If you can’t get the photo, at least watch the show with some binoculars.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

New Port Richey Rocks




On a recent hike at Brooker Creek Preserve, one of the hikers noticed a decorated rock and picked it up. As we continued to walk, they showed it around and another hiker mentioned that a Facebook page existed about the rocks, called New Port Richey Rocks!


We found a few more, and I photographed them before other members of the group retrieved them to put in another place. Once home, I went to Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/329408174097699/?ref=group_cover.

I discovered that artists of all kinds created these rocks and put them around the area. The sole purpose: Create happiness and bring together New Port Richey. In the weeks since this hike, I found other groups doing the same thing: different towns and cities, a local hospice, and others.


I love the idea, a simple and inexpensive way for people of all ages to exercise their creativity, and a fun way to explore and hike to find them. I smiled, as did everyone on the hike. It works!