An Early Morning Wake-Up Call and A Ride Around the Property - Lake Placid, FL

 Actually, I was already up and had taken Kasey outside, when I heard the strangest noise coming from the back of the house.  Here's what we found as we walked around the house, sandhill cranes.  These two seem to have adopted the place and think the yard belongs to them.  They were not aggressive, and Kasey really didn't seem to be bothered by them.  At least, he didn't chase them.  The cranes make a loud honking sound and they do it at the same time.  I'll try to get a short video tomorrow to post so you can hear them.  They hung around for awhile, and pooped on the back patio, but we didn't see them the rest of the day.  Sandhill cranes mate for life, so I assume this is a male and female.  

 We decided to take an earlier morning drive around the property to see if we could see any more wildlife; and, last night while riding around with Renee, one of the managers, we didn't see the seven horses that are free to roam the property.  She said that's not unusual, but we wanted to see if we could find them this morning.  No such luck!!  There are several  large stands of scrub palms and trees, so they must have been hiding in one of them.  We'll check on them again tomorrow.  But we did see the two draft horses, Annie and Mae, who hang out together.  They don't join the other horses, but they love treats, so need to remember to take carrots tomorrow.  Will post a picture of them later.  There are also two horses who stay up toward the front of the property and especially around the house, in addition to the three in the corral by the house.  The ones in the corral are being treated for various ailments, and the other two are a couple of loners who have teamed up together, but don't join the regular herd.

 

Itchey is on the left; Mama, who is due to foal in about a month, is looking over the fence, and Turbo is in the middle.  They are all very friendly, but not aggressive.  Kasey just ignores them, and they don't bother him.  At least he doesn't try to herd them.

The BIG thrill of the day was the wild hog we saw.  Renee thinks there are 2 or 3 of them, but we only saw one today.  They stay at the back of the property which is about 3 miles from where we are parked.

 

I had no idea they were that big.  And we were probably 300 feet away, and not planning on getting any closer!!!!  :)  He never even looked our way, but ambled off into some denser foliage. 

 Not sure what kind of a bird this is, but he's the last of the wildlife for today.  Need to dig out the bird books.

Also saw a large turtle at the edge of one of the ponds, but he slipped into the water before I could get his picture.

We had quite a bit of wind and rain this evening, but it's just sprinkling now.  Glad the wind isn't blowing like it was earlier.  Looks like we're really going to enjoy our time here, even though it's out in the boonies.  Hope to get some good sunrise pictures tomorrow.  

More later.......

Cleaning, Roadtrips, Pelicans and Armadillos (Scottsmoor, FL)

I woke up yesterday with a mission. Just had to clean up the sand and dog hair which seems to take over the motorhome. After breakfast, Dan left in pursuit of a coffee shop and some conversation. He found Kim's Donut Deli in Titusville. Visited with a man who had been on the Titusville police force when Dan was stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, 1957-59. What a small world. No, Dan had not met the police officer professionally. :)

After lunch, we went for a drive with no definite destination in mind. We found Riverbreeze Park at Oak Hill just south of where we are staying. Very nice little city park on the edge of Mosquito Lagoon. The park has paved trails, and handicapped accessible fishing dock.

Hope they caught something.


This guy posed for us

Isn't this tree neat as it bends over the sidewalk?

Then it was on to Merritt Island, where technology meets wildlife.

This is the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center viewed from the road through the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
We crossed over some rusty railroad tracks as we approached the entrance booth. Dan commented to the ranger that it didn't look like those tracks had been used in along time. She said the tracks are only used to transport shuttle parts back into the complex. She said that had only been done one time since she has worked there. She said the main responsibility the National Wildlife Refuge has with the tracks is to rescue turtles from the center of the tracks. They crawl over the metal track and then can't get back out.

The only buildings in the refuge are restrooms which are very low profile and placed periodically along the drive through the refuge. People are not allowed to walk on the sand dune which separates the land from the Atlantic Ocean. There are handicapped accessible walkways that cross the dune so you can get to the other side.

Playalinda Beach on the ocean side of the dune

This guy had 5 or 6 poles. Hope he had a good fishing day. :)

Not sure what these boys are waiting for on top of the restroom..... They are the only buildings in the refuge and none are taller than this.

Down on Their Luck

Saw lots of blue herons, white egrets and ducks on the water, but this little guy was a real treat. He was alongside the road. He let me walk next to him for several feet as he foraged for lunch.

Most people think of space exploration when Merritt Island and Canaveral are mentioned. But the miles of primitive beach are where endangered sea turtles lay their eggs and the marshy wetlands are home to numerous waterfowl, alligators, otters, snowy egrets, white ibises, and great blue herons. The barrier island and its waterways are home to 1,045 species of plants and 310 species of birds . Then there are the ancients oaks draped with Spanish moss and sand dunes covered with palmetto and sea oats. The area supports 14 wildlife species federally listed as endangered or threatened, including sea turtles, West Indian manatees, southern bald eagles, wood storks, peregrine falcons, eastern indigo snakes and Florida scrub jays.