Polk County, FL ~ Circle B Bar Ranch Preserve

American Alligator watching us!

Lots of birds and other animals around Circle B to see.  What a great place.

Sunning Turtles

Sora  was the best bird of the day found by Bernie 

Purple Gallinule

Roseate Spoonbill

Snowy Egret

Snake

Wellington, FL ~ Peaceful Waters Sancturary

Little Blue Heron starting to get his adult colors

Sunning Turtles

White Ibis have taken over the Osprey platform

Lantana

Kill Devil Hills & Nags Head, Outer Banks, NC

This morning we went to the Wright Brothers National Memorial Park.  We arrived in time to hear the National Park Ranger talk about the development of the plane that brothers designed and then flew back in 1903.  It took them 4 years of experimentation and perseverance but their flight changed the world forever.  I found the talk very interesting along with the samples of their work.  Next we went to the Outer Banks Arboretum for a walk around their property.  Our next stop was at the Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve where we walked 2 different trails.  The first trail we saw several Common Wood-Nymph butterflies and a numbers of toads and frogs.  The second trail featured a small butterfly garden filled with several species of swallowtails in addition to Pearl Crescent and Common Buckeye.  Along the trail we saw turtles sunning themselves on a log. This is a park that I would return to for a longer visit time premitting.

Common Wood-Nymph Butterfly

Pearl Crescent Butterfly

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly

Wordless Wednesday ~ John Heinz WMA

Thoughtful Thursday

"Behold the turtle.  He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."
James Bryant Conant

Diamondback Terrapin Turtles - June

May, June and July are the months the Diamondback Terrapin Turtle comes ashore from the Delaware Bay to lay their eggs in the marshlands that are around our county. You can find turtles in Reed's Beach, Stone Harbor, Benny's Landing Rd and many other areas. Many turtles are killed each year by drivers who don't see them as they cross the roads to the areas they lay their eggs. Early in June I was in Reed's Beach where I was able to "help" 2 turtles to cross the road safely. That's where my turtle pictures were taken though I have also seen many turtles at the end of Benny's Landing Rd.

Birding, Nature at Villas Wildlife Management Area

Villas Wildlife Management Area - This is an estate that was owned by the Hober family for 4 decades that had an 18 hole public golf course on it. It is a 250 acre property. The owner died years ago and the property was bought by the State to use as a wildlife area. There are talks of putting a college on the grounds which is good and bad in my opinion. The bad is the current buildings have been destroyed by fire, kids and are dangerous. There are windows broken with jagged glass edges where boards are put up to keep the kids out but they just take them down and get inside anyway. There was a beautiful lodge there along with houses for the workers of the golf course and all are very damaged. The good would be the repair or teardown of the buildings but the bad would be losing more land to building crowding out yet more widlife. There are quite a number of ponds that are old water hazards along with a large lake. The lake has an island with a gazebo but no way to get to it anymore. It would have been beautiful for wedding pictures, family pictures and such. It is a place that many walk their dogs or walk to see all the nature. While walking there I saw many turtles sunning themselves along with many species of birds.



Birds pictured are a Downy Woodpecker and Red-bellied Woodpecker.