Walter Lantz inspiration

Am I the only one old enough to remember Woody Woodpecker? "Ha-ha-ha-HA-ha, ha-ha-ha-HA-ha, it's the Woody Woodpecker song." Certainly creator Walter Lantz got his inspiration from these HUGE pileated woodpeckers which can grow up to 20 inches in length. Their loud drumming on a tree led me in their direction, but a close-up shot was nearly impossible. I only saw one at first, then the second joined in. I'm pretty sure this is indeed a male/female pair. A thrill at seeing them and a tune to carry around for a while... ha-ha-ha-HA-ha.

Nature trail

My list of things to do this year included a hike on the nature trail which leads from the big oak (see "Big ol' Tree" in September's blog entries) to a sugar mill ruin about 6 miles away. Since the end of the year is tomorrow, it was now or never for this year, so off I went! What a wonderful experience, though I didn't make it all the way to the sugar mill ruin. Six miles there meant 6 miles back and that just wasn't going to happen! Walking on the beach every day gave me the false impression that I could walk long distances. Oops... I can walk long distances on level, packed beach sand. Walking up hill, down dale, over tree roots, dead branches, through swampy bogs and more was a different game all together. Three miles and I was a whipped pup. Though I was glad to be alone so no one would laugh as I stumbled here, stubbed my toe there and basically walked like an old drunk. I saw lots of birds including a pair of pileated woodpeckers, witnessed evidence of wild boar and thankfully did not encounter the critters themselves. There was swampy black water and cypress trees, lots of hardwood forest, tidal estuaries, and a peacefulness that was all encompassing. Above is a photo of my entrance to this paradise. I'll share more as time goes on.

Christmas bird...

In an earlier post I mentioned "my osprey" who always appears when I go for my beach walk — no matter what time of day I happen to go. On Christmas eve my osprey came very close and because there was a strong wind out of the east managed to hover right overhead. I got some wonderful photos to share. Absolutely made my day! Merry Christmas!

Feathery cloud

You can definitely see the cloud bank denoting the cold front that is coming in from the North, what intrigued me was the feathery looking cloud just above it. I could almost believe it is a big jet contrail that is being torn apart by the upper level winds from the front. Too bad I'm not a meteorologist, then I would know for sure. However, as a casual observer I must say it's impressive.

One-legged peeps

I love the little sand "peeps" that scurry along the shoreline. For such tiny birds (5 to 6 inches) they certainly can speed along the sand with their tiny legs moving so quickly. I have noticed that like many shore birds they often rest with one leg tucked up completely out of sight. This morning every peep in the group had one leg tucked away. Look closely and I think you'll see that only two of the little guys are standing on two legs.

When I came closer they all hopped away from me on one leg, never unfurling the tucked-up leg help their progress. I just had to laugh.

... to the oceans white with foam

There was a lot of foam on the beach today and guess what song kept running through my mind. "From the mountains to the prairie, to the oceans white with foam... (sing along now) God bless America, my home sweet home." Gosh that was hours ago, I'm still humming it! Good song though, great country, and a lovely mid-December day. 

I'd much rather be dancing around the puffy foam on the beach than shoveling that cold puffy white stuff these little mounds so resemble. Oh lucky me!

Star light, star bright

Today the beach offered up many delightful treasures. I was there at dead low tide and this close to a full moon the tides are exceptionally low, or high as the case may be. Nevertheless there were lots of shells and sea goodies not already picked over by tourists. I saw about 6 starfish and brought home this lovely one in the prettiest shade of periwinkle and tan. There were also many sand dollar pieces... though no whole ones. Whole sand dollars were plentiful many years ago, but that's no longer the case. I have found a couple but they are a rare thing indeed. 

It was disturbing, yet thrilling at the same time, to also find a HUGE piece of coral which had been unceremoniously ripped from its reef and flung upon the sand to die. Instead of leaving it half buried in the incoming tide, I lugged it home and have it drying on the patio. When it is dry I'll make sure I post a picture for you. I believe it is what is called rod coral, but I'll research it better to be sure.

All in all the beach today was like a nature lover's dream day of shopping, and much less crowded than the mall! Less expensive too!

Beam me up, Scotty...

It's sunrise and I see a big blue streak coming straight down (or up). What in the world? I've seen bands radiating out from the sun but never one going perpendicular to the ground, or the sea, as was the case here. Still haven't figured out what caused this, and it was not something in the camera. All I can come up with is that maybe this is my portal to a giant spaceship... right Scotty? It made for some interesting speculation but no real answer yet.