December 8, 1994
Light rain, 75°F
My plan for this day was to hike the nature trails, and visit the Loxahatchee River. Not long after I arrived at 8:30 a.m., as I drove though the park to get to the access point for the nature trails, the first bird I spotted was a Bald Eagle. I saw this beautiful bird perched in a tree at the side of the road, and was able to stop the car, and view it from about 30 feet. The image of that eagle is still so clear in my mind . . . the misty, hazy day . . . all the colors of the forest, brown and gray, muted . . . and then the striking form of the eagle sitting so still and regal in that tree. I will never forget this sighting! A wonderful start to the day.
I soon made it to the trails, which meandered through marshy grassland and pine. Several times I was forced to wade through ankle-deep water, but the inconvenience of getting my feet wet was well-rewarded with several great sightings, including Great Egret, Blue Jay, Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture, Snowy Egret, several unidentified warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Great Blue Heron, and Red-bellied Woodpecker.
After the trails, I walked onto the dock on the Loxahatchee River. I spotted a ☆River Otter☆ munching on a piece of vegetation right below me (darling!), and watched two ☆White-tailed Deer☆ swim across the river. While I’d seen deer at other times in my life, I’m going to consider this my first confirmed sighting, certainly of white-tailed deer. So pretty. Another super fun sighting was of a Nine-banded Armadillo. I caught a glimpse of this little friend as it was moving through some bushes very near the path. I only got a short look, but the animal was quite close.
I also had a close encounter with some Black Vultures as I walked along the river . . . when I climbed up a hill near a large tree, I startled them out of their roosting place, causing them to take flight. At another boat dock, I saw an Osprey at a nest, and there were small crabs (~2″ long) scuttling around the boat dock.
Species List
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias wardi), Great Egret (Ardea alba egretta), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula thula), Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis), Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea caerulea), Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata semplei), Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), North American Otter (Lontra canadensis), White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Let me know what you think!