Forida birds and... a snowbird!

                                                    January bird watching...

Venice

Tarpon Springs

 Pelicans, always favourites of mine!

A beautiful red-tailed hawk and some roosting turkey and black vultures at Manatee Springs

 A lovely cardinal

 Beauty of  heron at a state park on a Gulf beach

 Semipalmated plover

 
 
Bufflehead ducks

...last but not least, the common and colourful snowbird who can often be seen on Florida shores during the winter

Manatee Springs State Park FL

January 6-7

 We spent 2 days at this wonderful state park where the manatees, who are sea mammals, come to bask in the warmer waters of the river, estuaries and springs.  The setting is quite magical and, had the weather been a little warmer, we could have swum in the springs...Manatees measure 10' in length and grow to weigh about 1000lbs.  They have two front limbs and a wide flat tail.  They are listed as endangered.  They often get injured by boat propellers as they are quite slow moving.  Their faces are strangely elephant or hippopotamus like.

 Turtles also joined in the manatee party!

                                        One of the springs

And a small very tame deer among the tropical foliage made this stop memorable!

Tarpon Springs FL

January 5, 2016

With our friends John and Iris, we explored this most interesting Gulf side town.  Although Tarpon Springs gets its name from the tarpon fish which were spotted jumping in

the water by early settlers, the town has been dedicated to sponge fishing since the late 1890s.  Greek sponge fishermen arrived in the early 1900s and the town now boasts the highest Greek population density in the US.  The photos will attest to its definite Greek character!  And, of course, that means great Greek food!

Shelburne goes South! Visiting friends from home in Georgia and Florida

December 29- January 6, 2016

Crooked River, GA State Park on December 29.  Another beautiful park setting in Georgia.  We enjoyed our evening with Alan and Jan, Diane and Bruce and a fabulous Mexican meal.

New Smyrna Beach, December 30 and 31.

We had a great time enjoying Rick and Mary Jane Brackett's hospitality.  Mary Jane and I and some of her Cape Breton friends had a swim in the shark attack capital of the world....And, where else to start celebrating New Year's Eve but to go to one of Ken and Sherri Taylor's parties?  Felt just like home...

January 1-3.  Venice, Gulf side of Florida, where we spent 3 days at Camp Venice, an RV park where, again, we met up with Diane and Bruce Bennett and Jan and Alan Pulfrey.  We enjoyed exploring a Saturday market with them, a girls' afternoon of shopping while the boys went to an RV dealership, sharing coffee and meals and telling many land cruising stories!  Thanks Bruce for ferrying us around too!  

 

Fort McAllister State Park, GA December 26-28

December 26-28 

Many things to catch up on..internet availability capable of dealing with blogging has been very scarce.

The campground at Fort McAllister State Park is situated on the banks of the Ogeechee River.  We were offered the loan of his canoe by our very kind neighbour Sam Adams.  Thanks so much Sam for a wonderful afternoon!

Fort McAllister was what is known as "earthworks" fortifications, that is, consisting mainly or berms and palisades. It dates back to the Civil war in the 1860s.  Our guide is dressed in the uniform of Georgia colony, not Union or Confederate forces. 

The setting is very beautiful with several large live oak trees.