Last week we visited our family in Florida, on the east coast. The weather was warm, hot, even. There was swimming both in the pool and in the waves of the beach right outside their door. It was quite different from the weather happening back at home and honestly, glad I missed it.
Close to where my in-laws live is Smyrna Dunes Park, a lovely boardwalk loop with beach access and some birds too if you are looking. Also, people come here to look for the beloved tortoises. Apparently people are quite passionate about them, and being a protected and threatened species, that's a good thing.
This park is part of the Florida Birding Trail. My in-laws had an e-bike I was able to borrow to ride down to the park and skip the $10 parking fee (also, highly recommend-- e-bikes are abundant down here and people in cars don't try to run you off the road).
Often you can hear the common ground doves, but on this instance I was lucky to have one fly in and land right in front of me! I was on the boardwalk while it landed just to the side, below. |
And holy crap, they are small and cute. This is a bird I'd love to put in a pocket. |
Also, look how beautiful this bird is! I love that orange beak and the subtle purple iridescence in the dark spots on their wing. |
If you go too early in the day, you won't see the star attraction, the gopher tortoises. |
Gopher tortoises are a protected species and you can even see people on their lawns, put up "Tortoise Crossing" signs to warn people to be on the lookout for these little buddies. |
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