Picture Day

Fall is here, momentarily, the red tide has dissipated, and the day dawned clear and bright. It was still winter weather, for me, til about 10am, but it was gorgeous by 2 -- in the high seventies, with lots of sun, sea breezes and great birds and flowers everywhere. For some reason, I took lots of pictures looking up -- the sky was just stunning. After a week tromping through the forest trimming fire trails and gopher tortoise fencing, it was great to be back on the beach!





The Spanish Bayonet is in bloom at Fort Pickens. It's rare to find it, and there are several in a clump by the old fort. It's so much fun to wander around there now -- most of the post-Ivan repairs are complete, but the road is still breached in two places so few visitors venture out to the fort. The 14 mile round-trip hike is a little much, even in the cooler fall weather. Here's some of what they're missing:




I don't know what this is, but I seem to be attracted to yellow flowers. Maybe it's my constant need for a pick-me-up, to try to see the brighter side of things. I need it especially now that my job is ended (thanks GWB...). Somehow, things always work out for the best -- and sights like these help me believe it when things seem scary.



I think this may be a variety of holly. There are two in the region -- the thorny American Holly that's a Christmas staple, and the unthorned Yaupon Holly, which is abundant in the sandy forests of the south. Legends indicate that native Americans used holly berries (Ilex vomitoria) to poison their enemies -- if you eat enough, you can get quite a bellyache!



The birds were out in force today too. A few days ago, I announced, to no one in particular in the office, that I wanted to see an avocet. Today, I saw six! There were black bellied plovers, sanderlings, and assorted other peeps in attendance as well.




As always, the stately Egrets and Great Blue Herons stopped by as well... I can never resist taking a picture when they're around. Wish it were a more attractive marsh, but it's a new wetland, courtesy of Ivan and Dennis, that's still maturing. Hurricanes can help maintain wetlands, prevent them from being developed, and create habitat for all these lovely animals.



It's wonderful to see how well the shorebirds and migrating waterfowl utilize the new habitat. I wonder what will happen to them when the road re-opens.