Spring is in the Air

The Krewe of Wrecks and the Krewe of Seville both were in the parade today for Mardi Gras, and it's Super Bowl Sunday. What made me happiest though was seeing all the flowers!

I know it's early yet, and there will be more winter, but this was just the pick-me-up I needed to get through the six more weeks that Puxsatawney Phil predicted Saturday.

So far, I've only seen purples, whites, yellows and pinks.




Since we're in Florida, I know we'll see even more soon!



These little bursts of sunshine always lift my spirits, even when I'm already
happy!

Canon EOS XTi vs Nikon D80 vs Canon 40D

I finally made a decision on the digital SLR debate. It took me nearly two months to figure out which camera to buy, so I hope I made the right decision. My little Canon Powershot has been great, but I'm frustrated with the lack of range it offers. I miss so many great shots in the Park because of the limitations of my gear. I can't wait to get my hands on my new camera and get out to the beach! I ordered it on eBay, so it may take a week or two.

I looked at the Canon EOS XTi and the Nikon D80 for a long time, comparing and contrasting. Most review sites give a slight edge to the Nikon D80, but only a slight edge. As a lifelong Canon user, I have lots of Canon lenses and other hardware -- some of the lenses I have for my film slr will work with a digital slr. That said, I've always thought Nikons were superior to Canons, they were just too expensive when I first entered the market, and I didn't do enough research.

I decided to stick with Canon, though I didn't get either of the above cameras... Instead, I went with the Canon EOS 40D. It's far superior to the Nikon D80, more similar to the Nikon D200 or D300. The only thing I didn't get yet with this package is a telephoto lens, though I did get a 300mm zoom -- hope that helps with the birdie pictures! After spending all that cash on the camera and 4 lenses, a telephoto will be insignificant; I'll buy it when I pay off the first!

There will be lots of pictures here soon -- spring is coming, and I'll have a new toy!

Happy Birthday!

I thought I heard rain this morning when I awoke, but it was just a very brisk breeze in the cabbage palms, scratching against each other and batting at the roof. Rain was in the forecast yesterday, but the clouds seemed to remember it's my birthday, so they're waiting til tomorrow.



I walked out to a crisp, clear sky with a crescent moon, the Big Dipper and a host of other stars. I may have spilled my tea and had to go to work, but it's still a great start to the day. Plus, drying mint tea on my car floor was pretty good! As a gift to myself, I decided to spend the day at Perdido Key -- one of my favorite places in the park.



I used to say Perdido was my favorite place til I stopped to think -- every part of the park is my favorite for a different reason.



There's the fire compound at NLO. There are so many flowers and plants, and I've only found half of them so far.



Santa Rosa has tons of birds.



On days when the road crew isn't there, I love to go survey the north shore, knowing I'll find a wide variety of plovers, some yellow legs, rails, willets, and an unpredictable assortment of song birds flitting through the marshes and remnant maritime forest (there's very little post-Ivan).

Fort Pickens has such a variety! There's Three Ponds...



There are huge stands of sand and long leaf pine,



forest hammocks, dune meadows, (this dune meadow was obviously last spring!)



open beach and the old fort.



With the differing landscape, there's a lot to hold your attention for hours. On rainy days, there are lots of places to find shelter too.



Fort Pickens also has avocets from time to time -- they're such elegant birds!



Perdido is just stunning. The dunes there are recovering well from recent hurricane activity, and the endless expanse of beach at the roads end is a great escape.

It's a monarch migration route...



A hotspot for egrets and herons...



And a popular dolphin feeding grounds. I borrowed this picture from a park visitor, Gene Bond, who shared lots of his photos with the park, hoping they'd help the park's mission ro protect these stunning places.



It's a great venue to watch the Blue Angels practice too, though they can get a little loud sometimes. I'm blessed to have a job I love so much!

Highlights for Children Hidden Object...

How many Great Blue Herons do you see here?



On such a gray day, it's really hard to pick them out from amongst the branches, isn't it?

I checked on the Great Blue Heron rookery near the fort at Pickens today after my shore bird survey. Every time I thought I was done with my count, another bird took flight as it was startled by a sound, except for this one stoic mama. I have to wonder if she already has eggs in that nest!



There were tons of birds on the north shore, but hardly any on the south. Murphy's Law, since today was a south shore count. Check out my favorite gulls, the little Bonaparte's Gull, hanging out with some ducks. I love the dark winter cheek patch reminiscent of their small breeding season hoods.



The pelicans were holding court on the new pier at the Ranger Station. Can't wait til we can reopen our office there!



Strangely, this group of daisies was on the tide line at the west end -- you never know what will wash in on the tide.



With the freezing temperatures over the last few nights, these have to be fairly fresh. I wonder if someone tossed them overboard.



The ducks didn't seem too chilled by the recent cold snap. After about 5 weeks of hunting, they seem very skittish -- who could blame them? It's Darwinian survival at its best.



As soon as I returned to the fire cache, Mark sent me out to The Dock on Pensacola Beach to check out some 'oil' on the beach.



After looking it over, we think it's some kind of egg or larval marine form, but we really need a dissecting scope to see these a little better.



They almost blend in with the sand!



Anyone know what they are? The color reminds me of all the Portuguese Man O'War we've had recently, though they are smaller than any of them I've seen. We had raisin-size ones a few weeks ago, but not anything as small as a grain of sand.



Even a gray day here is stunning -- check out the Gulf of Mexico.



Guess you can tell I'm feeling better about my uncle. The surgery went well and he should be home in two weeks. I can't believe how stressful it is to watch someone you love go through all of that!

Chickens in the Yard

Today was my day off, so there's no park related news. Hunting season is over though, so no more dark, cold days on the marsh. My freezing fingers and cheeks are very grateful!



Our back yard neighbors were really happy to see I was home for the day. I think they had a little more food than they are used to -- I can't resist feeding them!



They make me feel like I'm back in Key West, though these birds are much healthier than the crazy chickens there!

Can the Wind be a Color? Can You Photograph a Sound?

Today was yet another chilly hunting survey with all the smart hunters home in bed. The cold weather has been very good for the ducks!



I have a lot of random thoughts when riding down the beach on my ATV. My wandering mind helps me forget that I'm in danger of hypothermia... If the wind can have a color, today it was gray.



I had my camera out for random beach photos today and paused by a snow fence. The sound of the wind and blowing sand running along the length of the fence made me pause. The shucka-schuka-schuka of sand hitting the fresh wood and the wind rattling the slats and wire are impossible to replicate.



I don't carry a recorder with me, just my camera - I guess I could have filmed it for a few seconds, but the waves would have been louder than this gentle rhythm. Why can't we see sound? Certainly it would be visible if we could see the sound waves.



The road project is well underway at Opal Beach, which is why there's so much sand fence around. It's a symbolic fence placed at intervals to define the corridor for all the construction vehicles. The road should be open within the next few months. I wonder how the birds will react.



Someone sailing at the Santa Rosa area had a pretty bad day recently -- this boat is very firmly aground, and looks a bit worse for wear. Who do you call when you need to tow a boat? Does SeaTow handle things this well ashore? This boat is in far too fragile an area to reach it by land -- I can ride an ATV down this beach at low tide, but at high tide, it's all marsh. My ATV certainly is no match for this lovely boat anyway.



When I arrived back at the office to thaw for a few minutes, my sister called -- they're taking my uncle in for his bypass and carotid artery surgery as I write this. I thought it would be later this week, but my uncle is happy it's today -- waiting was really hard for him. I expect to have good news late this evening.

Clover and Gracie

Another cold, rainy Saturday at the office inspired me to go check on our two live strandings from this year -- meet the girls...

Clover is a green sea turtle with dislocated hips and a broken pelvis. When Mark and his sons rescued her, she was tiny and dark green.



Jennifer, Monica and I took her to the Gulfarium for rehab that very day. In the seven or eight months she's been in Destin, she's doubled in size, and lightened a lot in color. They're not sure what's causing that -- they are modifying her diet to see if they can change it. They may try to correct her badly healed hip/pelvis injury at Mote Marine Lab, but haven't yet. That will determine whether or not she is 'permanently disabled' and unreleasable.



Gracie, a large female Kemp's ridley, lost a flipper and had some severe cuts from fishing line entanglement. She was covered in barnacles, algae, worms and other marine organisms.



Grace Periera and her family brought the turtle to the Coast Guard Station in Pensacola on New Years Eve, where Jennifer and I picked her up for evaluation and care. Gracie is now doing very well -- she's swimming eight hours a day in a heated pool, diving and resting a lot. The staff at the Gulfarium removed her barnacle load (it can slow down a turtle!) so her carapace is clean and clear. So far, she's refusing to eat and is about ten pounds underweight for a Kemp's of her size. We're hoping she'll be released and continue nesting for many more years.



The people at the Gulfarium are wonderful! They always willingly take on any injured sea turtle or dolphin we rescue from the park or Pensacola Beach. What a fantastic resource! This lovely loggerhead is another animal they're caring for after a boat strike damaged her carapace. As a permanently disabled turtle, she'll be a permanent resident at the Gulfarium. They deserve all of our support for the great work they do!

What's This Strange Thing in the Sky?

There was a very bright white thing in the sky today. After days of rain and bone-chilling gray winds, I almost forgot what a sunny day looked like. With the worry and stress of this week, the weather fit my mood. It was wonderful to see such a good omen today though as my uncle finally has his cardiac cath and we get a better idea of how things will proceed from here.



I missed a lot of great photos today, but the birds were still great therapy after a heart-wrenching week. There was a plump little piping plover bullying the snowy plovers on a mudflat near the asphalt mountain. I couldn't capture him as he raced around, flapping wings and diving at other birds, seeming to claim his territory. In a calm moment, he might have looked like this plover, but he was more sleek and pudgy:



Two lesser yellowlegs were hanging out near the asphalt pile too -- Mark doesn't believe they're still here, but I see them every week... One of them wrestled with a small fish while I watched -- it's strange to see a fish travel down the birds neck!



I didn't have my camera out to capture the two bald eagles at the west end of Fort Pickens today either. I'll still take it as another sign from above that all will be well at home.

I promise to get back to more Park and sea turtle based discussions soon!