Archive for March 2021
Florida Day Five: Another Hike On The Old Ingraham Highway
On Sunday morning, my last day in the Everglades, I returned to Gate 15 access to the Old Ingraham Highway trail. I wanted to further explore this abandoned highway that cut through the middle of the Everglades. The trail can be accessed on the first right turn off before the Royal Palm Visitor Center. It…
Read MoreFlorida Day Six: Key Largo: Nice To Hike In Dagny Johnson Park Again
I left Florida City and the Everglades on Sunday afternoon and drove the scenic 30 miles south on U.S. Route 1 to Key Largo. After settling in my room at the beautiful Bar Harbor & Coconut Bay Resort I edited some photographs relaxed in their lovely gardens and visited some friends. I was up early…
Read MoreFlorida Day Seven: Birds, Lizards And Insects In Dagny Johnson Park in Key Largo
Early Tuesday morning I returned to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. After a couple of hikes in the same park you start to know where to find the wildlife that lives there. And I enjoy trying to get better photographs of the birds, insects and other animals I had encountered on…
Read MoreFlorida Day Eight: More Birds, Spiders And Butterflies At Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.
There are not a lot of hiking trails in the Florida Keys so I returned to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park for a third day on Wednesday morning to hike in the sub-tropical hardwood hammock forest. It was partly cloudy, humid and a mild 75 degrees when I started my hike…
Read MoreKey Largo: Lizards, Flowers And Tropical Sunsets
After my morning hikes in Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park I would usually spend some time exploring the beautiful sub-tropical flowers gardens of the Bar Harbor Lodge and Coconut Bay Resort where I was staying. And enjoy the homemade scones and coffee the owners of the lodge provide their guest. These well…
Read MoreIt Was Cold But It’s Still Nice To Hike In The PPL Wetlands Again
It was nice to hike in the PPL Wetlands again on Sunday. It is hard to believe it has been six weeks since I have been to my favorite hiking spot located in Salem Township Luzerne County. The heavy snow pack and a trip to Florida kept me from enjoying my weekly hike in this…
Read MoreSnow Geese, Tundra Swans And Ducks: The Magic Of Middle Creek.
It is a little late this year, but every late February or early March, it is time for our annual drive to Middle Creek to observe the migration of the snow geese. These birds stop at the man made lakes of Middle Creek to rest and feed on their annual migration to the Arctic tundra of…
Read MoreClouds, Surf And A Sunset , An Afternoon In Key Largo.
On my Wednesday afternoon in Key Largo during my recent visit, after a morning hike, and a long zoom meeting I took a ride to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Located a few miles north of my resort this is one of the first coral reef underwater parks in the Nation. There are…
Read MoreFlorida Day Nine: An Accidental Morning Hike In Key Largo.
It was Thursday morning on my recent visit to South Florida, I was again off for my morning hike in Key Largo. I once again took the 1o miles and approximately 15 minute drive to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. I enjoy hiking here and hoped to see some more song…
Read MoreThe Ice Is Gone: And Plenty Of Ducks And Geese At The Wetlands
We finally had some real warm weather here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Temperatures neared 70 degrees this past week. I was eager to hike in the PPL Wetlands in Salem Township on Saturday to see how much of the ice melted and whether any of the ducks and geese returned. Arriving at the wetlands under clear…
Read MoreFlorida Day Nine And Ten: Afternoons Exploring The Florida Keys.
It was a week since I arrived in Florida. I spent the first four days exploring the amazing natural beauty of the Everglades. On Monday I headed to the Florida Keys. I stayed on Key Largo, the most northern of, the 1700 islands that make of the Florida Keys. Most of this keys are small…
Read MoreFlorida: Key Largo. My Last Hikes In The Hardwood Hammock And Mangrove Forests
On Friday morning I returned to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park to roam the hardwood hammock and mangrove forest in search of birds, spiders, snakes or whatever other critter or wildflower I could find. Once again I began my hike walking through the tall trees of the tropical hardwood hammock and…
Read MoreLooking For Geese And Ducks Along The Lehigh River
After seeing the return of the geese and ducks at the PPL wetlands along the Susquehanna River on Saturday I decided to head to the Lehigh River on Sunday morning and look for more of these migrating birds there. I usually see them on the river or in the nearby ponds and wetlands in the…
Read MoreSunshine And Blue Skies: The First Day Of Spring At The PPL Wetlands.
Saturday was the first day of Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun crossed north of the Equator at 5:37 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The weather doesn’t allows cooperate with the arrival of Spring here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Many years we have snow and frigid temperatures. However, the weather doesn’t matter to me now…
Read MoreExploring Lake Ontelaunee In Berks County
We had perfect early Spring weather here in Northeastern Pennsylvania on Sunday. I decided to spend it exploring Lake Ontelaunee in Berks County. I have heard it is a good place to observe migrating water fowl . The lake is located about an hour south of my home in Hazle Township Luzerne County. It was…
Read MoreFrogs, Turtles , Geese And Ducks! It’s Spring At The Local Community Park.
It’s hard to believe it’s been four months since I last visited my local Community Park in Hazle Township. My last visit here was on Thanksgiving Day last November. I would often take my afternoon walks here in the warmer months. The snow, ice , mud and cold had me walking on the plowed streets…
Read MoreMore Ducks And March Sunshine At The Wetlands.
The skies were clear when I awoke early Saturday morning. I knew this meant more March sunshine and I decided to head to the PPL Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County and look for wildlife. The temperature was a pleasant Spring-like 48 degrees when I arrived. As I began my hike in the wetlands I…
Read MoreMarch Backyard Visitors
Despite the heavy snow cover that remained from the January and February snow storms, I still had the usual critters visit my backyard in Hazle Township, Luzerne County in early March. The snow finally melted, and some new critters started to show up at my feeders the last two weeks in March. The small herd…
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