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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Settling in

I wanted to be the first person on the wildlife drive this morning, and I think I was.  The chances of seeing wildlife are always better the earlier you get out there.  It wasn’t like I left at the crack of dawn or anything, but seeing as it was a Sunday morning I felt fairly confident that visitors would take a while to get here.  Okefenokee NWR is a bit off of the beaten path.

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I think there is a guide to the wildlife drive with about 12 numbered stops along the way.  I just haven’t gotten one of those guides yet.  The first stop for Emma and me was at Alligator Pond.  I didn’t see any alligators, but the cloudiness of the last two days was gone.  There was a pleasant breeze, so the pond reflections weren’t mirror perfect.

IMG_1109I was cruising along at about 5 mph with the front windows down so I could hear as well as see anything that might be out and about.  Here it is almost November, but the swamp was alive with blooming flowers.  Don’t know yet if the blackened portions of the pines are from a prescribed burn or the great swamp fire of 2011. 

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I pulled to the side of the road here and shut off the engine just to enjoy the scenery.  There were at least four different kinds of butterflies enjoying the flower nectar, but I only captured three varieties. 

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This mockingbird was not sure about our intrusion on his/her territory.  There were little birds flitting around all over the place.

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Far off in the woods, this pileated woodpecker was going about finding something to eat in this pine tree.  I’ve found that it just never hurts to stop and take the time to look and listen.

I moved on and then parked the car to take Emma for a walk around the Chesser Island Homestead.  That place is worth a post on its own, so I’ll leave that for another time.  I’m hoping maybe I’ll get the chance to be the interpretive host at this location while I’m here.  I think it’s a really cool place.

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My main goal for this morning’s outing was to see wildlife, so I continued on to the parking area for the Boardwalk Trail.  We didn’t take that trail today, but the surrounding area was alive with birds.  There were several pine warblers gleaning insects from the trees…

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as well as a flock of palm warblers under the pines and in the bushes.  I was happy to get any photos because these little guys just don’t sit still for very long.  The place was just bubbling with them.

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As I pulled out of the parking area, a small flock of wild turkeys were in the distance.  Two of them made for the woods, but the other two gave me the eye.  As I looked down the road, a coyote was standing in the middle of the road.  As soon as it saw me, and I saw it, it beat a hasty retreat before I could get my camera to my eye. 

I saw another flock of turkeys on the way back to the rig.  It was a very nice drive this morning.  In the late afternoon, fellow volunteer Barb and I took a ride in one of the electric carts down this same drive and saw different wildlife.  I haven’t had a chance to look at those pics yet, so I’ll save them for tomorrow.  The folks here in the volunteer village are going to watch a movie this evening in the theater in the Visitors Center, but I bowed out of that this time.  I’m just not in the mood for “Lion King” tonight.  Confused smile  Instead, I dug out the sewer connection, and finally hooked up my dump hose.  I guess I’m pretty much settled in for the duration now.

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                                                                               THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

22 comments:

  1. Nice, Judy! Great pictures as usual, but the Mockingbird is incredible!

    You're going to have a ball here with your camera and we're going to enjoy it right along with you. :c)

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  2. Wow! You have been a busy lady since we were last able to check your blog. Congratulations on arriving at your new post. Looking forward to lots of new "stuff".

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  3. Once the sewer hose is down you can call it home.

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  4. It is nice to see flowers and butterflies in late October. Not that way in the north.

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  5. Glad to see you are settled in, Judy. Looks like you had a very peaceful morning, and a rewarding one too! I arrived Energy Lake, GoldenPond, KY this afternoon and have intermitten internet. So peaceful here!

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  6. Sure glad you are no longer on the Outter Banks. John and Ann

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  7. Me too...glad you are "outer" the outer banks...LOVE those pileated Woodpeckers..aka Woody...Nice to be all tucked in for a while as weather reeks havoc above, eh??

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  8. Nothing like meeting the neighbors - turkies, warblers, and woodpeckers. So cool!

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  9. great tour. . .my fave, the butterflies, of course. . .can't wait to see more!

    Janice

    ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.blogspot.com

    Join our RV Group on FaceBook

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  10. Your pictures are just beautiful. I'm also glad you are out of harms way from Hurricane Sandy

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  11. Absolutely lovely photos as usual. I'm looking forward to this new assignment. That area has always fascinated me. There always seems to be at least one glitch whenever I start something new or travel somewhere new, and you seem to have the same luck (buried sewer line? who'd a thunk it) But you take it all in stride and don't let anything get you down. I'm impressed!

    I'll bet you are glad you left the Outer Banks when you did! This storm looks horrific.

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  12. What a wonderful day you had. We enjoy getting up and out before the crowd also. Never know what treat lies ahead.

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  13. quite the birding day you had, Judy!!!

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  14. I always find that early AM is a great time to be in the wild. Great pictures! I have to admit that woodpeckers are among my least favorite birds thanks to all the damage they have caused to my last house:(

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  15. I'm so excited - I actually knew that one bird was a woodpecker before I read it. Yippee. Of course, I didn't know it was a pileated one but I'm still happy. lol

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  16. YOu got treated nicely today by nature. Will be looking forward to tomorrows post. Thanks for sharing with us :-)

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  17. As always, you capture the beauty of your surroundings. I especially liked the wildflowers in the swamp. Hope you get that nature interp. position.

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  18. Good to get settled in. I always noticed that gators would not come out until the temps warmed up.

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  19. We so love the Wildlife refuges. Sure looks like you will be seeing quite a variety at this one.

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  20. Great pictures of a wonderful day. Thanks for taking me along. Hope you get the interpreter job.

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  21. Oh!!! I am so jealous, you got a pileated woodpecker. When at Hardin Ridge the one that was around our camp site just teased me. He would light then fly. Then laugh. We will be back so maybe I can get him then. Love love love your turkeys. Such a gorgeous picture!!! You do such an awesome job.

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