Life at the Green Cay Wetlands is going well. The bird life seems to be increasing with more American Coots and Blue-winged Teal still arriving. We even have a female Northern Shoveler that's been hanging around. I'll try and post a picture of her tomorrow. But the big show stealers are the herps and the lone Roseate Spoonbill.
Due to the cool weather, think down in the sixities at night. Our herps have been in full scale sun bathing mode these days. In the summer you're lucky to spot a turtle out basking but this time of year the alligators and turtles are on every limb, shoreline, and rock. The Florida Red-bellied Turtle above has a very thick shell which allows it to bask for extended periods of time.
As for our Roseate Spoonbill, for now it remains just a solitary individual. Back in the spring we had up to a dozen or more come in to roost in the afternoons but right now we just have the one. But really for a new visitor to Green Cay the one bird is sufficient. Yesterday I watched it feed for about 20 minutes. Every family and photographer stopped to snap a few pictures. Even the walkers of Green Cay slow down to admire this bird.
I really love this time of year in Florida. The sweltering days give way to days in the high seventies or low eighties. The humidity is lower but the sun is still shining. Some of the plants at Green Cay are slowly turning brown and it almost looks like Fall. If only this little winter could last more than a few months I would be completely sold on living in South Florida year around. For now, I think I'll just enjoy what I have and go out for another bird walk.
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