Summer Road-trip: South Dakota

With a long weekend ahead we packed up the car and hit to the road north to South Dakota. We traveled the winding hills of green prairie for 5 hours and then we were at camp.  At first light we drove the 5 minutes up to Mount Rushmore.  Surprisingly, we enjoyed the Presidents and the sculptor did a wonderful job of using the natural rock design in creating this one of a kind memorial.

After that we hit the road to explore the Black Hills.  Our only life bird of the trip came next after breakfast where we were given 2 beautiful Red Crossbills.  Then we kept on driving the scenic highways that flow in and out of Custer State Park.

Little Baba Ghanoush had her first experience swimming - the water was frightfully cold but she did well.

The Needles Highways proved to be everything it was hyped up to be.  We went through single lane tunnels, switchbacked by beautiful pinnacles, and enjoyed the scenery.

Some of the tunnels were exceptionally tight but that just added to the mystery.  After a fun day of hiking, driving, and sightseeing we went back to camp and enjoyed a relaxing evening by Grizzly Creek.

Notable birds of Grizzly Creek Campground: Black-headed Grosbeak, Pine Siskins, Violet-green Swallows, Western Tanager, Common Nighthawk, and an Empid flycatcher that gave me quite a show.  I believe it's a Western Wood-Pewee after inspection, please let me know in the comments if you think my little one may be of another variety. 

Hundreds of Spoonbills and Waders

This post somehow became lost in all my recent travels.  It's the second half of my birding day in late July.  To read about the first part of the day scroll down to the Swaro CL Test Drive post or click the link.

After Kim and I were done with our morning of fun we headed for the Everglades Agricultural Area near Belle Glade.  From Lake Okeechobee to the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge and South towards Miami their are agricultural fields that mostly plant sugar cane and rice.  In August they flood many of these fields after harvesting the plants and this creates the perfect conditions for migrating shorebirds.

For our first main stop of the day we headed down Gator Blvd outside of Belle Glade and found a nice field full of waders.  I know we were on the hunt for shorebirds but this was worth stopping for, check out the photos below to get a glimpse of the action!

The fields were full of Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Black-necked Stilts, and many small peeps.

My count was 124 for Roseate Spoonbills (a personal best) and over 250 Wood Storks.  Yes, quite literally the fields were pink and white.  I have never seen such a huge flock of waders.  Usually I reserve my shorebirding in Western Palm Beach for mid to late August but this late July experience proved worthy of the drive.

The fields were littered birds and a few shorebirds were mixed in as well such as Short-billed Dowitcher, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Semipalmated Sandpiper. 

We checked out the fields further along Gator Blvd and found some Black Terns and Least Terns flying.  In the field was a few White Pelicans and Glossy Ibis as well.  It was a nice day of birding and one I won't forget anytime soon!

We stopped near this dilapidated building on CR880 to look for swallows.  We found a Red-tailed Hawk instead.

Swaro CL Test Drive

With my new Swarovski CLs in hand I decided that an all day field test was in order.  Since it's shorebird season I figured a good place to start was in Western Palm Beach County, FL.  This area is known for shorebirds starting in August but shorebirds are easy to spot any time of day so for my first CL test drive I thought going to a new park would be the best way to start the day.

Kimmie met me at 6AM and we headed west to Dupuis Wildlife Management Area.  Along the way we saw some typical Florida landscapes like fields of cows and stands of pines.  Most people think of South Florida as a highly developed area that encroaches on the Everglades but if you're in the central part of the state above the Everglades you will find lots of agricultural land that has a very Central Florida feel. 

Once in the park we started our bird list.  For the most part the place was pretty quiet but we did have nice looks of Downy Woodpeckers and Red-shouldered Hawks.  The CLs were performing well in the early day light.  I had nice crisp views in the low light areas.  One minor annoyance for me with the binoculars were all the lense covers.  So I removed the top covers altogether.  This allowed much faster use as we were in and out of the car.

The Ocean to Land section of the Florida Trail runs right through Dupuis WMA.  The orange blazes were easy to spot as it crossed the road.

The best of the morning was an Eastern Towhee.  Now I know what you must think, a towhee is a common yard bird but in South Florida, this isn't true.  To see things like towhees and Carolina Wrens you must head out into the more quiet areas of wildlife management areas. 

One of the best parts of the park was an area of prescribed burn.  I loved the contrast of browns and greens near the road.  This practice had recently been implemented and parts of the park had that nice smoky taste in the air.  I scoped the pines but saw little more than some Common Ground-doves.

The driving road dead-ended at a small pond.  With my new CLs I had great looks at a mating frenzy of dragonflies.  The shorelines were swarming with these winged animals and it was a nice sight to find at this bird less area.  The CLs did well focusing close as the dragonfiles darted around me.

Once we left Dupuis WMA we decided to head south to the agricultural fields.  Along the way we took a small detour to Lake Okeechobee.  Now in my experience, the lake is a hard thing to see first hand.  I've driven to a few "lake" parks but mostly you see a canal that runs the border of the lake. But there is a small bridge north of Pahokee, FL that gives you an eagle eye view of the biggest lake in Florida. 

We took a drive up on the dyke and found ourselves looking at a small island.  This is the best Lake Okeechobee look I've ever had.  And thanks to my bins I was able to spot a large alligator cruising the bank.  The shot below was done by digibinning the gator through my CLs.  Not bad for long distance snapshot.  I was aided by resting my bins on the ledge of the car window.  With minimal hand shake it was a nice photo (not great, but identifiable).

With our lake views behind us we drove south through Pahokee.  For those that haven't seen the small rural areas of Palm Beach County you are in for a stark contrast to the rich affluent areas near the beach.  This area is dotted with Palm Trees very much like the wealthy Worth Avenue in Palm Beach but instead of designer shops you will find old abandoned school buses and small little bait and grocery shops. 

Kimmie and I stopped at a questionable gas station diner and ordered a plate of alligator nuggets, fried catfish, and fries.  I could hear the arteries clogging but the food wasn't bad.  The atmosphere was a bit too run-down to fully enjoy the meal but it was entertaining to say the least.

With meals consumed we headed to the shorebird areas near Belle Glade, Florida.  You will have to come back next week to get the full installment of birds seen.  For now I'll leave you with a photo of a typical field in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).  This shot shows you the border of sod field and sugarcane field.  These are the primary crops that you can find in Western Palm Beach.

Camping at Hopkin's Prairie

For the long President's Day weekend a few friends and I road tripped up to Central Florida in search of springs and camping. What we found was the most delightful little campground at Hopkin's Prairie that would serve as our basecamp for the next three days.

Andy and I counted birds in our "yard" which mostly consisted of open prairie but we were lucky to be camping in the shade of huge Live Oaks that produced more than one flock of passerines. (The complete bird list for the GBBC is found below in another post.)

On our first evening we decided to take a sunset walk on the Florida Trail that ran through our campground. Our first delight was finding this large bat house. We couldn't tell if any bats actually lived in the house but at nightfall we had at least half a dozen bats flying close to our campsite.

The trails through this area were really nice. They curved around the prairie and through some scrubby areas. I liked how this trail could encompass prairie, pines, and oak habitats all at once with just a turn of the corner. It proved useful for finding birds of all varieties.

As the sun set we found a log and waited out the daily ritual. Charlie stand sentinel below as we watch the reflection on a small pool in the prairie.

The rest of the weekend consisted of hanging out by the campsite, playing cards, going on short hikes, swimming at Fore's Lake, exploring the roads of Ocala National Forest, and generally just having a nice relaxing weekend.

Emily attempts to beat me at gin-rummy.

The weekend was way too short even with the extended day and we were all a little sad to leave our prairie vistas. I could easily have stayed another few days soaking in the sounds of Sandhill Cranes and watching the fishermen paddle about the open water.

This weekend I am heading north with Emily for our first camping trip to Anastasia State Park. We are only staying one night but I am sure the beach park will treat us well. And then it's off to St. Augustine for the day. I'm looking forward to a slow rise in the morning to the sound of the surf.

California Day 7 & 8: Accidents, Peanuts & Napa

On Friday we had grand plans to check out Muir Woods and Point Reyes but on the way for breakfast burritos I severely sprained my ankle and was out of commission for the day. So on my last day of the California trip we decided to keep it light and head towards the Napa area.


Our first stop was to the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa. If you're a fan of the Peanuts comics you will enjoy strolling through the originals, learning the history of Charles Schulz, and also seeing some interesting tribute art like the piece below by a Japanese artist that uses Peanuts comics to portray this classic Lucy/Charlie Brown scene.

It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed strolling about the property and taking in all the sights. I was disappointed in my lack of complete mobility but at least we were out of the house and having fun. Though I will admit that being stuck in the bed all day was made a lot better by my gracious host who cooked me home-made soup and arepas. No matter what your injury, that will always make it better!

After the museum we headed towards the hockey rink and gift shop area. I never knew that Schulz was such an admirer of ice skating. It's quite clear in the comics but I never would've guessed that he would have a private rink, which he made very public for everyone to use.

As a kid growing up Snoopy was my favorite cartoon character. I often thought we would be great friends since we shared a strong urge to drink root beer, play all types of sports, and like little feathered animals.

I would've loved to have seen Muir Woods or had the chance to bird Point Reyes but under the circumstances this was a great way to spend my last day in California. I owe it to Geraldine for being very patient with my slow limping and hobbling about.

Next we headed to wine country and took the side roads from Santa Rosa towards Napa. The rolling hills of grape vineyards were perfect to behold on such a bright blue-sky day.

Cows littered the landscape and they were beautiful with their spots and patterns. I have a strong like of cows and as I've stated in the blog before, they always remind me of childhood. In some ways I suppose this was a running theme of the day, comics to cows.

Upon arriving at Napa we soon learned that a Blues, BBQ, and Brews Festival was going on. I didn't think I would be in the heart of wine country with a beer festival taking place but I couldn't complain. The music was nice, the beer sampling was enjoyable and I even had a glass of white wine called Más, which I enjoyed.

We ended the day going back to San Francisco and having dinner in the Castro. It was a bittersweet end of an excellent trip. I was sad to say goodbye to a good friend and I didn't want the adventure to be over. Of course the good news is that this weekend Geraldine and I will be back in action exploring the North Carolina mountains with my mom. I'm excited to see fall colors, Asheville, and of course I am looking forward to spending time with two of my favorite people in the world.