Lake Louisa State Park

OK, long post coming up because I'm very excited about this park. We visited there a few weeks ago before our blistering heat wave. It's a two time National Gold Medal Winner for State Parks, and it deserves it!

Lake Louisa State Park is located in the rolling hills of Clermont. (yes, we do have some hills!) It was so wonderful to crest that first hill and have a bird's eye view of the rolling green lands and quiet lakes beyond. It's full of history and comprised of at least 11 different natural communities. The sandhills are one that truly fascinate me since their quartz sand is a remnant of ancient dunes that used to be at Florida's shoreline. The park covers 4500 acres total, and includes 6 lakes and 2 streams. I would love to stay in the cabins that overlook one of the lakes someday. It's SO beautiful and relaxing.

One of the big attractions at the park is the beach on Lake Louisa. The boardwalk to the beach was pretty in and of itself. It was even more entertaining as we stopped to watch 2 wrens scolding each other loudly. I swear, those birds are brave for all the tinier they are. Maybe they have a Napoleon complex. :)

The water in Lake Louisa is a deep, dark brown because of all the trees
growing in and around it. The cyprus trees in particular leave a lot of tannins in the water. There were many alligator warning signs, along with a lifeguard trained to watch for them. I dont' know if I'd be willing to swim in such poor visibility with gators around. The water levels were also very low due to our recent extreme drought. Picnics abounded, and it reminded me very much of home, except that cyprus and mangroves surrounded us instead of oaks and maples. ;-)

Cyprus trees are some of my favorites.

I couldn't resist standing inside this one. I also got very close to a green anole who promptly let me know he was boss by inflating his big pink dewlap. I got a photo of that but it didn't turn out nearly as well as this one, so green is all you get..

We wandered the rest of the park and saw old orange groves and cow pasture alongside newly reestablished sandhills and scrub. The lakes were ALL beautiful, and we glimpsed many fish, turtles, alligators and birds. Each lake has a beautiful fishing pier from which to observe them. There were many trails, but it was pretty hot, so we didn't explore as much as I'd like. I want to go back and spend more time around the streams. I also finally got to get a photo of what I like to call my little "punk" birds. The cattle egrets get a nice orange mohawk on their heads around breeding season along with a beautiful orange breast. I LOVE to see it! Here is a photo of one of them. I hope it's clear enough! I've been trying for ages!
I plan to post more photos of the amazing colors birds display only during breeding season down here. We will definitely be back to Lake Louisa in the cooler months! I was so glad to find such a wonderful place. I think it even tops Wekiva for me!

Joe Overstreet Landing

Joe Overstreet Landing on Lake Kissimmee is a very very off the beaten path area for wildlife viewing. We had to travel almost an hour away and miles down a dirt road just to get there, but it was worth it. It's known that you can see many caracaras and other wildlife in the area. We were hoping to get a good glimpse of the caracara. It's a very beautiful mix of cow pasture, lake and wetlands habitat. The only thing I found annoying were the exceedingly loud and obnoxious airboats buzzing about, disturbing the birds.

We visited in early spring and saw Ospreys nesting, a glossy ibis, all kinds of egrets and herons and many birds fishing. Ron also got to see the brilliant yellow breast of his first meadowlark and to hear its gorgeous song. We were hoping to glimpse whooping cranes (one of the few places in the country) but they were nesting at the time.

As we were leaving, we got a glimpse of a bird high in a snag. I yelled at Ron to stop as I thought it might be a caracara. Lo and behold, it was! We watched it for quite a while. They are such striking birds.
Total on our trip, we must have seen at least 6 of them flying overhead or high in trees, but that was the best glimpse we got. So cool!

I thought I'd leave you with a parting shot from one of the cows. It was a little intimidating, as in spots, the cows could come right up to you. Only in Florida. :)

February in PA

My Mom and Step-Father were kind enough to help me visit in February for some big birthdays (my nephew is TWO!). I also got to see my sister's new engagement ring! I know I'm very behind, but I thought it might be nicer to view snow photos from the summer perspective. ;-)

Mom had seen nothing but dark-eyed juncos at her bird feeder for weeks, but when I was there, she saw her first chickadee (the bird pictured at top)!


I also got photos of a very brave red-bellied woodpecker.
There were lots of changes since I hadn't been home in over a year. The biggest one (literally) were the massive windmills placed all over the mountain in order to generate wind powered electricity! It was very interesting to see such an alternative energy method right in my former backyard! The photo is awful, but you get the gist. :)
More catch-up posts to come! I was inspired to start posting again after our recent visit to a beautiful state park. I will get to that soon!