Wednesday, June 10, 2026

30 May 2026 Sanford: Drive, Stop, Drive, Stop, Repeat

 


Our trip back to Sanford began with the breaking down of the tents.  The volunteers we spoke with recommended the Sisters Creek area so we added that you our set of get out and stretch stops.  Then through Jacksonville too the next stop Hays Creek.  A fine three days!


Lots of informations on this map, expertely narrated by Ken


Tasty fish, tasty fish tasty fish




From the board walk over the water


Spoonbills followed us over


Sturdy privy


A lone park bench


A great place to eat an entire bag of oysters


This ship has not sailed, it sank


Even the birds fish here


Good fish habitat


An abandoned factory


Over the St. Johns river


All tied up


Ken said that they removeds three of these cranes due to the lack of shipping


Jax in the distance




The Maxwell House Coffee building


Dragons


The new Jacksonville


Night Heron


What the duck?


Its a bold bean indeed


Bulls Hit Ranch and Farm.  With a big blue ox on top and a sign indicating home of the Bull Chips


Almost to Hay Creek and we come upon this dock, toxic blue-green algae is in the area


That explains the vultures


Chomp chomp


Good place to camp and sail Ken will keep this in mind


The start of the boardwalk


Cormorant


In the foliage


A slow moving creek if I have ever seen one


Zigging and zagging


No one else was here


A night heron to keep us company


Swampy


Duckweed


Ken off to the right side


Vines


A heavy burden of epiphytes 


We did not get into this restaurant, despite the great name, instead we went across the street for a delightful lunch



  It has been 3 years and 355 days since we began our Migration

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

30 May 2026 Sanford: The Early Morning at Huguenot Beach and Spoonbill Lake

 


We drove along the beach for the early birds.  We had been seeing all the same birds as we had the day earlier.  There was a different crew of volunteers and I asked them for help finding the Least Tern (a lifebird) and they sent me right over.  Then we headed over to the Spoonbill Lake for another new bird, the Semi-Palmated Plover.  Huzzah!  Afterwards we broke camp loaded up the car and started out trip south.  The leftover pizza sure made things easy in the morning



A sunrise willet


Looking thoughtful


An egret


Hamming it up


Herring gull


The terns are sleepy


Except this pair


Our helpful volunteers


The Least Tern lifebird #1 for the day


The Least Tern on the nest


The sun is breaking out of the clouds


Ships at sea


Tike to head over to the spoonbill lake


Egret lake today


Wood Stork


Coming in low to splashdown


Here are the rosette spoonbills


Semi-palmated Plover lifebird #2 for the day


Black necked stilt


Stilted


The skimmer is skimming


A splendid bird


A Great egret and a little egret


Spectacular beak


Tri colored heron


Heading back to the camp


Joggers heading by


A running club.



  It has been 3 years and 355 days since we began our Migration