Thursday, August 6, 2026

9 July 2026 Titusville: Time to Cool Down

 


We left the birding fields and returned to our hotel room.  Did I mention that it was an air-conditioned hotel room fully equipped with shower facilities?  These showers were better than the truck stop showers that last night's camp ranger suggested for us.  We cooled down, enjoyed all of the AC and checked out at noon.  We drove all around the Titusville area.  We saw the rocket garden, got some lunch, checked out the boat launch facilities at several locations.   Sailing Ken's boat was a possible afternoon activity but the heat was oppressive.  


This heron is having a big lunch


So we decided to have a big lunch too


Florida beignets 


Rocky the Rockshrimp


Opened up for us


Ken and his new friend


It is blistering hot!


We were able to check in at 2PM, so back to the same campsite


A woodpecker checking in on its nest


A pretty bird to share the campsite with


Needed to epoxy the little wire sculpture I made on the  last birding trip


Driving around in the heat


Cape Canaveral


Wild pigs roaming 


Big buzzards


It was later in the day so we just inspected the views from the parking lot


The rocket garden


The rocket man would love this spot


A shark in orbit?


Chomp chomp


More space based infrastructure


The entrance gates look like the bug space shuttle rover


That tracks...


One last investigation of launch facilities


Nothing to see here



 It has been 4 years and 34 days since we began our Migration

Thursday, July 30, 2026

9 July 2026 Titusville: Off to the Birds!

 


The Florida Scrub Jay is endemic to Florida.  than means it is found within the confines of Florida and no where else.  Since there is only one Florida endemic bird, technically we saw all of the endemic birds of Florida in one day!  Right after the launch we drove over to Buck Lake and after a bit of searching we found the Florida Scrub Jay.  Huzzah!  There are very pretty birds and not shy in any way.  They even followed us for the next 15 minutes as we started to loop back to the car.  We then went to the other side of the preserve where I saw some bobwhites and a white eyed vireo. 


The sun is still not up


A long stretch before the protected habitat


White Tailed Deer


Road #1


A red shouldered hawk



The golden sunrise


ahabitat for the Scrub Jay


Big pine cones


Eastern Towhee


Scrub Jay a lifebird


This was one of a group of four that followed us for 15 minutes


Scrubby Jay


Even up in the pine tree


A Northern Parula peeking out from behind the trunk


These trees were blooming


Looks like a kind of magnolia


The primitive camping site is very primitive indeed


Common ground dove


Hibiscis flowers


Miore flowers


What tracks are these?  Bears, bobcat or maybe a panther


Glorious butterfly


Fly dragonfly, fly


A very odd dark colored anthill


This small mocking bird has commandeered an osprey nest


A great perch to sing out to the world


More butterflies


In the center of the picture is the best picture of the bobwhite that I was able to get.  Lifebird #2


An entire field of hibiscus flowers


A blue dragonfly


Here is the elusive white eyed vireo.  Life bird #3 for the day 


This area was set aside because the water here starts the St. Johns River


Hop grasshopper, hop


An observation tower


Apparently these boaters were able to access this lake


Two different kayaks


Their truck was somehow able to access the road


The buzards are circling...


Still a long hot stretch to get back to the car


Follow the Converse tracks




 It has been 4 years and 34 days since we began our Migration