Tag: bird watching

Birdsong: Paradise in South Georgia 

Studly and I had friends visiting this past weekend from Indianapolis. Gary and Lee Ann are two of my favorite people, and their annual visit to Doright Manor is a highlight of my year. 

Lee Ann enjoys exploring nature, so while our golf crazed husbands headed to the links on Saturday morning, she and I drove into Georgia to visit the Birdsong Nature Center just south of Thomasville. 

From their website: 

Birdsong Nature Center’s 565 acres of wildflower meadows, forests, ponds and swamps, are home to a myriad of birds and other wildlife. Here you can enjoy the serenity and beauty of the natural landscape and return home with a renewed spirit.

The preserve features several distinct natural habitats including grasslands, swamps, and lakes. 

Lee Ann posing in the tall grass. It almost looked like a wheat field.
Who wouldn’t love a place with this name?
Inside the Listening Place we were surrounded by the sounds of the swamp. Apparently none of the resident alligators were feeling vocal during our visit.
The swamp is a surreal setting. Scary and fascinating.

Lee Ann and I walked nearly four miles and climbed the equivalent of eleven flights of stairs during our trek through Birdsong. The day started out cool, but by the time we finished I was sweating like a nervous groom at a shotgun wedding. 

Our journey ended at the preserve’s main attraction, the Bird Window, a beautiful viewing area tucked away inside an old house on the property. The Bird Window is just that–a huge window overlooking a scenic spot landscaped with the goal of attracting our feathered friends. 

This area features fresh water supplied by a misting device and a small pool. There are bird feeders in key spots as well as loose seeds spread on tree stumps. Carefully placed rocks and logs provide perfect perches for the avian visitors.

I became so enraptured by the show of bluejays, chickadees, cardinals, woodpeckers, and titmouses (titmice?) that I totally forgot to snap any pictures! Still kicking myself, but the experience was breathtaking. Next time I’ll see if the camera works well through the glass. The birds come right up to the window as if to say, “Wow! What a great way to view humans!”

Come visit Birdsong Nature Center before the migratory birds return to their northern homes in late April. You don’t have to be a diehard birdwatcher to enjoy the experience. 

Here’s the link to their website:

http://www.birdsongnaturecenter.org

Peace and feathers, people. 

It’s a Jungle Out There

  
Saint Helen (my mother-in-law) and I were enjoying our morning coffee out on our newly completed screened-in porch when this magnificent bird made an appearance. 

Saint Helen grabbed her iPhone and quickly snapped this photo as the bird flew away to handle some noisy business just around the bend in the lake. Our imaginations have run amok:

  • The bird is fending off an alligator
  • The bird is protecting a nest
  • The bird is attempting to establish its dominance over another male
  • The bird is trying to impress a female
  • The bird is auditioning for an episode of Swamp People.

Heck, we aren’t even sure what kind of bird this is. Maybe an egret? A heron? An ostrich? If any of my readers can identify it I’d be grateful.

A Walk in the Park

The weather this week in Tallahassee has been just beautiful. Temperatures have been in the low 70s with no wind, so I’ve been walking every day, which happens to be real exercise, or so I’ve been told.

Most days I just stroll around the neighborhood, but yesterday afternoon I left the crockpot on low to cook Studly’s much-anticipated dinner and drove into town so I could walk around Lake Ella.

Just about a mile from the Florida capital building sits this scenic little lake surrounded by gigantic oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. Lake Ella is a popular destination for walkers and bird watchers.

2015/01/img_2373.jpg

2015/01/img_2379.jpg

2015/01/img_2370.jpg

2015/01/img_2377.jpg

2015/01/img_2378.jpg

Above is pictured my favorite feature of Lake Ella, a huge oak tree that spreads its generous branches near the ground for children to climb on and around. Such a sweet tree!

Little parks like Lake Ella are just a part of what makes Tallahassee so appealing to a girl from the arid southwest plains of The Texas panhandle. When I die, don’t bury my heart on the lone prairie, just spread my ashes somewhere near a lake. The little fish will love feasting on me!

Peace, people!