3rin's View…

Well, it finally happened. After several freeze warnings over the past week, this morning the conditions were just right for ice to form in the bird bath. The ice was 1/4” thick when I went out to fill the bird feeders at 8am.

Since it was still only a brisk 39°, I went ahead and broke up the ice so birds could access their water. Inland, away from the moderating influence of coastal waters, I heard they dropped down into the teens last night.

Which is worrisome for all the agricultural lands, especially growers who were in the middle of strawberry harvest. I’m sure their plants took a hit, and I imagine some of my plants did as well.

Like me, they are not accustomed to this chilly weather. Thank goodness warmer temperatures are on their way!

I was introduced to Bee Hotels over a decade ago but only recently decided to make one for my yard. Designed with lots of holes or openings, they encourage native bee species which usually lay their eggs in naturally occurring twigs or stems.

I would’ve built one earlier but I read a compelling article that said they don’t actually work and was therefore, dissuaded.

But a chance sighting on my front porch changed my mind. One of the holes in my welcome sign had been capped with a papery substance, a sure sign of a solitary bee nest.

I’m hoping to host more bees soon!

Harvested most of my lettuce today since it’s forecasted to freeze here overnight (I left some in the ground just in case it doesn’t).

Pretty impressive haul considering I’ve been eating out of my garden for a couple weeks now. Guess what I’m having for dinner…

After unloading my kayak gear and taking a shower I figured I’d just head out to my beach for sunset. Then I remembered that the little town of Dunedin marks sunset in a special way this time of year, they host bagpipe performances on the pier. It was cutting it close but thankfully traffic flowed nicely and I arrived just in time.

A nice way to end a lovely day!

Yesterday morning I woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Aware of the incoming cold front, I decided to take full advantage of the weather. After checking the tide and wind, I realized that if I hurried, conditions were favorable for a paddle out to Shell Key. So, I loaded up my kayak and drove down to my favorite launch at Butler Hole. Thirty minutes later, I was paddling across flat, glassy water.

Good thing my kayak is shallow-draft because it was just before low tide, meaning there were only a few inches of saltwater between me and the sandy bottom. It made paddling a bit challenging but on the plus side, there were very few people out there.

Every time I looked up from beachcombing I was awed by the clarity and color of the gulf water. Such a gorgeous way to spend the day!

While walking the island I did not collect any shells since most of them were still alive; sand dollars, sea urchins, conchs, whelks, and tulips. It was a treat watching these creatures – I was especially impressed by the agility of a Fighting Conch.

Caught the ship returning just after sunset last night…

While stopped at an intersection down in Venice, FL last week I spotted this sticker on the car next to me. Not sure why someone would go to the effort to put that on their car but I will agree with the sentiment. Perhaps the driver was a herper*?

*Slang for an amateur herpetologist.

After a previous failed attempt to meet the Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), the state’s only endemic bird species, I finally got lucky this past weekend. Within 15 minutes of hitting the trail at Oscar Scherer State Park, I came across a family group of jays in a thicket of scrub oaks. While not as vividly blue or strikingly marked as other jay species, these birds are still quite handsome.

As I watched the busy birds, more birders arrived. Thankfully, our presence didn’t bother the jays, they were focused on harvesting acorns. It was fascinating to watch them scramble around in the branches, looking for just the right one. I don’t know what makes an acorn appealing but these birds definitely had requirements.

After carefully selecting an acorn (or three), the jays would fly a few yards away and then drop down to the ground out of sight, presumably to stash their booty. I read that each jay can collect over 6,000 acorns in a season. Considering that these jays hang out in family groups of 5-7 birds that’s over 30,000 acorns! As with squirrels, not all the nuts are later recovered by the jays. The forgotten ones often propagate, thereby ensuring future oak trees.

Meanwhile, high in a dead snag overlooking this frenzied nuttery, there perched a lone, sentinel jay. After a sharp cry from the lookout above all the jays below flew off to safety. I waited about 10 minutes for their return to no avail, so I continued along the trail.

I was definitely pleased with that sighting but an even better experience waited just around the bend. There was another family group of jays in some oak trees, even closer to the trail. You may be wondering how I knew it was a different group of jays. I didn’t at first but when looking through my photos afterward I could see the various colored leg bands sported by many of them. They were distinct sets, with no overlap, which tracks since I’d read that they are very territorial.

The jays weren’t the only species flocking to those oak trees, there was a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, some Brown Thrashers, Mourning Doves, and even a couple Catbirds (though I have to presume they were after insects and not nuts). The prints in the sand beneath the trees led me to believe these acorns were also favored by deer.

Eventually (and quite reluctantly), I tore myself away from the birds. Since it was such a lovely, warm and sunny day I headed over to the beach south of nearby Venice. The color of the Gulf down there always amazes me, just look at that turquoise blue water! It was a fantastic day, well worth the early morning drive!