“Look Greta, a Great Blue Heron Nesting Tree.”Tree LifeMating Pose“I’ll be back”Searching for the perfect stick“I got a big one”Bringing a Gift“Move Over”
“Another one for you”Perfect LandingWhat’s wrong with this scene?Hopeful“Its tiring sitting on this nest”
This Great Blue Heron nest is on private property. We were allowed to walk into their field a short distance. I was too far away from the tree for quality photos, but they tell a story! It is nice this tree is secluded.
If you love to walk, geo-cache, hike, swim, canoe, camp, bike, view a gorgeous sunset, take photos, horseback ride, or bird watch, then a visit to Jonathan Dickinson State Park should be on your agenda.
The other day while walking along the banks of the Loxahatchee River we heard music; finally figured out it was coming from one of the many pavilions the park has. A man was playing his fiddle and he was really good. We sat on a park bench and listened to him play for a little while.
Another day there were a group of people with their easels, painting beautiful images on canvas. So just not the typical activities within the park, but some unique ones as well.
Located in south Florida, north of West Palm Beach, it is a great place to spend a couple of weeks. Howard and I have camped at this Florida state park during the winter for many years and we truly enjoy each visit.
To see some photos of the park and investigate what other activities Jonathan has to offer, go to the link below.
The dock area, located on the Loxahatchee River, where you can swim, launch/rent a kayak, paddle board and canoe or take a tour of the river with a professional guide. During your river experience you will see gorgeous scenery, historical landmarks, alligators, manatees, herons, osprey, bald eagles and other wildlife.
Guided Tour Boat
Loxahatchee River
Broad walk along the river
A charming swimming hole
Birding opportunities are plentiful…
Above a posing Northern Mockingbird
Great Blue Heron
A beautiful sentinel
No sunset photo this evening, it is raining. Until next time!
What does, a salt dome, pepper pods and a 200 acre jungle have in common? A trip to Avery Island, Louisiana, and a good time!
The salt dome extends eight miles beneath the earth’s surface and its protruding “island” part of the formation rising above the surface is Avery Island.
The pepper pods, obtained shortly after the Civil War, are special capsicum peppers. Seeds from these capsicum peppers, grown on the Island, are exported to Central and South America, where tabasco peppers are cultivated and harvested.
The 200 acre jungle is home to the world’s most beautiful sanctuaries for the preservation and study of flora and fauna. Edward McIlhenny, son of Tabasco sauce inventor Edmund McIlhenny, was a noted naturalist and explorer and decades ago he cultivated what is today called The Jungle Gardens of Avery Island.
Live Oaks and Lazy Lagoons
It all began when Edmund McIlhenny cultivated a crop, invented a product over 125 years ago and founded a company on Avery Island.
As their current day brochure states. Much of the world knows about Tabasco pepper sauce.
McIlhenny Company Tabasco Sauce Brand Pepper Sauce!!
**I want to give credit for the information in this blog to the wonderful writers at Tabasco, I used their brochures in writing this blog.
The Tabasco Visitors Center. I love our flag and here with it are the Louisiana State Flag and the Tabasco flag.
Wednesday, April 2nd we traveled to Avery Island to visit Tabasco. We always have to be conscience of the time we are away from the coach, because of our two beautiful four-legged friends. So when we drove to Avery Island we needed to make a decision on what we wanted to see as we only had time to visit one of two tours. Did we want to tour the Jungle Gardens or take the Tabasco plant tour? It was not a tough decision.
Tabasco factory tours
We decided to toured the Jungle Gardens. What beautiful grounds they have; we could have spent the entire day hiking around admiring these gorgeous gardens and taking photos!
A meandering road through The Jungle GardensLooking for UFO’s or perhaps UFB’s.
The 200 acres of jungle gardens are home to a large collection of some 600 varieties of camellias, including some that McIlhenny developed, along with thousands of azaleas, acres of wildflowers, groves of evergreens, english hollies and wistaria vines, just to mention a few.
The 300 year old Cleveland OakHave you ever driven through a Wisteria Arch?
You can see Live Oak trees through out the gardens.
When I look at this felled tree, I have to wonder how long it lived and how long has it been since it died.
Beautiful Azaleas and lagoons are everywhere
Bees and Flowers
Wisteria Flower
A lovely white Azalea
A bee enjoying a pink Azelea
Twisted Wisteria Vines
Wisteria Arch, Wisteria was first introduced into New Orleans around 1875.
This Live Oak tree is named for Grover Cleveland. He visited the McIlhenny family and this tree around 1891. It is over 300 years old.
The jungle gardens are a birder’s paradise! We made the right decision in taking this tour.
Over one hundred years ago, Edward McIlhenny helped save a beautiful egret from extinction – the Snowy egret. In 1895 when the snowy was being hunted for its plumage, Edward, built an aviary on Avery Island, and then captured and raised eight wild snowy egrets.
For the love of this bird, it all started over 100 years ago. The beautiful Snowy Egret
After they had raised their hatches and were ready to migrate, he released them. The snowy egrets returned the next spring and every spring since.
Today this rookery is fondly called “Bird City” where some 20,000 Snowy Egrets, plus many other species of birds, return each spring to raise their young.
The RookeryAn Anhinga coupleThe Great Blue Heron enjoying The Jungle Gardens
For the love of the Great Blue Heron:
For the Love of Herons
Others also enjoy The Jungle Gardens:
A snoozing little guy!Nature’s ultimate camouflage design at workI Spy
As the time for our departure from Avery Island approached, we stopped at the Tabasco Store to look around. We enjoyed a nice cool cup of homemade ice cream, of course made with Tabasco peppers, sampled some of their flavored sauces and even purchased a few items to bring home. It was another fun day spent in Cajun Country!
The Tabasco Country Store
Side note: On our way down to New Iberia, Louisiana and then out to Avery Island we stopped for lunch at a local place called Landry’s. They serve a different daily lunch to a huge number of hard working folks! The food was delicious!
On this drive we were impressed with the oil and gas related businesses we passed. Thousands of people employed in this industry in numerous small Louisiana towns. From, large oil companies, oil service and training companies, to local support businesses like Laudry’s all employing hard working people.
We should all thank these businesses that supply our oil and gas, and the folks that work in them. It made us happy to see the booming economy in this area, to know that America is rich in oil and gas and that Louisiana is employing lots of people to work in these industries.
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We said farewell to Louisiana, for now, and drove to Beaumont, Texas!
While in Beaumont we enjoyed two full, wonderful days of birding. We met some nice folks from the Houston Audubon Society in High Island and it was a special treat meeting a fellow birder and blogger at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. More on meeting Judy and how we spent these exciting two days later.
We arrived this morning, April 6th, at Stephen F. Austin State Park and we will be here for several days. As I sit here typing I can even count the number of Northern Cardinals we are seeing, so many in one place!
A few scenes from our walk this morning in Rocky Bayou State Park near Niceville, Florida. The weather here has been cold, but the expected rain has been delayed!
ReflectionGreat Blue HeronStream Restoration A habitat once destroyed is coming back to life!This is what the stream currently looks likeAnother viewSheila and Howard being goofy. Standing on the bridge crossing the stream. Looking straight down into the waterGreat Egret fishing in the streamGreat EgretSee ya!A colorful mushroom growing on the forrest floorMoss covered fallen treeBlooming Water LilyBeginning to bloomGreat Blue HeronOur front yard for a few days!Our back yardOur Side View
We enjoyed our day today: an early morning walk through a beautiful forrest; a wonderful lunch at a family restaurant, which opened in 1954; and a visit to the Air Force Armament Museum.
Fighter pilots, flying overhead near the museum, truly entertained me this afternoon during their practice runs. They were flying the new F35 fighter jets! Take off, landing, take off – over and over again! Hopefully my photos came out and I will be able to share with you what they look like!
