Day 23: January 23rd - Canaveral National Seashore

     Sunny and warm 75 degrees

View from Turtle Mound, Canaveral National Seashore

      Canaveral National Seashore is an extensive stretch of pristine beach protected from development and set aside for the preservation of habitat and wildlife.   While I don't consider the refuge the "birdiest" of our haunts, it does have a lot of character.  In the past, the town of ElDora sat along the shores of the Indian River Lagoon and acted as one of the major waystations for the vessels carrying the native fruit north from the many orchards along the river.  Today, a restored building is the only real remnant of this time gone by.  As you walk down the old access road to the statehouse, you pass under the overhanging limbs of the giant live oaks so typical of the part of Florida.  In the spring, the oaks are a favorite haunt of migrating warblers, but during the winter months, this habitat can be pretty quiet.  And so it is today.  

       This is one of the best locations to sight the little armadillos as they forage along the roadside, digging their snouts into the sandy soil in search of bugs and grubs.  A little one we spotted today would occasionally rear up on its hind legs like a begging puppy.

  Their beady eyes serve them poorly and if you remain motionless, they will often walk within a foot of you, paying little heed.  Their platy armor serves then well therefore, so they will roll into a tight ball if threatened by predators.  

       We also spotted a nice close-up osprey perched on a limb overlooking the lagoon.

      He disappeared shortly after I took this shot and swept out over the water, plunging to take a nice fish.  A nearby immature eagle was obviously watching this activity, and quickly flew in to relieve the osprey of his quarry.  This is a scene we see very often down here.  When Ben Franklin fought against the establishment of the Bald eagle as our national symbol for this very reason.  The eagle is more of an opportunistic plunderer than a skilled hunter or at least it would seem so from our observations.

       We'll be heading up to the Halifax River Audubon's meeting later this evening in Holly Hill, FL, so we use cut our trip through the seashore short.  We will return for sure in the near future, however.