Day 94: April 3rd – Slow morning on the preserve

Sunny (again), high 80s and calm

       Some days, like yesterday, I end up with so many images that I have all I can do to work through them and find several shots that are suitable for the blog.  Other days, like today, it’s a real effort to find anything out of the ordinary.  We birded all our favorite spots on the Indian River Lagoon Preserve that are normally productive and came up with little other than distant and/or fleeting views of birds, fish, a rabbit, and a lone Buckeye butterfly.  I did find a moss (or so I believe it to be) that was new to me  hanging in the Live oaks right next to the Spanish moss.  I photographed it and have forwarded it to a biologist I believe will be able to give me the lowdown on what this plant is.  In the meantime, I’ll just call it the “mystery moss”.

       Into the third hour of birding the area, we finally spotted a warbler moving about high in the canopy.  It turned out to be a nicely plumaged Prairie warbler.  It took some time and a lot of patience, but the warbler finally came out from behind the foliage of the tree and albeit still high in the canopy, gave me a respectable shot. 

Prairie warbler

     Tomorrow, we’ll be off to Washington Oaks Gardens, an hour or so north of our winter home.  It will be the first visit there this year and in the past it has provided some nice views of migrant songbirds.  One way or the other, the flowers will provide some nice images for tomorrow’s blog.