Last Hurrah

We really didn't think we'd make it to Florida this year, but as it turned out we had a small window of opportunity, a little less than a week, and we took it. A last hurrah for awhile, so to speak. It was wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun again and visit with Mom, Dad, and also Grandma Rising. We didn't tell Aiden where we were going until we arrived, which worked perfectly- he was so excited for each "surprise" - flying in an airplane (he really didn't care where to) then getting to ride in a new (rental) car and finally arriving at our destination.

It wasn't really warm by Florida standards (60s and low 70s) but I think Aiden spent the entire time in the water. He was so happy to just be out there. No one but Timber wanted to go with him though.

Andy, Mom, Aiden and I did a day's driving tour of the Everglades and saw lots of cool wildlife. Birds, of course, but Aiden was most impressed with all of the large gators.

We also went to a cool Butterfly Conservatory in Key West. There were thousands of colorful butterflies and birds flitting around. Andy went nuts and got some really great photographs of butterflies. Here are just a few below.

It had been really cold (just at or above freezing some nights) for a long stretch before we arrived - 11 days - which was the longest cold snap in at least a century apparently. When we drove through agricultural areas, you could see that all the crops were brown and frost burnt, probably irrecoverably. And even sadder were all the reef fish and animals washed up dead on the beaches. We saw parrotfish, pufferfish, moray eels, angelfish, tilefish, grunts, jacks, and even a green sea turtle lifeless on the beach at Bahia Honda.

Andy and I went on the ultimate birding experience - a trip to STA 5 in Clewiston, FL. STA stands for "Sewage Treatment Area" for those of you uninitiated in South Florida water management. Everyone we told (mostly family and all non-birders) thought it was pretty amusing that spots on the monthly "STA 5" birding trip are highly coveted, since the place is otherwise off limits to the public. We were lucky to get last minute spots since our trip was fairly unplanned to begin with. It was as good as advertised. We saw TONS of wading birds and ducks, including Purple Swamphens, Limpkin, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, and Snail Kites. And it didn't even smell bad.

Wood Storks at STA 5

Sunrise near Clewiston

And the moment of zen... which will have to last us another 5 months til it warms up in NH...