A Ten K Day

Friday January 9th.

A 5.30 start for the 10K runners with less wind than yesterday and a temperature of 47F.
It was warmer in bed! That is where the non-runners stayed, but for tomorrow we will all be there for the third race, for the half-marathon.
Howard went round in 1:06 with only slight twinges on his hamstring with Julia making it with a head cold. Michelle said that she was going to run all the way, and she did, in 1:15.59. All three of them ran with the next race in mind and for Julia and Howard the full marathon as well. This is a challenge that requires courage and determination not only for the running, but to be able to battle with the waiting around, the cold and the wind.

BIRD LIST
it was a grey morning with some wind and low temperatures. The grey skies threatened rain and it did for a while. There were no vultures in the air this morning as it was too cold for them with no rising thermals to get them up economically.
Pied-Bill Grebes
Little Blue Heron
Large White Egret
Ducks with yellow bills and orange legs could be Mottled, although they did have the small blue flash like a Mallard. Maybe hybrids? Photographs later
Juvenile White Ibis
On another water, four Large Whites, Little Egret, two Wood Storks and two Moorhens.

Northern Cardinals are frequently seen
Blue Jays too.
Maybe a Yellow-rumped Warbler?
Not a dove or pigeon in sight! I want some sun.

The runners wanted an easy afternoon and because of this an airboat ride had previously been booked at Boggy Creek. Michelle and I have done a similar trip before but the other four had never experienced it. It was a good one and the captain was attentive, knew his stretch of water and took us to the spots that alligators were, but he had to work at it. For me it was birds and I was scanning the sky and trees. The birds of the day have to be SNAIL KITES that only feed on APPLE SNAILS. They are endangered, but at this location we saw at least three perched and flying over us. The best and closest views I have ever had. Such a wonderful sight. Red-tailed Hawks were easily seen.
Our boat captain knew about the bigger birds and he pointed out an immature Bald Eagle perched in a tree and then it kindly flew for us. There were no Ospreys to be seen and it maybe that the Bald Eagles had driven them elsewhere.
Purple Gallinule, Moorhen and Coot were obvious. It will require another trip to view the smaller birds and this we can do.
However Sandhills Cranes were strolling around the car park and and two Mourning Doves were perched on a lamp-post.