Thursday 2nd it was 7.30am to 7.30pm door to door. We took Nico’s advice right up to evening time.
WAKULLA SPRINGS was 90 minutes away, but we were there in time for the first boat of the day at 9.40. The source of the spring is 120 foot down and from it flowed crystal clear water. It is a multi-purpose site and it was only the birds for us. It was relevantly quiet but did see a juvenile Blue Heron, Pied Grebes, Purple Gallinules(Moorhens), Swamphen and two Wood Ducks. The stars of the morning were two nesting Yellow-crowned Night Herons and then two waders flew. Enquiries revealed that they were migrating Spotted Sandpipers.
A large privet hedge in full bloom attracted six different species including Monarch. There is work to be done with the photos. We lunched before moving on St Marks National Wildlife Refuge. It is huge and we investigate enough to know that we will back there in the morning. There was a feeder outside reception and this was our first Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They are so small and maybe we will get a better photo tomorrow. The road to the Lighthouse is seven miles long with water either side. We saw our first Belted Kingfisher for this trip, four American Golden Plovers, a resting Willet and Least Bittern squatting in the reads. And another Wilson’s Plover. We knew by now that we would have to come back and spend much more time there. It would take months to do it all anyway.
‘Up the Creek’, in Apalachicola overlooks the river and that is where we sat on the upper deck drinking, eating and watching. Here were Least Terns diving in front of us. Across the water were two Ospreys on a nest with young. Last year they raised three. What a good way to dine.
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