Nicole is staying only 2 hours away from Tallahassee this summer, so on her "weekend" she picked me up and we spent two days birding St Marks National Wildlife Refuge along the gulf in the panhandle. We arrived at dawn and as soon as we exited the vehicle, the earth-shaking bellowing of alligators began. When one stopped another nearby would start. We followed their calls past eight different alligators!
Sunset over the gulf.
Upon entering the park the next morning, we were greeted by a fawn and her parents.
We ate lunch at a place we now refer to as the "Six Tern bench". It's a beautiful spot along the river where we found six species of terns, gulls, skimmers, and even our first ever sighting of baby Clapper Rails! They are the cutest little, black puffballs!
And THOUSANDS of fiddler crabs! We loved watching the males do their synchronized waves as the females walked by.
I've heard this frog many times, and finally saw one despite his fantastic camouflage!
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A trip to Wakulla Springs was cut short by lightning. The kids had barely gotten their feet wet when the rain began, as we waited in the visitor center, lightning was spotted, so after a bit, we gave up and headed to the buffet.
A trip to the Orlando Science Center
Before saying goodbye to our family, we had a day of fun with Alecs and Elena. First we introduced the kids to Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline place. They loved it!
Next we went to the local pool where Journey actually swam for the first time and Asher went down his first big water slide! He and Alecs went down it over and over so many times we lost count.
Initially the lifeguard was catching Asher at the end and helping him to the side. He asked if he could try doing it all by himself and he did! I'm proud of him trying new things and learning what he is capable of.
Of course I'm including the cute frog we caught at the house.
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