Fall 2009 Florida Birding Migration Action II

Well, it's been more than a week since my return from my Fall 2009 trip along the Great Florida Birding Trail traversing all four of the regions within it.

The Northern Mockingbird above was photographed at Trout Point Nature Trail in November 2009.

The start of the journey led me through and out of the South Region of the Trail into the East Region. From the East Region I entered the Panhandle and then, on the final leg, didn't make a stop other than to fuel the car as I drove through the West Region of the Trail on the way back home. Thus my significant observations within them were limited to only the East and Panhandle Regions.

Regrettably, I have had limited time to present my observations in words and images to you here, let alone review my notes and images taken during the trip.

The Sandhill Crane above was photographed along the Great Florida Birding Trail (East Region) in November 2009.

I have been making progress. I spent much of a day creating the galleries at the pbase site which will serve as a reference for several dozen of the venues visited within the Trail on this trip.

There was certainly too much driving involved in comparison to time spent observing wildlife. I had a very enjoyable time nonetheless.

The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in September 2009.

The Garmin GPS device worked interestingly. I'm sure I would not have taken many of the routes the machine advised otherwise, but it offered an education on the latest our technology has to offer. At one point, I was wondering if the device was working correctly as it led me through some seemingly extremely rural areas.

I stayed at four different chain's hotel/motel rooms along the trip. All were very accommodating and pleasant. This might be explained by the competitive pressure put upon them by the likes of the newest hotels built adjacent to them. The pricing was reasonable at the time of the trip.

The observation of many familiar species of birds was made in my journey with others I've seen before, but rarely. I also caught glimpses of the likes of the Carolina Chickadee, and am optimistic I can crop images taken of such rarities (for me).

The diverse habitats along the way were distinctively evident as were the species that lived within them.

Juggling the great interest I have in my work and that of my hobby results in what you experience here.