We are down in Ft. Meyer Beach, Florida, for the holiday. We left Lansing and it was just nasty. It took twenty hours of driving and sometimes we hit some nasty traffic but it was worth it. Today it was about 70 degrees. The day before Christmas people were frolicking on the beach. I can live with this.
Our driveway right before leaving.
Sitting on I-75
Molly and Lise at Payne’s Prairie, Gainsville.
Ed and Lise at Payne’s Prairie, Gainsville.
Florida isn’t without it’s weirdness. Bromeliads that just suck their nourishment out of thin air. Nasty looking lizards with teeth and an attitude. Ancient looking birds like the anhinga.
Spanish moss, a bromeliads.
Teeth with an attitude.
Anhinga at Ding Darling.
Birding has been pretty good. I’m up to 337 and Lise is at 323. I’m at 96.3% of the year but old man time is at 97.8% of the year. I need to get another 13 species to make the mark.Getting 350 will be interesting, especially with my family fighting early reveille.
Pelicans at Ding Darling.
Great blue heron at Ding Darling.
Probably the craziest thing was finding a razorbill at the causeway to Sanibel Island. These things belong on the open water off Northern Canada. Lise spotted it and we were kind of dumbfounded. Then some other people with big lenses showed up to take pictures. Apparently there is a large flight of these things down here in Florida. Something like 500 flew through Miami. I guess they just want a warmer Christmas too.
Razorbill checking out Florida for the holidays.
Typical sunset over the Gulf. Not something we will ever see in Okemos.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 