Red Dragon Fly

I have liked Dragon Flies for as long as I can remember. In the past I would just marvel at how well they fly. Plus I like the buzzing sound they make. I saw at least 3 different (Colors) kinds of Dragon Flies on this day. This was the only one willing to have his picture taken. Which was a good thing because I don't think I have ever seen a red Dragon Fly before.

I spotted this Red Dragon Fly sitting on this branch. I lifted my camera up to take a picture and off he flew. I set there for a minute looking around and he came back and landed on the same branch. I was able to take a few pictures before he flew off again. 

My Ride is waiting

Black and White Wednesday

My canoe is patiently waiting for me to carry the rest of my gear down to the dock and get in the boat. The water was very dark. I could not see below the surface at all. There was a ton of run off coming from the woods. The current is running from the left to the right in the picture. 

This is a view looking up stream. I usually go either upstream or upwind first. That way if there are any problems you can drift back towards where you started from. Also the second half of your trip is easier. The only hard thing is timing your trip. Paddling upstream takes a lot longer then paddling and drifting back. 
As I stated earlier I can't wait to try this creek again. I will wait till the weather is cooler. I think it will be a nice day trip. 

Stay tuned....

Thomas Creek , Jacksonville

Today I thought I thought I would try out a new place. I have been looking for some places that are closer to my house. That aren't lined with houses on both banks and actually have some wildlife to see. I heard about this creek and thought I would give it a try. It amazes me that you can drive for 30 minutes on I-95 with no traffic and still be in the city. This is a city park located off Lem Turner out by the airport.  There is a boat ramp and a small dock. The water was pretty high and still flowing out of the woods. This is rain we got from Hannah last week. I could tell the water was at least 3 feet higher because of all the trash caught up in the trees. I also had to paddle through 3 trees that had fallen down into the water.  

I usually don't take pictures with the car in them but the view is very nice. I picked a nice shady place to park the car. It was worth carrying my canoe and stuff the extra 10 feet to get back and still have the car parked in the shade.
I spent most of the trip chasing the birds down the creek. I don't think the birds are used to seeing boats, or people. As soon as I would come around a bend the birds would spot me and fly a little further upstream. The other thing working against me was the water levels are still very high so the birds and other wildlife is able to stay further back in the woods making it harder to spot them. There were 4 Ibis in this tree. They were up high enough so they felt safe and stayed put.
King of the world.

After paddling over a tree that was spanning the creek I spotted this lizard on the front of my boat. He rode for a few minutes until I paddled over close enough to the shore line. Were he abandoned ship. He did look back and smile at me before jumping ship.

Thomas creek was a nice paddle. It is only about 45 minutes from my house. I can't wait to try it out this fall when the water level goes back down to normal levels and some of the foliage dies off. I imagine there will be a lot more to see.

DragonFlys

I have been seeing Dragon flies all spring and summer. They are usually seen darting over here and darting over there. They are excellent fliers. These 2 were taken on the Wacissa River the last time I was there. This big Blue one landed on my life jacket. I thought it was interesting that he would land on the blue part of my jacket. Anyway he stayed there long enough for me to take a picture. Now if I could have just gotten him to pose a little longer and maybe a shot from the top. 

I am pretty sure this one was laying eggs. I can imagine this is a dangerous activity for a Dragon Fly. I can imagine this Dragon Fly looking over her shoulder looking for a fish coming up looking for lunch. This one did get away clean. And hopefully we will have another crop of baby Dragon Flies to watch next year.
This is a piece of my woodturning that was inspired by the Dragon Flies I have been watching. The vase is made from Winged Elm (Thanks Florida Exotic Woods) This wood is very heavy. The logs this came from took 2 people to lift. It is a nice wood to work with and has a nice grain pattern. The piercing of the Dragon Fly was drawn on by hand. I did some wood burning to the lip of the vase to add some texture.
Enjoy,
 

Black & White Wednesday

These pictures are from my recent trip to the Wacissa River. These were all converted from color to Black and White in Photoshop. I came across this Moorhen standing in these cattails. He was standing still like he was hiding, Maybe if he stood still enough I would not see him.

This Great Blue Heron was hanging out on the river taking in the sights. He had a nice perch on this log. 
This Snowy Egret was running around on the weeds looking for lunch. He looks so skinny in this picture. These birds are so light they can walk around on the weeds looking for their meals.
Enjoy, 

Peace
  

Another day another Deer

Don't let the title fool you it isn't every day you see deer swimming across bodies of water.I have been fortunate enough to see 3 of them so far. This is out of the about 100 days I have spent on the water canoeing so far. 

This one saw me coming and picked up speed going across the river. I managed to get this one picture of it leaping onto the show and then disappearing into the thick woods that line the shores of the Wacissa River. Each time I see a deer I am thankful, and when I see them swimming I am very thankful. I will keep going down to the river and keep my eyes open. 

Peace
 

More pictures of birds actually doing stuff

I came upon this Great Blue Egret striking this weird pose. I came to the conclusion that he was drying his wings. After emailing Peggy from Paddle tales she confirmed that he was doing just that. This bird looks about 3 feet tall and it was just the oddest pose. 

I then spotted this Snowy Egret running around on the weeds. He would sink down slightly and have to flap his wings to continue on. It was quite entertaining to watch. Eventually he settled down and went back to the business of fishing.
This Green Heron was standing on this little log that was poking out of the water. He must have been bored with the fishing because he started grooming himself. I thought the way his wing was down was interesting. I either see these birds fishing or flying. So it was interesting to see his wing partially extended. 
I spent more time with each bird this time and I think I got some better pictures. The weeds on the Wacissa make this a little easier as you can kind of park on the weeds. Getting across the weeds can be challenging as well. They slow the boat right down and even paddling becomes a chore.