Have You Noticed

**skeetbum** · 02-02-2016, 08:28 PM

It came to mind for me today as I passed a pond that is along my daily travels just how lucky we are to be this far south. Not for the weather, though that is real nice. Nor for the sunshine that the folks up north don't see for many days in a row and we take for granted. But for the migrant bird and fowl species that call Florida home every year. What called this to my focus was a male hooded Merganser and his 3 girlfriends that have been in the same roadside pond for better than 2 weeks now. Funny thing is that the traffic 50 feet away is heavy all day long and it seems they don't notice. This started me looking and not far away was a male Wood duck, one of the most beautiful ever with his coat of many colors. His girlfriends must have been impressed as they weren't straying very far. Closer to the coast, and maybe along the marshy parts of the St.Johns, if you know what to look for are the Teal. Wings beating so fast you would think they were giant Hummingbirds. Pintails, Gadwalls and Canvasbacks are also here for the winter. Some folks I knew were big duck hunters and would get that 1000 yard stare when they started talking about some of the things they had seen while in the blind. You could just see the love of it all in their face. One of the guys Dad carried him in a modified backpack to go hunt ducks over one board bridges and through mud and slop to take him hunting when he was 2 years old. An old Pickup to get there, no boat or fancy blind. Just a few branches cut to give cover and shoe polish on their cheeks to cut down the reflection as they looked up to see them coming in. Having started when he was just out of diapers his Dad made sure that he never missed a season hunting with his Boy until age stepped in and said that he was done tromping through the marshes. The mornings and flurries of ducks they must have seen over the years. Huntinslabs posted a while back that he had Woodies flying all around him on a trip he made up the river. I wish I had been with him that morning. This past weekend I had Great Blue Herons, 2 in different parts of the river, sitting on a nest overhead and making sounds I have never heard them make before and following it with clapping their bill shut 3 or 4 times after every little song. I don't know if it was a defense thing or a call out to a girl or boyfriend. I can tell you that I've been around these outdoors in Florida since 1972 and had never heard it before. Now I've heard it twice in two days in two different locations. What I have spoken of are just the bigger birds that I see, and I know there are countless smaller ones that have also made the trip. We all know and understand that we fish for a lot of reasons, and not all of them have to do with fish. My hope is that this post might awaken someone to lift their head and look around at what surrounds you as we travel here and there doing what we love to do. Enjoy the pics, none of them are mine, and Thanks for taking the time to read this......Skeet.

**huntinslabs** · 02-02-2016, 08:34 PM

We are very lucky indeed. I think thats why we love camping so much. We really have some remarkable and diverse habitats. Not sure about the Blue Herons. I havs heard it many times. I do know that in another month the same ones will come down low and keep you attention off their nests.

**doggone** · 02-02-2016, 09:33 PM

I don't know if you intended this post for just Floridians. But I just wanted to say how much my family has enjoyed our vacations in Florida over the years. We went a lot,we really came to love the St.Augustine area. Though the Emerald coast was a little closer but not by much. I like that breeze off the Atlantic. What would America be without our Florida.

Southeast Missouri is a beast when it comes to weather. Our really nice weather is much too short lived. We are caught in that endless struggle of fronts from North to South without much to shield us. 100 degrees in summer is not that uncommon and best of all in the Mississippi/Ohio valley the dewpoints and humidity are actually higher than New Orleans a lot of days...it's awful. And then of course in the winter we're sure to have at least a few single digit to zero days with a thirty mile an hour wind for good measure.

Your sun intensity though....ouch. And you can keep them jellyfish.

We do have a lot of outdoor opportunities if we ain't flooded ,burn't up or freezing LOL...

**skeetbum** · 02-03-2016, 05:18 AM

In that area of Missouri there are some of the prettiest woods in the country. I delivered to Fort Leonard Wood and was pleasantly surprised at how pretty it was in that area. I saw more Fox Squirrels that day than any other day in my life. They aren't that prolific and they were everywhere. But I am with you about the cold. Bitter when it gets down and stays down a few days.

**Slimjim1** · 02-03-2016, 07:48 AM

Thanks for reminding us to look around.

**Yelim** · 02-03-2016, 03:20 PM

Our world is a beautiful place. I was born and raised in west central Florida. Have fished and hunted this area old enough. Worked in Phoenix for two years and that is a beautiful place also, just different. Spent time in Europe and Viet nam. They are all beautiful, just take time to look.

**specklater** · 02-03-2016, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by doggone

I don't know if you intended this post for just Floridians. But I just wanted to say how much my family has enjoyed our vacations in Florida over the years. We went a lot,we really came to love the St.Augustine area. Though the Emerald coast was a little closer but not by much. I like that breeze off the Atlantic. What would America be without our Florida.

Southeast Missouri is a beast when it comes to weather. Our really nice weather is much too short lived. We are caught in that endless struggle of fronts from North to South without much to shield us. 100 degrees in summer is not that uncommon and best of all in the Mississippi/Ohio valley the dewpoints and humidity are actually higher than New Orleans a lot of days...it's awful. And then of course in the winter we're sure to have at least a few single digit to zero days with a thirty mile an hour wind for good measure.

Your sun intensity though....ouch. And you can keep them jellyfish.

We do have a lot of outdoor opportunities if we ain't flooded ,burn't up or freezing LOL...

I was born in Saint Charles Missouri. I came here with the Navy in 1973 and since then only went back to visit. When I got here it was December and 75 degrees. I said "HOME!" I've been all over but Florida (away from the cities) is in the top 5 for pretty outdoors. I kinda miss the hills sometimes but I can drive up to Georgia when I do. And no state income tax!

**Slab_Slammer83** · 02-03-2016, 05:28 PM

As a casual duck hunter this season was pretty slow, would love to see more birds down here. Has been good in the past though, great variety. Florida has a season for everything. Fishing (offshore, inshore, freshwater), hunting, diving, shrimping, frogging. There's not one day in Florida when you can't scuba dive (you may not want too)! Just incredible. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

**huntinslabs** · 02-03-2016, 06:08 PM

Noticed yesterday on my way home a gobbler with his harem and actively breeding at Gemini Springs red light. Bet early mornings at daylight along the Blue Springs idle zone would be pretty amazing chorus of hens cackling and toms gobbling.

**huntinslabs** · 02-03-2016, 06:09 PM

Oh, and Thank You Specklater for your service!

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