Tranquility

I am happy that in the middle of the hassle of moving, getting people to clean and paint today (3rd December 2022, my Guatamalan, nature loving friend Rosa, called to tell me she was going to Wakodahatchee Park to look at the birds.

You know me. Just say outdoors and I am there!

So, I told her give me two hours. 

Thankfully she did and it was a really a great afternoon. 

The Wakodahachee Wetlands, opened in 1996 are in Delroy Beach, Florida. 

It has a three-quarter mile boardw​alk that crosses between open water areas and islands with shrubs and snags to foster nesting and roosting.

 This site is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and offers many opportunities to observe birds in their natural habitats. 

Over 178 bird species have been identified there, along with turtles, alligators, rabbits, fish, frogs and raccoons and the words that come to mind are peace, beauty and tranquility. 

 I had the feeling I might have been there before with a Meet Up group, but nothing quite rung a bell. But I did, for I found the blog I did on that visit. 

Joan, my views: Alligator mating call (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

Anyway this is the type of place you visit over and over again if you can. 

In fact we met a retired federal officer who is an amateur photographer and he admitted he had been visiting this park for 47 years! 

We thought this stork was a dried branch! Great camoflage

I suspect he is not the only one, since all around you see dozens of photographers, amateur and professional, toting huge expensive cameras,  just hoping to get that special shot!

This is not just a place for leisure seekers and bird watchers though, for it is reported that each day, the Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated wastewater into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, which in turn acts as a percolation pond, returning billions of gallons of fresh water back into the water table.

For us though, it is a place to enjoy nature and find peace and tranquility.

A colorful iguana

A tree covered with storks

George, the Park's mascot!