Birding is priceless

I've come to the conclusion that birding is one of the best therapy by far and having a friend to come along makes it even sweeter and for that I am  grateful.

Today's venue: Gator Hole. My friend Elaine and I did wondered why it was called a "gator hole" since there is no hole, nor were there any gators....for the time being it is a mystery.  It is a Pine forest amidst native wild flowers, scrubs and bushes and even though it is surrounded by heavy traffic - once you get immersed in the experience - the background noise gets forgotten.

Come along and see....

Because of the heat, this time of the year you need to take advantage of the early hours and what better way to appreciate nature than to start with the sunrise.

A few Dragonflies kept us company and we appreciated the fact that there were no other insects to speak of.

We were blessed with many woodpeckers today - other than this Downy, we were gifted the sight of Flickers, Red-Bellies, Pileated and Red-Headed Woodpeckers - very, very sweet!

A Bluebird family made some fleeting appearances and this youngster stayed put just long enough.

One of the Flickers that I mentioned earlier - funny how they position themselves so that they get a clear view position to look at us.

And the Brown-headed Nuthatch - they were whizzing by in little groups, we saw two nests and it was at that moment that my camera decided to retire for the day!!

So, you'll have to take my word that we also saw several families of Bobwhites crossing the trails in front of us as well as this Red-Headed Woodpecker which made quite a few appearances showing us its striking white rump, bright red head and jet black back....what's not to love! All in all it was a great day with many surprises along the way.