850 November 15, 2022 Crane Point Hammock

I took a shorter than usual walk this morning and then put on my swimsuit and headed to the pool.  I took a water aerobics class which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I saw a bald eagle fly over the pool toward the open water.  I stayed at the pool relaxing in the warm sunshine.  After an hour, I needed to move to the shade!

While I was at the pool, Tim walked the bridge.

We went to Crane Point Nature Center this afternoon.  This is a nice place to walk though tropical woodlands.  This preserve also protects the thatch palm.  These trees do not grow anywhere else in the United States.  In 1989 this property was almost sold to developers for houses and a shopping center.

We saw a pair of bald eagles soaring with a bunch of buzzards. 

We saw a couple of these huge spiders.  The first was hanging in a web that stretched across the road above our heads.  Each was larger than 2 inches.

We toured the wild bird sanctuary where rescued birds are rehabilitated and if possible, released.  Some of the pelicans have been in residence for about thirty years.  There is a mating couple.  The female was nesting on rocks.  Each time she lays eggs, they must be removed because the facility is not equipped to handle the chicks and the mother pelican, because of her injuries, is not able to properly care for babies.  The bird carers replace the eggs with rocks and the mother bird happily sits on the nest.

This osprey had been here at the facility for 19 years.

This cormorant is also nesting on a bunch of rocks.

This red shouldered hawk has a broken wing.  There were mice in his food dish but he did not appear to be interested.

We walked the trail all the way to Florida Bay.

There is a tidal pool filled with tiny fish.  I dipped my feet in and enjoyed a fish pedicure.  It was so cool and tickled a lot, especially when the bigger, little fish nibbled! It just made me giggle!

We saw the Adderly House which is the oldest house in Monroe County outside of Key West.  It was built by Bahamian colonists in the early 1900’s.  It was constructed using burnt seashells. 

We walked on the Bahama Trail which was less groomed and made us realize what the hammock looked like a long time ago.

We were hot when we got back to the museum and we got fruit popsicles.

This evening, we walked to the sunset point here at the campground.

We grilled corn and bison burgers for our dinner.  A great ending to a great day!