opening day

we scored tickets to the Yankees and Phillies game for opening day of the Yankees spring training.

so we made our way to George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on a blustery blustery day to watch a lackluster Phillies team play the Yankees (who looked marginally better but not brilliant.)

we did see A-Rod hit a home run - so I guess that is probably a one and done thing for those of us who are national league fans and who may never pay the prices they charge to see the Yankees at home...

so just one more reason to stay longer next year--- enough time to see the Cardinals over on the east coast in spring training!

our last days at River Cottage

as our ten weeks draws to a close we are still finding things that surprise us.

the other morning I got up very early to find the river fogged in... but the gift of the pre-sunrise hour was the black and white crowned night heron.  He has a white plume on his head that gives him his name and he is usually a night feeder - just a gift that I got up to find him still feeding across the river due to the late sunrise and the fog.

the river that foggy morning:

 
the night heron (you have to look closely to see the narrow white feather coming out of the top of his head- because the light was so poor) and a closer in view to try to show his crown (it is just like a single white quill sticking out of the back of his head):

two gators swimming in the early morning:

and a white ibis sunning himself as the sun broke the day:

a good view of a turtle (there are a dozen or more of them here) swimming with the small fish right by the dock:

So - my camera is still at the ready and will be for three more mornings - but we are packing and organizing and getting ready to head out- so this might be the last post from your reporting naturalist here on the Braden River.  I have had an absolute blast being here and discovering all the variety that life on the river has to offer an observer of the day to day goings on.