Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) live in Michigan year-round, with both migratory and resident populations, but I don't see them as often as I would like. Their elegant gray plumage brightened by red wingtips and yellow-tipped tailfeathers is very attractive. A flock of them enlivened Kalamazoo College's campus this week.

University of Michigan has more information on cedar waxwings.

Kalamazoo on Ice

Sunday night's ice storm transformed Kalamazoo into a glossy winter wonderland. Every twig, bud, pine needle, and seedhead was encased in ice. Fantastically beautiful in places.

Of course, the ice covered roads, making travel dangerous. The storm also knocked down powerlines throughout the area. A couple of days without heat or lights makes you appreciate how much we depend on the grid. Our power was restored after 60 hours.

River Oaks County Park (Winter)

When I went skiing at Prairie View Park I bought a season pass good at all Kalamazoo County Parks. Their website said nearby River Oaks County Park had 4 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails, so I decided to visit. (I went on a really cold afternoon before last week's thaw.)

At River Oaks, I didn't see any evidence of a groomed trail. I didn't even see tracks from previous skiers. I don't know if there had been a policy change, restrictions because of the oil spill, equipment problems, budget cuts, or some other issue. Except for the plowed driveway and parking lot, it was hard to see evidence of any park use.

The snow did show tracks of squirrels, wild turkey, deer, and other wildlife and the views of frozen Morrow Lake were memorable. The unbroken snow was decent for skiing. At the western end of the park, past all the soccer fields, I did find traces of another skier and following those tracks through the woods was much faster than breaking trail. The trail I was on followed the edge of the park property, passing behind Bell's Comstock brewery.

While it wasn't what I'd expected, it still made a nice winter outing.


River Oaks County Park
9202 East Michigan Avenue (M-96)
Galesburg, MI 49053

Audubon Field Guide to Florida

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida
by Peter Alden, Rick Cech, Gil Nelson
1998

Florida's flora and fauna are so different from Michigan's that I regularly see unfamiliar birds, trees, and wildflowers. Several years ago I bought this compact field guide for my occasional visits to the state.

It's an excellent book that provides brief descriptions and glossy photos of over 1000 living things in Florida, from Longleaf Pines (Pinus palustris) to Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) to Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).

An introductory section gives an overview of Florida's topography & geology, its major habitats, and the night skies. Then comes the heart of the book, almost 300 pages devoted to individual species. The book concludes with a section on Florida's Parks and Preserves that describes dozens of sites in each region of Florida, with color photos and regional maps.

I recommend this guide highly.

Available fromAmazon and other booksellers.

This post is part of a series on Florida's Gulf Coast

Ibis

The White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) has a very distinct curved bill. Whenever I see them I feel I'm in an exotic landscape, even if they're just flying over a Walgreens.

Ibises use their curved beaks to dig crustaceans, insects, and other small animals from under the mud.


This post is part of a series on Florida's Gulf Coast

Myakka River State Park

Myakka River State Park, southeast of Sarasota, is one of Florida's largest state parks with an interesting mix of forest draped with Spanish moss, marshes full of wading birds, and open water.

There are nearly 40 miles of trails in the park, the longest ones open to overnight backpacking. One short nature trail leads through the trees and palmettos to a Canopy walk, a wooden bridge suspended 25 feet high that lets you see the ferns and epiphytes growing on the branches of mature oak trees. The suspension bridge leads to a tall tower, with an observation deck above the tree tops.


A concession area on Lake Myakka, an impoundment of the Myakka River, offers a snack bar, gift shop, picnic area and boat tours of the lake. They also rent canoes and kayaks. I've enjoyed seeing anhingas drying their wings at the lake's edge and alligators are even more impressive from a kayak.


Myakka River was selected for National Geographic's Guide to US State Parks. Floridian Nature also has information on the park.

Myakka River State Park
9 miles east of I-75 at
13208 State Road 72
Sarasota, FL USA 34241

This post is part of a series on Florida's Gulf Coast

Anhinga

For some reason, Anhingas (Anhinga anhinga) are one of my favorite Florida birds. While they don't have the colorful feathers of the Roseate Spoonbill or the elegance of a Snowy Egret, their strangeness appeals to me. Anhingas are fish-eating birds and excellent swimmers. Their long snake-like neck lets them snap up their prey. Apparently they are graceful fliers, but I typically see them at water's edge with wings spread to dry their waterlogged feathers. I've only seen them underwater a couple of times but their quickness in the water impressed me.


This post is part of a series on Florida's Gulf Coast