Sebastian/Vero Beach

The final week of our Florida "snowbird" vacation was spent in the Sebastian/Vero Beach area on the Atlantic Coast.  Mrs. T’s cousin and his wife Mary winter in that area and naturally we visited them and did some“outings” together.

One was The Stick Marsh near Fellsmere Florida. It  is  considered to be one of the best kept fishing secrets in Central Florida with its premiere bass fishing. We drove throughout the refuge as well as did some hiking to check out the birds.

On another day Barb and I took an airboat ride through the nearby Blue Cypress Conservation Marshland with Captain Bob.  These unspoiled waters are also perfect way to observe exotic birds, plants, turtles and Florida alligators in their own natural environment. Our tour was  fully narrated by Capt. Bob through a TALK-AROUND HEADSET system which allows two way communication. Capt. Bob, in a highly knowledgeable and entertaining way,   tells you about the birds, plants, alligators, fish and the local history of the area as you glide across the marshlands. The man bubbles with excitement and passion for the wetlands. It was great…..

We saw dozens of alligators of all sizes.

We saw a few Bald Eagles in Florida but many many Ospreys. This is quite of the opposite of southeastern Minnesota where osprey are rare and Bald Eagles have become common along the Mississippi.

While lots of the usual large wading birds were seen, a "lifer" for me was the strangely colorful purple gallinule.

A large relative of the Cormorants, know locally as the "water snake" bird was seen frequently. The Anhinga does look like a snake when swimming though the water submerged with its head and neck visible. All in all we had a great time on both the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.....