Amelia Island, Florida
You say you’d love to join me on a journey to Amelia Island, Florida but you want to: a) skip the long flight there that was b) delayed an hour at departure and c) 90 minutes on the tarmac in Jacksonville waiting for a gate to open up and then d) sitting in the car rental garage as it gets flooded with a foot of water e) due to torrential storms the likes of which I’ve never experienced in my life before f) that had lightning flashing on the hood of my rental car g) as I drove away with about 3’ of visibility, h) forcing me to spend an hour at a truck stop i) pretending to be in line to take a shower j) while experiencing excessive heat and humidity that partnered up to suffocate me as I left k) while getting bit mercilessly by mosquitoes and “no see ums” because I had left my insect repellent packed in my suitcase? You say you’d like to skip that? Well, if sharing this “Odyssey” that rivals any travels of Odysseus (except for the Cyclops – I encountered no Cyclops although the alligators I did encounter sure do look like ‘em) then, by golly, hop aboard because you can get to experience only the (many) good parts of my recent trip to Amelia Island, Florida below.
Joining some photography friends there last month things greatly improved the minute I finally joined my friends for dinner that first night, a mere 2 ½ hours late. That first, but not last, glass of wine never tasted so good!
Amelia Island is an historically rich and picturesque island on the Atlantic Coast of northern Florida almost at the Florida-Georgia border. I, of course, found many new and interesting birds to photograph there as well as other sights of the island. So, grab your beverage of choice and some insect repellent (just to get in the mood) and enjoy my favorite moments there.
Sunrise coming up over the ocean’s horizon is sort of a low-hanging fruit but a sweet one nevertheless not to be missed. My friends Chuck and Nancy, who live just down the coastline, were hosts and knew of some out-of-the-way locations that demanded our cameras. I obliged. (As always, please click on any image to enlarge for better viewing)
Above - Sunrise at Black Rock Beach was gorgeous that morning
Above - Sunrise at Black Rock Beach from another vantage point
Above - We were hoping to see horses go by on the beach this morning but had to “settle” for just the sun and pier
Not to be ignored, sunset also made its presence known, including this spectacular one I was totally unprepared for and had to snap with my cell phone.
Above - I was totally unprepared for the post-storm sunset at the harbor but my cell phone came through anyway
My beloved birds were everywhere. I had hoped to find at least one Anhinga, a bird resembling our Cormorants, plus a Black Skimmer and a Roseate Spoonbill. Two out of three was a good percentage, leaving out only the Anhinga for another time. We found a pond named “Spoonbill Pond” and took a wild guess we might find, uh, Roseate Spoonbills there. We were right!
Above - This is a Roseate Spoonbill perched in Spoonbill Pond. You can see how this bird it gets its name.
Above - Roseate Spoonbill in flight late evening
Here’s a short video I posted to YouTube that shows the beauty of Roseate Spoonbills as well as a bit of, uh, “bathroom humor” (sound up)
The pond was a goldmine for other birds as well.
Here are some other birds I found on the Island.
Of course, birds weren’t the only non-human creatures on the island. The Egan Creek Trail exposed us to a couple of alligators along the way, both seemingly eyeing us for flavor content. I wasn’t too worried. Here in Colorado, we always say you never have to outrun a bear, just at least one other person in your group. As the gators eyed me, I eyed my hiking partner Nancy and determined I could outrun her. Sorry Nancy, love ya but…
And that’s a wrap on a great trip. Next time bring on the Cyclops – I’m feeling confident - assuming I can still outrun my friends.
(Big thanks to Chuck and Nancy Palmer for being such great hosts and having my wine ready at dinner. And don’t worry, Nancy, I’d have called 911 while running away)
Above - Me, Nancy and Chuck Palmer at Black Rock Beach
Feel free to leave any comments or questions below. I always enjoy reading or answering them.