Author Archives: Julie Dodd
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
A walk at Sweetwater Wetlands Park offers a great way of observing wildlife. Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, a Killdeer, Anhingas, Sandhill Cranes and Moorhens were some of the sightings on a morning walk. A Killdeer sat on her nest on the gravel path. The area was marked off with cones and barricade tape […]
Baltimore Oriole bathing
An advantage of washing dishes is being able to watch the birds that come to the birdbath outside the kitchen window. A wide variety of birds visit the birdbath for a drink or a bath — cardinals, mockingbirds, chickadees, catbirds and brown thrashers are some of the regulars. Sometimes I get to see migrating birds, […]
Blooming azaleas
I’m enjoying the azaleas on a lovely morning. The sun is filtering through some of the blooms. Occasionally I can hear — and then see — bumblebees flying from blossom to blossom. A light breeze is blowing. Birds are singing, and the Sandhill Cranes just flew overhead. Hope my photographs of the azaleas will add […]
Cedar Waxwings and Robins feast on palm berries
Every winter, I look forward to the possibility of the arrival of Cedar Waxwings as they migrate. They visit to re-fuel on berries. Sometimes that happens, and sometimes it doesn’t. When I saw red berries on the Holly and ripe berries on the Sabal Palm in the yard, I was hopeful. I charged the battery […]
Grand Canyon Celebration of Art
Imagine creating a painting of the Grand Canyon. You must decide which section of the massive canyon to paint. You must mix the colors to create the range of hues you need to capture the multi-colored layers of limestone, sandstone and shale and the blues of the sky. Now imagine that you aren’t painting in […]
Volunteers play key role in protecting sea turtles
Inspired by the celebration of World Sea Turtle Week, I’m sharing photos of volunteers monitoring sea turtles on Sanibel Island. The photos illustrate the important role that conservation organizations and volunteers play in protecting sea turtles and educating the public. The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation monitors 18 miles of beach, from the Sanibel lighthouse to Redfish […]
Cedar Waxwings arrive
When the berries on the holly tree in my yard are ripe, I start looking for the Cedar Waxwings. Some years the Cedar Waxwings don’t come to town. The timing of ripe berries in the trees doesn’t coordinate with the migration of the Cedar Waxwings. Sometimes the Cedar Waxwings do arrive, but you can miss […]
Azaleas in bloom
Azaleas in bloom make this a beautiful time of year in North Central Florida. I want to share some of the azaleas I saw during a walk today. For those of you still facing snow, ice and cold temperatures, I hope Spring soon will arrive for you.
The Beasts celebrate Catalan culture
We were looking at the artwork displayed in Placa del Pi, a neighborhood in the old section of Barcelona, when we heard the music. That distinctive Catalan music with drums and the somewhat shrill sound of grallas, a double-reed woodwind instrument. We hurried into the narrow streets to join the crowds (this was in pre-pandemic […]
Summer hiking – carry enough water
Water. That is one of the most important items for a successful hike – especially in the summer. Whether I’m hiking in the Grand Canyon or the Smokies, I’m amazed — and concerned — to see so many people carrying little or no water. A couple or a family may have only one 16-ounce bottle […]
Julie Dodd 