What’s your view of the creek?

Jenny, Jemp, and Ellie

This small gator surprised the turtle that had been sunning itself on the creek.

Saw these two otters this morning after they had found a secluded spot for mating

Is it an Alligator Snapping Turtle or Common Snapping Turtle? You tell me. Photo taken in Red Bug Slough, part of the Phillippi Creek watershed.

I heard a big splash out in the creek, so I headed out to see what it was, and was lucky enough to observe this little guy feeding, and making his way up river. 😊

Diet: mostly fish but sometimes water fowl and small mammals
Habitat: they can adapt to various salinities from freshwater lakes to brackish creeks and bays along the Gulf of Mexico
Behavior: they float a few feet below the surface and wait for prey to swim within reach.
Did you know: the fossil record traces their existence to the early cretaceous over a hundred million years ago!

These owlets were born this summer in our mango tree and stuck around for a few months. We lost part of the tree in Irma – hopefully they still come back next spring! This is our third year having owlets hatch.

Roseate Spoonbills in a Eucalyptus Tree Creekside.