I often wander the Haney Creek North section but a few days ago I finally explored “East” shown on the map above highlighted in yellow. It’s located in Stuart, Florida north of the St. Lucie River.

A trail leads away from the pull-off area along Dixie Highway.

We can thank Stuart City Commissioner Jeffrey Krauskopf for helping save this land from development. There is a freshwater marsh on the right hand side here, and brackish swamp with mangroves on the other.

An Osprey rested on top of a pine tree.

Enjoy this good bird news: Ospreys Have Made a Remarkable Recovery

Blue flag? It used to bloom by our New Hampshire pond in spring. I didn’t know it grew in this part of Florida.

Boardwalk with plenty of cautionary signs.

Got a good look at a young Little Blue Heron. Yes, they start off as Little White Herons.

Little white.

Maple? Also haven’t noticed that around here. Maybe swamp maple… which also grew by our old pond 1400 miles north of here.

Palm Warbler in the trees.

Unless you live in Canada, spring, fall, and winter are your best times to see Palm Warblers. They spend the winters in the Caribbean and in a narrow strip along the southeastern United States and occasionally along the West Coast. They’re a fairly common early migrant across much of the East, reaching New England by mid-to-late April. They start slowly heading south in late August.

Weedy fields, forest edges, and scrubby areas are great places to look for them during migration and winter. Look through groups of birds foraging on the ground—they’re often with sparrows, juncos, and Yellow-rumped Warblers—so watch for their characteristic tail wagging to pull them out of the crowd. They also forage in low shrubs and isolated trees in open areas, where they sometimes sally out for insects like a flycatcher. Palm Warblers typically aren’t skittish, so if you find one, you should have enough time to get a good look.

I like the way the light hit the bird’s eye in this shot.

Also spotted a Downy Woodpecker, near the southern end of its range too.

View walking back on the boardwalk over freshwater.

Great Egret.

Great Blue Heron, with “civilization” beyond.