Things That Fly…..Or Not
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Finishing up Alabama with this post, so I can get to what I’ve been shooting in Florida in the next one. 🙂
Having less than a week in Alabama and then skedaddling out of there for an impending hurricane, I didn’t get much of a chance to explore for birds except from our camp site.
When we ventured out, we were on our bikes exploring Gulf State Park’s 28-mile complex pavement and boardwalk bike/pedestrian paths connected to our camp resort. Hard to photograph a bird going 5-6 mph!
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Gulf State Park paths
Gulf State Park paths
Gulf State Park paths
One path takes you to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf State Park paths
Gulf State Park paths
Gulf State Park paths
Gulf State Park, Alabama
28 miles of entwining paths through 7 distinctive ecosystems
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I only carried my wide angle camera on the bike trips. Stopped one instance to wait for hubby and saw a Rough Green snake in the tree next to me. This is a heavy crop; I was standing back, way back!
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Rough Green snake (look for neon green ‘rope’)
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I came to a sudden stop when this Ribbon snake was laying across our bike path.
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Ribbon snake
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One other snake seen but no photo. More than gators to watch out for, huh?!! 😲
And now my ‘things that fly’ photos. There was an Osprey nearby, loved hearing it call out every day from the air or a tower, warning fly-bys to stay away.
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Osprey chasing below Bald Eagle away
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Immature Bald Eagle staying ahead of the Osprey
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Gulf Fritillary
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Killdeer
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Great Egret
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Osprey at Sunset
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Photos by Donna 
Nice series of images Donna! Enjoyed seeing them!😊
Thank you, Reed!
Such impressive flying bird photos, and scary snake shots!
Thank you, Hien! Just glad we saw no rattlesnakes or cottonmouths. 😉
It looks like such a beautiful park to explore, especially with seven distinctive ecosystems. The gulf fritillary is so pretty!
Thanks Barbara! We definitely want to return just because of the trails. I just know there’s some real good spots in that complex for some pretty awesome sights and sounds! 🙂
Lovely trip with beautiful snaps and writing!
Thank you very much!
Great (again) series. Times like those allow you to forget the chaos around… for the time being.
Thanks Ted! It surely does. We keep to ourselves, even within the campgrounds/resorts, we don’t go to the pool or any get-togethers. I do know one thing, not getting to go out to eat (which we LOVE to do along the water) has made me be a more creative cook in the motorhome! haha 🙃
😂😂. That’s exactly what we miss. Photography is a solo endeavor for us, but we do need to eat. Keeping weird hours meant eating whenever we wanted. Now!!! Things need to be prepared and cooked 😳😳
😊
All beautiful photos as always, Donna! I admire your photography so much. 😎
Thank you very much, John! My smile is a mile wide! 😍
Great variety of sightings in that park! Which looks beautiful. Do you guys have motor assisted bikes?
I’m afraid to try one fearing I’ll just want one so bad! 😀
Thank you, Deborah! Yes, we have Pedego e-bikes. They have assist controls from no help ‘0’ to full assist ‘5’. Then there’s full throttle when you need to get going or get out of the way, lol. I use ‘0’ in the beginning but never go past ‘1’. It’s just the right ‘bump-assist’ to keep me going. Our bikes will go 50 miles on one charge. We’ve had them since January and have enjoyed them immensely. I had a total knee replacement 3.5 years ago, it’s been perfect for my knee rehab and our way of being out in the depths of nature. Hubby’s knees love it too!
Yes, if you try one, you will want one. But, oh, think of the remote nature distances you can go!! 😉
😀 You’re arguments are convincing!
😎
So beautiful photos Donna! I am sure you enjoyed your stay in Alabama 😊
Thank you, Minna, we did! We’ve already talked about when to return next year just for those bike trails to explore! 😊
You have such fun adventures, Donna. 😊
I try to, Irene! 😊
That cycleway/boardwalk looks fabulous. Great photos too! But are those snakes both poisonous?
Thanks, Mike, they were awesome and we hardly ever saw any one. Neither snake is poisonous.
So cool to see your photos! I think we saw a baby green snake on the path, but sadly it was dead 😥 Great post!!
Thank you, Lisa! It is a pretty awesome park for long walks and biking. We’re going to try to go back some day to explore them all, just NOT during hurricane season! 😉
I want to go back too. …but the hurricanes did give us excitement! Won’t forget that vacation!
Great flight shots Donna, looks like a really interesting area to explore. Your electric assisted bikes would be a wonderful for your day trip explorations especially recovering from your past surgery. Glad you escaped the hurricane my friend. It is lovely to see you both enjoying this time in your life 🙂
Thank you very much, Ashley! I love my little red bike. 😊 We are enjoying ourselves during these crazy times. It’s disappointing to explore new areas and drive by some cool little shops and so many awesome restaurants and not stop. Everything is opened, but cases are on the rise. We’re keeping to ourselves. 🙂
I was reading how these bikes are good for post-knee surgery. I am happy to hear that. Fantastic boardwalks to ride along. I think it is in your destiny to have Ospreys in your life.Great that you got to see the immature bald eagle and snakes, too.
Thank you, Jane, for your comments, esp. the Osprey one. 🥰
Nice set, Donna. Snakes and gators, oh my! 😉 It looks a bit like Florida scrub… is it similar?
Thank you, Eliza! Yes, actually one of the ecosystems is a scrub. I was wrong, going to go fix my post, there are nine (not seven) ecosystems within the 28 mile web of trails. They are:
Evergreen Forests
Pine Savannas
Maritime Forests
Dune Ridges / Sand Scrub habitats
Fresh and Salt Marshes
Freshwater and Brackish Lakes
Coastal Swales
Dunes
The Beach and Gulf
We most definitely want to return to explore this region. It is considered one of the best biking trail systems in Alabama.
Nice change of pace, Donna!
Thank you, Carol!
Awesome photos! Always love your bird in flight ones! Keep it up! 🙂
Thank you, I am so happy you do! I love the flight challenge, always practicing….and so thrilling for me when I succeed! 😊
That looks like a terrific place to explore!
Wonderful collection of photographs, Donna. I really like all those birds-in-flight, but the snakes are beautiful, too.
I’m researching that spot in hopes of a camping trip soon!
Thank you, Wally! We really do want to return, we still had so many paths to explore. I was still trying to figure out some good ‘photo’ spots for planned returns with my cameras to stay put for a bit to see what happened. Next time! 🙂
The landscapes, birds and butterflies, wonderful photography!
Thank you much, Belinda!
I read this, then got sidetracked. What a lovely place.
It is nice there! 🙂
Will I ever catch up. Snakes and alligators… despite a plethora of birds, I think maybe I’ll pass! 😦
Your killdeer shot made me realize I don’t think I’ve ever seen one flying! 🤔
There was a lake in the camp resort we’re in in Florida where a 5′ alligator lives. I saw it a few times laying on the grass on one of the camp sites along the lake that had an RV in the site. Like 30′ from their RV door! 😲 We were glad we weren’t parked over there.
😲😲😲
The Gulf State Park looks very inviting – especially with the beach/ocean in the background 🙂
Had never heard of it before & your photos make me want to visit!
I still think about that park and all the miles of paths we didn’t get to ride, having to leave so suddenly. Pretty cool park! Thanks JKB!