Biking in Hollywood

This is the scene that greeted me as I looked out the window today - awesome!  We got ready and headed out on the bikes, down the broadwalk.

We rode down through the John U. Lloyd State Park, which goes all the way to the Fort Lauderdale Port and outlet from the intracoastal to the Atlantic Ocean.  At the boat launch, we came across some people who had been out fishing and were cleaning their fish.  This one is a tuna - not the kind we get in cans apparently.

As they cleaned the fish, the scraps were thrown into the water, where some pelicans were waiting to snatch them up.      These are brown pelicans, the most common in Florida.

This fellow got lucky!

This one is a juvenile brown pelican, and the adults really didn't want him around - kept chasing him away.

This is a type of Mangrove - I think it is the Red Mangrove, because it has it's roots in the water.  Mangroves live along the coasts of Florida.  They can't take freezing, so they are mostly in the south, in salt or brackish water (like in the intracoastal).

It was another really hot day, and we were glad to find a shelter in the park to eat our lunch.  With the breeze and shade it was very pleasant!

After lunch, we went for a nice long walk on the beach in the park.

We found a nice shelf of sand that was just the right height for a rest.

I love watching these little fellows run on the sand.  As the waves retreat, they follow them out, sticking their beaks into the sand for whatever it is they like to eat.  Then as the waves come in, they run like crazy so their feet don't get wet!

I thought this was an unusual looking sea bird.  He has an all-black head, and is really quite pretty.

Pelicans often fly in bunches like this.  It's cool to watch them as they all flap their wings at the same time, and then soar at the same time.

We took the intracoastal waterway part way back home.  Part of it has a boardwalk, and this little blue heron was perched on the rail.

The little blue flew over to the shore and walked beside what I think might be black mangroves, whose roots are not IN the water.

It was a beautiful day for sailing, since it was quite windy.  There were a lot of boats on the water today.

Ice cream on the broadwalk on the way home was welcome!

Apparently the mockingbird imitates other birds' cries.  I don't know about that, but they sure do sing their hearts out!

I'm sure by now you are "getting" why I love it so much in Hollywood!