Biking at Star Island - March 2/14

This afternoon, we went to investigate an area that we have just discovered this year.  It's called Star Island, and is actually a gated Wyndham Resort.  We boldly cruised by on our bikes, calling greetings to the gate-keeper, and investigated the area.  It's on a small lake called Lake Cecile.  We were fortunate to see a Florida Sandhill Crane, which I guess must be different to the ones we see in Ontario in the summer, because apparently these do not migrate.  She was sitting on a nest.

 
I have to assume that there are no alligators in this lake, because I'm sure if there were they would have got these eggs.  She certainly would not have been able to defend them from an alligator. 

 

As we watched, 3 other cranes flew in, making quite a racket!  It soon became obvious that this was her mate.  Sandhill Cranes are monogamous, and mate for life.  The 2 of them soon put the run on the other two. 

 
 
 
They make a dreadful noise!   

 
 
Mama just checking to see if her eggs were still okay. 

 
 
The proud papa. 

This is a very pretty parasite.  They are a vine that covers trees and sometimes kills them - but really pretty when you sometimes see a whole tree covered with them. 

This cute little bit of fence didn't appear to have any real purpose, but I couldn't resist. 

Cyprus "knees" fascinate me!  They are so strong, they were even poking up through the asphalt path we were biking on.

These colourful houses (9 of them) are actually on the other side of Lake Cecile, on Highway 192, and have been sitting empty for years.  Someone has now begun to do work on 2 of them - don't know what's going to happen now.  Such a shame! 

 We brought thermoses of coffee and books with us this afternoon, enjoyed relaxing on this deck by the lake.