In the two weeks we have been at the Titusville Municipal Marina we have come to appreciate what is truly special here. And it's not just the dog park. All day Christmas Eve the boat was surrounded by manatees snorting and diving and playing. Dylan spent hours hanging over the edge and quickly learned to recognize the bubbles followed by the circles in the water that meant a manatee was about to surface. I don't know which was more fun to watch, the manatees or Dylan. Just walking to the grocery store or dog park I pass dozens of wood storks a threatened species of bird, but apparently not in Titusville. There's something abundant here that is becoming increasingly difficult to find elsewhere - simple natural beauty.
We were fortunate to meet Ron who runs a variety of kayak tours in the area and he invited us to an annual Christmas morning tradition, birding in the Merritt Island National Refuge. At 8 am in the nearby Burger King parking lot, we met the group and headed over. Luckily there were many in the group who were serious birders or I would not have known how many different species I was seeing. It was spectacular!
Did you know that Titusville is the home of the largest birding festival on the east coast? We had the privilege of spending Christmas morning with several of the founders on Merritt Island.
Mid-morning we stopped and enjoyed the many goodies we had brought plus Mimosas. Then driving out of the refuge we spotted a large gator sunning himself. We are so thankful that this group of old friends included us and made us feel at home.
The afternoon was spent with the kids who unfortunately missed the birding adventure despite promising they'd be good - yeah right. Everyone cuddled for a nap and before we knew it, it was time to go to the dog park which was full of dogs even on Christmas.
The turkey is about to come out of the oven and we still have It's A Wonderful Life to watch on DVD. The kids love a movie night.
The whole crew wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas!
Karen, Jeff, Dyna, and Dylan
2 comments:
You are in a haven of wildlife. Every year we travel past bird island just north of Titusville, there are a plethera of birds. The captain will slow the boat somewhat so I can catch a snapshot of the Roseate Spoonbill. When we went on a tour of the Space Center, we spotted several large eagles nests just across the road in the large trees. Titusville is one of our favorite stops just to appreciate the marvels of nature!
Our tour bus driver at the Space Center said they have the largest eagle's nest in the US and slowed so we could see it. They think it's over 40 years old and that the current nesting pair has been there for 20+ years. It is so beautiful here!
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