Nature

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A beautiful early morning view

Local couple enjoy a special treat as they drink their morning coffee Mike and Angela Ragsdale enjoyed a pleasant surprise in their backyard on Jan. 10. As they sipped their sunrise coffee, a bald eagle swooped in over the Bay and landed on a pine tree branch in their yard. “He sat there for 30-40 minutes, obviously looking for some breakfast,” Mike said. Mike and Angela live on the Choctawhatchee Bay in Santa Rosa Beach....

Reconstructed fishing pier reopens on Lake Powell

A panoramic view of the western portion of Lake Powell now available to the public The Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council (TDC) hosted a ribbon cutting on Jan. 6 for the newly reconstructed fishing pier on Lake Powell. The fishing pier is located at the eastern end of Walton County on Lake Shore Drive off of Orange Street, north of Inlet Beach. It is is approximately 50 feet in length with a 10×15 ft. deck at the end...

Camellias blooming at Eden

Flowers displaying brilliant color The camellias a popping out in bloom at Eden Gardens State Park in Point Washington. Plants are available for purchase at the State park from The Friends of Eden. On Feb. 11, the Seagrove Garden Club will meet at Eden Gardens State Park to enjoy the blooming camellias. The meeting will feature an expert on the flower, then lunch will follow in the Pavilion. Call Sharon Jenkins 850-231-3584 for more info. Eden Gardens State Park is...

Local naturalist achieves success with bluebird breeding program

2008 season brings 317 bluebird fledglings Joe Wyatt, naturalist at Hammock Bay in Freeport, has been running a bluebird breeding program to increase the numbers of these beautiful indigenous birds. The success has been quite good. In 2008, the program recorded 317 bluebird fledglings, which resulted in a success rate of 77.78%. The program also resulted in 10 Carolina Chickadee fledglings, and 3 Brown-headed Nuthatch fledglings. Joe is looking for Hammock Bay resident volunteers to help with the 2009 program....

Watch for Great Florida Birding Trail signs in the Panhandle

New signs installed in the Panhandle area of trails The 2,000-mile Great Florida Birding Trail reaches another milestone with the installation of the Panhandle section road signs this month. Signs will mark each of the designated sites along the trail. The Great Florida Birding Trail is a conservation program initiated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in response to the rapidly expanding sport of bird watching.  More than 485 exceptional sites throughout Florida have been chosen based...

Eden lights up for the holidays

The historic Wesley House decorated through the holidays One of the most beautiful parks in Walton County sits along Tucker Bayou in Point Washington in Southern Walton County. Large moss covered live oaks, gardens, walking trails and panoramic views of the bayou provide a visual delight for the visitor to this dynamic and historic State Park. The focal point of the park is a newly repainted mansion – the two-story Wesley house with large white columns and wrap-around porch. Originally...

Florida Trail hike at Nokuse

Hike the new Nokuse trail just north of Bruce Take a hike on the newly opened Nokuse section of the Florida Trail on Lafayette Creek  Saturday, January 3, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. Join the Florida Trail Association for a hike on the Nokuse section.  Choose either 3 miles or 9.9 miles.  For more information: (850) 682-6098 or http://choctaw.floridatrail.org...