Thanks of Giving

Last Wednesday, I got everything ready for Rosana and I to take off for her parent's house in Central Florida. After her half-day at school, we drove up 27 in two cars (her new one, and her old one which her dad is going to try to sell in Venezuela) and made a birding stop in Belle Glade, with the hopes of seeing a SMOOTH-BILLED ANI. At the marina, we came across a LIMPKIN, but no ANI. It has been a while since one has been seen in Florida, so I think their status is questionable.


Rosana's family had a serious immediate family reunion that hadn't happened for a long while. Her parents, both of her brother's and their families, as well as her half-brother were in town for the whole weekend. It was craziness with all of the kids, and general language barriers, but it was a lot of fun. We stayed at her brother Ismael's house about a half-hour away in Auberndale, which gave us a bit of a respite from the insanity.


On Saturday, we went to Bok Tower in Lake Wales with most of the family to check out the gardens. It was pretty nice weather, with some decent bird activity. We got many of the kids as well as Rosana's brother Herman to see a pair of AMERICAN KESTREL in a snag, which they seemed to appreciate. There were also some active PINE WARBLER, BLUE-GREY GNATCATCHER, and BELTED KINGFISHER. But the big draw to the kids were the pair of MUTE SWANS and Koi which they fed.

The weekend mostly consisted of crazy conversations, being sick with a cold, watching almost all of the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing with Charlie the dog, and drinking espresso and beer. Rosana and I left on Sunday afternoon to head down south to Lake Worth to start another chapter of my trip.