Fall has finally arrived here in Florida too. Breezy days with moderate chop on the ocean and on the bay. Many days have been bright and gorgeous, others grey and gloomy. Like today when I took my only “proper” walk this week to check on the residents at the salt marsh.

At the first glance the marsh looked empty. Most birds had already taken shelter in anticipation of storms in the afternoon.  But Mama Sandy was perching at the nest. She was turned towards the bay looking intently at something I couldn’t see from the ground.

She greeted me, of course, and I spent some time with her. Then I walked around the marsh to see if anybody else would be at home.

First I spotted the Reddish Egret. He was hunching on one of the little islets, and looked very serious. Like waiting for the rain to arrive. And not in the mood for any entertainment.

Looking carefully into the bushes and trees I saw the Yellow-crowned Night Heron hiding in a tree next to the deep water.

In nearby tree I found a juvenile, maybe his offspring. Another juvenile, a Black-crowned Night Heron, was hunkered down in the shallow water not too far away. After all, there was lots of life at the marsh, but everybody seemed prepared for the rains to come.

The young Muscovy Duck was there too. He had now fully recovered after losing a bunch of feathers a couple of weeks back.

I spotted some egrets and the Moorhen family too, but decided to go search for Papa Stanley. Wanted to make sure he was somewhere nearby and had not taken another vacation. So I walked towards his resort to accompaniment provided by a Northern Mockingbird.

The resort was empty. I crossed the street and walked towards the Sailing Center on the bay side. From afar I could see an Osprey perched on the mast of a sailing boat.

It proved to be Stanley. He was looking towards the salt marsh, and I realized he could see Sandy.

And I understood that Sandy had been looking at him. After what happened last week, he might be under strict instructions not to disappear from sight. Mama Sandy knows what she wants. Her hubby nearby.

Even on a somber day, like today, Mother Nature has the ability to elevate my mood and refresh my spirit.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and hope you too will have the opportunity to spend some time in nature. Peace.