Wed. 7/23/08, Green Cay. 6am, balmy, temp lo 70's, lo humidity, great for walking. The perfect day for the 40th birthday of my daughter, Julie. Very positive vibes.

Dee and I started our walk on the long loop with the continual calls of what I now know to be the language of the stilts carrying across the water. Lots of invisible croaking frogs. Saw very little on the 1st mi around, but upon starting the 1/2 mi loop next to the nature center, at the first hut (covered area), the water to the left was loaded with immature egrets, stilts, a lone young spoonbill and a few small blue herons. It looked as though the adults had established a small nursery for their children and then left them in the care of a wood stork to go off and have coffee with their adult friends. At the second round of the large loop, we saw the adult egrets both snowy and great, gathered in an area usually empty at this time of morning. 5 or 6 adult limkins on railings and in reeds, unusually quiet. At least 8 stilts noted ,some still calling to whoever they call to. We went back to the nursery area one more time at the end of our walk, around 6:45, but the young and their nanny, had moved on .