Geoff Fox: My Permanent Record
Back when I was in school teachers would always scare me with stories of how my exploits would end up in my permanent record. I believe this is it! – Geoff Fox
He really doesn’t care that I’m there. His life is lived in close proximity to the humans who visit every day.
Almost forgot. While walking the boards at Wakodahatchee Wetlands I had the opportunity to meet some cormorants. Through generations of evolution they’ve learned not to fear humans. At the Wetlands we are not predators.
The bird in this video (shot on my cellphone) is as close as he looks. He really doesn’t care that I’m there. His life is lived in close proximity to the humans who visit every day.
Thankfully, in spite of their department head approved write-up, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a must see treasure! A boardwalk snakes over the swamp which is loaded with birds and varmints seemingly living in peace and harmony.
It’s impossible to understand the natural beauty of the Wakodahatchee Wetlands when all you get is the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department prose.
Every day, the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department’s Southern Region Water Reclaimation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated water into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. By acting as a natural filter for the nutrients that remain, the wetlands work to further clense the water.
Traditional methods for disposal of treated wastewater have included deep injection wells or ocean outfalls. More recent emphasis has been placed on highly treating and reclaiming wastewater. The Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department is a pioneer in the fields of wastewater treatment and reclaimed water distribution for irrigation purposes. The Wakodahatchee Wetlands are yet another example of the Department’s innovative and forward-thinking management philosophies.
Whatever.
It’s swampland. Treated waste water is piped into it. Nature flourishes.
Thankfully, in spite of their department head approved write-up, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a must see treasure! A boardwalk snakes over the swamp which is loaded with birds and varmints seemingly living in peace and harmony.
With my friends Alyce & John and Ira & Merrill (plus three DSLRs) we set out to see what we could see.
This is probably going to be my last entry concerning the Florida trip, and the one I least anticipated before I went to visit my folks.
I had played golf Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. By Friday, my dad was a little sore (I was too) and he begged off. It was a lazy day – very quiet around the house. By early afternoon my mom had asked if I wanted to go to Wakodahatchee.
Sure… except, what is it?
Wakodahatchee Wetlands¹ is a man made nature preserve in suburban Palm Beach County. If I understand correctly, it is the product of heavily treated waste water (I’m sure heavily treated and clean are two very different words) which is released into a number of manufactured environments.
The actual wetlands were built to allow for a number of different wet habitats. With no human encroachment, the wildlife is varied and flourishes.
For humans, the treat is the 3/4 mile long boardwalk which winds its way through the preserve. The afternoon we went, it was moderately busy. I would guess there were at least 100 people on the boards.
My luck was stumbling upon a ‘prosumer’ photographer. He had a substantial Nikon film camera with a long lens. He stood and shot, watching two blue herons building a nest high in a tree. I’m not sure I would have notified them had he not been so intense.
I took his cue and pulled out my Fuji S602Z. This is a great camera – the best I’ve ever owned. It can be used as a point and shoot camera, but what a waste. Its manual controls allowed me to preset for the shots I wanted, especially with the herons, where I made sure the shutter speed was fast and that I could burst 5 shots in rapid succession with the lens zoomed in fully.
That afternoon, I took some of the best shots I’ve ever taken. I’ve put together an album in my online gallery.
My recommendation (if you have high speed access); use the slideshow mode for the first 6 or 7 images (at least). The sequence with the heron arriving at his nest is really captured well.
¹ – The official Wakodahatchee Wetlands website hasn’t been updated in over 2 years. A real shame.