I worry about Sandhill Cranes, as I worry about almost all of Florida’s wildlife – except maybe the gators. Alligators creep me out, and they don’t have much except for man that can kill them. And even then, special permits are needed, and the capturing is not easy, as you can imagine. But they all came first and lived in this swampy jungle which is disappearing minute by minute.
Animals that depend on land and clean water to live are quickly running out of both in the Sunshine State. In the photo below we had two lots full of trees and “wilderness” next to us when we first moved into our house – that is the greenery in the top of the photo. Now both lots have been cleared – completely, big oaks and all – to put up 2 new houses. It’s the Florida way.
Adult and 2 juvenile Sandhill Cranes in my front yard
I took the short video below to capture their “talk” as they walked through my neighbor’s yard.
Nosey Sandhill Cranes, walking past
Often you can hear the cranes coming because they are loud. Sometimes they silently stroll through the yard. We had dragged the kayaks out for a cleaning and I think the cranes were curious as to what we were up to. The three of them walked right up near the house even though we were outside! My son took some video.
One day Floridians will no longer get to see these beauties. I like to imagine what Florida was like before people came here. It was a wild swampland full of strange, beautiful and deadly creatures. People are “taming” it into something unnatural, which it was never meant to be.
See a Sandhill Crane Nest and Babies (One Hatching)
The photographer and blogger at Cat and Turtle wrote and photographed Sandhill Cranes on their nest with a baby and one hatching.
Whenever vacationers come to stay at your rental home, one of the first things they look for is information. Even local visitors will need information about the house or condo or apartment and everything should be in one easy to find place. Most renters use a binder or notebook where rules and regulations are easily found. The rental binder should be in plain sight when the guests arrive. The kitchen countertop is an excellent place to leave your welcome binder!
Avery Mini 1″ Binder
8 in. square blank notebook
Blank, lined notebook, add your text
What to Include in a Guest Welcome Binder
If you have customized a binder or notebook, like the ones I sell in my Seashells by Millhill store, the name and address of the dwelling may be printed right on the front. It is important for visitors to know the address in case of an emergency and they shouldn’t have to hunt for it. The same goes for emergencies that could happen while they stay at your place. Even the nicest spots can have a water leak or malfunction. Leaving as much information as possible to make it easy for guests to address these problems will be appreciated.
Leave contact numbers for the local property manager, if you, the owner, are not local. If there is no manager, then you as the owner should be the one to take care of the issue, day or night. These days everyone has a cell phone so contacting a property owner or manager should be very simple.
Definitely make your name and contact information the top priority, and / or that of your property manager.
A welcome letter is nice to include which wishes guests a pleasant stay. Rules can be part of this letter without it sounding too bossy, or list rules on a separate sheet of paper. The welcome letter is better off used to tell guests about some of the best aspects of the house and / or the location. Some favorite local spots and restaurants could be listed, or the best times of day to head to the community pool.
This may seem old school, but a map of the area showing grocery stores, restaurants, and beach rental equipment would be nice. Remember that every guest may not use Google Maps! At the very least, a list of local places the guests will probably need to visit is necessary.
Where I live, drive on beaches exist and information about cost, times of access, or alternative parking and walk on information would be good to include for anyone visiting. Any condo rental that is not situated right on the beach will mean that guests have to either walk or drive to the beach. Don’t make guests figure this type of thing out for themselves. They will appreciate knowing what the locals know.
Walk on beach access ramp
Vacationers May Like to Support Local Businesses
Assume that your guests know nothing about the area. List local events, that you yourself may like, where visitors will feel like they are part of the community, or are supporting locals. Touristy shops won’t be so hard to find, but information about local happenings, such as a Farmer’s Market might be appreciated.
Vacationers may like to visit a local Farmers Market
Think Like a Visitor
You may never hit all the marks, but trying to think like a clueless visitor might help. The basics should be covered, like closest grocery store, hospital or medical emergency center, gas stations, and liquor stores (haha). You will probably add onto your list as time goes on and visitors give helpful feedback.
Your renters may come in all ages, so don’t assume that everyone will be tech savvy. When I am faced with three controllers to work the TV I begin to stress out! Leaving concise directions to anything that may pose a problem will be greatly appreciated. Try to think outside the box to the extent that nothing will be questioned.
How do I work the dang TV?
Typical Needs and Sights to See
Where will I find food? Either groceries or take out options need to be addressed. A list of local favorite eateries, coffee shops, bakeries, and fresh seafood, etc., would be helpful.
I’m staying near the ocean so how do I get the most out of that? List access points, whether by car or foot and give times when lifeguards are on duty, if they are. A tide chart or app suggestion might help too.
What is there to see that I should not miss? Every guest will have different interests, so cover all the local basics. For instance, near my location is the Daytona Speedway, so obviously I would list it as a place to visit. But by listing less obvious, but just as interesting, places to visit give guests a good idea of what is available. For instance, there is a lighthouse nearby to climb, and a park with a walking trail. They will appreciate your effort even if they plan to stay at the rental all throughout the vacation!
What can I do on the water? This post is written with oceanside rentals in mind, so wouldn’t your guests like to know about water excursions? Be sure to mention boat rentals, tours, fishing charters, or walking trails that wind around the water. If your rental allows dogs, list any dog parks nearby.
Dogs having fun on a dog beach
The Logify site has a page with lots of information about creating a “Perfect Vacation Rental Binder” and they offer a checklist to download. Your knowledge of your rental and area will be different from others, so write up your welcome book according to what you know.
Flagler Ave., New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Would You Want to Provide a Guest Review Notebook?
Once, I stayed at a rental on a lake in New Hampshire where a guest review book was left out. I could flip back and read what previous guests had to say about their experience at the property. It was fun to read and mostly positive as I recall. I did write a small blurb and mentioned that the outdoor grill could be updated, which I hope the owners took to heart. The place was very expensive to rent and they really did need to buy a new grill for those of us who enjoy cooking outdoors.
Guests can offer new insights to the area which may help future visitors.
So a guest review book could be a good thing to leave in your rental. It needs to be checked after each stay just in case a visitor rants on about something that you don’t want other guests to read. Personally, I liked the confidence shown by the owners to let anyone have a say about their visit.
I’m getting a bit off topic today to talk about some Florida birds. After living in Florida (off and on) since 1979, I am only just discovering that the beautiful Painted Bunting migrates and breeds here in Florida. They are stunning birds, and accidentally, I found them in my own backyard.
Here is my story of how I came to realize the Painted Bunting was right in my own backyard.
I’m no good at nature photography. The video comes from YouTube, and the bird photos on this page are courtesy of Pixabay contributors. Many thanks to the photographers who share their images.
This video was found at YouTube
Feeding Backyard Birds: The Beginning
When I lived in New Hampshire I began feeding the birds in winter. It’s easy to feel motivated to help out the wildlife when the winter storms come and the temperatures are below freezing. I grew up in a family that put up feeders in winter and yearned to see the coveted red cardinal.
Red Cardinal – Image from Pixabay
My time in New Hampshire taught me a lot about feeding northern birds. The Juncos come early in the season and eat from the ground. The nuthatches, titmouse, and chickadees love sunflower seed, as do blue jays and many other birds. Squirrels and bears can sniff out sunflower seeds are are drawn to any feeder containing them. I’ve had many feeders carried off and chewed by the black bears if the feeders were left out too long into Spring.
In New Hampshire I threw seed on the crusty snow for the ground eaters and had seed and suet feeders hanging for the rest. I even made my own suet, which the woodpeckers adored. (I could tell!) This old Wizzley article of mine will tell you how to make suet, if you are interested, but don’t feed suet in Florida – it’s too warm.
Florida and Feeding Birds
Florida is another world when it comes to just about everything. Winter is the only time of year bird-feeding can be done. The heat and humidity and extreme rain in the hotter months will make the seed go bad quickly.
I never fed the birds while I lived here because I figured they have a year round chance to find all the food they need. Their habitats are never buried in many feet of snow and it seldom even gets below freezing here.
A few months ago, in Fall when the weather cooled off, I began feeding the birds in my Florida backyard. It was just something to do, and I never expected to find anything surprising. It was a little experiment to see what types of birds would show up.
I began by purchasing sunflower seeds. This is the general seed that many birds will eat, and I knew the cardinal was abundant in my area. I had seen families of cardinals hopping through my little vegetable garden in search of bugs. They would tear little leaves off my tomato plants. And yes, they loved the sunflower seed as well.
Female cardinal – image from Pixabay
Bird feeders can be expensive, but I decided that a simple tray feeder would be enough. Sure enough, I had Cardinals, Tufted titmouse, Blue Jays, and a little Wren coming regularly.
Tray feeder with sunflower and millet
When I bought a bag of mixed seed, that was when I began seeing doves come to eat. They were after the millet seeds (those little round off-white seeds). So I bought more millet just for them. Every now and then I would see a little green bird at the feeder and bird bath. It looked like a goldfinch, but was totally the wrong color. It was also eating the millet.
Mourning Dove – image from Pixabay
I never saw more than one green bird, but decided I would try to identify it. Because of it’s coloring, it was not difficult to find information. It was the female Painted Bunting. I went on to discover that this type of bunting can be seen in Florida during it’s migration and breeding season. This Map at All About Birds shows the range.
Ever since I began feeding the Painted buntings, I also see a Yellow-rumped warbler occasionally. He usually comes to the bird bath and sometimes the tray feeder. So now I have become a bird-watcher once again.
Yellow-rumped warbler
A New Feeder to Protect the Birds From Cats
This is my new feeder which is a simple tube with perches enclosed by a cage. Many people buy this type of feeder to keep squirrels away from the seed, but I bought it for another reason. I have two cats, but they never catch any wildlife.
The Painted Buntings scare away easily so I got into the habit of watching them through binoculars – this was before the new feeder below. As I was watching a green (female, probably) bird on the tray feeder, out of nowhere a cat (not mine) ran from the woods, leaped and snatched the bunting off the feeder! I was horrified…. The cat was gone as quickly as he came, with the bird in his mouth.
Caged feeder filled with millet seed
As I looked around for a better feeder I noticed that some people who fed buntings had this type of caged feeder. It really has turned out to be a fabulous feeder for the buntings (affiliate link to Amazon) and would work for other types of seed for other birds. Very often, at various times of day, it is full with birds waiting to get a spot to feed.
My photo below, taken from in the house, is not a good one, but the feeder is full of buntings. It took a few days for them to find and return to this feeder, but now they are regulars. They also eat off the ground and from the tray feeder, but I worry when they do. A vicious cat could be hiding in the woods. This type of feeder is good protection from hawks as well.
Painted buntings on feeder – my pathetic photo – January 2021
When to See Painted Buntings on East Coast of Florida?
This is my first year feeding the buntings so I don’t know when the season ends (or actually began for that matter). I suspect once the heat and storms return I will take the feeders in, unless the birds depart before that.
NOTE: I was away until the beginning of May and when I returned home I saw NO more buntings at the feeder. But, my son had been feeding them and had seen them recently. So… birds are gone by beginning of May it seems. If a reader knows more about this, please leave a comment!
By the way, the buntings, and most other birds appreciate a bird bath. I get catbirds, thrashers, robins and all the regulars drinking from it. I even have a squirrel who stretches up and sips from it, and an opossum that drinks from the one on the ground. The raccoons use the water overnight and leave it dirty each morning.
Where I live the greenery of nature is becoming scarce and the wildlife needs our help. Soon all the forests and green spaces of Florida will be bulldozed for businesses, apartments and houses… I am not kidding. When I first moved into this house, about 5 years ago, I would regularly see little armadillos in the yard. Now, I never see them.
