NATURE PARK - Clearwater, Florida - Sightseeing on a Budget

We enjoyed our visit to Walsingham Park in Florida. If you like walking, picnicking or canoeing in a beautiful nature park then check out Walsingham Park, 10 minutes from famous Clearwater Beach.

Located adjacent to the Florida Botanical Garden and next to the Heritage Village.

The bargain of the century as far as family friendly and frugal sightseeing goes. 

All three are free attractions and well worth a visit if you are living in or vacationing in the Tampa Bay Area.

We met with our friends for a picnic-birthday celebration and they brought their canoe.  I went off with my camera to do a little birdwatching and photographing the scenery.

Sunny blue skies ...............

I admit, I'd never heard of Walsingham Park, but once I realized it was across from the Botanical Garden, I was thrilled to go, hoping to have time to visit both.

A perfect day.

Wildflowers everywhere.

There were large covered wooden picnic pavilions and of course facilities, as well as BBQ pits.

We brought our own sandwiches and birthday cake

 and some of us took turns taking out the canoe.

There was no way I was going out in a canoe once I found out  that there were alligators.

Had I seen the sign sooner, I would not have gone as close to the marshy outskirts of the water either.

It was a lovely day and I spotted a number of waterfowl, but all of them either too skittish or too far away for a good shot.

Still, the birdwatching was a lot of fun, even though the crow and the night heron were teasing me and flew off as soon as they were within range of my lens.

I captured this interesting looking bird. I think he might be a brown thrasher of some sort?

The boat ramp - observation deck was always busy with people

trying to catch a glimpse of the turtles and ducks swimming below.

A muskovie duck.

The grass was alive with critters and

butterflies were everywhere.

This little moorhen had a nest in the marshy area and came to tell me to stay away in no uncertain terms.

Time to head back to the group ...........

I liked these pretty blue wildflowers. 

One last canoe trip, before we open presents and head on home. 

We visited the Botanical Garden across the street to see what was in bloom for me to photograph.

I got lucky and spotted one of the white egrets.

A nice ending to a perfect day!

All images © 2009 Rose H. 

Thanks for looking!