Camp Florida Blog

Many thanks to the Highlands News-Sun for their front-page coverage of our Veterans Honor Ceremony and Celebration of Life. Kim Moody attended the event, and her article and photos appeared in the February 22nd edition.

Our sincere thanks to the paper and the author for granting us the permission to add this wonderful article to our Camp Florida website.

Click here to view the full article.

February 20, 2023

The annual Camp Florida Ceremony honoring our Veterans and celebrating the lives of those relatives, friends, and neighbors we have lost over the past year was held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 20. (Click here to download a copy of the program.)

Just prior to the beginning of the event, one of our Bald Eagles flew over the gathering and perched magnificently in a pine tree by the lake, looking with anticipation at what was about to happen. He remained there through part of the ceremony, flying back over to the nest near the time of the honoring of the POAs/MIAs.

Preparations

The Crowd Gathered

The Color Guard and Presentation of the Flags

Singing of the National Anthems, Raising the Flag, and Pledge of Allegiance

Folding the Flag

POW/MIA Flag Bearer

A Reading by Tom Scott, and Remember Me, a Song Written and Performed by Mary Lou Wood (Click here to download the lyrics of this song.)

Missing Man Table

Calling All CF Veterans

Celebration of Life – Reading by Diane Lucey, Reading of Names and Remembrance

Releasing of the Balloons, Taps by Thom Kainz, Patriotic Balloon Release

Volunteer Recognition and Treats to End the Event

Curiosity continues to reign supreme with questions about “our” Bald Eagles. Every day, more and more CF neighbors stop down to check on the nest. Yes, we have two little eaglets that you might be able to see if you are watching at the right time–usually breakfast or dinner. Eagles tend to feed in the morning and close to sunset in the evening. As you can imagine, it’s usually pure luck to see one or both of the eaglets popping up their little heads. Their size, and when they first were seen, does confirm that the first egg was laid on or the day after Christmas Day! Most of these photos were taken with a 400mm lens, and they are closely cropped from hundreds of photos, in which only a few have visible eaglets. Most were also taken near or after sunset, so please ignore the photo noise.

Our “intruder” male is turning out to be a pretty good dad. He has been seen chasing the male Great Horned Owl away from the nest (those babies would probably make a good meal for the owls…). He also brings food and helps feed the eaglets when Liberty needs a break. We still haven’t decided to name him until he proves himself as the eaglets grow and prepare to fledge, but he is showing promise.

One thing we all miss is the roosting tree that blew down during Hurricane Ian, where the adults would go to rest and still be close to the nest. We have yet to discover where they are roosting now when not tending the nest. They still have line of sight to the nest from the tree along the lake near the swimming pool, so they continue to spend some time there. In fact, if you are down by the lake in the evening, you might even catch sight of Liberty taking a drink or even bathing in the lake when the male takes over nesting duties.

Please don’t approach these amazing birds. Use a telephoto lens or binoculars to get a better view. Never use a drone! You can click on the photos below to view them full-size.