Exploring Oak Hammock Park - St. Augustine Beach

Yes, I do recall St. Augustine Beach before the development when open sand dunes lined the area from the Beach Road, A1A. to the Ocean.  To me those were the good old day, Versaggi Drive was the south most development until Crescent Beach.  However, it is all perspective because to my father the "good old days" were when the street car trolley ran past my great Granny Mamie's house near the light house.

St Augustine Lighthouse

I've wandered and explored the sand dunes for years but somehow missed this area with fresh or brackish water lakes and no ocean access.  Around 1990 I was a member of an environmental group in St. Johns County called Trees.  One of our projects was to protect this land but our many efforts failed and the adjoining section was developed.  So I was happy to learn that the City of St Augustine Beach finally purchased the remaining tract and developed the park. 

A wonderful memory of nature before development

It is now known as Oak Hammock Park and makes a delightful stroll through the hammock and through the swamp and dunes (on a boardwalk).  The boardwalk is necessary in most of the area due to the wet lands and to preserve the sand dunes.

The inland lake is quite large
Must be salty from the sand dunes
but the ocean does not feed the lake

The hammock is a term used in the southeastern United States for stands of trees, usually hardwood, that form an ecological island in a contrasting ecosystem. Hammocks grow on elevated areas, often just a few inches high, surrounded by wetlands that are too wet to support them. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammock_(ecology)) 

Marshy areas in the park

This perfectly describes the area... swampy and sand dunes with these lovely stands of oaks and maples.

Lovely established and new maples
this area must be soggy!

A hammock supports many types of flora and fauna.  As you can imagine it provides a haven for birds and small fish that would not survive without the special protection.  We were greeted by zebra butterflies, cat birds, and various woodpeckers that darted through the oaks, palmettos, and scrub.

Hammock with old oaks and palmettos

Venturing down the boardwalk we encountered a wood stork seeking dinner.  So we spent some time observing his successful technique.  

What is a good fishing spot?

The stork would locate a suitable area and lower his open beak in the water, as a trap.  Next one leg would be raised from the water, rotated to one side at an angle and lowered into the water.  

Wood stork searching for dinner

This was followed by a series of searching plunges into the mud and eventually an unsuspecting fish, frog, or other delight would be driven towards the open beak.  Chomp... another tasty morsel for dinner.

Notice the beak in the water ready
to grab whatever his fishing leg
scares up as he pokes the ground

Further down the boardwalk we found a delightful inland lake.  This is interesting because it does not appear to have any ocean access.  Fresh water ducks were busy splashing and playing in the water so one can only assume it was mostly fresh water.

Teal ducks in this lake
among the sand dunes

It is a short stroll through the park to the ocean but chocked full of interesting scenes, wild life, and scenes to ponder.  You will find it on A1A Beach Blvd, just north of the A1A and S3 intersection (aka Publix Plaza).