Turkey Day weekend #3

NATIONAL KEY DEER WILDLIFE REFUGE, BIG PINE KEY - - Key Deer, primarily found on Big Pine and No Name keys, are usually too friendly and inquisitive for their own good and safety. This deer (probably) stuck her tongue out at us because we didn't feed her like the tourists who just rode off had. The biggest and strongest deer weigh only 90 pounds and stand 32" high

Hidden just off Key Deer Blvd. in the refuge is the Blue Hole, the largest body of fresh water in the keys and a vital resource of the deer. Given that there were/are alligators in the water it's probably a good feeding place for them too. The dragon fly (below) was hanging out on a piece of vegatation poking out of the water looking for 'skeeters or other small insects.

As always, double-clicking on any of the pics will get you a good-sized blowup.

Turkey Day weekend #2

ROBBIE'S MARINA SOMEWHERE IN THE KEYS - - On this Keys trip we 'discovered' Robbies Marina. I say discovered because we'd been by plenty of times on other keys trips - - it's kind of hard not to since there's only one main road (A1A) in the Keys.

To stay in business you need a 'hook' and Robbie's - - besides boat tours, kayak and jet ski rentals - - has turned feeding the fish and taking pics of the birds into a money-making proposition. Pay $1 and walk out onto the pier where the tarpon are thick in the water waiting for those folks who paid $2 to throw in bait fish.

Then there are the birds: The snowy egrets (above) who patrol the shoreline among the mangrove looking for their daily food while the pelicans wander around on the pier or hover (below) waiting for a chance to swoop.

Turkey Day weekend #1

SOMEWHERE ON A1A IN THE FLORIDA KEYS - - We spent Thanksgiving weekend in the Keys doing nothing much, taking photos and eating stone crab and key lime pie. It was tough but somebody has to do it.
This is a shot of a "keys alarm clock." No need to set your own alarm because the roosters crow when they want. And they strut like they own the place (wherever they are) and they generally do.

Wood Storks stalking

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Another image from out trip to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Twiggy

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Some birds, like this kingfisher, try to blend in with their surroundings and make it hard to get a good shot. Most of the time they win. However, this resident of the Merritt Island Reserve didn't hide well enough.

Sea Cows

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Here are a mom and youngster Manatee family we saw last week at Haulover Canal. Also called Sea Cows, these large hunks of blubber feed on river grass and other veggie things.

Looking for the 'wild life'

MERRITT ISLAND, FL - - Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is about 60 miles south of OB. The NWR shares a good portion of the land used as a buffer zone by Kennedy Space Center between the work/launch areas and the public. In fact, the launch pad(s) for the space shuttle is approximately 10-miles away (in a straight line) through alligator / mosquito infested mangrove swamp from where these pictures were shot. The reality is that the space center and the NWR protect one another. And we all benefit.

The blue herron (above) is searching very hard for a meal. The butterfly (below) will become a meal for some preditor if it isn't careful.

Afternoon stroll

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - A sign, a riverside table for relaxing after a hard day and an egret; all on an afternoon stroll.

Heading South

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We live one block off the Intracoastal Waterway. Come November the boat traffic really picks up as the 'snowbirds' and their craft head to South Florida for the winter. Most don't pilot their own boats but rather hire people to shuttle their floating toys down. We have plenty of vantage points to watch the traffic. Two of the above craft (both white) were from Maine. The blue craft had a hard-to-read locator.

Warm laundry

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Finding warm-just-out-of-the dryer laundry piled on the bed or in a laundry basket means nap time for The Queen. Our other cat, The Princess, must have been asleep on the job already.