Snow storm

NEW YEAR'S EVE - - 2007 is quickly heading toward a finish and 2008 is right ahead. More adventures and more birds and animals and exciting places await.

In the air

TIERRA VERDE, FL - - We returned to Ft. DeSoto Park to camp over the (long) Christmas Weekend. The birds weren't out in as great numbers as when we were here about two weeks ago. However, The Great Blue Heron (above) and the seagull hovering below, caught my eye. Note the identification/tracking band on the heron's right leg.

Twilight Zone

EGMONT KEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, FL - - In some areas, the western side beach on Egmont Key resembled a shot out of The Twilight Zone. A low mist and low cloud cover created this overcast scene at 11:30 in the morning. Beach erosion over a number of years turned these palm trees into dead shapes like what you might see after a nuclear war. The ATV tracks are from the park ranger patrol while the couple walking in the center of the pic came over on the 'ferry' with us.

Turtle's eye-view

EGMONT KEY, FL - - Ever wondered what it's like down there? Young kids have a low level point of view - - usually knees of the teenagers and adults around them. But let's get lower, let's check out the view from the vantage point of a box turtle. As you can probably tell, this resident of Egmont Key didn't take too kindly to a human trying to see things from ground level.

Lunch Time

TIERRA VERDE, FL - - One of our favorite camping spots in Florida is Fort DeSotoPark, a Pinellas county park south of St. Petersburg on Florida's west coast. Aside from nice campsites and great facilities, the area offers unlimited opportunity to photograph pelicans, egrets and herons - - like the one above.

The breakwater area along the nearby fishing pier is one such location. This individual has just grabbed a lunch appetizer. Now, the problem becomes how to swallow the fish since it won't fit down his/her throat sideways. Compounding the fun was a group of about six hungry friends (outside this frame) just waiting for a slip.

Time to smell the roses

JASPER, ALBERTA, CANADA - - There's always time to stop and smell the (wild) roses as this elk is doing in a shot from a trip to Jasper in 2004.

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.

Signs you won't see in Florida

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Here's a sign which escaped my posts...probably because this was shot on the first day of our trip back at a display area in Delta Junction (AK) commemorating the finishing point of the Alaska Highway. It's a bit more graphic about the perils of vehicle versus buffalo confrontations.

A look back, #2

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Yellowstone National Park in late April (2005) with low clouds, some snow patches and a herd of buffalo grazing. The vastness is stunning. Imagine this on a sunny day. Or watching herds of elk, bears roaming, Old Faithful gyser-ing, or the splendor of the rugged landscape, the mountains and valleys

Each National Park has its own character, its own personality. Yellowstone was the first designated NP. If you've been there, it's easy to see why. If you visit only one NP in your life, make it Yellowstone.

A look Back, #1

ORMOND BEACH , FL - - Now that we're back in OB we have a lot more free time. So we go browsing through the photos of other adventures we've had. We like the Canadian Rockies and have vacationed there a number of times. The hiking is spectacular.
The above photo is one of my favorites as is the location: Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park just outside Field, British Columbia. To hike here you must get a 'permit' from the park service - - easier said than done because of strict limitations on each day's numbers. You remote park in an area a short distance off the highway and take a 9-mile ride in a school bus before off-loading. The daily allocation of hikers works two-fold in keeping the area pristine and the trails relatively empty: There is a private lodge and cabins on the lake which discourage the "unwashed hordes" from coming near; and there are plenty of scenic trails to hike for all skill levels.
Double-click on the pic and you'll be better able to see the lodge/cabins on the lake in che center of the picture.