We are Never Home

The other day we took an early morning walk on Fort Myers beach and saw both the sunrise and the setting of the full moon over Bowditch Point. One of the resident Osprey was also waiting for the sun to come up.

The butterfly garden was beautiful in the bright moonlight but we didn't see any of the Gopher Tortoises that call this home.

The tide was very low as we walked around the Point. Right at the end we saw a dolphin playing in the surf not far from shore - but he had other things to do and places to go so he didn't stay long enough for me to even try and take a picture. I just enjoyed seeing him swimming in the water.

On the other side facing west, just as the sun was starting to come up in the east, this beautiful Great Blue Heron was hunting for breakfast in the light of the full moon.

Success!!

Now to try and swallow it!

He almost looks like a Pelican as he swallows the fish whole.

Yum - that was good!

We enjoyed our walk on the beach and left just as the rest of the island was waking up.

I wanted to take one last trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary before we head back to Colorado at the end of the month. The air plants are starting to bloom and they are gorgeous!

Very exotic.

This is an immature Little Blue Heron - which is apparently easily confused with an young Snowy. After seeing this bird and having him identified by a guide, I wonder if I am mixing up some of the smaller white birds.

The Yellow-crowned Night Herons can't be confused with any other herons or egrets.

This is a rare sight! I always thought Armadillos, like Opossums, were born dead on the side of the road - since that's the only place I've ever seen them. It was hard to get a good picture of his head because he kept digging in the dirt looking for insects.

Tomorrow I am going on an all-day field trip to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge with the Caloosa Bird Club and on Tuesday we will celebrate Saint Patrick's Day by going to the Naples Zoo followed by a traditional Irish corn beef and cabbage dinner at Mike and Mel's.

River Otters

Yesterday we had 5 River Otters playing in the lake behind the house. They seem to have so much fun - swimming, splashing, exploring and tumbling with each other in the water. They must be retired!

I sat on the bank for quite some time taking pictures. They were very curious about my presence and tried to scare me away with a series of whistles and growls.

A couple of them came very close to where I was sitting. I could smell them before I saw them!

Since it has been so dry here, the irrigation pipes are exposed in the lakes - and that 's where the otters were playing. I would have liked a more scenic background - but I got what I got.

King of the hill! This is the fountain platform out in the lake. Because of the low water level, the fountains are turned off. Sad for us but good for the otters.

One by one the otters came out of the water to mark their territory - always keeping a sharp eye out for me. They have very strong (stinky!) scent glands.

You can see here how low the lake is. We need rain!

Maybe I'll have to talk to the Home-owners Association about painting the pipes so they blend in more.

This guy just caught a fish and ate it.

Every time they came out of the pipe they would peek over to see if I was still sitting there.

Look how long their tails are! I guess it helps them guide through the water.

I'll look for them again today!

Every Day is Saturday

Sunday was an early day - especially after losing an hour overnight. We were at the R/Seahawks Park at sun-up so Bill could get some flying in.

Bill flies electric RC planes (he has several). They are quiet so he can fly at dawn. The gas engine planes are noisy so they cannot take off until 9 a.m. Bill likes to fly between dawn and 9 o'clock - but then he stays around to socialize with the other fliers. Several wives were there to watch their husbands fly so I had a great time visiting too. I have never seen a woman at the controls - but I'm sure there are some.

The Eastern Meadowlarks are abundant in the fields at and around the flying park.

This beautiful Florida Scrub Jay was sitting atop a large bush. These Jays - the only one without a crest - are found only in Central Florida. Cape Coral is the southernmost part of their very limited range.

We also saw lots of Common Ground Doves, the smallest of the Florida dove family at only 6 inches; a Loggerhead Shrike; and the ever-present Vultures circling overhead.

After leaving the field, I had to stop and check in on the Burrowing Owl nests. When we arrived at this nest, we saw sand flying out as one of the pair of owls was burrowing deeper into the ground. The mate was keeping a close eye out for intruders.

On the way through Cape Coral, we stopped at a restaurant that had been recommended to us for a delicious seafood lunch - scallops - YUM!

With full bellies, we decided we needed to walk. We found a park near the Midpoint Bridge that goes over the Caloosahat-chee River to Fort Myers. It had a nice boardwalk through mangrove trees and opening out to the river - where Bill took this picture. The bridge to the left is the bridge from downtown to North Fort Myers and Cape Coral. We call it the free bridge as the other two bridges have a $2 one-way toll.

The rest of the day was spent at the pool socializing with neighbors.

Since the wind was calm, Bill went flying again on Monday morning and is there now as well. This gives me time to get some work done.

Yesterday I saw a Swallow-tailed Kite flying overhead. They are easy to identify with their black and white underparts and long forked tail. People around here say that when the Kites return (from Central and South America) the weather will stay warm - and so far that has been true.

Miami, Key West and the Everglades

We just returned from a fabulous three day trip on the East Coast of Florida with our friends, Mike and Mel.

On our first day we drove to Miami, walked on the beautiful sand of South Beach and had expensive Cuban food and exotic drinks at one of the sidewalk restaurants. The sites were great but the traffic was terrible.

After spending the night at Homestead Air Force Base, we drove south through the Keys.

We encountered this Ruddy Turnstone while walking on the beach at one of the State Parks along the way.

While walking the nature trail, two Magnificent Frigatebirds flew over. This one is an immature female with a white head and neck.

After arriving at Key West we ate Cheese-burgers in Paradise and drank the perfect Margaritas at Jimmy Buffets Margarita-ville Restaurant on Duval Street. This was number-one on Mel's list of must-do things - and it was a blast. I even bought a tee-shirt in the gift shop for the outrageous price of $36.

Mel enjoyed the sights (and margaritas) so much she joined the naked ladies and danced around the square!

These beautiful roosters freely roam the historic district. We heard them long before we saw them.

We ate a delicious seafood dinner at the Fish Tank on Marathon and drove back to the base for the night.

Early the next morning we headed to Everglades National Park.

My goal while driving through the Everglades was to see a Purple Gallinule. Our first stop in Everglades National Park was the Anhinga Trail where we walked a boardwalk through a sawgrass marsh and saw lots of alligators, turtles and the most beautiful birds - Herons, Anhingas, Egrets - and this Purple Gallinule!

He was spectacular! Just look at his huge feet! This helps him walk on plants like lily pads in the water.

I've never seen so many Green Herons in one place! We also saw quite a few Yellow and Black-crowned Night Herons - but I didn't get any good pictures.

The Great Egret is always beautiful - one of my favorite birds.

This is a Double-crested Cormorant. You can just barely see the double crests on his head. Look at the colors in his feathers! Usually, they just look plain black.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a Great Blue Heron sitting down!

I love this picture of the Great Blue Heron looking over the clear water and lily pads.

The trail was named for the Anhinga, shown here drying his wings.

In the trees we were able to see lots of nesting Anhingas. Look closely and you can see the adorable fluffy babies.

Further down the road we saw a rookery with hundreds of endangered Wood Storks. You could see the fluffy cotton ball babies with binoculars - but I couldn't get close enough for a good picture.

We also saw a Greater Flamingo fly overhead and lots of Roseate Spoonbills. This time of year the Spoonbills are a much brighter pink than earlier in the winter.

Black-necked Stilts have extremely long pink legs - way out of proportion to the rest of their body. We saw them as we walked around Eco Pond.

These, of course, are alligators. They are everywhere in the Everglades.

There are less than 1000 of the critically endangered American Crocodiles left in the United States and we were fortunate to see four in Flamingo at the southern most point of Everglades National Park. They look much different from the alligators - lighter in color with different textured hides. But the most difference is on the head and the way the jaws come together.

I can't wait to return to the Park. It was a priviledge to see!

Keeping Busy

Bill and I are always looking for new places to go, things to see and places to hike. Last week we went to Hickey's Creek Mitigation Park - part of the Florida Birding Trail and Lee County Parks and Recreation- to hike.

The terrain was interesting. Since the park was more inland, it was quite different from our usual walks near the shorelines. Part of the trail ran along a river, but most of it was dry plains and there were even some hills and valleys along the way.

Just look at this big old tree - it dwarfs Bill. We did not see much wildlife but had a great 6 or 7 mile hike along well-marked trails.

Fort Myers Beach is beautiful at sunset. The pier in the distance is where I go to fish.

This picture was taken on the pier. These hungry Brown Pelicans were begging for a handout. The males have the pretty white and yellow markings on their heads while the females are plain brown.

Mike and I tried our hand at fishing and this picture is proof of our success. I also caught a huge fish - but it wasn't as big as Mike's fish. Since I had so much fun, I bought myself a new pole, tackle box and fancy bait. A few days later I headed to the pier and all I caught was seaweed but I looked like a real fisher-person!

When we were in Naples last week for the Art Festival, I saw this beautiful flowered tree. I don't know what it is yet - but it was as striking as any of the art we saw.

These are Mottled Ducks - found only in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. They were swimming in one of the many canals that run along the sides of the roads and since I was riding my bike, I could stop for a picture.

Mike, Mel, Bill and I ate dinner at one of the great little places right on the water. This noisy bird demanded our attention. Look at his bill! I can't imagine how that could have happened.

We have enjoyed spending time with our friends.

Tomorrow we are all heading East to Homestead Air Force Base for a couple of nights. We plan on visiting Miami and driving down to Key West. I've never been to the Keys so I am really looking forward to the trip.