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Leftover from last report: The dolphin who surfed the tour boat wake in the Everglades.
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The Sunshine Skyway crosses Tampa Bay between Bradenton and St Petersburg
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It's really a neat bridge . . .
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Spotted in a rest area - a Smart Car. It's about as small as it looks
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A couple of weeks ago, there were dozens of manatees here . . .
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This was the only one we saw . . .
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The warm discharge from this power plant attracts manatees when the bay waters get cool
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There's something magic about the tri-colored heron
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We saw lots of vultures, but these were the only ones actually eating
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Lots of people, no manatees
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Some fish swimming where the manatees should have been
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We think it's a Night Heron. Or maybe not . .
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Sun is king on St Petersburg Beach
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The Brown Pelican is a most ungainly looking bird
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At the seawall, birds know where the fish come from
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Just his luck . . . breeding plumage and a bad hair day!
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The Great Egret patiently waits for a nibble
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Almost every piling becomes a perch
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Might as well be comfortable . . .
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Part of the Botanical Gardens in Largo, Florida
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The gardens were being renovated, but still had some nice things
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A blooming water lily, very much out of season
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Reminded us in many ways of Shore Acres
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We're just fascinated by these egrets and herons
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And with diving birds who need to dry off afterwards
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A couple of turtles catching some rays
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Almost nobody on the beach at Crystal River . . .
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A huge flock of skimmers swooping about
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They're very interesting with those long lower bills
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These birds think they've found the mother lode at the shrimp boats
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A wonderful mural welcomes us to Homosassa Springs
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From the parking lot, a 1.5 mile boat ride down Pepper Creek to the park
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A male wood duck. Beautiful bird, and not often seen
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It's bird breeding season in Florida - lots of neat plumage
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An ibis looking for lunch
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We came here to see manatees! And not just these
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But first . . . his name is Lucifer, and he's a veteran of a couple of Tarzan movies filmed near this park
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One way to hold a heavy head up
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It's almost impossible not to take a picture when we see alligators
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There were about a dozen in the park
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The biggest were about 12 feet long
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We didn't know gators don't eat in the winter. They can't digest when it's cool
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But still, we're not going to test that bit of knowledge
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A breeding pair of herons in the tree-top
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Patiently waiting for a fish
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A couple of swans float past the spoonbills
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White pelicans grow those things on their beaks at breeding time
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The park was home to practically every kind of Florida water bird
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The spoonbills are always interesting
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And, of course, flamingos always look so awkward
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Aren't I beautiful?
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A flock of flamingos
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The Florida panther is very rare, and about 2/3 the size of the western cougar
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And like all cats, tends to yawn a lot
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Beautiful lacy plumage on the great egret
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Female wood ducks
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A good look at that bill
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Another posing egret
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Even in captivity the black bear was elusive
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We're getting to like the black vulture. Really a pretty neat bird
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The raptors in the park - like this hawk - are all rescued birds
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Even with only one wing, a majestic bird
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A little shameless staging never hurt anything . . .
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The blue heron is a beautiful bird
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Wonder how the sandhill crane eats with that twisted beak
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This one has a normal beak
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Manatees! There are six rescued animals in the park
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The come around for sweet potato slices, a favorite snack
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They get fed several times a day, and are a popular attraction
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A warm water spring (72F) draws even salt water fish into the river
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This was a huge school of snook swimming around the below-water observatory
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The best looking manatee in the park . . .
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Outside the animal enclosures, you can kayak with any wild manatees in the river
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A flock of wood storks. Talk about an ugly bird . . .
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More herons breeding in a tree
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Those filmy feathers were once favored by milliners, almost leading to the birds' extinction
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Even a wild turkey was strutting his stuff
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The red fox looks almost like a house pet
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There's no reason for an owl to be even half awake in the daytime
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We watched this crane try to get that leaf off his beak for about 10 minutes. The leaf won
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Awww - even ugly gets some love!
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Preening is a popular pastime . . .
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So is napping while standing on one leg.
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The classic snoozing flamingo portrait
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Come on, ladies . . . here I am!
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Don't they look alert? They're whistling ducks - no common quacking for them!
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Perfectly evolved to reach a pesky itch
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The flamingo head is very interesting. You almost have to look twice
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A marvelous bird is the pelican. His beak can hold more than his belly can.
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A gopher tortoise - named because they are very good diggers
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A yellow-bellied turtle. Sometimes called a slider
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Told you - see a gator, snap a picture
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They are just awesome animals
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If you're ever in the area, you must stop . . .
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And the boat ride took us back to our car
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The Pepper Creek was so-named because of native pepper plants in the area
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One of many very interesting and knowledgeable state park volunteers
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At Crystal River Archeological State Park, a pre-Columbian Indian temple mound (the mound is old, the stairs aren't)
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From the mound top, we spotted this sailboat - apparently aground on a sandbar
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Took about 20 minutes, but they finally got free by adding sail power to the engine
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They have an interactive archeological dig, where you can sift the sand for stuff
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On this stone, or stele, there is an incised image of a native man. Might have been a priest or a king. Nobody knows
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We end with the Feb 20 total lunar eclipse . our least-fuzzy picture.