What a Day for a Daydream

 

What a Day for a Daydream (SONG)

Oh, I told you all that we were going to have a nice weather week...and boy have we!  Daytime temps in the low 70's, nighttime temps in upper 50's.  A little bit of fog to start the day (not FOG like I knew when I was a kid!), but by noon the sun is shinning, the birds are singing, and Indy and I are out and about enjoying it all.

This tour boat, above, is the Sponge-O-Rama's Dolphin Cruise Lines.  From $15 to $30 they will take you out, try and find some wildlife which includes Dolphins, Manatees, Whales (rare), Birds and such.  The more expensive cruise is the sunset cruise.  No sunset or animals guarantee, but they are sure to inform you of the local sponge business, the various islands, and I think they stop at an island for a short time period.  There are other cruises that not only explain the sponge business, but they will have a diver go down and pull a sponge up onto the boat...problem is, it is one that has already been caught, cleaned, and used for this "EXHIBIT" cruise, because everyone would probably loose their lunch if they pulled up a real, smelly, living sponge.

A bit of fog along the Gulf of America (above), the Anclote River facing east (below).  The river is essentially the Northern Boundary of Tarpon Springs, though the city limits extends just beyond it.  Holiday, an unincorporated city, is just north of Tarpon Springs, and that is where we live.  We live in Paco County, Tarpon Springs is in Pinellas County...the River is only 29 miles in length, and most of it is in Pasco County...now you know the logistics of it all.

 The rest of today's blog will be some pictures of birds, starting with Eagles, then Ospreys, then other birds.  

EAGLES

(This is a new nest I have found, but will be harder to get pics of)

 OSPREYS

 OTHER BIRDS

Florida's Winter is Over?

 

While west Florida had 5-6 inches of snow just a few days ago, it appears that Florida's Winter is just about over.  We woke up to 35 degrees this morning...Pensacola awoke to 30 degrees.  They nearly got up to 60 degrees, we got up to 64 degrees.  Look at the blue skies over our home area!  

The White Ibis were just eating it up!

That brown bird is a young White Ibis...the brown feathers will drop off, and will be replaced with white feathers...probably by summer.

The Great White Egret, or Great White Heron, is also a frequent visitor to the Library Pond.  There were 5 or 6 when Indy and I arrived, but all but one flew away immediately.  An Osprey flew through too...I have seen them quickly fly into the water, and take a fish out and fly away.  Very common thing in Florida...and now and then, you will see a fish out in the middle of the street, parking lot, lawns as every now and then they have a premature dropping of their fish.  That is when the Seagulls and Black Birds fight over the remains.

So, what got me to dig out the camera, charge up the batteries, and write another blog just days from my last blog???

Well...maybe it is this guy...could it be?  Is it??  I have not seen one in our area for a couple of years now... 

             

      YES it is...an American Bald Eagle!  And if there is one...

There is probably a nest...and this time of year, if there is a nest...

There is probably one in the nest.  Both male and female bald eagles stay in the nest to incubate and care for their eggs and young. But the female usually spends more time at the nest than the male.  My guess is, since the one out of the nest was not hunting, there are probably eggs in the nest...but it is probably time to hatch here real soon.  

As I have been taking Indy on her potty/exercise drives, I have seen many people, some with those HUGE LONG CAMERAS, taking pictures of the nest below.  I never saw any birds, but I knew there was something there.  And by the size of the nest, I figured it was an Eagle.

    

This Osprey Nest is a familiar sight in our area.  The female is very likely to be the one that stays in the nest while the male is out "fishing".  Sound familiar???  At least they don't need the newest and best fishing boat to "do their thing"!

She came out, spread her wings a few times, and sat perched looking around.  In this picture above she was staring right at me, her back is to the gulf (Gulf of America!!!!), causing the feathers on her head to stand up just a bit.  Again, did you all notice that blue sky we had today???

Here is a better picture of the boat that run aground during Hurricane Helene. 

This is what our week is going to look like.  Pretty soon we will be complaining about the heat and humidity again.