Another beautiful day in Paradise!

A very relaxing day, spent partly on the beach and for me, partly at the refuge. So many wonderful opportunities for photos that I am a bit overwhelmed. But anyway, here are the ones I love from today. Much of today is about eating - catching food and eating it. Fascinating to see what birds do and it really points out the need to just hang out around these birds to see what they will do next.
Enjoy!

I am unsure what bird this is - anyone know?

A Reddish Egret - a new bird to me but wow, what a beautiful being!

The Roseate Spoonbill again.

Anhinga drying it's wings.

Eating time! This anhinga speared this fish and proceeded to eat it - I have all the key photos and it is amazing what he does!

Ever feel like someone is watching you while you eat?  Picture this, where if you drop it you lose it!

More eating - looks like a shrimp in her beak.

What's your excuse? Osprey watches over the road.

Pelicans will nest in the trees by the beach.  Here are a couple of shots  - the first one is an old fart just hanging out. The second one is a family of Father, Mother and child.

Can't let the birds overwhelm the other beauty - flowers here are second to none!

Finally - here we all are - standing on the beach having a drink and talking about where we go to dinner!!

Birding in the WMA

Sunday morning dawned rainy with occasional thunder and lightning. We all slept in nurtured by the sound of the surf. During a short visit to the beach I met a man from Bemidji, MN; asked him how cold it was there and he said -32 - so he had over a 100 degree change to be happy about!

The rain stopped mid-day and the sun came out and called for a Ding Darling WMA visit! So off I went to reacquaint myself to the refuge. What a wonderful time!
Starting at the access gate, with the ibis in the middle of the road, on to the Little Blue Herons and Roseate Spoonbills and capped off with an Osprey showing off his catch, it was an exciting time to be there. A couple of older ladies wound up stopping at the same places I did and one of them was a birder and educated me on several birds, including the juvenile Little Blue below.

A bunch of pelicans were roosting in trees next to the beach - here's one.

These guys stood on the beach all facing into the wind.

She was standing in the middle of the road when I entered the WMA

 Little Blue heron hunting.

These next two are the immature Little Blue - the color is starting to come out under the white feathers.

Snowy egret.

I took several shots of this Osprey and they all came out pretty good - I'm surprised since it was a quick response to him flying by.

A gaggle of birds that includes two Roseate Spoonbills.

Hunting.

A Red Bellied Woodpecker posed for me on the way out of the refuge.

Waaarrrrrmmmmm Weather!

84 in Ft. Myers when we landed - wow! What a difference from smoggy, cold SLC! Once we get to Ft. Myers and rent the car, we both feel like the load we have been carrying is slipping away - we become lighter and goofier and just enjoying life more.
On the way to Sanibel - just leaving the airport - we saw several GBH, egrets, night herons and vultures, preparing us for the wildlife refuge!

Photos today - the "Fly Delta Jets" sign in Atlanta has been there as long as I have been flying. Finally got a snap of it. The flight from Atlanta to Ft. Myers was rough - flew right through a good storm. I had a window seat in case we got some good shots landing, but not much made itself available. Then at our friends condo - our bedroom is on the upper floor and has a deck that overlooks the beach so I took shots from there - the moon had already risen. We are both tired so will sleep well.

Light and Shadows

Almost everywhere you can find light and shadows - just gotta be aware! Drinking coffee yesterday morning at the dining room table and the sun came along and did this! I finally woke up and saw what was in front of me and was able to capture a photo before the light left.

Holiday season is coming!

This holiday season is a bit different for us - we are visiting a friend at her timeshare condo on Sanibel Island starting Saturday - returning next Thursday. After the smog and cold weather here, 80 degrees and warm water will feel ssooooooooooo good. Plus I will get to be at the Ding Darling Wildlife refuge a lot - sunrise and sunset and low tides to see what shows up! More wildlife photos coming up!
In the meantime, we don't have a Christmas tree and may not, although Diana is threatening to get a small one when we get back from Sanibel. Lisa, our daughter, is traveling to Maine for Christmas, so we will celebrate my 39th birthday on the 21st with her and her new husband, then she leaves on the 22nd. For me, Christmas is much about kids and their excitement; my reflections on what the day stands for are internal and quietly done, no fanfare required.
In the spirit of the season, we created an initial Christmas card - it was OK but not what we really wanted so we finally went with a French-based theme, using a wonderful photo of angels from the Church Val-De-Grace and a Joyeux Noel inside. I'll post that photo another day.
Here's the initial draft - the sky was clear that day, smoggy now.

Holiday Cheer!

Late afternoon sunlight through a freshly poured glass of champagne creates an exciting array of colors and shapes.
Celebrate Life!

Found items

Wandering the wilds looking for photos I often come across items like the skull (below and in yesterday's post). Bones, feathers, fur, remnants of a battle, egg shells - both eaten by predators and properly hatched....all have stories for us most of which we will never know (but we can make it up!)..
Here's the coyote skull - shot on black and the orange accentuated. Mysterious and a bit dangerous.