Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th on Lido Beach in Sarasota.  Nothing too scary about this scene!  

Hope everyone is having a terrific weekend.

The Blob

Driving down a fairly deserted gravel road deep in swamp country near the Everglades, I spotted this  brown blob in the middle of the road, which hadn't been there 15 minutes earlier.  My first thought was...BABY GATOR!   But, as I got closer, it didn't move.  So, then, I thought it was a small pile of palm fronds.  No...and...no!  It was a barred OWL -- just sitting there.  Naturally, the Junior Editor and I  suspected it was hurt and immediately started contemplating how we could rescue it, once we pulled off the road.  Moments after turning off the car engine, this happened.... 

(Click play.  The video will play.  There just isn't a thumbnail preview.)

The owl flew a short distance to a tree...apparently not injured at all!  So, I scrambled to get out the 'ol Canon.

I successfully snapped this one quick shot before -- of all things -- a dump truck rumbled by and scared it away. (Odd seeing the owl sitting in the road...and odd for a dump truck to be there in the middle of nowhere -- although the crew was making some needed repairs to the gravel road.)  Fascinating encounter!  Wish we could've had more time with the owl, but happy the SDP team was able to document this activity.  Hope everyone is doing well in the Blogosphere!

Independence Day

 

Hope you're soaring into a safe and fun holiday! Spotted this beautiful bald eagle in flight near Ft. Myers recently. Happy 4th of July...and God bless America!