Golden

It's beautiful golden sunlight like this that photographers will wait and wait for...and it only lasts a few minutes. I was enjoying a visit at the birdwalk at Myakka State Park in Sarasota over the weekend when the sun started sinking and I knew the golden moments were about to arrive. What a special time! It seems the wildlife in the park wanted to enjoy it too and started showing up. If you look in the middle of the photo on left side, those black blobs are actually wild boar and the small white dots between them are baby boar.  And, on the right side, that brown blotch is a deer. Even with my long lens, this was as close as I could get. But, I could see them really well through my binoculars. Apparently, this prairie, adjacent to the Myakka River, is a popular feeding ground.  Flocks of migratory birds also arrived, which I'll show you over the next couple of days. The capper to the day was seeing a family of wild boar crossing the main road in the park after nightfall.  They were so funny trying to get their little legs and rotund bodies to move quickly.

Louie

This happy four-legged little tank is Louie, an English bulldog.  Isn't he handsome?!  He was attracting a lot of attention when I spotted him at Bayfront Park in Sarasota.  He was so excited, especially around children, his entire back end wiggled with delight.  Makes me consider getting a dog again.  Since my Mulligan passed away, I've considered adopting, but there just hasn't been a love connection yet.  Occassionally, I check the new arrivals at the Humane Society and Animal Control, but the vast majority are pitbulls or a mix which I'm not interested in.  I'll keep my eyes and heart open for the right little fur friend to come along.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy meeting other people's pleasant pooches, like Louie.

Proud Parent

Ozzie and Harriet, the bald eagles in North Fort Myers, are parents!  Eaglet #1 hatched on New Year's Day and #2 hatched two days later.   They look like little fuzzy bobblehead dolls.  So cute!  You can take a peek by visiting the live eagle cam 24/7:  http://dickpritchettrealestate.com/eagle-feed.html  The website has had more than 2 million hits and Ozzie & Harriet were featured on Fox News Channel yesterday morning.  It's all very exciting!  I captured this shot last weekend before the little ones were born.   I'm not sure if this is Ozzie or Harriet sitting in a tree about 40 yards from the nest.  The females are supposed to be bigger, but I can't discern the difference yet.  Hope everyone is having a good weekend! 

Urban Changes

I haven't driven down the actual street where the Sarasota bald eagles live in about seven months.  So, when I stopped under the nest the other day something seemed different.  Then it struck me.  The old wooden utility poles, where I captured these two woodpeckers last spring, now look like this: 

They're encased in concrete.  And, I didn't see any birds -- definitely not any woodpeckers -- flying around.

Also, the flat tops, where I captured this shot of one of the Eddies with his roadkill rack of
ribs, have been covered with this:

A pointy metal cap which certainly will discourage the Eddies, and other birds, from roosting.  I'm not sure why the utility company made these changes.  Recently, a structure fire broke out under the eagles' nest.  So, I'm wondering if some utility lines were damaged and the company decided to make the modifications when replacing the lines.  Who knows?!  Besides woodpeckers, I regularly saw bluejays, and cardinals here and once I even saw a red shouldered hawk.  It used to be the most unexpected urban bird oasis.  I wonder if they'll return...

Sookie

Sarasotans love their dogs.  So, it's quite common to see humans with their fur friends at outdoor venues here.  I spotted little Sookie at O'Leary's tiki bar on Sarasota Bay on New Year's Day.  She's a  2 1/2 year old morkie.  (That's a cross between a maltese and a yorkie, according to her human.)  They were enjoying the beautiful weather to start the new year, something which they probably would not have been able to do in Boston, where they just moved from. Perfect time to move with the beautiful weather being what it is here...versus...there.   I bet Sookie is happy with that decision.  Welcome!  By the way, O'Leary's was one of the first places in Sarasota to give man's best friend a warm welcome when the city officially approved outdoor doggie dining about five years ago. 

Lookin' Good

After a trying year, I was quite happy to say farewell to 2012. So, I decided to usher in the baby new year with a long walk yesterday morning on Siesta Beach. The place was packed with tourists and locals enjoying the fantastic weather: sunny, 73 degrees with calm seas and a brisk water temperature of 62.  I'd love to see these kinds of stats every day.  What a great way to start 2013!

Photo of the Year

Traditionally, the theme day for January in the CDP community has been 'Photo of the Year'. I don't think there's an official theme day today, but I thought I would continue the tradition nevertheless. This shot was taken on St. Patrick's Day 2012 early in the evening. A bald eagle surprised me by flying around a bank of trees in the Sarasota city limits with what appears to be a rack of roadkill ribs. It was so low (just above an electrical line) that I think we startled each other. Definitely, an awesome memorable moment! I ended up calling the eagle family the Eddies (Edward and Edwina) and I have great news about them -- they're back! The other day I mentioned I saw two workmen climbing down the Eddies' cell tower and I was concerned they may have been scared away. Well, I saw both Eddie & Eddie yesterday morning. One was in the nest and the other was flying out of the nest. Excellent. I hope 2013 is filled with terrific photo opps for my friends in the blogosphere.  Happy New Year!