Looking for a meal.
I Spy
Category: Orlando
Gator Fight
“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” Kalil Gibran
This was quite a violent encounter. In the top picture, one gator has the other in it’s jaws. After the encounter there was a clear winner and the loser left in a big hurry, under the watchful eye if the winner. Although I cannot be sure there was no sign of injury to either.
This certainly reenforces the need to respect gators and their power and unpredictability,
Quote found at http://www.searchquotes.com/search/Strife/6/
Looking Good
“That it will never come again is what makes life sweet” – Emily Dickinson
This bird is getting his courtship plumage going – that blue around his eye is also the color of the inside og his mouth. Couldn;t get hem to say “ah” though.
And here’s a potential mate.
Quote found at http://www.searchquotes.com/search/Sweet_Courting/2/
Young-uns
“The soul is healed by being with children” Fyodor Dostoevsky
Young Green Herons hanging out practicing being birds.
Quote found at http://www.spiritual-quotes-to-live-by.com/quotes-about-children.html
Yoga at the Beach
Not sure what to say about this one.
Upcoming Explorations
This coming weekend I’ve found several new spots to explore. Spring Hammock Park and Black Hammock Park in Seminole county both look promising. One on the west side of Lake Jessup, the other on the east. And there’s always the Black Hammock restaurant for some lakeside lunching.
Green Heron
“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”- Henry David Thoreau
The more I read in Florida’s American Heritage River by Mallory M. O’Connor and Gary Monroe the greater appreciation I have for the lands along the St Johns River. I need to schedule a trip north a bit to explore Payne’s Prairie and the Oklawaha River – a tributary of the St Johns. It may have to wait until fall, dawn is getting to be too early for long range exploring, unless I leave at 4 AM – early even for me.
Quote found at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/earth
Dawn Junkie
As I walked around on Saturday morning I realized that indeed I am a dawn junkie. I need a “fix” on a periodic basis to keep my mind on an even keel. Despite having a camera and binoculars this is my walking meditation.
Bird Day #A
“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings” – Salvador Dali
Whistling ducks are really pretty, their feathers appear like they are painted. It’s black belly whistling duck season – so these are probably not the last ones you’ll see.
As for the owls – not a great picture, just proud if myself for spotting them. So I wanted to share. And yes, screech owls really do screech, I heard them for quite some time after they left their roost.
Quote found at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/bird.html
Variety
Two wood Storks, a spoonbill and an ibis. The spoonbills were hunted to near extinction in the early 1900’s. Their feathers were prized for women’s hats. By the 1930’s there were 30-40 known breeding pairs in Florida. They have made a great comeback.
Speaking of comebacks the wood stork has “graduated” from endangered to threatened!
Second picture is an anhinga after just spearing his dinner.
Picture This by Frank 