We didn't cover a lot of distance last week but there still a lot of pictures. All taken last week on early morning walks right here in the neighborhood. May mornings are lovely but the days heat up rapidly here in subtropical Southwest Florida. It's good to get outside early and work on indoor projects during the heat of the day.
It looked like an approaching storm as the sun rose, but it didn't materialize in our neighborhood anyway.
These flowering branches look prettier in pictures than they do in real life. The Royal Poinciana tree across the front street from our house has been neglected for a long time. The flowering branches are up so high that most people wouldn't even notice them. The lady who lived in that house when we first lived here was a dedicated gardener, so we know the tree is there and we look for it every year around this time. All of the pictures were snapped within about six seconds -- it's interesting to see how the sky was changing at that hour of the morning.
It doesn't take a whole lot of water to attract wildlife around here. This retention pond is part of a relatively new addition to the neighborhood. I've enjoyed keeping an eye on it all season, but it is even more active this time of year -- partly because of the season and partly because so many human residents have already gone back to their homes "up North" for the summer.
I'm pretty sure these are Red-Shouldered Hawks and I'm also pretty sure there must be a nest in one of the larger trees near here, since this is the second week in a row I've spotted at least one on my morning walks. I swear I saw this one turn its head in a complete circle. Can that be possible?
Back at the pond on another morning -- and I think this is an immature Little Blue Heron.
Not a lot of water, but enough to share.
This is a different hawk -- and I know this because I could see this one and the one above at the same time. They were perched across the street from each other. They both look young to me and that's why I think there must be a nest somewhere nearby. I'll keep watching (through my lens from an appropriate distance).
Grateful for good starts.
LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.
MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B' BIRDING