A Full-time Life

SUNDAY MORNING AT MANATEE PARK

Now that the weather is nice and warm (make that HOT hot hot), manatees no longer congregate where the waters are warmed by the nearby power plant.  This time of year, they can spread out and enjoy warm water in the river and the gulf.  They'll be back to their 'hot tub spa' next winter.

 

 

But Manatee Park in North Fort Myers is still a good place for a morning walk close to home -- and always a sure bet for picture opportunities.  

The flowers above are from the Native Plant Demonstration Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Park is only a couple of miles from home but I didn't get an early start.     Most birds (sensibly) hide during the hot part of the day and  it was already late in the morning.  But the Blue Jay wasn't letting the heat keep him from this pretty perch.

 

 

 

 

The Passion Vine isn't native to this area but it has been planted out of necessity as a supplemental host plant for certain species of butterflies.

 

 

 

 This pretty dragon fly posed nicely.

 

 

 

I saw lots of butterflies, but these two were the only ones that landed long enough for a picture.   (Note to self:  Get out there earlier in the morning.  Butterflies are more active after it warms up.)

 

We're at countdown mode, getting organized for our semi-annual migration in a couple of weeks,  so it's a busy time around the Canal Cottage.  A couple of hours in the park was a good way to get energized for the week ahead.

 

LINKING TO:  Jesh's SEASONS; Judith's monthly MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD on Tuesday (hosted by Lady Fi, Gattina, Arija, Sandy, Sylvia, and Jenn); Michelle's NATURE NOTES;  Stewart's WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; and TODAY'S FLOWERS, hosted by Denise.

Thank you to all of the hosts.

ROSY TOMORROWS

 

 

We had lunch one day last week at Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm here in rural North Fort Myers.  The lunch and tour were sponsored by the local newspaper and only people they call "insiders" were eligible to buy tickets.  ("Insiders" meaning people who subscribe to the paper -- unfortunately nowadays that is a more exclusive group than it used to be.  But not all that special!).   Everything at the lunch was grown or raised on the farm.

 

Longhorn cattle

 

Rosy Tomorrows is a 100 acre sustainable farm.    All of the animals are pastured and nourished on grass.  No steroids or antibiotics are ever used. The owner has chosen breeds that are slow-growing and that do well in the hot Florida conditions.   

 

 

 

Rosy's website says "All our animals are slow-growing and are raised organically, holistically, sustainably, humanely, and as close to nature as possible."

 

 

She said that the donkeys came with the 100-Acre Farm when they bought it.  They headed right over to all the people taking their pictures -- hoping for a handout.

 

Red wattle pig

 

All of the animals seemed happy  in their generous pastures.

 

Silver-laced wyandotte chicken

 

I didn't get as many pictures as I'd hoped to on this tour -- there were about 80 "insiders" and it was hard to get good shots.   It was also hard to hear everything Rosy was saying.  We would like to go back sometime next year on one of the days when the Farm is open to the public so that we can wander about on our own.

 

 

LINKING TO: GOOD FENCES (thank you Theresa)    and     SATURDAY CRITTERS (thank you Eileen).

AN ORDINARY WEEK

 

We stayed close to home this week -- no boat trips, no interesting day-trips  ... just an ordinary week at the Canal Cottage.

 

 

We stayed  home -- but we were almost the only ones on the Canal who did!      This is the annual obligatory shot of our empty canal with some of the vacation homes already shuttered up for the hurricane season and nearly all of the boats pulled out.     (You can see ours nearly at the end on the right.)    

Most people leave for their summer homes in April or May.  There are only a few people who live year-round here in the resort.   We usually arrive later in the season than most of our fellow snow-birds  and we stay later at the end.  It works better for our schedule.

 

 

It's summer temperatures here already.    Walks (or rides on the purple tricycle) have to be early in the morning or in the evening.  It's really hot mid-day, but  I went out with the camera one afternoon purposely to "pick" these subtropical spring flowers.  

 

 These are some of the birds I see sometimes on morning walks.     I haven't had very good luck woodpecker hunting this year and I'm not happy with my pictures at all.    Some mornings I see the red-headed, the red-bellied, and a pair of pileated woodpeckers.  I haven't even been able to get a bad picture of the pileateds.    (There are a couple of my better woodpecker posts from other years in the links below).  You'd think since they are the largest they would be easier, but they just won't ever stay in one place.  I'll keep trying.   

The blue jay loves this one yard -- it's the only place in the resort where I consistently see it.

 

 

 

This is the other end of our Canal.  You can see the Caloosahatchie River out there.

 

LINKING to:   SEASONS;   NATURE NOTES;   OUR WORLD on Tuesday;   WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;   WEDNESDAY WATERS; TODAY'S FLOWERS and FLORAL FRIDAY FOTOS.  (Thank you to all of the hosts).

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Pileated Woodpecker

Chasing Woodpeckers

EVENING AT THE BEACH

 

 More pictures from last week's boat trip to the beach.  These again are from Newton Park.

 

 

The weather was beautiful the whole time we were at the Beach (and on the boat trip, both coming and going).  Always something to be grateful for, especially  this time of year as the summer rainy season can bring rain and (worse) lightening storms.  "The Captain" always checks the weather -- but as everyone knows, it can change (and weather reports have occasionally been known to be wrong.) 

 

 

An egret catching some waves -- and some dinner (or at least a pre-dinner snack).

 

 

The shorebirds.

 

 

 

Linking to: SKYWATCH FRIDAY (thank you Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy); SATURDAY CRITTERS (thank you Eileen); RATHER B'BIRDING (thanks to Annie), and SCENIC WEEKENDS (thanks to Gemma).

SIGNS OF THE BEACH

 

 

 

Here's our boat at Snook Bight Marina, where we spent a few days last week.  (The zoning isn't strict at a Marina -- most of our neighbors were considerably larger than we are.  And they didn't mind at all.)  The Marina was a good one, with a very nice restaurant.  There is casual outdoor seating on the patio (behind the bollard fence) for the restaurant, bar, or just to relax.  Indoors is a white-tablecloth  restaurant, with water views.  We've eaten there before with friends, but on this trip, we ate outside -- the menu is the same.    (Some meals we ate on the boat.  We bring breakfast and snack stuff.)  

We enjoyed just hanging out at the Marina and walking to the beautiful quiet beach I posted earlier this week (here).  But when you head this way, you really have to spend at least a little time in the town of Fort Myers Beach  (the touristy area).  So we took the Beach Trolley into town one day.  

 

 

 

 We walked on that beach a little bit, but it wasn't as pretty (or as rich with birds) as the beach nearer our Marina.   But one thing Fort Myers Beach is rich in is great signs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 Truth in Advertising!

 

 

 

And Truth in Blogging -- the real reason we went to town was to eat at our favorite beach dive, the SOB (which of course stands for Shrimp Oysters Beer -- what did you think?)  We had some of each.

 

 

 

 

Tired, happy, well-fed, and slightly sunburned, it was time to hop on the trolley again for the ride back to the Marina.    Where we sat on the patio and enjoyed the view of our temporary neighborhood.

 

 There are no bad days at the Beach!

 

 

 Linking to SIGNS SIGNS (thank you to Lesley); WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD (thank you Betty); and GOOD FENCES (thank you Theresa)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFTERNOON ON THE BEACH

The Beach was calling our name.  And so was Oh!Zone.  (Our boat, which has been sadly under-used this season.)   So last Tuesday we boated down the River to Estero Bay, where we stayed at Snook Bight Marina.   The pictures in this post were taken on the first afternoon of our stay. It was an easy walk to the beautiful beach at Newton Park, a public facility belonging to the City of Fort Myers Beach.

 

 

The Black-bellied Plover was a lifer for me (first sighting ever)!  Hooray.  

 

 

During the winter season, the sand would undoubtedly have been almost covered with beach blankets, picnics, lounge chairs, umbrellas, radios, and oh, you know, the people who go with all of that.  There are still guests in some of the many condos and vacation rentals on Fort Myers Beach, but cusp season (between winter and summer visitors) is a great time for those of us who prefer less excitement.

 

 

The crowds this time of year are a different species.

 

 

Ruddy Turnstone.  Not a first-ever, but the first time I've seen one in non-winter plumage.

 

 

 

 

 A beautiful day on the Beach -- time to head down the street to our home-away-from home on the water!

 

 

 LINKING TO: SEASONS (thanks to Jesh); NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle);  OUR WORLD on Tuesday (thank you to Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Gattina, Arija, and Jenn); WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart); and WEDNESDAY WATERS (thank you Gemma).  

MORE CUTENESS (Cape Coral Burrowing Owls, Part 2)

 

Continuing from my previous post about our great Burrowing Owl photo hunt with a lot more cuteness and a little more information about the place where they live.  

 

  

 

Cape Coral is the next City to our Florida home in North Fort Myers.  It is the largest City in Southwest Florida -- actually larger in population  than Fort Myers, and larger in area than Miami-- but almost unknown out of this area -- almost as if it were a stepchild of its more well-known neighbor.

One of the reasons may be  because Cape Coral is a new City.  It was created in 1958 by two brothers,   speculators from Baltimore, who came to the area looking for land to develop.    Eventually, Leonard and Jack Rosen and those who followed them changed the peninsula once known as Redfish Point, into the largest master-planned community in the United States.  It was incorporated as a city in  1970.  It is noted for it's canals, with over 400 miles of canals and riverfront.  (More history here.)

 

 

While all this development was taking place, fortunately some people noticed that the whole area was home to a lot of Florida burrowing owls.   (The largest population of this species in the world.)   An organization called "Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife" has been instrumental in making sure that these birds are protected.  You can go to this link for more information.  

 

 

 

Even though these owls actually live year round in Cape Coral, all owls are considered migratory birds and are protected by Federal and State statutes.  It is illegal to harm them in any way.  

 

 

 

 

The nesting sites are fenced off with stakes and string.  The stakes make great places for the owls to perch.  When the female has eggs and tiny chicks in the burrow, the male will stand on one for hours guarding his family.

 

 

 

 

 We found this one on a stake in front of a fence.

 

 

 Just a couple more pictures of these cuties perched and watching.  

 

 

 

 

 LINKING TO:  SIGNS SIGNS ; GOOD FENCES; and SATURDAY CRITTERS and RATHER B'BIRDING.  

Thank you to all of the hosts.

 

 

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BURROWING OWLS OF CAPE CORAL

BURROWING OWLS OF CAPE CORAL

 

Warning!   Cute Overload Ahead.  

 

We went owl hunting one afternoon last weekend -- armed with only a camera of course.

We found six burrows as we traveled around the City of Cape Coral.   The Cape is home to the world's largest population of  the Florida species of burrowing owls.  (This species of pint-sized owls is found only in and around Florida and the Bahamas.)  

 

 

This Burrowing Owl is one of the smallest of all the owls, with adults weighing  in at five to eight ounces and measuring 7 to 11 inches tall.

 

 

If you think the  adult Burrowing Owl  in the picture above is sweet, look out below.    

 

 

  

Here's one of the babies.   I warned you!

While the Western species of these owls live in abandoned prairie dog burrows, "ours" dig their own burrows.   The Cape Coral owls do not migrate but often hide during the summer to avoid the hot summer sun.  The best time to see the chicks is late April through June.

 

 

Double the Cuteness

 

The very best thing about these owls, as far as I am concerned, is that they are out during the day.   Please do know that the  camera we were "armed" with on this photo shoot has a very good zoom lens.  We were respectful of the owls and their space.   That can be a problem for birds that nest on the ground like these do.

 

Whether  looking at you, sleeping, or turning their backs, these little owls are cute cute cute.

 

 

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  Linking to: NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle);  OUR WORLD on Tuesday (thank you to Lady Fi, Gattina, Arija, Sylvia, and Sandy; and to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart).

   

(I couldn't stop taking pictures on this photo hunt, so if you've recovered from this cute overload by Wednesday, come back to  see a follow-up post with more information about the owls and how they are protected.) 

 

 

 

 

MORNING WALKS OF THE WEEK

 

All photos for this end-of-the-week collection  were taken here in the RV Resort where we spend winter and spring.

 

 

 

It looked like the morning sun fell into the Caloosahatchie River.  

 

 

May flowers -- not the typical Spring flowers from other parts of the country.  

 

 

 

Hibiscis -- beautiful from close or far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The top two pictures are what I am pretty sure is a baby/juvenile mockingbird.  He might just have fledged as he was sitting in the middle of the street looking a little shell-shocked.  I heard adult mockingbirds in the trees above him.  They might have been calling him (or maybe not --  mockingbirds are singing all over the park this time of the year).

This  red-bellied woodpecker in the lower pictures seems obsessed with the RV Park recreation hall building.  I see it there every morning.  One day he was looking through the door as if he wanted to go inside.

    

Taken a little later on the same morning as the top sky picture --

now you can see a Spring rainstorm moving in.

 

Linking to: SKYWATCH FRIDAY; TODAY'S FLOWERS; FLORAL FRIDAY FOTOS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; RATHER B' BIRDING; I HEART MACRO; SEASONS; SCENIC WEEKENDS; and MACRO MONDAY.

 

Thank you to all of the hosts.

CATCHING UP WITH THE EAGLES

 

I spent part of a recent morning in the company of North Fort Myers' growing eaglets.    Both are doing well and are nearly as big as their parents. E-7 fledged April 16 and takes daily short flights around the pasture.  E-8, just a day younger, has not yet fledged.   He may be a little slow because he had some trauma during his growing days (see paragraph highlighted in red at this link).  

 

 

When I arrived at the pasture , E-7 was sitting on a branch above the nest looking proud of her(?)self. While I was admiring her through my view finder, she suddenly flew off the branch.  Of course, I froze  in awe and got nothing but sky in my  picture... but, fortunately, she didn't go far, landing on a snag tree just a few feet away.

 

 

 

The top two pictures are the closest I got to a flight shot.  She's just landed and it looks like she's looking down to see exactly how high up she is!  She sat there quite a while.   I looked back to the nest tree to see if I could spot E-8, the younger sibling. 

 

 

I found E-8   perched on a branch near the webcam apparatus.  But of course, almost as soon as I focused on him,   I heard some commotion and realized that E-7 had flown off the snag.  This time I  almost got a decent flight shot  -- the picture on the right above is  E-7 -- almost home to the pine and being chased by an inquisitive (or stupid) crow.     

 

 

 This picture shows the nest tree -- the shorter pine almost in the middle of the picture. To its right (in the picture) is the leaning  snag where E-7 landed (you can see both the eagles if you click to enlarge.)    This picture is taken without using the zoom lens and gives a better idea of how far away I was standing.

 

After that, both siblings hung out together in the nest tree for quite a while.  Do you think E-8 was asking his older sibling what it was like to fly off the nest tree?  Or do you think he was lecturing her because she left him all alone?

 

Harriet (earlier this season)

While I was there, Harriet flew in and out of the nest quickly.  She may have deposited food.  Both Eagle parents are practicing constructive neglect -- teaching the babies to get along without them.  But they will continue to bring food occasionally until the babies leave.   

I left the nest site after a while to go across the street  to get groceries for our own 'nest'.  Toward evening, it began to pour down rain .  Glad to be home and dry with plenty to eat, I hoped that both babies were snug in their nest and did not spend the whole rainy and breezy night on that branch.

 ****

 

LINKING to SEASONS (thanks Jesh); to OUR WORLD on Tuesday (thank you to Lady Fi, Gattina, Arija, Sandy, Sylvia, and Jenn); to NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle); to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart) and to Nature Footsteps TREES (thank you Monica).