A Full-time Life

Venice Audubon Rookery

 

May really is a pretty month here.  The moods of the sky are fascinating and every morning walk is different.   

 

Last week's morning walks at home

We stay busy indoors during the hot (and sometimes rainy) part of the day, but sometimes you've just got to get away in spite of the heat. 

So one day last week we drove about an hour North of us to visit the Venice Audubon Bird Rookery.  From their website: 

"The Rookery island’s deep lake is small enough so that from the shaded pavilion benches you hardly need binoculars for a clear view of the birds. Tangled invasive plants have been replaced by Florida-friendly vegetation so you can easily walk around the edge of the lake and watch bird activity on all sides of the island." 

 

Green Heron

May is the end of the nesting season, so there wasn't too much activity in the rookery itself.   But there were some very nice birds around the edges of that small Lake.  One of my favorites, the Green Heron was the first bird I spotted on that walk.  

 

Great Egrets and Great Blue Heron

 

 At the nests, which are on a bird island in the center of the Lake, we caught glimpses of a few big babies poking up their heads to be fed, but I think most of the nestlings had left home already.  The ones we saw (I didn't get pictures) were as big as the parents. 

There were a couple pairs of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks on the opposite side of the Lake from the parking area.   

 

Whistling Duck

There's just something about these guys that makes me smile.  Maybe it's the pink legs?  

 

Or the Mohawk Hair cut?

 

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks

Or their pretty eyes?  Or what seems like their curious nature.  Whatever it is, they are a joy to watch.  We've seen these ducks before, but not this close to home.

We spotted this high-density neighborhood on the edge of the Lake:

 

Purple Martin Condominium

 

And a condo tenant (Purple Martin)

 

He looks a little cranky.   Most of the residents didn't want their picture taken at all.  (The picture is highly zoomed.  I really don't think he even saw me.)

 

 Here's some more Spring color from walks in our own neighborhood:

 

More Florida Spring Flowers

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities:  Thank you to the hosts.

 NATURE NOTES;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; WILD BIRD Wednesday; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;   WANDERING CAMERA; SATURDAY CRITTERS  and RATHER B' BIRDING

Total eclipse of the moon --

 -- and other news from last week. 

The bird of the week at the neighborhood pond was this Little Blue Heron.  Early in the week when it hadn't rained for a few days, the pond was almost completely dry, but then we had a few rainstorms.   It would be interesting to follow the birds to see where they go when their feeding spot dries up!   They always seem glad to be back. 

 

 

One of those storms, I think on  Wednesday,  was a literal eye-opener.  Rainstorms are common in late afternoon this time of year, but that one woke us up before dawn  with loud claps of thunder and lightning briefly turning our bedroom into broad daylight.  There's nothing like starting the day off with a bang! 

Earlier last week though the weather was good.  And on Sunday (a week ago) we were blessed with a beautiful day and  evening without a cloud in the sky.  So we stayed up late for the total lunar eclipse.   We couldn't have had better seats for the show than we did from the dock area in back of the  Canal Cottage.  

 

Lunar Eclipse, May 15, 2022

During a full eclipse, the moon passes through the darkest part of the Earth's shadow (the umbra).   According to NASA, the reddish hue happens because orange and red colors remain visible while blue and green light get scattered by dust particles in the atmosphere.  Because of the color, lunar eclipses are sometimes called Blood Moons.

Tuesday, May 17

I hardly ever stay up that late these days, so that long night meant no early morning walk happening on Monday.  But the next morning, the  moon was visible on the street side of our house -- and it still looked full.  Although certainly not as dramatic, especially with the point-and-shoot camera which is all  I carry on my normal walks. 

 

 

 

Great Egrets are common around here -- this one was standing perfectly still on a corner island in the middle of the supermarket parking lot.  For a minute, I thought the store had installed a statue.    But he was there hunting for food (just like all the rest of us).

 

In other news of the week for which I'm exceedingly grateful, we were both able to get our second COVID booster shot.  We're still masking up in public places, but the booster provides a nice margin of safety. 

 

And also (TA-DA) the bathroom project which has kept us (uh, half of us) busy all season is finished and it is beautiful.  We (both halves of us, for sure) are delighted with the way it turned out.     I'm   amazed that Bill's talented design and skill  incorporated a roomy walk-in shower, corner sink cabinet with storage,  a wall-hung toilet, and space to maneuver in an area only 7 by 8.     

 

 

 

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; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

Good Starts

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  

At home with camera ...

 

.. and a computer on which to download its contents. Life is good.

 

This morning  ... looking East from the back-porch: 

 

SUNRISE:  Like sunset in reverse, but without the wine.

 

 Osprey seen on a hot day's drive in the Babcock-Webb wildlife area.

 

Red shouldered Hawk seen on a crack-of-dawn walk here in our neighborhood.   I guess he'd already had breakfast because he made no move  toward those little birds perched right below.   I walked around the block and hawk and (I think) mockingbirds were still perched in exactly the same place when I got back to this point. 

 

The Kildeer skittered around  leading me away from its ground nest even before I even got anywhere close.   I always wish I could tell them that I wouldn't dream of hurting their babies.

 

The bunny's defensive strategy, on the other hand, was to freeze in place also before I got anywhere close.  There is a reason why rabbits are at the bottom of the food chain.  But I always like spotting them.  This grassy area borders the wildlife walk next door to our resort and I've probably taken pretty much the exact same picture every season we've stayed here. Except of course this bunny is at least the 12th or 13th generation of wild rabbits over that number of years.    

 

Florida Spring flowers are anything but subtle.   

 

The rainy season arrived early this year.    That's good for flora and fauna.   Here in subtropical Florida, the mornings are almost always sunny --   the rains come later in the day.  They move in  fast and furious and then are completely gone for the day, with not a drizzle left.   We need more  English words for rain, because it's very different here than in our home state of Oregon.  

 

Great Blue Heron (leftover from beach trip posted last week)

It was an ordinary week and in our family we have always been grateful for ordinary days.   But when I think about how nice it is to sit at my nice new speedy computer to write these words, I can't help but think about how different an ordinary week is nowadays.    I'm glad for that because I like this way of saving our memories.   

 

Linking this ordinary week to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS    

Happy to be here

 

Happy to be back from an unintended vacation from blogging.  We have been busy and well -- the time away was caused by computer failure.  My poor PC gave up the ghost!   After several trips to the "not-quite-as-Best-as-it-used-to-be" store, my new machine is finally here.  And installed and ready to go,  thanks to the in-house computer person (the one in our household who is not me).

 

 

And now all I have to do is remember how to use it.   I'm thankful to be back and to have new pictures to share.  And very grateful that my old ones were safely restored.  

 

Ruddy Turnstone

 

Except for the memory collage a little way below, the pictures in today's post were taken on Captiva Island last week.   It was our first real boating excursion in over two seasons.   

 

 

We stayed two nights (aboard our boat) at the historic Tween Waters Inn.  It is located on Captiva Island be'tween' Pine Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico.       Click on the sign to read some of its history.  

 

 

It was kind of a bitter-sweet time because we went with good friends who have sold their winter home on the Canal and will not be back next season.  They are the ones who really helped us get to know the good places to boat here in SW Florida.  

 

Brown Pelican

 

We have had so much fun together, boating and ashore, during our twelve seasons here.  We will miss them.   

 

 

 This collage is not from last week, but is just a few memories from past boat trips with these (and other) friends.  

 

 

We didn't let the bitter over-rule the sweet on this trip and we had fun together.   By this time in our lives, we all know that change happens.   

 

Ospreys on historic Tween Waters cottage

Here's to happy times:  Past, present, and to come!

 

More  Sunset from Tween Waters Beach, Captiva Island (Pine Island Sound)

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;  and SATURDAY CRITTERS