Florida on my mind…
All our recent talk in the comments section has me thinking about Florida! My heart kind of goes there in October anyway because of so many off-season trips down in years past. So, without further adieu, allow me to exit the drizzly, cool weather we are having in central North Carolina today and take us all to the warmth and beauty of The Sunshine State…
These are some of my favorites from our previous trips to southwest FL, specifically Fort Myers. My parents are down there now, and they’ve sent in the last two you see: the yellow-crowned night-heron and the two raccoons. Both were photographed in the great J.N. Ding Darling Nature Preserve on Sanibel Island…love that place!
The others I took on Ft Myers Beach (Estero Island), except for the beautiful sunset seagull walk photo that my lovely wife took. That’s one of our all-time favorites, along with the one of our son chasing seagulls below. The picture of the two pelicans up top is fun because it shows how long their wing span really is. I’ll get back to you on the specifics of what each remaining bird is…I’m a little rusty on my herons and egrets without the guide books right in front of me. For now, just relax, and let your mind drift off to southwest Florida…sigh! Dave
P.S. (a few days later) Okay, the larger fishing bird is a great egret, and the smaller white bird strutting is a snowy egret. The pelicans are brown pelicans.
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Comments
Gorgeous shots, Dave!!!! I used to live in the Venice area–north of Fort Myers. Have you been shelling at Sanibel (Not sure of spelling)??? Fabulous place to go–even after the bad storms.
funny we were just talking about Sanibel and Ding Darling the other day…ahh your colorful pictures bring back nice memories of hiking the baily track and walking the beaches! Thanks, needed those pics today, windy and cold here in Pa.
Ruth, thanks. I guess Florida would be quite a long journey for you!
Betsy, we have been shelling at Sanibel and loved it! Sanibel is so dear to us…so many fun memories there. And thank you for your nuthatch blog entry! Maybe as winter approaches they will come…
Tina, have you ever biked through Ding Darling? They rent the bikes at Tarpon Bay. Really fun to do on a nice day there. Sigh!
Hey, Thanks for visiting my post, you always say the nicest things!! Yes, we have biked, canoed, hiked all over Sanibel and Captiva. We have been going to Sanibel for about 22 yrs. We stay at a condo complex on West Gulf Drive, called Tarpon Beach. Like you and your family we have great memories of fun but very relaxing times on Sanibel. Love the first picture you have of the two flying pelicans, they remind me of the times we used to sit on the causeway and watch them dive for fish…that was the old causeway of course! Yea, you’re right sigh!!!
Dave, these are fantastic! I would LOVE to go to Ding Darling nature preserve! Awesome pictures – love your little boy chasing the gulls – priceless!
Tina, can’t believe I forgot to mention Captiva in all this! That drive across the bridge from Ft Myers to Sanibel where you can see the curve of the shore all the way down to Bonita and Naples takes my breath away every time. I am just old enough to remember the old causeway….my grandpa used to fish there when I was a boy. Fun to remember all this!
BG, it is well worth the visit and probably a nice break from a chilly Pennsylvania winter. Join the many “snowbirds” (including my parents) who head down from the north for a warm vacation there…you won’t regret it! Birds and shells are in abundance!
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Very fascinating series of photos.Florida is a place I have only read about so in this way I also can ‘go’ there.Thanks for sharing.