Winter in Florida

Those are the osprey chick's wings.

Alligator we saw from our kayak today.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Vicki photographing a hanging plant.

Burrowing owl couple. They are only 10" tall but have a much bigger ego.

Osprey delivering a fish to his family.

The osprey chicks you see already have a five foot wing span.

See the top photo.

Lazy days of winter

Mother Bald Eagle headed towards her big babies.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Her big eaglets looking well fed and ready to fledge soon.

Red-bellied Woodpecker outside its nest. Interesting that it doesn't have a red belly.

Notice how they push their tail against the tree for leverage.

While other birds build their nests, these woodpeckers carve theirs out.

That's using their heads.:))

Oh, to be a kid again

Saw this boy at Jug Marine on Pine Island, Florida,

enjoying his freedom on his dad's boat in 80 degree weather.

(click on photos to enlarge)

Eaglet, shown in an earlier photo, is getting ready to fledge.

Idyllic day on the Orange River in our condo preserve.

Swing rope and all.

Snowy egret captain of the ship.

Sure is different from my first kayaking with Brian and Matthew.

Lucky shot

Second time this year we were able to photograph this rare

Crested Caracara

seen only in south central Florida, parts of Texas and Mexico.

Big as a vulture but dominant in their company.

(click on photos to enlarge)

Our 2011 Florida Photo fun in warm weather.

Black vulture looks like an Egyptian Queen. Ugly yet beautiful

(click on photos to enlarge)

Air boat ride on the Myakka river.

Note the green heron on the pipe between the rudders

and the anhinga on the right side.

Here is the green heron's close up portrait.

These are wild monk parakeets on ball field lights near their nests.

Don't mess with this security patrol.

Monk parakeets on the ball field fence. They nest on the light poles.

A smiling alligator at Okaloachoochee State Forest.

Glad there is the stream and fence between us.

Wood stork up the street from us.

Turkey vultures on a roof a quarter mile from our condo.

Kestrel falcon in our condo neighborhood.

Boo! Wood stork didn't faze the white ibis.

Stretched our lens to get this shot on Pine Island.

Crested Caracara

Finally got to photograph this rare bird. It is found only

in a small area of South Central Florida and parts of Texas.

(click photo to enlarge)

Little Burrowing Owl and Female Osprey

Little Burrowing Owl about 10" tall outside the Cape Coral, Florida library

(click photo to enlarge)

Female Osprey with mating gift of a fish. Pine Island, Florida.

Central Terminal in Buffalo hosts a new falcon nest.

Young Peregrine Falcon struggling to land on slope.

Dad watching in amazement.

Oh well! There she goes.

Dad can't look.

Adventures of bird watchers

Fan belt broke at Iroquois Nat'l Wildlife Refuge.

AAA towed for free. Our EasyPass even paid the toll.

Photo taken by Vicki using her iPhone camera.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Our new peregrine find at the grain elevator next to

Gallagher Beach on Lake Erie at Buffalo.

Might be a new mating pair.

Awe, so cute.

Red-Breasted Merganser off Gallagher Beach on Lake Erie.

A redo pic of Matthew

Back from Florida

Cookie's palace in the back seat of our car. She traveled well from Florida.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

A day at Fort Niagara with British Corporal

re-enacter and Matthew.

New nest camera for BB and Smoky.

Vicki and Ken at the camera monitor.

Wonderful high def. view of BB in her nest on the tower.

Will enable viewing the eggs and eyases.

Another nice day in Florida

Turtle at Six Mile Cypress Slough enjoying life.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Very large turtle.

Nice view to end the day.

Myakka River State Park, Florida

Is he dead yet? Black vultures expecting a gator meal.

Sorry, gators love to play dead. Watch your feathers.

(click on photos to enlarge)

Air boat ride at the park. Didn't go but boat looks nice.

Vicki demonstrating primitive communication

device we discovered at the rangers station.

Cute wild boar family on Daniels Parkway

near our condo on the way to the park.

Canopy walk at Myakka park. Walkway is 35 feet up. Top of tower is 76'.

Looking down from the top. Walkway is suspended by cables

and rocks back and forth as you walk across. Very safe.

Cable suspended canopy walk at Myakka park. Nice view.