How sad and cute is this guy? I found him digging around in the ditch on Marsh Rabbit Run trail.
Dragonflies are everywhere now.
Two snowy egrets chasing each other. Is it still mating season?
Purple gallinule with his candy corn beak. Lately there have been a few on the edge of Wading Bird Way trail.
Green heron in his usual spot on Alligator Alley trail.
It looks like this guy is trying to swim on the rock. Yes, turtles do have personality.
This one is a stomach clincher. We had heard about the dead alligator on Alligator Alley when we first got to Circle B Bar Reserve. We could smell it long before we got to it. It looked like it was blending into the mud. The trees around it were covered with vultures taking turns getting a bite. It had been there for a few days if not longer. I don’t know if anyone ever found out what happened to it. Did it die of old age?
Another beautiful Saturday morning at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland. This was in early June. There weren’t a large variety of birds there but some other interesting things. I still haven’t found the barred owls at the end of Alligator Alley. I’ll keep looking.
Check out more pictures at Our World Tuesday 
Head over to Paying Ready Attention to see more birds.
Wonderful images… your wildlife is just amazing to see..
The dragonfly looks like a piece of Art Deco jewelry…wonderful shot!
There is nothing more high smelling than dead reptile in the heat. Last summer, a bull snake (for reasons known only to him) crawled up in to the engine compartment of my daughter’s car, got stuck and died. The stench was unbelievable and lasted for days once we discovered the problem and cleaned it out.
Judging from the size of the allegator, he could have been pretty old … hope that is all it was. Love the Black Vulture sitting there totolly unmoved by the stench
As forthe Barred Owls, they are very difficult to spot in the day time. The will perch next to the trunk of a tree and blend right in. It is sometimes hard to see them even when you know they are there … Good luck though, they are beautiful and would make a wonderful contribution to your blog posts …
Andrea @ From The Sol
The raccoon is adorable!
Love it all. But the raccoon looks like a little bandit and the turtle is too much. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Fantastic nature captures!
Lucky you to see and photograph so much wildlife!
Love the raccoon and the turtle, Dina. The purple gallinule is a bird I’ve never seen. And I’m glad I wasn’t there to see the vulture snacking on the gator carcass.
K
FACEMELTING pictures today Dina, great selection, well done! It makes me look forward to my fall Florida trip even more, despite being confined to Key West most of the time.
Hi there – great set of pictures – the racoon is great, but for pure “entertainment” I can go past the alligator picture – wow.
Stewart M
Nature at it’s most beautiful and also at it’s most basic. I think in the modern world we have often forget that death is also part of life.
Mollyxxx
Great shots, Dina! That wet raccoon may be once in a lifetime.
Love the dragonfly
Hi there – thanks for the link and for helping to get the Wild Bird Wednesday meme going.
SM
I always look forward to your ventures. Oh after a sad loss, I do hope the Sandhill Crane young ones make it this time. The close-up of the Dragonfly, all of your images are wonderful!!!