Near the end of April I was finishing my walk along the Safety Harbor waterfront and was walking past the damaged pier on the way back to my car when I heard an eagle yelling. I was glad I had my camera in the car as I look over and see an eagle sitting on the pier piling. After quickly taking the above shot the eagle flew off and headed towards an old sign piling.

I didn’t realize there was another eagle eating a fish nearby. The eagle tried to land on the piling and they both took off flying around in a small circle. There are two eagle nests nearby so I’m not sure which these are. Or, maybe they are from different nests and the one was trying to steal the fish?

The eagle with the fish landed back on the piling and the other eagle took off far down the water towards the causeway. The one sat on the piling for a while finishing his fish and the other one did not come back.

Looking right into the sun I could see two yellow crowned night herons walking along the piping on the damaged pier.

I moved farther down the waterfront and was able to watch them hanging out. One hopped down in the water and was shaking his feathers. They eventually flew off together and I’m assuming they are a couple.

Since I had my camera I stopped by Folly Farm to take a quick walk through the butterfly garden. I found lots of little critters on the flowers.

I had forgotten there was a balloon cotton bush plant here. It only blooms in the warmer weather so I wasn’t seeing it on my winter walks here. It’s a type of milkweed and is favored by the monarch butterflies to eat and lay eggs in.

There wasn’t a lot of birds here but I did see a juvenile northern parula and a juvenile titmouse.  Lots of young ones around in the spring.