After walking around Lake Dan Preserve in north Tampa, it started to get foggy on the drive home. It wasn’t foggy on the way up so it was weird driving back in the fog. I always love stopping on a quiet rode and taking pictures of the cows (one day I will get that shot of the cattle egret sitting on top of the cow) and I wasn’t in a big hurry to get home.
Just a long quiet drive along back roads.
Walking out on the trail at Circle B Bar Reserve, the fog was just starting to lift.
On the other side of the marsh, the sun was trying to break through.
Great blue herons in the fog.
A few critters along the trail. That big one always sleeps in that same spot across the ditch.
Lots of the usual birds along the trail.
A bright red flash of fall in the moss. It usually starts to look like fall around here in January.
The view along the boardwalk and observation tower at Lettuce Lake back in late February. It was just foggy enough that you couldn’t see the other side of the small lake. I love mornings like these. Not many people out so it was very quiet. All above taken with my phone.
I could just make out the grebes swimming close to the tower.
Even in the fog, the bright colors of the azalea bushes were popping out. These were at the entrance to the park. The azalea flowers don’t bloom long here so I caught them at the right time.
I got to Circle B Bar Reserve just after the sun came up but it was hiding behind the fog. There were a few people already there but the crowds don’t usually come until closer to lunchtime. I love it when it’s so quiet. Only the birds and ducks were making noise.
The fog was really thick this particular morning in early January. It did not burn off until I was leaving.
Bald cypress trees in the middle of the lake. All of these were taken with my phone.
Birds in our backyard, They are all regular visitor’s. A great blue heron, an anhinga drying his wings with some seaweed on his beak and a red bellied woodpecker.
Arriving home one day I saw a Cooper’s hawk eating something in my neighbor’s yard. Then later we had a red shoulder hawk on my neighbor’s sailboat mast.
We have a hooded merganser couple that hangs our in our channel during the winter. Every so often he comes close to our dock.
Plants in the backyard.
The sea fog had rolled in one Sunday morning.
One of the big moon events recently. Taken in the driveway.
I realized after standing there for a while on the trail and watching the black bellied whistling ducks flying around in circles what they were doing. The groups of juveniles would take off together and fly around in a small circle and land back in the marsh near their parents. They were practicing for that flight back up north in the spring. They would all whistle together as they flew around me and landed. It was fun to watch them in the early morning fog.
Lots of activity the morning I was there in early January. I hadn’t seen that many whistlers together in the marsh in a long time. They were all very busy feeding and flying around. There were a few young ones left that still had their pin feathers in. I hope some of them stay over through the spring. I miss hearing that whistling sound when they are not here at Circle B Bar Reserve.
While the flowers are hidden in the fog, you can really see the spider webs.
The fog was pretty thick during my trip to Circle B Bar Reserve in late December. It usually burns off by 10 am but this particular morning it was still around when I left at noon.
At least you can still spot the gators on the trail.
A limpkin family walking down the trail in the fog.
Hiding behind a tree.
Cruising by with a snack.
Baby face.
Lots of limpkins at Circle B Bar Reserve in late December.
As I walked down Marsh Rabbit Run trail, I heard the black bellied whistling ducks yelling. It’s rare that they are quiet in the morning so I didn’t think anything of it. Then they all started to fly away and I saw on the right of the trail what scared them away.
The alligator got half way across the trail and then backed down into the water. I waited a while before heading on. Maybe he decided there was too much traffic on the trail to cross.
Other stuff along the trail.
Looks like he was close but was actually in the middle of the lake. Cropped in.
A foggy start to the morning but ended up being a beautiful day in early December at Circle B Bar Reserve.
The reserve was covered in fog when I first walked out on the trails in early March. I could hear the sandhill cranes calling out but could not see them very well.
After the fog lifted, I saw several on my walk.
Spider webs blanketed the trails.
The usual residents.
A bittern close to the trail.
It can look dark and foggy early in the morning but it doesn’t stay that way long in early spring in central Florida.