A mid-summer trip to the zoo

It was very hot in late July but I stopped by the Lowry Park Zoo early one Saturday morning to see how the wild baby birds were doing.

There were a few late little blue heron babies still on the nest but I didn’t see any baby house sparrows.  I saw a few nests tucked away around the gift shop but I didn’t see or hear any babies at that time.

Our World Tuesday Graphicimage-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

More rainy day flower pictures

Pictures from a walk around the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo during a morning summer rain shower. Most people say the rain never lasts long in Florida in the summer but sometimes they last most of the day. This morning in August it rained all day. At least it wasn’t hot.

Standing under the gazebos looking across the pond.

Linking to Wednesday Around the World.

Flowers in the rain

I headed out to the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo in early August around 8am. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky in Tampa. As I got closer to the gardens I could see the dark clouds up ahead. I was thinking it would be a quick rain shower and then it would nice and cool to walk around after the rain. I sat in my car for over 30 minutes in the down pour. It finally slowed down to a drizzle. I got out of the car with my big golf umbrella and walked around the gardens taking pictures in the drizzle. At least it wasn’t hot.

http://myworldthrumycameralens.blogspot.com/2017/09/view-from-plane-and-watw.html?m=1

 

In the backyard

DSC_0114 DSC_0118 DSC_0127

We recently had a yellow crowned night heron on our dock. He didn’t fly away when I went out to take his picture. I didn’t get too close to the dock though.

DSC_0124

Of course, the mallard came cruising up to see if I had a handout.

DSC_0027

A red bellied woodpecker has been a regular in our backyard.

DSC_0135

I saw this squirrel resting in our tree. When I got closer he didn’t move. I was beginning to wonder if he was still alive. I got pretty close and he turned and looked at me. I left him alone and after a while, he got up and left.

DSC_0987

These bloom all year here.

DSC_0977

Another wasp nest in the palm tree.

DSC_0518

DSC_0517

DSC_0534

I saw this weird glow outside right before dark and ran outside to take pictures of the clouds. The rain had stopped and the sun was trying to peak through before going down.

DSC_0530

The mallards always show up when you are on the dock. Even in the dark.

A few things from the backyard recently.

SkyWatch Friday

Blooming in the winter

DSC_9415 DSC_9418 DSC_9413 DSC_9421 DSC_9425 DSC_9423 DSC_9429 DSC_9438 DSC_9442 DSC_9446 DSC_9447 DSC_9449 DSC_9457 DSC_9479

Pretty things were still blooming in the winter in central Florida. On a cold (60 degrees) sunny morning I headed out for a good 3 hour walk. I went to the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. Not many birds there but still lots of flowers blooming. I know, everyone else is showing off their pretty snow pictures but soon they’ll be wishing they were down here for a visit.

 20mom_badgeWEBShine the Divine