A baby dolphin was swimming close to Mom above.
The dolphins were swimming right under the fishing pier at Fort Desoto in early June. The water was clear and the sun was hitting the water just perfect so you could see them before they came up for air.
Someone caught a tiny shark.
A beautiful day to be out in a boat.
to Daytona Beach we go. On the east coast of Florida. This was our first trip and we were staying over for one night to visit friends who were visiting for the week from Georgia.
The view from our room on the 14th floor. I zoomed in with my phone on the last one. Our hotel was next door to a small amusement park.
We met up with our friends who were staying near the Ponce Inlet and spent some time walking around the lighthouse before heading to dinner.
We had dinner at a fun little restaurant next to the lighthouse that was right on the water.
View from our table.
It was a quick short trip to have dinner with our friends. I was traveling light so all of the above were taken with my phone.
All of the above were taken at Lighthouse Beach at the end of Sanibel Island. There’s a small beach that wraps around the lighthouse and it was full of large jellyfish that were stranded on shore. We had heard there a lot of them in the water in the area but we did not see any at the beach or in the water at our hotel. You could not go up in the lighthouse but could walk around the grounds.
I caught this kestrel flying over my head.
He flew over to the top of a pine tree.
Then a frigatebird flew close to the pier.
A juvenile hawk. He let me get pretty close.
The young reddish egret is still hanging around the pier. I’m beginning to wonder if this is a hybrid of some sort. Is it an offspring of a reddish egret and a white morph reddish egret?
A cormorant preening on a light post.
The osprey couple that nests near the Fort were hanging around together. If this warm weather keeps up this December, nesting season will be starting much earlier this year.
A usual sight at the pier. A big boat passing the lighthouse at Egmont Key.
Just another perfect day at the beach.
Ruddy turnstones are starting to get their summer colors in.
It looks like this pelican has a handout. Unless he knows how to filet a fish?
All lined up, waiting for someone to drop some bait fish.
Rush hour traffic on the water. A perfect sunny windy day. Lots of boats out.
Hanging out.
Great blue heron up high on the pole.
Most of the snowy egrets around the pier were sporting their summer breeding pink feathers around their beak.
My first frigatebird sighting of the summer.
Flowers were blooming all over the park.
This was one of the first sunny warm days we had this season. The fishing pier was crowded early that morning. When I left after lunch, the line to get in the park was really long. Beach season has officially opened. Which means I need to be at the park before 8am and out before lunch until next winter. Too many people around.
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This little boy was so fascinated with the bait fish. He was so excited to help his dad pull the net up and see it full of little fish. I told him to keep an eye on the fish so the below doesn’t happen.
Yes, someone else wasn’t keeping an eye on their bait fish and the snowy egret got a free easy meal.
I always see a few ruddy turnstones at the fishing pier. And most of them are missing something. The above was missing a few toes on his foot. I’ve seen one that was missing both feet and he was running around on his leg sticks. He seemed to be getting around pretty good. I don’t know whether they are getting caught in fishing line or if it’s something that happens when they are little.
The lighthouse at Egmont Key across the gulf. The big barges pass between the fishing pier at Fort Desoto and the lighthouse. You can only get over there by boat. This picture is pretty cropped up so it’s not very close.
