Tag: manatee

Under the fishing pier

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals6 Comments

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Manatee snout coming up for air.

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Stingray in the shallow water.

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I think he was eating the dead fish parts that the fishermen had thrown over the pier.

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Blowing his nose.

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Do you think he needs a kleenex?

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The water was clear enough that you could see what was floating on the bottom. I’m surprised the pelicans didn’t get this stuff when it got thrown over.

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Lots of stingrays around the pier.

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Pretty pelican floating around.

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Taken with my phone camera, this guy swam right up to the pier.

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Even more were swimming towards the pier.

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Pano taken with my phone camera. This is the view from the pier.

It was a busy morning in early December at the Safety Harbor fishing pier. Lots of people out fishing and I counted 8 manatees floating around near the pier. I think that’s a record. The water was clear, the sun was out. Perfect day for a walk.

Safety Harbor fishing pier – Skywatch Friday

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography12 Comments
Hardly anyone on the pier. It was such a beautiful day. Where was everyone?
The day started out cloudy. But then the sun started peeking out.
Such a perfect view!
Surprise! A rare horned grebe floats up to the pier.
The manatees are back early this year. They usually don't show up at this pier until late March. In the summer, you can always see manatees around the pier.
Hey lady, gimmi a kiss!
Safety Harbor, a small little part of the Tampa bay area, is one of my favorite pit stops. Actually, the fishing pier is. The town sits on the water in  the upper Tampa bay, north of all 3 bridges (Gandy, Howard Franklin and Courtney Campbell) that cross the bay from Pinellas County to Hillsborough County. Unless there is an event going on at the little marina, I can always find a good parking spot and it’s free. Most of the time there are pelicans and shorebirds flying around or digging around in the sand. In the warm months you can always see manatees swimming around the pier.  When the time changes and it’s light outside after work, I sometimes stop by for a quick walk along the pier just to de-stress.  Usually just to take a deep breath before heading to do battle at the grocery store. On a recent Saturday morning I stopped there on the way home from checking on the baby owls. It turned out to be a perfect morning.
 
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