A foggy start to my bike ride

At the end of March I woke up to a foggy morning and almost didn’t go out for an early bike ride. I went out anyway and when I got to the north end of the Pinellas Trail the sun was already coming out of the fog. As soon as I got on the trail I saw a nice fogbow on one side of the trail and the sun coming up over the trees on the other side.

The sun was peeking through the trees along the horse pasture.

The fog made the spiderwebs stand out.

The sun coming up over the barn.

I could see a turkey far out in the pasture. He was strutting around but the ladies were too far away.

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Or maybe it just tastes better?

 I love hearing the sound of the meadowlarks.

The grackle’s colors really stood out in the sun.

On the other side of the cow pasture I could see the 2 juvenile bald eagles. One was really flapping his wings.

Farther down the trail I saw another bald eagle. This one looked to be about a year old with those white spots, probably born here last winter.

A kildeer was sitting on eggs in the dirt. These guys nest on the ground.

SkyWatch Friday

An early morning walk

There was a mist over the wetlands as I walked out on the trail at the Roosevelt Wetlands. It was mid-November and a cold morning although it warmed up fast. The mist and dew made it easy to see the spiderwebs.

The muhly grass had lost their pink blooms and now just looked like white feathers in the mist. The sun was coming up as I walked along the trail.

It’s common to see a spotted sandpiper in the fall and winter here.

A Savannah sparrow was trying to hide in the reeds.

The northern harrier that spends winters here was so far away this trip.

A tricolored heron flies by and lands in the water.

Some type of wasp? I haven’t seen one of these before.

A bunny hides in the shade. If I get any closer he’s going to dart into the bushes.

Saturday's Critters

Walking through the fog.

Some of the critters along the trail at Circle B Bar Reserve in late March including that cute little mouse in the bottom pictures. The alligators were out everywhere and making their loud mating bellow. Even if you couldn’t see them you could hear them bellowing all over the marsh.

It was a quiet morning for flying critters.

The trails were covered in fog when I got to the preserve early in the morning. There wasn’t a lot of traffic on the trails and it was a nice quiet morning. I like being here in the fog for a change of season since it makes it seem like winter even if it was mild and muggy.

The bottom two pictures are panos with my phone.

SkyWatch Friday

Fun in the fog.

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On foggy mornings you can really see the spider webs. You don’t notice them when the sun is out. Everything is covered in them.

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The light was bad but it was fun to walk around in the fog.  At least it looked like winter even though it didn’t feel like it.

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The cypress trees are starting to turn colors (it finally looks like fall here) but the little one was completely covered in webs.  I’m not sure if that will kill the tree.

I was driving over to Lakeland in early January to walk at Circle B Bar Reserve. The sun was just coming up in Tampa and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The closer I got to the park, the foggier it got. I was bummed thinking the light was going to be bad for taking pictures. It was challenging to get any bright shots but it was cool to see the reserve all covered in fog. It felt like I was in a different place. The fog eventually burned off some time after 10 and the sun came out.

SkyWatch Friday