Bayport Inn

The Bayport Inn isn't your ordinary Inn. It's a biker, tourist bar & grill.
The place is owned by a local doctor!
Sure there are the usual Harleys, but there is also an awesome view of the marshes, and of course the bar cats. This is but one of two we saw. We sat on the back deck in glorious warm sunshine! The art here is different, a stiff fisherman in his rowboat and "Neverude" outboard. There is a small channel just below the deck. The tide was out so we could see small crabs scurrying around on the mud. The wading birds were everywhere, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue, and Cattle Egrets scouring the marsh for their lunch.

I enjoyed a yummy fish sandwich, with fries of course. Then on to the Bayport fishing pier where we watched the Skimmers, and Royal Terns
argue over a Needle Fish. I caught the skimmer as he was just taking off. Out by the bay, it was much cooler even in full sun. Nevertheless, beautiful to take in on the last day of my vacation.
Tomorrow I'm back to dial-up, freezing cold & ice, and work. That is the cruel reality of the return to New Hampshire. But I will return to the sunny south again and again.

Armadillos & Sandhill Cranes

I did get to Starkey Park on my bike this afternoon. I was fortunate to have a deer walk across the bike path, ever so slowly. The whitetails are much smaller here. The deer I saw today was probably no more than sixty pounds, but beautiful nonetheless. Then I saw a Curulean Warbler! What a brilliant sight he was, in his blue-green finery. I saw several other warblers but couldn't get close enough to I.D. Many, many Armadillos. I took this short clip of a larger Armadillo.

The temperature was in the sixties at the start of my ride, but in the fifties on my return. I don't know if my skin is sunburned, wind-burned, or frostbit! I was in shorts the entire time.

On the ride back I saw a man entering the bike path from a nearby parking lot. He had a small Cairn Terrier with him on a leash. The little dog had a choke collar on. I witnessed this man swing the dog by the neck like a rag doll. The dog swung out ahead of the man, then to the ground. The man then noticed me, and pretended to give a rat's ass about the dog. I was livid. The man's girlfriend then emerged, and I wondered if she had any idea what a creep her boyfriend was. I wanted to turn around and tell her, but I restrained myself.

I collected my thoughts and continued along my way. As I got closer to the park entrance I found a pair of Sandhill Cranes relaxing. One was resting on its heels! Quite amusing really.

It's Getting Warmer

Finally! It's warmer out this morning than it has been in many days. I will enjoy taking a bike ride through JB Starkey park later on. Yesterday I ventured into the park for a hike. In the sun, I fell to the temptation of laying down on the soft sand and sucking in the Vitamin D. Perfect. After a while, I got up albeit alittle dazed from the hypnotic affects that basking can bring. My goal was to find sleeping snakes, but I never did find any. Instead, I found this peculiar fungus on many of the trees, from Live Oaks, to Cypress. I had not seen this fungus before, and wondered if it was something new to the area. I did find several small Armadillos rooting around the Saw Palmettos. They were however too fast for me to capture on film. Usually they are much slower, or I am much faster. I saw a wren, and heard several warblers. My birding skills are not honed well enough to know all the sounds, so I can't always identify the bird by its song. However, I can tell the difference between warbler songs, and say a Catbird, or a Red Wing Blackbird.

These Hooded Mergansers were swimming on the pond behind my mom's house. They have been coming to the pond every day. Note that the males are rallying for the females attention. These guys would to do a funny thing with their crests, raising and lowering their heads in a funky, jerky stretch.These are Cypress trees, large exposed roots plunging into the water. This area provides many artistic opportunites for photography, or painting, mmmm perhaps I will be inspired to create a watercolor.

Now for the bad news many animals have died this week due to the continued cold. Sea Turtles, Manatees, and thousands of fish have washed up on local shores. Strawberry and Kumquat crops have been decimated. A very sad state of affairs here in Florida.

Here are the Red-Shouldered Hawks

Here are the pair of hawks I mentioned in the earlier post for today. Today turned out to be just a bit warmer, into the 50's. I went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. A great place to bring kids, or to just be a kid at heart. Lots of hands-on stuff to do. There are also some great films shown in the Imax theaters at MOSI. Tomorrow should be even warmer, so I'm hoping to get out to JB Starkey park to explore the natural environment there.

It feels like Winter in Florida

For the last several days, Florida has been in a deep freeze. Records are being set, crops, and animals that are used to warmer climes, are dying. I have been wearing a down vest over a fleece jacket or sweatshirt everywhere I go. Even inside the Tampa Aquarium! Most places here have no heat. Homes are heated with electricity or fireplaces. There have been many incidents of house fires due to folks being unfamiliar with what we would consider basic fire precautions. One family had their charcoal grill going in the livingroom! The house burned down. "Here's your sign". The sun is shining brightly today, but it is deceiving, for the temperature outside is about 40 degrees, maybe. There are a pair of Red Shouldered Hawks outside the kitchen window. Their feathers are "poofed" to help insulate them from the cold. My mom says this pair has been together for years. They have remained in the area and frequently come to the backyard pond for fish, or vulnerable land creatures. Many of the amphibias creatures have hunkered down in the mud, including the alligators, turtles, and frogs. I haven't seen a single Florida Anole since I arrived. They are under leaves, or other insulated dark places. Frankly, my wanderings here have been very uneventful so far. But the weather will become warmer again, hopefully before I head back north. I love to take hikes/bikes through the JB Starkey Park nearby. When I do, I'll be sure to look much closer for birds, and other creatures that have been hiding from the cold.