Life Is So Incredibly, Frighteningly Fragile

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I found this beautiful baby bird, a baby Mockingbird, in the lawn. It seemed as though maybe it were trying to learn how to fly, and not quite having the hang of it yet. So I put it up in a tree, safe from cats I hoped, and let it be.

Well, that is, after I took a dozen pictures of it.

Whenever I ponder non-human living things for more than the few minutes it takes to de-Disney-ize them, it strikes me how terribly fragile life is. No matter your species, you are always only a slender step away from death.

As always, if you'd like to see the photo above at twice that size, click on the photo. However, if you'd like to see this one REALLY big, click here. The detail is pretty cool!

Mr. Squirrel Said "I'm Ready For My Close-Up!"

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So, hating to disappoint my furry little friend, I present to you: Mr. Squirrel's Close-Up.

If you would like to see more photos of the Dunedin, Clearwater, and Clearwater Beach area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, Clearwater Daily Photo, and Clearwater Beach Daily Photo. Thanks for coming today!

My New Best Friend, The Squirrel

I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Meet my new best friend, the Squirrel. At least, as long as I keep the feeder full, and the corn cobs fresh! :D The weather has just recently started to cool a little here in Dunedin, Florida, so I figure it is time to keep the feeders full to some degree. I think the food resources for squirrels and birds here seldom really diminishes all that much in the winter time, but I don't like to take that chance.

HEY! Monday is New Year's Eve! What are you doing? Will you be partying at some wild and crazy New Year's Eve celebration? Or will you have a quiet countdown party at home? Either way, crazy or quiet, let's make it a good one, and welcome a New Year to make things happen! :D

And yes, I do have more squirrel photography to share with you, so please stop by every day. If you would like to see more photos of the Dunedin, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, Clearwater Daily Photo, and Clearwater Beach Daily Photo. Thanks for coming today!

This Osprey Has Something To Say

I caught up with this beautiful Osprey at Hammock Park, in Dunedin, Florida yesterday morning. I have never gotten such a good shot of an Osprey before. As I understand it, they are sometimes referred to as Fish Hawk, also.

Please click on the photograph to see the larger version, which shows the detail so much better. This picture was taken with my Nikon D80, with a 70-300 lens, at 300mm, f10, 1/250 sec. This is, by the way, a camera I would highly recommend.

If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Beach Daily Photo. Thanks for coming today!

OH! I Hate It When They Watch Me Dive!!

Even now I feel bad when I look at this photo. I know it's silly, but I really think I totally broke his concentration. I was out on Pier 60, on Clearwater Beach, and he and some other pelicans had been swooping and diving and having a nice lunch. Then I came closer and closer to the rail with my camera.

Having watched the rhythm of their feeding dives for a little while, I was able to have my camera in the right place at the right time. Just as I was ready to snap the shot... he looked straight at me. I think it really put him off to have the camera pointed at him like that. He choked, as it were, hit the water way off target, and came up empty-billed.

I admit though, I do like the photograph, just the same. And hey, there are plenty of fish in the sea!

Check out my other blogs to see more of Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, and Dunedin.

Make Sure You Get My Good Side, Eh?

Enjoying the fine December sunshine, at 82F, on Clearwater Beach recently. I took a walk out on the fishing pier, Pier 60, and met this fine specimen of a bird. He was pretty accepting of my 'advances'. But then he made me promise him veto rights before I posted this shot. Luckily, he liked it very much.

It was a beautiful day to be on the beach. There were lots of people enjoying the sea and sand and pier. Oh, and that is the Gulf Of Mexico in the background. Check out my other blogs to see more of Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, and Dunedin.

Getting Down To The Subject At Hand

There is an office park in Clearwater that looks more like a botanical garden in some ways. It is called Arbor Shoreline Office Park (or Complex). I have written about it before. Scroll down to check out "Hawk After Bath", "Swamp Lily", and "Green... Yellow... Flower Power". Click here to see one of the buildings there.

This is a small drain that runs from one of the parking lots into a small pond. In fact, the "Hawk After Bath" photo was taken just a few feet from this spot. The hawk had been bathing in this pond. Although not all things can be done with so much attention to beauty and form, it's nice that they did not completely give into function.

Now please take a moment and bookmark this page. I would love for you to come back and see more! Thanks! :D

Hawk After Bath - Clearwater Florida

Of all places, I found this beauty in the midst of an office complex in Clearwater, Florida. The place is called Arbor Shoreline Office Complex (or Arbor Shoreline Office Park). And they have done a wonderful job of making it seem more like a botanical garden. Meanwhile, this hawk had just jumped out of his bath in a small pond when I noticed him on a boardwalk railing. By the time I got my 300mm, he had moved to the trees. Well, that was not going to stop me! I have never seen a hawk behave like this before in my life.

Keeping An Eye On The Man

Well, I'm no OML, but I am pretty pleased to have got a neat snap of these little beauties! These are the latest new ducklings at Lake Paloma, in Dunedin, Florida. I will get to watch these little guys grow as I walk around the lake every day, during my get-out-of-my-office-and-breath break. In the meantime, this little guy was keeping a close eye on me. What a look, eh? Click on the pic to see his/her pretty eye.

I have lots more photos of these little guys, and their cousins, and lots of other birds that loiter around this tiny little lake. I will be posting more and more of them as I sort through them all and find the best for you.

Thanks for coming by.

Meeting Of The Board

I am not sure what the meeting was about, but it was serious business I can tell you! In fact, the chairman, with his veto powers, even refused to be in the picture. He is standing just out of the frame to the right. It was he that suggested Mr. Billit, second from left, lift one leg for effect, as if making a point.

All in all a successful meeting I think. Although I did not stick around to hear the closing remarks, actions items, and conclusions.

DUCKLINGS!

This picture is for my friend, M.S., who does NOT believe me when I tell her about the ducklings at the pond! No, not my best shot ever, nor with my best camera. But it does capture the moment. And this way M.S. can finally see the ducklings I keep talking about.

These ducks live in Dunedin, Florida, though I doubt they realize that. Perhaps they do. Perhaps they even know they were born on the banks of Lake Paloma. I don't know for sure, they wouldn't tell me.

This is a sign some nice folks put up across the street from the lake, which is surrounded by streets on all sides. I hope it helps!

Storm Crows Sunset Flight

I was clicking away, discovering the powers of my Nikon D80, and catching some really strange weather as I looked East. Behind me, the sun was setting over Clearwater Beach (not the same sunset as in the photo below). Then I heard these birds calling, and I could see a flock of crows heading my way. As I looked I realized there were hundreds, if not thousands! Seemingly fleeing the mainland for some rookery or such on the spoil islands in the bay around me.

I cannot be sure why they were all heading my way, perhaps the weather had them 'running for higher ground'. But it was indeed impressive, and way EERIE to experience it. It was like something out of a scene in the Lord Of The Rings movie, when the crows came after the good guys.

So, in order to make it so you could get the full effect, I am posting a pretty big version of the file, although not the original. So please be patient if it takes just a little longer to bring it up. And forgive me... but I really want you to be able to see this! By the way, this picture was taken from the top of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge.

Thanks for checking it out!

Stalking On The Rail

I can never get enough of these beautiful birds. This is the Great Egret, in non-breeding plumage. Not to be confused with the Great White Heron, which is larger and has greenish-yellow legs.

This shot was taken with my Nikon D80, in John Chesnut Sr. Park, in Clearwater, FL. It involved several more shots being taken, as I stalked the poor bird down the railing. But in the end I was able to get the shot and move away without scaring him into flight. And that makes me feel all the better for having gotten the shot without unduly alarming this wonderful creature.