My trip to the Venice Rookery

If you enjoy nature, birds, and the outdoors, then you should take a trip to the Venice Rookery located in Venice Florida. It's basically a small lake with a small island located in the middle where many different birds nest during the spring.  The Venice Rookery is a great place to photograph and view many birds nesting such as the Great Blue Heron, Night Heron, Anhinga, and the Egret.  

 

If you click on the sign, you may be able to read about the Venice Rookery.

The island is loaded with birds and most are on thier nest.

Here's two Anhinga's necking. I'm not sure which one is the male or female?

Hmmm...... I think I figured it out.

The Great Blue Heron with the spiked hair is a large chick that will soon leave.

A nesting Blue Heron with a small chick. If you click on the photo you may see the chick down in the nest.

A Night Heron just chilling. Better be careful a alligator could be near.

A Red Wing Black Bird that has locked himself in reed jail.

Here he is, the big alligator that patrols the small lake and you must be careful while photographing.

Sometimes it's more fun photographing the bird watchers, watching the birds.

Behind every great fisherman there's a Blue Heron!

While in Florida I made a significant observation while fishing. I'm sure you have heard of the saying, behind every successful man there's a great woman.  For fishermen in Florida, the saying should be, behind every great fisherman there's a Blue Heron. Why? Because the Blue Heron is always looking for a free meal and has apparently figured out how to spot a great fisherman. 

You can have two fishermen walk down to the dock and start fishing. The Blue Heron will strut around and then choose a fisherman to stand behind and wait for a free hand out. Sure enough the chosen fisherman will make catch after catch. How does the Blue Heron know, appearance, smell or luck? I'm just not sure but his choice is always correct. I was the other fisherman thinking pick me, pick me. The Heron never did. Anyway, if you look in the picture below you will find the Great Blue Heron.

A Great Blue Heron behind a Great fisherman, Pop.

Fishing in Lemon Bay.

Hmmm.... is that a bite?

Sure is! A spotted sea trout, too small and must be released. The spotted trout is really not a trout at all, it's in the sucker family. I'm not sure why it's called a spotted trout, maybe it's because it looks so much like a trout.

Sunset over Lemon Bay.

Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Fly Fishing Osprey Style!

I have been at Lemon Bay Florida for the past few day's and have been hoping that I would get a few photo's of an Osprey that fishes over the bay.  The Osprey did not disappoint! 

Hmmm..... appears to be a patriotic bird. 

I was very lucky, with my Nikon D-80, I captured a dive into the water........

and bang! The Osprey goes all the way under the water. What an impact! They're really tough birds.

Out of the water and hopefully with a meal.

Again, I was lucky and this Osprey landed near me. I was able to take a few shots of his catch. Amazingly the fish was still flopping around, but the Osprey had him with those sharp talons. This is certainly fresh sushi. 

Well, he decided to leave for some reason which was good for me because I could identify the fish. The fish appears to be a sheep-head. A great tasting fish. In fact, for dinner last night I had Sheep-head that was caught out of Lemon Bay. Good choice Osprey! 

I just had to zoom in for a close-up. Check out those talons. Hope you enjoyed and there's more to come from Lemon Bay.

Lemon Bay Flounder

Pop, my Father-end-law catches a nice flounder in Lemon Bay. Here in Florida the temperature is about 80-85 in the day time. Fishing is fair.  

More to come.

When Nature Strikes!

It was 10:15pm last night. We (wife, 16 yr daughter, and myself) were in Florida at my mother and father- end-laws. I was sound a sleep after a hard day on vacation and my cell phone rings. It announces that it's my other teenage daughter calling. It's very unusual to get a phone call from her because she only communicates by text message, plus we never get a text so late at night and a phone call is unheard of. She's a teenage college student attending Sewanee: The University of the South. I went from dead a sleep to fully awake in less than a 1 second. My mind started running wild thinking of what may have happened and  knowing this is not good.


I scrambled for the phone and finally answered "What's wrong." I hear sobbing and then "Dad I just, I just ........hit a deer." I asked " Are you OK." She answered "Yes, but my car is not." Then relief settles in and I realize everything will be fine. Here's the pictures she sent me today of her car, not too bad.

 

This deer will cost me a $500 deductible charge, but the other dear is doing well. "When Nature Strikes!"

Manasota Key Paradise

I'm headed on my annual trip to Manasota Key and Lemon Bay in Florida. On top of my to do list is a little fishing and some other exciting activities. I will be posting while at Manasota Bay so check back. 

Manasota Bay is one of my Treasured Paradise Area's so I painted a map of this beautiful water last year. I liked painting maps so well, I started painting other Treasured Paradise map of Lakes, Rivers, and Bays and have over 150. Check out my web site at www.LeoLakes.com A 10"x20" Decor Map of Manasota Key/Lemon bay is only $44.99. 

Here's a few of the locals that I will be hanging out with. They're a routy bunch.

Here's a picture looking to the left of the bay.

Looking across the bay.

This is looking to the right of lemon bay.

  

Mmmmm. Looks like this one is late for the free, all you can eat buffet at the fishing dock.

Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Spring has sprung in the ten acre woods!

To all the gardeners out there here's one of my cartoon's celebrating the start of spring! 

Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Mr. Ed drops by.

Living in the ten acre woods, you just don't know who will drop by. Not long ago Mr. Ed and his buddies dropped in for a deck party. Actually these horses escaped from their pasture and came to our home for a visit. 

We worried that they may head for the road so we needed to keep them near the house until we figured out where they came from. Now, how do you keep horses around for a while? Oats, of course. As we fed the horses, wife got on the phone and called all the neighbors in search of their owners. 

Finally, their owners were identified and they were on their way to nab the grazers.

Here they are checking out the patio.

An appetizer before the main course.

More please!

After 3lbs of my breakfast oats, the horses headed back to their home field. Today wasn't a bad day in the ten acre woods.