Tag Archives: Sand Key

Playing with Fire. Chilling out. Vacation Time at the Salt Marsh.

July 23, 2015 Tiny 71 Comments

It’s a little bit of a summer lull at the salt marsh right now. Residents watch visitors come and go. The older Great Blue Heron, the Mayor, welcomes everyone with open arms.

Great Blue Heron Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — The Mayor welcomes you!

And Mama Osprey takes the little excitement there might be with a grain of salt. It’s her vacation time. She observes everything from her “watch tower” with dignity, takes baths in the bay, dives for fish, eats and enjoys life.

Female Osprey watches the nest Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Mama Sandy observes Tiny and dries herself after a bath.

She is not the least provoked by the younger Great Blue Heron. You know, the one who repeatedly attacked her home last spring, and has now made it a habit to hunt right below the nest.

Young Great blue heron Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — The younger Great Blue Heron hunts close to the Osprey nest.

The other day he even played with fire. He flew low above the nest and settled on a tree top very close to Mama Sandy. Flexed his wings and stared right at her.

But Sandy didn’t care to participate in a staring competition. She was more interested in watching Sindile, who was flying by the nest again. This time she was on her own.

female osprey Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — …but Sandy turns her head and watches Sindile…

young osprey in flight Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — …who flies over the park.

Sandy spends some time at the nest every day making sure others don’t get silly ideas. Like hoping the property had been vacated. Or was offered for vacation rental.

Papa Stanley has moved back to the same resort he favored last fall, on the top of an old palm trunk.

male osprey Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Papa Stanley enjoys life at his resort.

He sits there like a king, and monitors the air traffic between the beach and the bay. And keeps an eye on Sandy, of course.

So life has settled into a summer slumber at the salt marsh. The ten ducklings hang out with other ducklings. They are all in their teens, and prefer to chill out together at various corners of the waterways.

young Mottled Ducks Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Young Mottled Ducks chill out together.

The Egrets and Herons come for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or just to check out who’s there and what’s trending.

great egret and snowy egret Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — A Great Egret and a Snowy Egret check out the ducklings’ get-together with great interest.

tricolored heron hunting Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — A Tri-colored Heron is looking at the menu…

black crowned night heron Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — …and a Black-crowned Night Heron, who should be getting his daily sleep, is fully awake at lunch time.

Last night I spotted a few familiar dinner quests. And even had an exchange with the Roseate Spoonbill.

roseate spoonbill at sunset Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Hi! Is that you Tiny?

roseate spoonbill Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Oops, sorry. That was too loud. I didn’t mean to be rude…

roseate spoonbill sleeping at sunset Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — …but if you excuse me, I’m very sleepy.

On the bay side, Sandy was basking in the last rays of the setting sun. Her crop was full after a quick dinner, but she was not yet dry. She shook her feathers and then greeted me quietly.

wet female osprey shakes herself Sand Key Clearwater Florida — Mama Sandy shakes herself to get rid of water after a dinner dive…

female osprey at sunset Sand Park Clearwater Florida — …and says hi.

I continued to the bay shore. A Brown Pelican waived good night while flying to his night quarters. And a White Ibis was considering an evening bath. She was not-so-white anymore after the day’s adventures.

brown pelican at sunset Sand Key Clearwater Florida — A Brown Pelican waves good night…

White ibis at sunset Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — …a formerly White Ibis prepares for an evening bath. Hopefully.

While the sun rises over the bay, it sets over the ocean. I walked home through the beach, and saw the sunset wouldn’t disappoint. Mother Nature’s art at its best.

Sunset on the Gulf Sand Key Clearwater Florida — Sunset on the Gulf.

I hope your week’s been going well. Have a peaceful rest of the week.

Nature, Photography, Wildlife

Timeout. Fresh Deliveries. And Beauty in the Salt Marsh.

May 21, 2015 Tiny 63 Comments

Lunch time. Papa Osprey is approaching the nest with a big fish. It wriggles in the air. Excitement skyrockets at the nest. Mama Sandy and the oldest chick lead the refrain singers. Fish, fish, fish!

osprey mom and chick await for fish transport Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Fish! Fish! Fish!

Shortly thereafter Papa Stanley lands with the fish. It’s still fighting for its freedom. The handover to Sandy is going to be tricky. If the fish falls onto the ground it’ll be uneatable. A teachable moment for the first born.

male osprey brings in a fish Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — The fish is still struggling to get free…oldest chick looks on in amazement…

Sandy places her talons firmly on the fish. Stanley leaves immediately. Lunch delivery is complete.

male osprey leaves the nest Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Stanley leaves after lunch drop-off…

Sandy moves the fish several times. And finally parks it right next to the smallest chick. Like she always does.

female osprey struggles with a fish Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — When are we gonna eat, Mama?

The smallest chick is going to be fed first. But the big brother (yes, I think the oldest is a boy) doesn’t like that at all. He jumps onto his little sister’s (yes, I think it’s probably a girl) back and ruffles it up.

oldest osprey chick attacks the youngest chick Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Oldest chick is angry and ruffles the smallest chick…

That doesn’t go down well with Mama Sandy. She calmly cleans up the fish, but doesn’t allow the badly behaving chick to touch it. Instead, the little sister gets the finest piece of fish fillet I’ve seen around here. All for herself.

smalles osprey chick gets the biggest bite Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — The little sister get a big fillet of fish. And a feather on her back is standing right up.

Then she feeds the middle chick (probably a boy, not quite sure yet). And takes a few bites herself. And finally, after about 40 minutes, the first born gets to eat whatever is left. Talk about teaching manners to your kids. And it looks like the timeout in “quiet corner” did the trick.

female osprey feeding the chicks Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — The middle chick gets fed next. Big brother still on timeout in the corner.

Today I managed to wake up early and went for a longish walk at around sunrise.

sunrise over the clearwater bay Florida — Pre-dawn on the bay side.

It was quiet and peaceful around the salt marsh. Only me and the birds.

sunrise in the salt mars Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Sunrise at the salt marsh.

And there was lots of beauty to go around. I spotted many birds in the midst of getting their breakfast. Or just doing their morning meditation.

blue heron at sunrise Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — A Great Blue Heron doing his morning meditation…at the far end of the salt marsh.

a roseate spoonbill Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — A Roseate Spoonbill says good morning…

snowy egret hunting at sunrise Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — A juvenile Snowy Egret getting breakfast…

I thought (so little I know) that the Osprey family had already eaten breakfast. They seemed relaxed, so maybe Sandy had gotten them an appetizer much earlier in the morning.

a female osprey with her chick Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Mama Sandy and the middle chick say good morning…

After saying hello to them I continued my walk. But suddenly sensed something was different. I looked back at the nest and saw Papa Stanley had arrived with a fish. Breakfast was in full swing in the Osprey household.

Osprey family breakfast Sand Key park Clearwater Florida — Papa Stanley stays for a while after delivering breakfast…

And for once Stanley had decided he’d stay for a while with his family. He talked to his kids, scanned the environment and then left after a few minutes.

male osprey leaves after delivering breakfast Sand Key Park Clearwater Florida — Papa Stanley leaves for another fishing trip on the ocean…

He flew towards the ocean. Maybe finally getting his own breakfast. I took a short one minute video clip one morning while the chicks were eating, and added the Moorhen taking his bath this morning. Be warned though, it’s truly clumsy as I’m definitely not a videographer. But I thought some of you might still enjoy seeing them “live”. You’ll notice that the oldest chick is still last in the line. In the second take only his tail feathers are visible when the two others are fed by Sandy. But I have to say he took it with stride. Maybe he’s learned his lesson.

I also think we need to name the chicks soon. Looking forward to some creative suggestions! The winner(s) will receive a prize. Bumble suggested his book, and I agreed.

I walked home through the beach. It was still very quiet. And very cloudy, to Florida standards, of course.

BEACH AFTER SUNRISE EARLY MORNING Sand Key Clearwater Florida — Walking along the beach just after sunrise.

That’s all for this week from the salt marsh. I wish you all a wonderful weekend and Happy Memorial Day to friends in the US. Be good now and travel safely.

Photography, Wildlife

Recalculating. Birds and Drones over the Salt Marsh.

March 27, 2015 Tiny 59 Comments

This report from the salt marsh actually covers only the first half of the week, up until Wednesday. But don’t you worry, there’s been a full week’s worth of excitement. As you read this I’ll be traveling. And hoping a little osprey chick would have arrived by the time I’ll be back next week 🙂

female osprey sitting on the eggs — Mama osprey sits on the egg(s) February 21st

That brings me back to my calculations of the “due date”. I have now gone through my pictures from February. And I can say, with a high degree of certainty, that Sandy was incubating on February 21st. She may have laid the first egg on February 20-21. If that is correct, we would expect a hatchling anytime from this weekend to Monday-Tuesday next week.

Mexican Gulf sunset Sand key beach clearwater — Sunset over the Gulf.

Last weekend I took a walk at sunset time. It was a beautiful evening. The salt marsh was quiet, most birds had already gone to their sleeping quarters. The only one still feeding in the shallow waters was a Roseate Spoonbill clad in hot pink breeding colors.

roseate spoobill — A Roseate Spoonbill looks for dinner.

Mama Sandy had eaten her dinner and was sitting on the eggs. She raised her head to say hi. I didn’t see Papa Stanley. So I went looking for him. And found him in his man cave finishing dinner.

mama osprey at sunset — Mama Osprey sits on the egg(s) at sunset time…the sun no longer reaches the nest.

osprey eating at sunset — Papa Osprey finishes a meal in his still sunny man cave on the other side of the road.

It was getting dark, and I had started my walk home, when I heard a faint humming sound. I looked up and saw a manmade bird, a drone, flying above the park. It was small, but I managed to get a photo when it turned and was lit up by the sunset’s afterglow.

a drone flies over Sand Key park — A drone flies over the park.

From a distance I heard Sandy sound a short alarm. I’m sure Stanley flew right away over to the nest to protect her and the egg(s) from this unfamiliar danger. I’m assuming this was their first time to see such a strange “bird” fly in the skies over the marsh. It certainly was for me. And I can’t say I liked it. I definitely prefer birds made by nature. Like these little fellows.

MOTTLED DUCK COUPLE — A Mottled Duck couple basking in the midday sun.

The beginning of the week was peaceful. Lots of birds in the marsh. Many of them pairing up and working on their nests.

ibis in flight — A White Ibis flies to the bay side.

red-bellied woodpecker in the pine tree — The Red-bellied Woodpecker works in a pine tree close to his condo home.

A Boat-tailed Grackle observes the goings-on in the marsh.

red-winged blackbird — A Red-winged Blackbird is a new resident in the marsh.

a juvenile pied billed grebe — This tiny Pied-billed Grebe lives in the marsh with her mom and dad.

As to Sandy and Stanley, they have spent the week doing what matters most. Family stuff. Protecting the nest, incubating, bathing, preening, exercising, inspecting the egg(s) and feeding. The other day I happened to witness a food transport. Papa Stanley was returning from a fishing trip over the ocean. Delivering a nice fresh fish to Mama Sandy.

papa osprey brings fish to mama — Papa Osprey delivers fresh seafood…a small fish.

They quickly changed shifts. Stanley sat on the eggs and Sandy took the fish and flew off to the lamp-post close by to enjoy it.

osprey eats on a lamp-post — Mama Osprey enjoys her food on a nearby lamp-post.

She then returned to the nest and did her pilates balancing on the edge. Stretching her arms and legs in turn. Followed by light flying exercises around the marsh.

mama osprey does her workout — Mama Osprey does her pilates…

Mama Osprey flies around the nest — Mama Osprey flies around the marsh just to get some exercise.

I wish them…and you all a wonderful weekend! I’ll catch up on your blogs next week as soon as I return.

Reporting from the salt marsh on Wednesday, Tiny

Photography, Travel

Clearwater, FL. Destination for Your Outward-bound Vacation.

February 11, 2015 Tiny 48 Comments

I originally wrote this article for Bucketlistpublications.com where it was published on January 13. It’s a little different from my usual posts, but I have edited it slightly and added many more pictures for your enjoyment. See you in Florida soon 😉 Tiny

——

After having lived on three continents, and traveled the world for more than two decades for work and pleasure, I finally found my own little piece of paradise here on Sand Key, a barrier island on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast.

large trees in Sand key park at clearwater pass — Northern end of Sand Key at Clearwater Pass

Don’t get me wrong, I still travel, but I no longer feel I have to get away. Simply because there’s so much to explore right here in my backyard. Outdoor activities for every taste, every age and ability.

I’m not going to tell you about all the excellent hotels, restaurants and bars that cater for visitors here. There’s an app or two for that. Instead, I’ve chosen to talk about a few activities and adventures for those who want an active, outdoorsy vacation.

sunset over the Gulf on Sand Key Clearwater FL — Sunset on Sand Key

Beaches. Beaches are of course the main attraction around here. Clearwater Beach offers everything beachgoers could ask for, a beautiful beach and lots of water related activities at the marina across the road – and throngs of company. Shopping and activities on Pier 60 every night at sunset, and lots of watering holes nearby.

Pier 60 Clearwater Beach Florida — Pier 60 and Clearwater Beach

For those who prefer a bit more quiet and space for their beach day, or maybe want to catch a fresh grouper for dinner, the Sand Key Park and beach just over the bridge from Clearwater Beach, will be ideal. It has all the necessary amenities, including food at nearby establishments.

Sand Key beach clearwater florida — Sand Key public beach on a busy day

Miles long Sand Key Beach clearwater fl — Miles of white sandy beach on Sand Key, south of the park

Water sports. Jet skiing is probably the most popular water sport among visitors, and is available both on Clearwater Beach and on Sand key.

summer fun on jet ski clearwater fl — Jet skiing is popular

Kayaking, sailing and paddle boarding are available at the Community Sailing Center just opposite the Sand Key Park and the beach. They also offer summer camps and instructional courses where you can learn the basics of sailing or paddle boarding.

summer fun at sailing center sand key clearwater fl — Sailing school

summer fun 3 at sailing school 712 — Paddle boarding

Kite surfing is popular on Sand Key when the winds are right. Parasailing and “sky-surfing” are also on offer for those who have a higher calling, or just seek the big picture.

parasailing in clearwater fl — Parasailing

skysurfing above sand key tinylessonsblog — Skysurfing

Excursions on the water. Clearwater Beach marina is a busy place. That’s where you can book trips on the water. Again, the items on the menu are many. Anything from a Pirate Ship rides with kids, to dolphin tours, dinner cruises or sunset sails. Going slow or fast. Your choice.

pirate ship clearwater fl — A pirate ship, fun for kids

summer fun tour boat clearwater fl — Dolphin tours

dinner cruises at sunset from clearwater fl — Dinner cruises

sailboat at sunset clearwater fl — Sunset sailing

Speed boating in clearwater fl — Speed boating

But I’d like to mention one particular experience that all my guests regardless of age have loved, Captain Mike’s Dreamcatcher Explorations. Most tours (private or split between 5-6 people) go to the Three Rooker Bar, a small Barrier Island.

3 rooker bar barrier island — 3 Rooker Bar

There is no better way to spend a morning or an afternoon. You can do tube riding and dolphin watching on your way there, fantastic shelling and snorkeling once you reach the island. It’s an untouched paradise, and if you’re lucky a dolphin might come to swim with you there.

anchored on the three rooker bar barrier island off dunedin fl — Anchored at 3 Rooker bar

Three Rooker Bar is also a protected nature preserve, which brings me to my final theme.

Wildlife and hiking. Many visitors enjoy the birds found on Florida shores. And you can watch/photograph many species right in the salt marsh of Sand Key Park, on the beach and on the bay side. I’ve photographed at least 40 different species there, maybe around 10-15 on any given day.

papa osprey is wet after a bath sand key park clearwater fl — A female osprey, wet after a dive

reddish egret sand key park salt marsh clearwater fl — A Reddish Egret

If you want to experience untouched Florida nature and are up for a hike, then I can recommend a visit to Honeymoon Island about 30 minutes north of Clearwater.

Great Egret on Honeymoon island — A Great Egret on Honeymoon Island

And if you are up for a really long hike and the weather is nice, you can walk to Caldesi, a pristine barrier island, on a sand bar all the way from Clearwater. Those who want to just enjoy the beach or hike the nature trail can also reach Caldesi Island by boat from Honeymoon Island.

caladesi island nature trail dunedin florida — Nature trail on Caladesi Island

Beach on Caladesi Island, voted America's best beach a few years ago — Caladesi Island beach, voted America’s best beach a few years ago

Other nature related adventures are offered by Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which is the home of Winter, the dolphin from two movies, Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2. The Aquarium, which is actually a hospital and rehabilitation center for marine animals, also offers excursions on the bay to examine the interesting marine life there.

Here’s to an outdoorsy vacation in the Clearwater area!

Humor, Photography, Wildlife

Battering Winds, Tireless Work, Love. And a Parakeet.

January 27, 2015 Tiny 47 Comments

The Osprey Family’s nestoration project has now entered its 3rd week. Despite the extremely windy conditions in the last few days, the osprey couple has continued to work without a break to get their nest ready on time.

stormy ocean wave2 — The ocean was angry on Saturday.

Most other birds hunkered down taking shelter from the wind as you can see in this gallery. It was so windy that keeping myself standing steadily enough to shoot acceptable pictures was challenging.

Great Egret

Tricolored heron

Yellowcrowned Night Heron

Muscovy Duck

Juvenile Blackcrowned Night Heron

Green Heron

Great Blue Heron

On Saturday when I decided to dare the winds, I found Mama Sandy balancing on the edge of the nest facing the wind. She was calling on Papa Stanley to bring her fish…but he was busy. Eating on a dead palm trunk nearby.

osprey holding on in the wind — Mama Osprey balancing against the wind…

osprey eating fish — …and Papa Osprey on “his” palm trunk eating lunch.

He heard her calls and looked in her direction, but I couldn’t stand the wind long enough to see how much of the fish Mama would get. It looked like a lunch for two, and I assumed he would share.

Yesterday I found the nest empty when I arrived, but just a minute or two later Mama Osprey zoomed in with a huge swath of soft nursery materials flying in the strong wind.

osprey delivers nest materials — Mama Osprey has gone shopping for nursery materials…

mama osprey eager to build — Mama Sandy is eager to finish the nursery design.

It was clear to me she was eager to get the materials secured in place and was calling for Papa to help. In a very determined manner. But where was Papa Stanley?

You guessed it. I found him on “his” palm trunk eating fish. Mama’s crop was fairly full, so she had already gotten an early lunch. Now it was his lunch hour.

osprey with a fish — …but looks who’s there.

He looked at me, then continued eating. I walked back to the nest and saw Mama Sandy had started to prepare the nursery on her own.

osprey redecorating — Mama Osprey redecorating the nest…

Then last night, just before sunset when the winds were at their strongest, I went out on our terrace to check on them. I saw them huddling together in the nest. Looking at each other. Love birds.

Papa and mama osprey together in the nest — Love birds daring the wind together…

The wind had finally calmed down this morning, and I took a longer walk in the salt marsh and around the park at lunch time. Birds were out and about everywhere, and I found Mama Sandy alone in the nest. She had not finished her lunch, but it looked like all the nursery materials had been put in place.

osprey with a fish in the nest — Mama Osprey has a fish for lunch…

Just when I was taking pictures of her, Papa Stanley flew into the nest. Only for a second or two. I guess to show her his lunch catch. He flew away in the direction of “his” palm trunk nearby.

osprey flying away w fish — …and now Papa osprey also has a fish.

So I walked over there expecting to find him. But found something completely different.

Nanday parakeet 2 — …and checks on Tiny.

A Nanday Parakeet had reserved Papa’s perch for herself! I have never seen this pet bird in the wild before, but apparently there is a sizeable feral population here in our area.

So where did Papa Stanley go with his fish? Mama helped me in that regard. She called and he answered. So finally I found him just beyond the park’s border on a lamp-post. He had almost finished his fish.

osprey finishing his fish — Papa Osprey has eaten fast…

That’s when Mama Sandy sounded a long alarm call! Even I knew what that meant: another osprey was approaching the nest. Papa Stanley didn’t waste a second, he flew to the nest with such speed I couldn’t even snap a picture. That’s love. I jogged back to the salt marsh. Getting good exercise with these guys 🙂

osprey flies by the nest — Osprey Steve flies around the nest…

The osprey flying above the nest was Steve, normally friends with both Mama and Papa. But it all changes when they start nesting, so now he was a threat.

When I arrived Papa Stanley was already there, and both of them were scanning the skies together.

mama and papa osprey scaning the skies — …Mama and Papa osprey scan the skies together.

Papa protects the nest while Mama finishes her lunch.

When everything calmed down, Mama Sandy finished her lunch while Papa Stanley stayed there protecting her. That’s when I decided it was a good time to go home.

Hope you enjoyed the adventures of our couple. Reporting from the salt marsh, Tiny

Nature, Photography

A Cool Day. With Just a Hint of Color.

January 8, 2015 Tiny 50 Comments

Nature always wears the colors of the spirit. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today we had a spell of winter weather here in Florida. The birds in the salt marsh were hiding from the cold winds. I didn’t get to go out on my usual walk, but thought I’d play a little with my photos. So here are some of my friends in their temporarily cool, monochrome environment. With a hint of color.

night heron hoc — Yellow-crowned Night Heron

tricolored heron hoc — Tri-colored Heron

Please stay warm and be safe! ❤ Tiny

Ps. This post has been edited after publishing when I discovered that Papa Osprey (PO) actually was Mama Osprey.

Humor, Photography, Wildlife

Only One Minor Disagreement. With Mama Osprey.

January 7, 2015 Tiny 40 Comments

Mama Osprey and I agree on most things. Like the importance of a safe and comfortable home, loving family, good diet that includes lots of fish, and regular exercise. But I’ve discovered we have one minor disagreement. On dogs. While I love the company of dogs, she doesn’t.

dogs walking their human in nature reserve 3 — Two dogs running with their owner next to the salt marsh…

Maybe I should put it this way: Mama Osprey has a preference for a large personal space, and an even larger social space. And dogs are not invited. She allows me to enter her social space, but she allows dogs only in her public space. Defined her way, as the opposite sidewalk when she sits on a lamp-post, and as the other side of the salt marsh when she’s in the nest.

I got a first glimpse of her preferences last year in March when two people walked their dogs on “her side” of the marsh. My theory was confirmed last week.

papa osprey eating on lamp post — PO says hi…

I found Mama having lunch on a lamp-post at the edge of the park. I walked closer, we exchanged greetings and she continued to eat. I took a few pictures.

papa osprey eating on a lamp post — …and continues his lunch.

Suddenly she stopped eating in the middle of a bite. And stared intently at something behind me on the sidewalk.

Papa osprey eating discovering the dogs 1 — PO discovers the dogs…

I turned around and saw two large dogs running with their owner. They were right behind me, approaching the lamp-post. I stepped aside to let them pass. And when I looked up again the lamp-post was empty. No Mama, no fish. But I saw a small prick far away. It looked like a lunch transport.

papa osprey flies away with the fish — …and flies away with his lunch.

It was clear to me the dogs had encroached on Mama Osprey’s social space, and she had decided to finish her meal elsewhere. I walked north to have a clear view of the old palm trunk favored by Mama and her friends. But it was already taken by Papa Stanley.

Papa Stanley observes the drama from the safety of the palm trunk…

I was jus snapping a picture of him when I realized Mama was flying back towards us, in the direction of her nest.

papa osprey with fish and stanley looking on — …and sees Mama flying with the fish.

So I turned around and jogged back to the salt marsh. And there she was. Finishing her lunch at the nest.

hi tiny I'm almost done papa osprey — PO finishes his lunch at the nest…see how many twigs he’s already collected.

Peace and quiet. No dogs in his social space. Just old Tiny. That was fine with her. We don’t agree on everything, and that’s just fine with both of us.

We hope your week is going well.

Ps. This post has been edited after publishing when I discovered that Papa Osprey (PO) actually was Mama Osprey.

Holidays, Humor, Nature

Peeking into the Salt Marsh. While My Turkey Was Cooking.

December 26, 2014 Tiny 27 Comments

I just had to go to the salt marsh on Christmas Eve while my turkey was cooking. Needed to wish Happy Holidays to all my feathered friends, and deliver the greetings many of you sent to the “team”.

Upon arrival I was greeted by a dragonfly in full holiday attire. She was busy, just posed quickly for the photo shoot and then flew away.

A Great Egret was playing Santa and delivering Christmas gifts. No reindeer needed. He left a small package in the grass, not far from the osprey nest. Maybe a treat for Papa Osprey?

In a tree next to the deep water, a Green Heron was happily guarding his stocking. It had already been filled by Santa, and was now hanging securely next to him.

Then I heard music! An Ibis was singing carols, accompanied by bells in a nearby tree. His deep baritone entertained everyone in the salt marsh for quite a while. Including me.

When I arrived at Mama Osprey’s nest nobody was home. I sat for a while on my usual bench admiring her decorations. Suddenly I saw her fly in with a huge branch! She has started restoring the nest on her own! She worked hard before she was happy with the placement of this large beam. I was impressed. Again.

After wishing them all Happy Holidays, I hurried back home to check on my turkey. It was a nice little walk before all that eating 🙂 Many more walks are needed, however, in the next few days.

PO, Bumble and I say thanks for the many beautiful cards received from blogging friends thanks to Jackie’s Great Christmas Card Exchange! And we thank you all for being such an inspiring part of our year. ❤ Tiny

Ps. This post has been edited after publishing when I discovered that Papa Osprey (PO) actually was Mama Osprey.

Just Life, Photography

Changing Horizons. Literally.

December 17, 2014 Tiny 30 Comments

The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. – Christopher McCandless

Last night was gorgeous, clear skies and calm waters all around us. The lights from the beach establishments reflected beautifully on the strait between the ocean and the bay at the north end of the nature reserve.

clearwater beach at night — The strait beyond the nature reserve as seen from our terrace

And the bay side did not disappoint either. With the lights from the city dressing up its calm waters, the bay looked somewhat more grown-up and sophisticated than the laid back birds’ paradise I’ve often pictured.

Clearwater fl bay at night — The bay side at night as seen from our terrace

Approaching home in the cool night after a walk with Bumble, the lighted palm trees brought a warm feel of the approaching holidays.

xmas lights Sand key fl — Lighted palms bring holiday cheer

That was last night. This morning was a different story. We woke up to an eerie landscape. Only a builder’s crane stuck up from the fog on the beach side of the strait.

crane in the fog — A crane sticks up from the fog

Then, gradually, we could see the tallest buildings, the nature reserve and the ocean emerge from the fog.

nature reserve Sand key park in fog — The nature reserve emerges from the fog

I was on my second cup of coffee, when the fog finally drifted on to the ocean like a long snake on the water.

fog on the ocean gulf coast sand key clearwater — The “fog snake” swims out to the ocean

As the salt marsh was clearing from the fog, I had to check on Papa Osprey. He was in the nest, perched on his favorite spot enjoying the first rays coming though the fog. But he had no breakfast. I was happy the visibility was rapidly increasing, PO could finally go fishing.

osprey in the morning fog — Papa Osprey (as seen from our terrace) soaks up the first rays when the fog is lifting

I hope you enjoy your fishing today, wherever it might take you. May your horizons be pleasant and your suns bright.

Humor, Wildlife

Flop! You Can’t Surprise Papa Osprey.

December 5, 2014 Tiny 30 Comments

This morning I approached Papa Osprey’s nest walking silently on the grass behind the nest. A surprise visit. I was wondering how close I could get before he’d discover I was there. I shot the first picture of his tail feathers. And was discovered right away!

papa osprey discovers tiny — PO discovers Tiny…

In addition to sharp eyes, he has an excellent hearing too. He heard me despite a Blue Jay giving a high-pitched concert in a tree behind me. You know how they sound.

bluejay c — A Blue Jays serenades in a tree close by…

At the same time Papa was keeping an eye on a Turkey Vulture circling high overhead. This only confirms my earlier conclusion that he’s a skilled multitasker.

papa osprey sees the turkey vulture3 — Look Tiny, that’s a Turkey Vulture!

We talked for a while, as we always do. I told him I’d be away traveling for a few days, and he promised me to continue keeping watch on the skies for Mama Osprey.

florida snow — Florida “snow” on the ground…

Then I continued my walk around the salt marsh. In many places the ground was covered by “snow” from the flowering trees. Even the Moorhen was swimming in a light “snowfall”.

Next, I spotted a “long-time-no-see” Reddish Egret in the shallow waters. Initially, he seemed startled to spot me. But soon recovered and continued his search for some brunch items.

reddish egret c — A Reddish Egret discovers Tiny…

reddish egret bt — …then continues his search for food.

His relative, the Snowy Egret, was the third one to surprise me. He walked right up from the marsh and did an impressive shake-baby-shake routine on the grass next to me.

snowy egret woke up_tm — A Snowy Egret appears in the grass…

snowy egret shaking herself tm — …and starts a shake routine

snowy egret shaking some more tm — …that includes a head swinging exercise too.

I decided I’d walk a bit deeper into the park to see if I could find any of Papa Osprey’s friends. I came to the dead palm trunk favored by all three ospreys around here. Nobody at home. Then whoosh! Stanley flew in with a big fish!