Sunday, April 14, 2013

Florida Vacation

 I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday

On April 3,  hubby and I started our Florida vacation. We flew to Tampa with my hubby's cousin to join him with his condo search. We also were able to visit with my hubby's sister who is now a snow bird living near Tampa part of the year. These are some scenes from our Tampa Bay hotel and from my SIL's new neighborhood.


At the beginning of our Florida vacation we stayed at the Best Western Bay Harbor hotel, we had a great room with a balcony over looking the bay. I guess you know me by now and that I had a great time checking out the birds from our balcony. It was fun watching the pelicans dive for food right from our room, also seen were the Great Blue Heron, Laughing Gulls, ducks and some shorebirds.


A view of Tampa Bay from our balcony.


A few Brown Pelicans in the Tampa Bay.



I believe there was a nightclub across the water from our hotel, I thought the reflections were pretty at night.


The mosaic above included birds seen at the wetlands in my SIL's neighborhood. I would love to live in one of the houses facing these wetlands.


Above, is a cool scene for a birder. a Belted Kingfisher and a Sandhill Crane in the same shot.


I saw around 5 Sandhill Cranes walking around the wetlands and golf course in my SIL's neighborhood. I hope the birds were safe with the golf balls flying around.

This is just the start of my vacation, we started off with some real estate hunting and then we parted ways with hubby's cousin and continued our vacation down Florida's gulf coast.

Thanks for stopping by my post and I always appreciate your comments.
Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more from  Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!



74 comments:

  1. These are great photos! A Birder's Paradise for sure! thanks for sharing.

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  2. How FUN!!! Florida is a great place for birds! I haven't been since I've started birding but LOVE seeing all the pics from those that do go.

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  3. Great photos . . . I have been missing you . . . happy you enjoyed your Florida visit. I would worry too about getting hit with a golf ball!

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  4. gosh, all those golf balls - hope he was safe. makes me nervous. what a great time. enjoy yourself. ( :

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  5. Oh, I'm also here now, but not in Tampa, although close. You came at the right time. It's amazing all the birds there are now, and someone told me the Manatees are also swimming close-by. Have fun!

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  6. Wonderful photos Eileen and that one of the Sandhill Crane with all the golf balls was a hoot. I also want to thank you for introducing us to Bombay Hook. Gregg and I took a trip up there last week and we had a fabulous time. What a place!!!!

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  7. Now I'm really jealous Eileen. A holiday and birding in the sunshine state, even birding from the hotel room. Wonderful. That's an amazing shot of a Snadhill Crane And a Belted Kingfisher in the same frame. Enjoy yourselves.

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  8. Love your tall sandhill crane. Looks like you had a wonderful trip!

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  9. Wspaniałe wakacje, wiele cudownych ptaków i miłe widoki wieczorem, patrząc na światła odbijajace sie w wodzie. Pozdrawiam.
    Great holiday, many wonderful birds and nice views of the evening, looking at the lights reflecting in the water. Yours.

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  10. The Sandhill Crane is one of my favourite, but, look at the golf balls, it was dangerous Eileen.

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  11. Lovely photos! I hope the cranes and golfers can co-exist together safely and happily!

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  12. Oh, how very lovely-- looks like a wonderful place to stay!

    Love love that crane amongst all the golf balls.

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  13. Lindas fotos e cores! Belíssimo "post"! Abraços Ailime

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  14. Beautiful shots and a great variety of birds! Love the cranes! That area is obviously a hot spot for birds!

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  15. Beautiful photos, as always, Eileen. Real estate hunting .... hmmm.... sounds like fun! I wonder if it is still very reasonable down there. I know people who just literally walked away from their condos as they lost so much value, while others were grabbing them for $9,000! Not me, though, unfortunately xo

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  16. I love that shot of the crane with all the golf balls! Made me laugh, they are so not golf course birds here.

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  17. i've been missing you this week! figured you were traveling somewhere! glad it was somewhere you could get lots of bird photos! love the cranes and the LITTLE BLUE!

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  18. Looks like you had a wonderful vacation!! The Sandhill Crane is gorgeous!!

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  19. Hi, I thought that you might be out-of-town.. Sounds like you had a great FL visit... Love that night reflection --and the wetlands photos. That Sandhill Crane is a beauty.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  20. A wonderful post... many thanks for sharing your trip.

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  21. WoW, what a view from the balcony, breathtaking!!

    you sure did see a great variety of birds, so fun!!

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  22. Eileen, I've never even heard of a brown pelican. And this is a first sighting (for me, through your images) of the Sandhill Crane. I love the colours on the water. Very creative photos. Enjoy your vacation. Jo

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  23. Be sure to check out Santa Maria Island outside of Tampa. My girlfriend lived there for years. Away from the hustle and bustle of Tampa. The peacocks run around wild. We would breakfast on the jetties, next to the water! Lovely area!!

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  24. Also, eat in Ybor City!! The Columbian!! Ohhh my goodness- their black beans and rice are awesome!! Found in the heart of Tampa!

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  25. Sandhill Crane photo made me laugh!

    As usual beautiful photos! Always enjoy your posts.

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  26. I always look forward to your posts but PELICANS are my favorite!!!
    Hope you have lots of fun!

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  27. what a wonderful place. Seems perfect for a vacation. Love the crane. :)

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  28. Welcome back,dear Eileen!Wonderful pictures and great photos!You saw so many birds!And Florida looks like a wonderful place to stay!Thanks for sharing your trip!Have a lovely week!
    Dimi..

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  29. It looks as if your vacation got off to a great start with plenty of birds in the wetlands and beautiful scenes from your hotel. I really like your night shot with the lights reflected on the water of the bay.

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  30. Hey, you were in my neighborhood. I live in the neighborhood behind that W hotel across from your hotel. Nice shots of the bay! Love the night one with the reflections. Hope you had a great trip.

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  31. Wishing you a fabulous vacation. Looks great so far. Take care.

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  32. Hi Eileen
    If anyone can find some unusual birds to photograph, it will be you. Have a good vacation and happy bird hunting in Florida.
    Judith

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  33. Eileen!
    I'm headig for Tampa in a few days! You have teased me with these images! Sunshine here I come!
    Great pitures! Thanks for posting!

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  34. What a wonderful vacation ~ Wow! Great shots that you were able to take ~ Excellent for MM ~ ^_^

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  35. Hi Eileen Fantastic! So far, I love Florida! I live in the center of the state near I-75 up North of Tampa a ways. Weather seems good here. So happy you have seen those Sand Hill Cranes (I have not yet here in FL). Have an especially nice day tomorrow!

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  36. That's a beautiful crane on the golf coarse. He looks so funny in that sea of balls. Great photos Eileen.
    ~Clara

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  37. Florida is a great place to have a vacation I have heard. Now I get to see too. Great captures!

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  38. Great job on the mosaics, Eileen! What a fun place to live with such a nice variety of wildlife. I, too, hope the cranes can safely dodge all those golf balls!

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  39. What great photos. The Sandhill Crane walking over the golf course looks as though he owns the place - very confident and proud.

    Enjoy your vacation in the sunshine!

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  40. I love your photos of familiar Florida birds ... but I think I enjoy the pelicans the best. My dad used to think they each had a personality! We'll be right were you were in a few weeks.

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  41. That image of the crane with the golf balls is great!

    Its really different.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  42. Looks like Tampa is a great place to visit for birders. The crane on the golf course made me smile. I lived and taught school in the Clearwater-St. Pete-Tampa area many years ago. Spent many weekends exploring the area because so different from my mountains. Hope your vacation continues to be most enjoyable and can't wait to see what you discover in FL's bird world.

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  43. This post is great!
    The crane looks so dignified and elegant, don't you think.
    I remember seeing pelicans close up when I visited Fort Myers, almost twenty years ago. They look so unusual. Fascinating.

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  44. I always love a room with a view - and it seems like you had a wonderful view from your hotel.
    Always lovely to go travelling with you Eileen.
    Have a wonderful week and thank you for stopping by my blog today.

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  45. Beautiful views, Eileen. Such a pretty area where your SIL lives. Looks like a great vacation, enjoy!

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  46. Man, you were in bird paradise! What a perfect time of year to be near the gulf coast with migration in full gear. Love the shot of the crane on the golf course. Glad you're back!

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  47. Beautiful images from your tour of Florida.

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  48. You might like looking at those birds so much you could end up with a condo yourself. Have fun. Valerie

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  49. What a lovely trip you had! I love the last photo with the birds on the golf course. That's literally a "birdie":) Thanks for your nice comments on my Mosaic post.

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  50. Florida must be a paradis for the birds!! especially when they get to play golf:))))

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  51. What wonderful journey. Thank you for this escape. The last image is just great !

    Please have you all a good Tuesday.

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  52. Such a great trip you had, Eileen!! Marvelous captures and so many lovely birds! I love the Sandhill Cranes! Thanks for sharing the fun and the beauty! Hope you have a great week!

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  53. WOW! Your photo of the Sandhill Crane is awesome. It is one beautiful specimen. Being from Florida, I really enjoyed this post. genie

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  54. Linda and I are in the process of looking at rentals in Florida. We want a break from our Canadian winters.

    Your photos drive the appeal factor all the more.

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  55. glad you had a wonderful vacation. i enjoy all the birds.

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  56. What an awesome place for a vacation. Love the cranes!

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  57. I had been to southern floria and it is absolutely wild and beautiful. You have fun trip.

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  58. The sandhill cranes are amazing birds to see, aren't they? They almost look prehistoric. Enjoy your vacatiion and good luck to your brotyhert-in-law in his condo search!

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  59. Beautiful places and the Sandhill cranes are magnificent birds.

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  60. Love your collage of birds - that Crane is very regal looking!

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  61. Wow sounds like you in for a great vacation. The Sandhill Crane is a beauty especially wearing its red beret. I hope they don't try to eat the golf balls.

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  62. A perfect place for you to snap away at the beautiful wildlife, Eileen. So beautiful!

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  63. Such pretty Floridian scenes. Love the bird collages Eileen.

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  64. Wonderful scenery! I can see you had a wonderful vacation!

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  65. I love that Sandhill Crane and looks like a great trip indeed.Have a great day!

    Shantana

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  66. Great views from your room and you saw many of my favorite Florida birds. The rehab place in Sarasota that I posted about recently makes prosthetic legs for sandhills that have been hit by golfballs . They said it happens a lot.

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  67. Glad to see you are back from your break! :)

    Love that last shot of the crane! Does make me a little wary seeing all those golf balls. Hope they stay safe.

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  68. Nice serie of photos, lovely to study!
    Happy WBW to you!

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  69. You certainly had the perfect spot for your hotel! Love the shot of the Crane on the golf course.

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  70. I enjoyed watching the birds from our hotel balcony, too, when we were in Virginia Beach.

    Your SIL looks like she lives in a lovely place. The golf course looks like it might be a dangerous place for the sand crane!

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  71. Lovely view from your hotel. Figures you picked a spot close to birds. :) That seems dangerous having a golf course so close to the wetlands.

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  72. Looks like you stayed in a great place with plenty of opportunities to photograph birds...wonderful birds too!

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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