Fort Island Gulf Beach

I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday   They are both fun memes to participate in...I hope you can join in with the fun  and check out some of the participating posts.

It is the last day of May, unbelievable how fast the days are going..I love summer so I am hoping for lots of warm sunny days ahead.. Are you ready for some more of Florida? These are shots from the Fort Island Gulf beach in Crystal River on Florida's gulf coast.

The Fort Island Gulf Beach was a pretty spot with a nice sandy beach.

I am not positive but I am guessing that the Terns above are the Royal Terns with some Laughing Gulls.

We saw a lot of  Terns, Gulls, Sanderlings and the Piping Plovers. Any help with bird id's are appreciated. I do not claim to be an expert, lol.

I saw that there were a lot of Black Skimmers at one end of the beach.

Black Skimmers, Terns and Gulls.

Above hubby in the orange vest tried snorkeling at a park called Hunter Spring in Crystal River. I sat near the car watching the White Ibis, Mallards and some Scaup ducks hanging around the parking and in the water. I hope you enjoyed this collection of images from our Florida trip. I still have more to share. 

Thank you for visiting and for all the nice comments.. Have a great day and week ahead!

I use Pic Monkey to create my mosaics, you can use Pic Monkey free or pay for an upgraded version.

I hope you can join in on our fun with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

 Thanks to Judith our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  

Florida trip, Part I

I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday   They are both fun memes to participate in...I hope you can join in with the fun  and check out some of the participating posts.

On March 13th, hubby and I went on a two week road trip to Florida. I did the driving and I drove straight to our first night at Jacksonville Florida without stopping except for short breaks. Surprisingly the drive went fast, maybe because I was happy to leave the cold and snow behind me..LOL!

Our second night we moved down the Atlantic coast to our hotel near Saint Augustine Florida.  We spent the next day and half checking out various beaches and parks.. Besides the cool little coquina rock tidal pools, a pretty beach we saw a few shore birds like the cute Sanderlings..

Scenes from our walk along the beach at the Washington Oaks State Park. This park has two parts, one is the beach and across the street are the formal gardens.

Some of the Coquina Colums seen on the beach at Washington Oaks State Park. This is the largest cropping of the Coquina rock on the Atlantic Coast.

The pond, moss covered trees and plants are all looking lovely in Florida..  In the formal gardens are some beautiful oaks, hickory and magnolia trees. And beyond the hammock are the marshes of the Matanzas River.

Some scenes from walking the trail at the park.

Above are a few of the birds we saw at the Washington Oaks State Park. I hope you enjoyed my post. Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I appreciate the nice comments..

I use Pic Monkey to create my mosaics, you can use Pic Monkey free or pay for an upgraded version.

I hope you can join in on our fun at  Mosaic Monday and   Our World Tuesday

 Thanks to Judith our  host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

Outer Banks continued

I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

I hope everyone does not mind but I am still going thru our photos from Nags Head and the Outer Banks, North Carolina.. We had a great time enjoying the ocean, beach and all the birds.. The sunrises and sunsets were amazing, just the kind of trip hubby and I enjoy...all about nature...

Above a Northern Harrier, sunrise, shadow shot, American Wigeon, Song Sparrow, moon.

Sunrise at Nags Head. "Delight in the beauty that surrounds you" unknown author. A quote that hubby and I live by...

In the mosaic above are some Sanderlings on the beach, Great Egrets, White Ibis in flight, GB Heron & Coots, Brown Pelicans on the beach and sunset..

I always enjoy watching  the Northern Harrier. Some Tundra Swans in the distance are feeling safe.

At sunset a few Brown Pelican on the island, near their rookery. It was amazing seeing so many Brown Pelicans! There were more Pelicans then I could fit in one photo.

Just for fun...here is my great-nephew Neill with Santa..I believe this is the first time I have seen him crying..He is still a cutie!  I hope you enjoyed my post and photos..

 I hope you can join in on our fun at  Mosaic Monday and   Our World Tuesday

 Thanks to Judith our  host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

Siesta Key, Florida

Linking up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday

With this post I am taking you back to Florida, a lovely sunset at Siesta Key Beach and some birds from the area.

Above are a Ruddy Turnstone and a Sanderling seen on the Vienna Beach, Florida.

We saw lots of Pelicans flying by at the Vienna Beach.

I like this shot of the pier with the flag and pretty sky.  We also saw a group of dolphins swimming near the pier. They are always a happy sight for me to see.

This pelican was enjoying the Gulf of Mexico beautiful clear water.

Our sunset on the same day was seen at the Siesta Key Beach. A very pretty beach with beautiful sand.

Siesta Key beach is very popular and there were many people out enjoying the beach and sunset.

I really loved the clouds and the reflection in this photo above.

When I looked at the photo above it looks as though there is a hand holding the sun. I see a thumb and fingers? What do you see?

 After the sunset and heading back to our car I saw the last bird seen during our visit to Siesta Key. I believe this is a Semipalmated Plover.

I hope you enjoyed my birds and sunset. Thanks for visiting my post and  blog and I always appreciate your comments.

Happy Skywatching  to everyone!

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to Monica the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Florida Variety

I am linking up Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's in blogland..

For my post this week I have a  variety of birds and a few lizards we saw while in the Florida Keys.

 

Piping Plovers, Ruddy Turnstone, Willet and Sanderlings

Anole and Iguana

Magnificent Frigatebird, Orb Spider, flock of White Ibis

The Palm Warblers were being seen all over Florida and the bottom right shot is a female Prairie Warbler.

I hope you enjoyed my critter post. I hope everyone has a happy weekend. Thanks for stopping by and I always appreciate your comments. To see more beautiful photos and cute critters

 please visit:  Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious hosts Misty Dawn of Camera Critters and to Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin.

Sanibel Island Skywatch

Linking up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday

On the third day of our Florida vacation hubby and I went south and spent 2 nights in Bonita Springs. Located on the gulf and midway down the coast. We toured Sanibel Island and Ding Darling NWR and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. All great places for birding and pretty scenery, so I am sharing birds for NF Winged and some sky shots on this post. 

This Sanibel Island lighthouse is a different design than what I am use to seeing. But, I do enjoy seeing lighthouses and will take a few photos of each lighthouse that I visit.

The Brown Pelicans were plentiful in Florida. We saw a lot of them on Sanibel Island.

The Snowy Egrets seemed to like hanging around the fishing pier, maybe hoping for a free meal.

Some of the Sanibel shorebirds..the cute Sanderlings and some Ruddy Turnstones.

Juvie Osprey on the nest, testing out the wings.

Now, it's time for the sunset on Sanibel Island.

Love the pretty pink clouds in the shot above.

These sky shots are in order as we watched the sunset. By the time we arrived at the beach the sun had set, the colors and reflection was still pretty. Stay tuned more to come from Corkscrew and Ding Darling NWR.
Thanks for visiting my blog and I always appreciate your comments.

Happy Skywatching  to everyone!

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Ocean City weekend

 I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday

This weekend hubby and I took a quick trip to Ocean City, Maryland. The weather was in the 50's which is warm for us, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Hubby got to see his big waves and I was able to see some great birds.

One of the many Common Loon's we saw during a stop at the Ocean City Inlet.

A view of Ocean City's inlet.

Ocean City fishing pier, still damaged from the storm Sandy, part of the newer boardwalk replaced after the storm. The Ocean Gallery has been on the boardwalk since I was a child.

I always love the cute Sanderlings running up and down the beach. What a great weekend, I am sorry to see the weekend coming to an end. I hope everyone had a great weekend, thanks for stopping by and of course 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!

Skywatch and my 500th post

Wow, I can not believe I am doing my 500th post, it seems like just yesterday I started the blog. My first post was on  July 19, 2009 the title of the post was River Rider.

 I want to thank all my followers and the very nice bloggers and friends who take the time to comment on all my post. I have "met" so many wonderful bloggers from around the world.   I do love to visit with my blogger friends thru reading their blogs and seeing all their wonderful photos. What a cool way to see the world! I hope to continue my blog for some time and I hope everyone will still come and check out my post.

Now onto my 500th post and I am linking it up toWatery Wednesday and  Skywatch Friday and NF Winged

These are shots from a few weeks ago when hubby and I went on our overnight trip to Ocean City. These are some of the sunrise shots near our hotel.

The hotel and boardwalk early in the morning. The christmas lights are pretty and I love the cute blow up Santa.

Our first sign of color.

The was a layer of clouds on the horizon that was blocking our view of the sun.

 I was watching this fishing vessel being followed by a group of seagulls.

The sun has risen before we were able to finally see it rise up the layer of clouds.

Before leaving Ocean City, I had to check out the inlet one last time. The birds seen there were the Sanderlings and a few Ruddy Turnstones.

Above a Ruddy Turnstone was trying to walk on the steep side of this rock at the jetty.

As you can see above, it was another great day and skywatch at Ocean City. I was just sad to leave.


To see more beautiful photos  check out Tricia's Watery Wednesday II
 and for pretty skies please visit Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged


Thanks to Sylvia and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged. And thanks to Tricia the host of Watery Wednesday. Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.