A couple of weeks ago, I shared some of our human encounters in Florida this past winter. Mark and I (and Maya) enjoy meeting old and new friends, but when it comes to my personal happiness level, animal observations and interactions – especially in the wild – always make me smile! Here are some of the creatures we came across on our walks.
Gopher tortoise
Jellyfish on the beach in Marineland
Pelican at rest
Snowy egret waiting for a fish hand-out
This heron was a fisherman’s best friends
Resting osprey
Osprey in flight
My “lucky” osprey shot
Raccoon (no flash)
Raccoon (with flash)
Redhead agama lizard
I spotted and photographed this colorful lizard, sitting inside Zesty
Grey squirrel
Grey heron
Anhinga drying its wings
Alligator disturbing the reflection
Resting alligator
Stealthy alligator
Smiling alligator
Alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve
Our own little tiger
Turkey vultures around dusk
This is my contribution to this week’s Wordless Wednesday.
Have you come across any wildlife (on your neighborhood walks) lately?
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April 29, 2020 at 17:48
What an amazing menagerie of critters, Liesbet! Those ‘gators are a bit scary, though! Great shots of Mom Nature at work!
April 30, 2020 at 13:59
Menagerie. I love it, Terri! Mother Nature is the best. I guess I was a bit late with this post, or I could have linked it to one of your last Sunday Photo Challenges. I realized that I do enjoy working with my photos. But, it takes so much time (and a better camera, probably)! Hard to focus on all these hobbies. Maybe, one day, I’ll swap all the time spent on writing for a focus on photography. 🙂
April 29, 2020 at 17:54
I agree with you Liesbet, nature is a winner to creating a sense of well being. One thing is for sure I won’t ever see an alligator on my morning walks. I do think they are fascinating creatures and being patient is what they do best.
April 30, 2020 at 14:03
Your comment made me smile, Suzanne. Nope, I’ve never seen an alligator in New Zealand! But, have you watched those “salties” in Australia before? I remember going on a tour there once, many years ago, where the saltwater crocodiles jumped out of the bay to grab bait from the tour operators, showing their teeth while at it. These practices might have gotten abandoned in recent years. While impressive and entertaining when I was in my twenties, it sure seems like a very touristy pursuit and I’ve never been an advocate of feeding wildlife.
April 29, 2020 at 19:06
That’s a lot of alligators. And turkey vultures, although they are really thick in the South these past couple years.
April 30, 2020 at 14:06
Hi Alex! I recently commented to Mark that there used to be a time – when I first visited the US probably – when I was in awe of turkey vultures, as I’d rarely seen birds of prey in my life. Now, they appear like any other bird, as they are so prominent. The fact that they “prey” on dead animals makes them less appealing as well… Alligators remain fascinating. Just like with dolphins, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of watching them. Then again, unlike dolphins, I’d rather not have gators around when going for a swim. 🙂
April 29, 2020 at 20:09
Well, yes, as you know, I’ve come across wildlife on my neighborhood walk almost every day! I am so jealous of that lizard, though. I really want to photograph more lizards. They are so interesting – but they move so fast!
Great shots!
April 30, 2020 at 14:08
I would swap my current neighborhood with yours any time, these months! 🙂 We can’t wait to head back west and into the desert again. More than anything else (except wildlife), I miss the blue skies. It’s been incredibly dreary and cold in MA!!
That lizard was, again, a lucky sighting. I was working at my computer and saw this pretty one right on the tree next to the van. I had to stop what I was doing and take a few photos, stealthily.
April 29, 2020 at 20:14
So lovely. I can only imagine how much fun your Maya is. What’s life, isolated or not, without a dog.
April 30, 2020 at 14:13
Right? Dogs add an extra dimension to every day (and sometimes night). 🙂 Our Maya can be a handful as well, though, but that was a risk happily taken. In June, we will have had her a year and I hope to write a comprehensive post about the pros and cons of adopting an adult dog when living on the road.
April 29, 2020 at 20:32
I’m listening to the alligator swim as I read this – super! You caught the jellyfish on the beach at just the right angle. You know better than to step on one. Yes?
Somehow I can never get birds to sit “still” long enough to take photos, close up especially – birds in flight require a good pivot.
You’re a curator of memories – plants, animals, mammals. Brava, Liesbet! 🙂
April 30, 2020 at 14:20
Jellyfish can be so pretty but no worries, Marian. We’ve come eye-to-eye with the Man-o-Wars (which were crowding some of the beaches and the sea while we were in Florida) in the US and Panama. Their tentacles can get long. As a kid, I was surely avoiding them on the Belgian beaches. As an adult, I’m more curious about them. Only looking, no touching! 🙂
These photos are actually quite mediocre, but luckily I have a decent – yet old – camera. I’ve cropped some of these photos. One day, I hope to share some of my photos and memories of our sailing life on this website. Many wow-moments there! Either way, then and now, it isn’t my goal to take amazing photographs, but just snap shots for my remembrance, blog posts, or articles. Thanks for the compliment!
April 29, 2020 at 21:09
Hey Liesbet! Yes, lots of birds like roadrunners, hawks and hummingbirds. I’ve also seen a couple of turtles over by the pond in the city park. Always fun to see them sunning themselves. Other than that it is just lots of dogs and people out walking them. Good to get out and see nature when we can. ~Kathy
April 30, 2020 at 14:27
I’d love to be in your neighborhood right now, Kathy! Those are wonderful wildlife sightings and I wouldn’t need my winter coat and wool hat. 🙂 Only once have I seen a roadrunner up-close (in New Mexico), but he was too fast to take a photo of. Many dogs out with their owners here as well!!
April 29, 2020 at 21:55
Wonderful variety of wildlife, Liesbet. Our alligator seems to have gone into hiding. 😳
April 30, 2020 at 14:29
Oh no about your alligator… Has it gotten too hot out for him? You’d think with less people out and about, the wildlife would present itself better. At least, it seems to be that way in certain parts of the world, where the measures have been extremely strict…
April 30, 2020 at 05:16
Thank goodness there are no alligators in Arnhem! Your photos made me smile though. Animals always make me smile.
April 30, 2020 at 14:30
Do you mean Arnhem, Holland? Did I miss something about where you live?? Yes, animals always make me smile as well, Trace!
April 30, 2020 at 06:22
Great walk, Liesbet. I’ve been spending a lot of time on our back patio writing and observing all of the birds and critters. We don’t have alligators, but I’ve seen a few black snakes hunting for bird eggs. We have a great deal of osprey, too. Thanks for sharing!
April 30, 2020 at 14:33
I’ve been enjoying your Instagram movies and photos of the birds in your yard, Jill. The hummingbirds remain my favorite. I love their vibrating sounds as well! I usually hear them before I see them. Snakes are cool as well, when they’re non-venomous. It sounds like you have a lot of wildlife around you to encourage smiles! I’m missing nature at the moment and can’t wait to get back out.
April 30, 2020 at 09:36
Your animal photography is outstanding.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hugs to you, Mark and Maya.
April 30, 2020 at 14:35
Thank you, Donna! I hope all is well with you and S. (and C.?) on VI. And that you have managed to go for a pleasant walk to the beach again, without undesirable/undesired encounters. Luckily, those encounters are usually of the non-wildlife kind. 🙂
April 30, 2020 at 15:48
Jellyfish and alligators both give me the creeps, Liesbet. I’m more of a herons and storks person. And there is something very magical about dolphins. 🙂 🙂
May 1, 2020 at 11:40
Aha, Jo, I guess you are a birder! 🙂 With your restlessness, being “free as a bird” suits you. Or, being free as a dolphin works as well. Dolphins surely are my favorite animals! One of the questions Jill Weatherholt poses in her “Would You Rather”-series is whether you’d rather be able to breathe under water or be able to fly? I think I know your answer to that… 🙂
April 30, 2020 at 23:56
Alligators freak me out. They’re like prehistoric monsters. But… I’ll still take them any day over spiders. There’s nothing worse than spiders! LOL. Fun photos. There truly is no shortage of impressive wildlife in Florida. Speaking of which, your osprey photo is awesome!
May 1, 2020 at 11:43
With that in mind, I guess alligators are a “blast from the past” – intriguing never the last! 🙂
So, I wonder whether you come across a lot of spiders when camped at state parks or in forests… And, what do you do with them? I don’t mind them and since I have a problem with killing animals (except for mosquitoes), I try to trap the spiders and release them outside. Quite counter productive, I know. Or, I call Mark, which is quite productive!
May 2, 2020 at 23:33
My standard practice is to freak out, scream in a really high pitched voice, wave my arms around, and beg for Kevin to do something…. And he usually tries to take it outside… which often results in it falling on the ground and me freaking out more….
You know… the usual. 🙂
May 6, 2020 at 16:50
Yes! The usual (minus the screaming and flailing by me), as Mark recently tried to “catch” a spider on the top hatch and it fell on the ground. And, disappeared for a few days, having me worried that some reproduction was going on… There is one story where I DID scream in regards to a spider, some twenty years ago, but I’ll save that for another time! 🙂
May 1, 2020 at 00:20
When we visited Florida decades ago, I was fascinated by the way the anhingas would “hang themselves out to dry” after swimming. I see you caught one in the act! 🙂
May 1, 2020 at 11:45
“Hang themselves out to dry” – I love it. You, have such a knack for words, Diane. I actually caught two anhingas in the act, and the other photo is a better one, but I had already posted that one in another blog…
May 1, 2020 at 13:04
That is quite the array of wildlife. Yikes to the alligator and seeing the video made it all the more eye popping. Here it is Canadian geese, squirrels, robins, magpies and an occasional beaver. No alligators in these chilly waters.
May 6, 2020 at 16:47
The wildlife in BC sure appears to be more tranquil than in Florida. 🙂 I guess the geese have returned? I’m not sure whether I ever saw a beaver before – those are pretty cool!!
May 5, 2020 at 21:50
Beautifully refreshing. <3
May 6, 2020 at 16:50
Thanks, Debby! Refreshing and distracting. 🙂
May 6, 2020 at 17:42
Lol, I can imagine. But your photos are always a lovely escape <3
May 6, 2020 at 17:47
🙂
May 6, 2020 at 02:44
wordless post – but aid so much about Florida’s diversity and delight!
May 6, 2020 at 16:51
Well-said, Prior! 🙂 🙂
May 6, 2020 at 02:46
*said
June 23, 2020 at 19:01
One of the things I love about living on Vancouver Island is that there are so many animals all around us. The scariest one here is not an alligator, but a cougar. My son spotted one right near where we live a couple of years ago.
Jude
June 24, 2020 at 20:11
How I would love to live in a place surrounded by (non-dangerous) wildlife one day, like Vancouver Island. Except for the close proximity to cougars and bears. I remember you telling us the story about your son and the cougar. I think that’s exciting, but I realize it’s dangerous at the same time. Better to see prey animals from afar!