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Sunday, February 27, 2011

~Sunset for Sunday~

Howdee all,

A few days ago after my

Crab love encounter and the Pelican photo shoot. We ended that wonderful day with a Beautiful

Sunset ~

the sun behind the Palm tree…Hutchinson Island_203I move to get a better angle…Hutchinson Island_205Its low tide in the Indian River…Hutchinson Island_208The pale pinks touch the water…Hutchinson Island_211Birds fly overhead toward their overnight accommodations…Hutchinson Island_212Brown Pelican…Hutchinson Island_213Getting home before dark…Hutchinson Island_214The setting sun starts to glow more orange…Hutchinson Island_215I see the sun behind a distant building…Hutchinson Island_216lovely and serene..Hutchinson Island_217Then…the fireball appears to the right of the building..Hutchinson Island_220Glowing ball of fiery sunHutchinson Island_222I zoom in for a better view…ahh..that’s what the building looks like..Hutchinson Island_224The sun sits on the horizon…Hutchinson Island_226I then zoom back out…Hutchinson Island_229And we leave as the sun slips below the horizon…Hutchinson Island_227

Jeff and I are still in Jensen beach, Florida… we move north in a few days to Merritt Island area for some New awnings on our ten year old RV (HOMEY)~our old awnings are full of holes..

While there we will do some birding and explore the area.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Brown Pelican photo shoot

Howdee all,

Here in Florida the Brown Pelicans know where to hang out…

Your local fish cleaning station…Hutchinson Island_103Waiting for some easy fish to come in…Hutchinson Island_105

If anyone knows my wardrobe color scheme~they know I wear mostly Brown and Beige..so ..these birds remind me of my wardrobe..:)

  I Love the brown and beige colors of these pelican against the blue water.Hutchinson Island_111Look at that blob of cute…Hutchinson Island_112I had a great time shooting away…

Juvenile dirty brown all over with white belly, pale line along middle of underwing. Bill gray-brown. Yearling similar, but more gray on back and with some white feathers on sides of head and neck. Bill becomes paler and may have some yellow or orange.

Hutchinson Island_116Adult…

Adult Breeding
Plumage is primarily gray and brown, marked with a blackish belly, yellowish head, and chestnut or cinnamon brown nape and hindneck (Terres 1980; Farrand 1983; Harrison 1996).

Adult Non-breeding
Plumage is similar but duller to that of the adult coloration during the summer season (Farrand 1983; Harrison 1996).  The nape and hindneck are mostly white with occasional tinges of yellow. via Smithsonian research at Fort Pierce website

 

Hutchinson Island_121Both Sexes have the same coloration at each phase.Hutchinson Island_118Striking…colors of the adult..Hutchinson Island_137While the Browns of the juvies blend into a warm softness..

Hutchinson Island_122 What color scheme is more attractive to you?Hutchinson Island_123The more dramatic yellows, brown-black and gray with the pop of red around the eye?

Or the warm brown tones of the young Pelicans?Hutchinson Island_128Take a look at both color schemes together…

Adult and Juvenile

I like them both..but I favor the warm browns..

Hutchinson Island_127Oh…..Have you seen those feet?Hutchinson Island_130

Big and webbed they hold up this large critter…Hutchinson Island_142I know..what your thinking just about now..…

Allot of Pelican photos!…

ha…

If you know me I am not one to easily weed photos …

Although, I really did take out lots..

Really I did .:)Hutchinson Island_154Juvi and AdultHutchinson Island_156This one looks like a painting…

Ok..humor me…

Yes..Dawn, it looks just like a painting!

Hutchinson Island_194Alligator? Hutchinson Island_163Nope..just the end of this awesome bill…Hutchinson Island_165

While looking at all these Brown beauties…Hutchinson Island_192

I noticed this fellow…

and what caught my attention was its feet…Hutchinson Island_201Quite different than the Black beautiful feet above…these are worn and gray and very old looking…cuts in the side of the leg…

And it was banded…Hutchinson Island_198I tried to capture all of the number…it looks like

1118- I couldn’t make out the number to call or where it was from…

I have been spending the morning googling to find out where to report the tagged bird…anyone out there know who to call?Hutchinson Island_202

Ok..that’s enough of Pelicans for now, I need to go back and get some shots of the pouch…these fellas were relaxing so they weren't showing off that famous pouch..more to come next photo shoot.. :)

In the meantime…you MUST go check out my

Featured Bird Blogger of the Week

At Birdingblogs.com

You are going to love the photos!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

~I fell in Love at the beach~

Howdee all,

Yes you heard me..I fell in Love yesterday…

It wasn’t the first time~and I am sure it wont be the last:)

Jeff and I went for a ride to see Hutchinson Island…

We stopped at Blind Creek Park~a 400 acre preserve in between the Indian river to the Ocean.

Ocean side~View looking north~

Hutchinson Island_010View looking south~Hutchinson Island_011Looking east~

~a very quiet beach and no high-risesHutchinson Island_012Looking down ~

I see many shellsHutchinson Island_019Some nice shells here~Hutchinson Island_014

Jeff and I collected a few~ Hutchinson Island_020

And then…………..

I saw itHutchinson Island_034And~

I fell in Love~Hutchinson Island_035It seemed to be following me as I picked shells…

Hutchinson Island_032Wanting to be noticed?

Cute little seedy black eyes, pale blue back and fuzzy yellow legs~

I admired it for quite a while…Hutchinson Island_036

Isn't it adorable?

I didn’t know what kind of crab it was at the time…Hutchinson Island_039I walked on and left the crab as I picked up shells~

Then I saw a few Gulls with a crab….

OH NO

I chased the Gulls…

and it dropped what was left of the crab…

Hutchinson Island_041

Two pieces…

My new love?

Hutchinson Island_042

I ran down the beach to see if My Crab was still there…

Hutchinson Island_048

And there is was…

still out in the open…

Hutchinson Island_037

Jeff and I didn’t know how to protect it so we built a small shelter.

I began to worry about it…

a few gulls flew overhead…

they saw it…Hutchinson Island_043I saw some holes at the high tide mark  about twenty feet away….

I thought maybe it had come from one of these holes…So Jeff took a stick and the little crab grabbed onto it…he then put the crab at the edge of the hole..and it slid in sideways …fitting perfectly…

We left thinking my new Love was safe..Hutchinson Island_044

When I came home I googled and found out my Lovely crab is a Ghost Crab…

they live in holes at the high tide line…Hutchinson Island_059

I hope my little friend is ok…

I like to think it is..Hutchinson Island_024My new Love :)Hutchinson Island_068