Saturday, November 22, 2008

more fla photos

Here's a batch of about 13 pictures from my florida trip last month.

At Sea World we went to the killer whale show, which was pretty neat (despite my mixed feelings about zoos, aquariums, and like exhibits)


They had a manatee rehab zone at sea world. I nearly flipped seeing manatees for the first time. I could have stayed there all day. I've had an adopted manatee with the Save the Manatee Foundation for like 15 years now. (Her name is Dana.)


At Busch Gardens, the tiger had its eyes closed when I approached, then peeked at me for a second. Like the big whatsis in jurassic park with the pupils and all.


This is the view from our hotel room at Fort Myers Beach on Estero Island. Step out on the balcony and snap.


Contrariwise, this is looking up at the hotel from the beach.


This is the pier at fort myers beach.


Some people were fishing off the pier and this guy was hanging around stealing their catch. Not a great shot, but I was happy to get it. I mean, jeez - we saw wild dolphins AND I was able to get a photo of one? Score.


Across the street from the pier, basically.


When I was making a list of pix to post I called this one "pretty blue beach."


... and this one "even prettier."


Some dork in a sun hat on Sanibel Island.


J and I, just before we left for home. (We had way fewer pictures of us together than usual because of the circumstances, traveling with other people I never wanted to make then wait while I got out the tripod or make the whole parade stop so someone else could snap one for me.)

photo post - bird nerd edition

Husband and I went on a trip to Florida last month with his parents. I had never been to Florida before and couldn't get over the adorable little shorebirds and the way ibis and herons hung out at outdoor cafes hoping for errant french fries the way sparrows do here. thus a post of photos of birds I saw on the trip.

These first several, we saw in Orlando at Sea World - not in captivity, except the scarlet ibis, but just hanging around stealing fish and being cute.
white ibis


scarlet ibis


snowy egret (check the feet!)




wood stork


great egret (right)


I took this one at Busch Gardens in St. Pete.
great blue heron


And the rest are from Fort Myers Beach. I took this one from the pier and couldn't decide: cormorant or anhinga?




plovers and sandpipers (probably!)


wee whatevers (I love these guys!) Every time we went to the beach, which was like four or five times a day, there were crowds of all these guys.


plus gulls


We also saw assorted gulls and terns, black skimmers (!!) - those were more skittish, less photo-able - brown pelicans, of course, and also common gallinule.