More Birds of Sanibel

Double crested Cormorant

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Great Blue Heron



Baby Osprey calling his for his mother

PS - My family complaints that I take too many pictures of birds, but I find them fascinating, specially see birds.

My Big Year in Sanibel

I rented a movie this week “The Big Year” with Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson and I loved it.  This movie is smart, funny with a touch of an environmental message and if you are a bird watcher this is the movie for you.  I recommend it.

After watching the movie I decided to start my own big year by counting the birds of Sanibel (More like the big week) Unfortunate I picked the wrong week.  The Army Corps of Engineers in their ultimate wisdom decided that Lake Okeechobee, situated in the middle of the state is over flowing, and to relive the pressure on the levies, large amounts of fresh water is been release into the gulf.  These levies are old and in need of replacement, but like everything that involves the Federal government there are no funds available. 

The effect of so much fresh water in the Gulf of Mexico has been devastating on salt water fish and it has cause birds that depend on the fish to move on. 

Brown Pelican

 

 White Ibis

 

 Snowy Egret

Royal Tern

 

 Ruddy Turnstone

 

 Looks like a Night Heron

 

 Willet

 

 Wilson Plover

 

 Cardinal



A few days in paradise, Sanibel Island, Florida

My family and I are spending our summer vacation in our favorite place in Florida, Sanibel Island.  I am looking forward to some needed R and R time with the family.  Crossing the bridge to the island feels like going through a stress cleansing  that leaves all your troubles behind in the main land (Worth the $6 toll).

I am looking forward to a few days of biking, hiking, shelling, nature photographic, (I’m using my new Nikon 18-300mm lens) bird watching, kayaking and beach time.  I also brought three books to read (If I have any time)

Sunrise at Sanibel

 

 Brown Pelican

Sea turtle, fresh tracks to a nesting site



 Beach morning glory

 

Box Turtle on the beach (did you know that this little guy can live to 100 years) 

Taking a break from the Garden

I am taking a couple of months off from the DragonFly Garden; I decided to take a break from gardening for the month for July and August.  Gardening this time of the year in South Florida is simply not fun.  I will continue to do some maintenance, like weeding and pruning, to prevent the garden from turning into a jungle in no time at all.  I pledged not to buy new plants or start new projects during these months (Home Depot is off limits).

 

 

 

 

For the next couple months, I will be working on new ideas for the fall, like a redo of the vegetable garden and making space for more fruit trees.  I am committed to a more sustainable garden and fruit trees are a good start.

 

I will not walk away from the blog for the next two months, the camera will be with me every morning when I walk the garden and if I see something interesting I will be posting.

Stay cool and have a great summer

My new Zen garden

I always wanted a Buddha in my garden; this beautiful statue was one of my father’s day gifts.

   This is a perfect place to do some meditation after a long day at work.

 

Happy Father’s Day



Summer Blooms

Summer is here, and along with the rain, heat, humidity and mosquitos, the garden is blessed with new blooms.  Today I took my Nikon camera out for an early morning photo-shoot.  

The Gardenia is in bloom and the aroma in this corner of the garden
is magnificent.

 Bromeliads love the summer heat, this is the time for blooms.

 Thryallis

 White Plumeria

This little guy is from the prayer plant family, every year around
this time they pop-up all over the garden.

 Mexican Petunias

 Milkweed

 Cacti also love the heat of the summer to set blooms.  This flower
lasted all of 12 hours.

 

 

Yesterday I jointed my wife and daughter for a garage sale excursion.  I’m always looking for anything I can use in the garden at bargain prices.  The Aqua Globes were a bargain at $5 for all three, the book “Small Container Gardening” $2 (I can’t pass a good gardening book) and the antique horn for $10 was the find of the day.  

 

In Miami, this time of the year outside gardening is limited.  The harsh summer weather limits our time to early morning or late afternoon.  That’s a shame because the extra rain gives the garden a lush and welcoming look.

Rain Lilies

You know the rainy season has arrived, when rain lilies start popping up all over the garden.  This morning when I went outside to get my Sunday newspaper, I was greeted by this beautiful sight of rain lilies in bloom.

 

We had constant rain for the last four days, and more is forecast for the coming week.  The grass is high, (wet grass is not ideal for cutting) the garden looks unkempt, the rain-barrels are over flowing and the succulents are not happy.

 

This Monk Skipper butterfly is taking in the early morning sun.

 

This week we purchased a new umbrella for the back patio, my frugal wife got a fantastic deal after using many coupons. The total cost including free shipping $40.



I am on Instagram.  Now you can see many pictures taken with my IPhone and posted to the DragonFlyGarden page.  Originally Instagram was only available for phone and IPad users, but now it's available to anyone with a computer.  Instagram is fun, easy to use and popular around the world.  The program is all about sharing pictures with users with common interest. 

GO HEAT !!!