Owl Magic



"May the Force be with you."

Whenever I head into nature, I go without expectations, because it's a lot more fun to see what gifts await.  Some of these gifts come in small packages, like hummingbirds, while others are larger, like reddish egrets.  On this day, though, the package was neither big nor small, but just the right size.

The Way Eye See It was taking a final turn around John Chestnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor recently, looking for deer, but open for anything, when from somewhere overhead, a big bird swooped over the car and into a stand of pine trees.  We were so surprised, we didn't even think about identifying this bird, only figuring it had to be some kind of owl due to its shape and wingspan.

Even though we figured the owl would be long gone by the time we parked, we knew we couldn't just drive off without knowing for sure.  So, we parked, Anna grabbed her binoculars, I got my camera, and off we went in search of the owl - which ended up taking about two minutes, because the owl had landed in the pine tree closest to us.  It sat on a fairly low branch, and didn't seem at all in a hurry to move on.



looking like the proverbial wise old owl

Time is usually of the essence, though, when it comes to birds, and it was too good to be true this guy was hanging out.  I debated whether to go to the car for my 500mm zoom, and decided what the heck, since I'd already gotten a few shots with my smaller zoom.  If the owl flew away in the meantime, I was still happy we'd had the chance to see it.  I went to the car, changed cameras, changed lenses, mounted both on my tipod, and the owl was in the exact same spot when I returned.  It modeled for us - preened, stretched, squinted at us with its liquid-black eyes.  We were amazed it sat as long as it did, giving us the opportunity to really study it, since we'd never seen a Barred Owl in in the wild before.

I love their big ole round heads, and their huge black eyes are so expressive.  I didn't know until I read later that Barred Owls are the only eastern North American dark-eyed owls aside from Barn Owls.  Their expression is a serious one.  Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal about Barred Owls, "Solemnity is what they express, - fit representatives of the night."  That definitely rings true, although this owl was out in the early evening.  Still, even in the early evening, there's a mysterious air about owls.


scoping out the landscape

Eventually, the owl took flight, and we thought that was the last we'd see of it. When it landed in another tree not too far away, we watched it some more.  And I took more pictures, while it sat and looked around, until I finally reached the point (which almost never happens), when I decided I'd taken enough pictures.  Nine times out of ten, birds never stay, and sometimes the only pictures I get are of their butts as they fly away.  Even funnier are the shots of one departing foot in the very corner of the frame. 

This Barred Owl, though, who sat and let us fall in love with it, was magic, big ole round-headed, black-eyed magic in a package that was just the right size.



"Yes?"

"No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still enough for the photographer It has chosen."

Minor White

St Marks Wildlife Refuge

It's not often The Way Eye See It makes multi-county hours-long road trips, but the promise of seeing new birds, particularly Redbird, was incentive enough for us to pack our bags, gas up the car, and hit the road. Our destination was Tallahassee, FL, and our first stop was the Miccosukee Land Co-op, where we planned on enjoying good food and great music.

It'd been a long time since I'd driven to Tallahassee, and there are many enticing Great Florida Birding Trail sites along US 19.  Even though a few Swallowtail Kites flew overhead as we traveled, tempting us from our path, we continued northward, making mental notes of all the places we want to stop someday.

Tallahassee is beautiful, very woodsy in places, and Miccosukee Rd, which lead us to the Co-op, is gorgeous.  It's one of Tallahassee's canopy roads, with massive oaks on both sides, branches reaching across to touch one another.  As for the Co-op, it's a 344 acre slice of paradise in the woods.  Founded in 1973, it's an intentional community comprised of residents, who share a community house, a community life, and basically chill with nature.

The music festival had already begun by the time we pulled in, but we were still early enough to visit with family and watch Redbird set up.  Redbird is my brother's folk group, four talented musicians, who like to party and play, and who sing a variety of music from Stephen Foster, to Irish ballads that tear your heart out.  This was our first time seeing Redbird live and in concert, and they were great. 

Redbird

We stayed until the last band's last note, then piled back in the car and headed into urban Tallahassee and our beds for the night.  Our grand plan was to wake up early the next morning, and make our way to St. Marks Wildlife Refuge.  But plans, as they say, are made to be broken.  My sister-in-law's blueberry pancakes called, and we decided to stay, eat breakfast, and enjoy family.  A few birds came to us, though, as we finally packed the car: Carolina Chickadees and a Tufted Titmouse or two!

Established in 1931 for wintering migratory birds, St Marks is huge, with a diversity of habitats, including salt marshes, swamps, and long leaf pine forests.  It'd been several years since my last trip there, and all I remembered was the lighthouse, and how, along the road to the lighthouse, certain areas of sawgrass reminded me of pictures I've seen of the African plains.  No lions for us, though.  The only kings of beasts we saw were little alligators cruising in the water.  They can be scary enough!

St Marks Lighthouse is impressive.  It's been guarding that parcel of the Panhandle's coastline since 1832, and is still an active lighthouse.  I can only imagine what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper back in the day.  I like to think I would have been able to handle the solitude, the wildlife, the muggy FL summers with threats of hurricanes, and the cold Panhandle winters.  I'd like to think the sound of waves continually crashing against the shore, combined with the indescrible beauty of the sun rising and setting, would have made it all worthwhile.  I can't believe it wouldn't.


lighthouse view from the rear

There are many angles from which to view the lighthouse, and it doesn't have a bad side.  This one through the oaks, though, is one of my favorites.







view of lighthouse through live oaks

 

And, because, as the caption says, I love open windows ...  Who viewed the landscape and Gulf of Mexico through them?  From the time St Marks Lighthouse was built until now, I don't think the view has changed all that much.  Even so, with 43 acres of Florida coastline in sight, how could you ever be bored?





because I love open windows

Since we had a long drive ahead, we didn't spend as much time at St Marks as we wanted.  But, whenever I travel, I always like to leave something for the return visit.  The Way Eye See It explored the lighthouse and the beach around it, stopped along the road to look for birds, alligators, and anything else roaming, flying, slithering, or swimming.  What we haven't done, though, is visit St Marks during November's Monarch butterfly migration.  See, there's always something to look forward to.  And, if we're lucky, maybe Redbird will be playing again.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Revisited




Winter in Panama & Winter's Zone

I wanted to visit Winter again before her movie, "Dolphin Tale," was released, so my mom and I took ourselves to Clearwater Marine Aquarium one recent afternoon.  Would Winter be the same after her starring role and so much publicity, or had she turned into a diva since my last visit? How much had the aquarium changed, and would Hope, CMA's youngest dolphin, be out and about in her tank?  And what cool new stuff would be in the gift shop?

Before heading to Winter and Panama's Zone, Mom and I went through the darkened area where golden-eyed stingrays whiz around their touch tank.  I love those guys, how silky-soft they feel, and it's fun watching them flip their wings as they swim.  Around the corner from the ray tank, we passed a quiet area where through a window we could see a sea turtle recovering from emergency surgery.  As we climbed the stairs to CMA's second level, we could smell the river otters, a mixture of sea creature and litter box. They're stinky, those otters, but they crack me up, because they're so rambunctious and full of life.  Plus, who can resist their liquid black eyes and long whiskers?

In their zone, Winter was swimming around the tank she shares with Panama, but she wasn't as energetic as she usually is.  The aquarium had opened late that day, due to morning press conferences, and it looked like Winter was pooped.  It's not easy being an in-demand star!  Winter was tired enough to skip her afternoon performance/dolphin demo with Panama, and swam into her individual tank.  Panama was up to her usual tricks, though, and Mom and I enjoyed watching her do her thing.  Afterwards, we went to Winter's tank, and watched her for awhile.  She was so relaxed, it made me want to take a nap. 

  

Winter in profile

While we were standing at Winter's tank, a man and young woman walked up next to me, and the guy started telling his companion about Winter, her habits, how friendly she is, how he thought she learned to recognize him during the months it took to shoot "Dolphin Tale."  At first, in my mind, I was thinking, "blah, blah, blah," but the longer I stood there, the more he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.  I didn't know it until later, when I saw his photo on CMA's Facebook page, but that guy was Charles Martin Smith, who directed "Dolphin Tale."  So, I guess he did know a few things about Winter. 

Sleepy Winter

Since Winter was making up both yawn, Mom and decided to move up one more level to watch Nicholas, who definitely was not worn out.  He leaped through the air, chased after toys, and raced around his tank, which had us all laughing and clapping.  There's something incredibly joyous about watching dolphins, because they look like they're having so much fun.  And I'm happy Nicholas has a safe place to live, since he's another one of CMA's resident dolphins who can't be re-released into the wild.

Nicholas

If Winter were ever to have competition in the cute and charm departments, it would be from Hope, CMA's latest rescued dolphin.  Like Winter, she was found injured in the wild, and was brought to CMA to recover.  Still a baby, she's being trained and rewarded with a combination of bottled formula and solid fish.  I'd never seen such a tiny dolphin before, and she really is a sweet thing.  It's reassuring to know she's in good hands, and will flourish and grow ... and maybe have her own movie one day?

Hope

A lot has been written about Winter's prosthetic tail,  how she overcame losing her tail to live a healthy, full life, and what an inspiration she's been to people who've lost limbs.  Well, I'm here to tell you she's also an inspiration and joy to at least one person with Alzheimer's Disease: my mom.  My mom may not remember afterwards she's been to the aquarium, but during the time she's there, she's nothing but smiles.  She loves all the animals at CMA, but Winter is the one she remembers.  That makes me love Winter even more.

And, no, Winter hasn't turned into a movie star diva.  And, yes, there was some cool new stuff in the gift shop.

Update:  I started this entry quite some time ago, and have since seen "Dolphin Tale" twice.  The first time, I thought it was a little too sweet, not that I didn't cry!  But when I watched it again recently, I really appreciated the story - no amount of Hollywood can change what really happened to Winter, and what a great place the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is.

What does everyone else think about the film?  Who's visited Winter at CMA?

Anclote Key State Park

Fishing boats along the Sponge Docks

Sometimes it's fun to play tourist in your own backyard, and having out-of-town guests is always a great excuse to do touristy things you probably wouldn't do on your own.  One advantage of living in Florida, is there's an abundance of activities aimed at toursits, which means it's always time to play.  Another advantage is someone is almost always expecting out-of-town guests, in this instance Anna and her sister, Nellie, so The Way Eye See It was off on local adventure.

Tarpon Springs is an small town in our area known for, among other things, its Greek heritage.  There are several Greek restaurants and shops selling touristy stuff, as well as Greek souvenirs and food on Dodocanese Blvd, the main drag along Tarpon's historic sponge docks.  It's definitely like stepping into an Agean-blue slice of Greece: Greek language, Greek food, Greek music floating out shop doors, and, if the sponge boats have unloaded their hauls for the day, the salty ocean smell of sponges.

For as long as I can remember, there's been a guy on the docks shouting out departure times for Sponge-o-Rama's Dolphin Cruise, which I always thought was prettyy cheesy, until Anna and Nellie mentioned the trip now includes a stop at Anclote Key State Park, home of Anclote Lighthouse.  That turned the tour into something much more interesting, because, unless you have a boat, one of these tours is the only way to get out to Anclote Key (and the 3 other keys in Anclote Key State Park).

If you're going to take a Dolphin cruise, I highly recommend lunch at one of the Greek restaurants along the sponge docks.  We enoyed greek salads and saganaki (opa!) at Mykonos, which I think has better food than Hellas, one of the more well known restaurants.  If the seas look rough, though, I recommend lunch after the cruise!

Anclote Key Lighthouse is three miles off the coast of Tarpon Springs, and before hitting the Gulf of Mexico, you pass various sights along the Anclote River, like the house used in the 1953 movie "Beneath the 12 Mile Reef," starring a young Robert Wagner.  As for me, I was more interested in the wildlife action, and there was a lot. In the Gulf we saw dolphins, all kinds of sea birds, and, amazingly, an osprey chasing  an eagle across the water for its fish.  I had my money on the eagle to win, but, wow, that osprey stole the eagle's fish! 

The approach to the lighthouse, watching it get bigger and bigger, is really cool.  It's not your traditional looking lighthouse, but a metal, rust-colored skeleton shape. Currently opperated by the state of Florida, and on the National Historic Register, Anclote Lighthouse was built in 1887, deactivated in 1985, and relit September 13, 2003. 



Anclote Key Lighthouse



If you're into shelling, Anclote Key is the place to be.  Before we got off the  boat, the captain passed around little bags for shell collecting, and it didn't take long for the shellers to fill them up.  It was tempting to stop and look at all the pretty shells in the sand, but Anna and I decided try and get closer to the lighthouse. We'd also heard Anclote was great for birding, although, since we were docked for only 30 minutes, time was at a premium.  We hoofed it across the sand, but soon realized we'd never make it to the lighthouse, so stopped and soaked it up from afar.  Meanwhile, little semi-palmated plovers and willets cruised by, moving in and out of slight strips of water. At least we saw 2 of the 43 species of birds who live there.

Thirty minutes flew way too quickly, and it was time to head back to Tarpon.  Nothing as spectacular as eagle vs osprey happened on the return trip, but we saw more dolphins, and even passed an outbound sponge boat, another tourist trip, complete with sponge diver in authentic sponge diving suit, and a sponge diving demonstration.  I always thought that had the potential to be cheesy, too, but now.... Well, I'm ready to play tourist in Tarpon Springs again.  Does anyone have any guests on their way?

Sponge Diver

Wall Springs Park

blue-winged teal

Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor is a sweet place, but I sort of wrote it off my bird watching list about a year ago, after a few ho-hum visits.  Well, that was a mistake.  Recently, a coworker mentioned she'd been watching a Great Horned Owl there over the course of several weeks, and I decided finally to find it for myself - and by find it, I mean asking my coworker she'd found it. 

In addition to being a pleasant place to walk around, Wall Springs is full of history.  It was originally owned by the Wall family, until, in 1927, they sold their property, and Wall Springs became Health Springs.  The spring was used as a health spa and bathing area up until the mid-60's. By then, the name had reverted back to Wall Springs. Between 1988 until 2009, Pinellas County aquired the property, totalling 210 acres, definitely a respectable size. The source of the spring is the Upper Florida Aquifer, and the spring waters maintains a balmy 74 degree temp. Swimming is no longer allowed, though, in order to maintain the ecosystem. The park is even connected to the Pinellas Trail, which makes for easy bike access.
 

red-breasted merganser

I dropped by one Saturday evening after work, with only my binoculars, thinking of the relaxing walk and potential owl sighting.  Of course, because I didn't have my camera, the first bird I saw was brand new to me.  Without a picture, I had to rely on my memory, and hope I'd recognize this duck when I got home and looked in the Stokes Guide to Eastern Birds, which I also didn't have with me.  Soon after seeing new duck number 1, new duck number 2 paddled by.  There were also several mallards in the spa/pond area, as well as gulls, 2 Little Blue Egrets, and a Tricolored Heron.  If you follow the sidewalk around the pond, you'll cross a bridge over Boggy Bayou, which is another opportunity to see birds - Great Egrets, White Ibis, and a Great Blue Heron this time. The sidewalk turns off to piers, which offer great views, but, if you continue towards the observation tower, you'll find the tree where the Great Horned Owl lives.  She's well camoflagued, but she's worth the effort.

great horned owl

After watching the owl, ear tufts gently blown by the breeze, giant yellow staring eyes, I turned back and headed towards the bridge.  On one side, there were two Snowy Egrets standing on driftwood, then, nearby, another bird unfamiliar to me. I was excited, hoping it was a Clapper Rail, since I've seen them in pictures, but never in person. I'd also recently read about Clapper Rail sightings in the area, so I stored that guy in my memory bank, along with the two new ducks.  SPOILER ALERT for the picture below!

juvenile black-crowned night heron

As excited as I was to go home and look up the birds I'd seen, I wasn't going to miss a gorgeous Florida sunset, looking out from the pier, taking in the breeze and the birds flying off to roost. Is there anything better?

another beautiful florida sunset

And with help from my bird guide,  I was able to identify the ducks and bird I'd seen: Blue-winged Teals, Red-breasted Mergansers, and a juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron.  So no Clapper Rail this time, but they're around. I know I'll see one sometime, and that's all that matters.  When it comes to my time in nature, I'm happy with whatever's on offer, and what I see almost always exceeds my expectations.  As for Wall Springs, I learned my lesson: don't give up on parks, because you never know when a ho-hum experience will turn into a great one.

Sand Key Park

tern chick

      

"Cute! Cute! Cute!"  That's what I wrote in my journal the evening after visiting Black Skimmers, Royal Terns and their chicks at Sand Key Park in Clearwater.  Since I rarely go to the beach, I had no idea these guys were laying eggs, until I read about them on PinellasBirds.com. Their location wasn't revealed, but, after a little detective work, I figured out where to find them. I'd never been to Sand Key before (that I remembered), and hadn't been through Clearwater Beach in years. The Way I See It was on a new adventure, and crossing off yet another park on the Great Florida Birding Trail.

Sand Key Park is an oasis compared to Clearwater Beach, which is extremely touristy and built-up, a far cry from back in the day when I was a kid, and there wasn't much more than mom & pop hotels, miles of sand, and the Gulf of Mexico.

A barrier island, Sand Key is 95 beautiful acres, separated from Clearwater Beach by Clearwater Pass.  It was opened to the public in 1984, and visitors can enjoy both the beach and park, where there's a salt marsh.  I definitely recommend a trip to this park, but don't necessarily recommend going on a summer's afternoon, even early afternoon. It was hot!

Even the birds looked hot, at least the snowy egret we saw in the parking lot did.  At first, I thought it was a white plastic bag in the water, until I got closer, and could see it was a snowy submerged to its neck. Out on the beach, some of the Black Skimmers were crashed, bellies flat on the sand, looking dead, which scared me at first.  I image the cool sand felt good to them. 

Terns of varying sizes were everywhere, flying, catching fish, trying to steal each others' fish.  We watched them for a long time, before moving further down the beach, where we could see a large roped-off square, which was the Skimmers' nesting area.  



royal terns having a fish fight



I'd never seen either Tern or Skimmer chicks before, and I could watch them forever.  The tern chicks were in the fledged stage, not in the least bit fluffy, and looking like small adults.  Some of the Black Skimmer chicks,  though, were downy things, sand-speckled fluff camouflaged in the sand.  Quite a few were still hanging out with their parents, but one little Skimmer bravely ran across the sand with its wings spread.  It was too small to fly, but old enough to start practicing.  Just about the sweetest moment for me was an adult and two chicks lined up, all with their beaks open.  I don't know what they were talking about, but it made us laugh all the same.



skimmer shout out

I guess some Skimmers don't read very well, because there were a few who'd built their nests outside the roped-off area.  Beach-goers were respectful of the Skimmers' space, many stopping to look, and the skimmers were cautious, but not so scared they weren't acting normally.  It was a hub of activity inside the nesting area, with adults and chicks moving around, little chicks exploring, or burrowing under a parent.  I love nesting season, watching how parents and chicks interact, and imagining what they're saying when they call to each other, or what they're thinking as they move across their world. In this instance, I imagine they were talking about how hot it was, and what a good idea it would be to find some shade.  After a few hours of birdwatching, I felt the same, but look forward to another summer of babies!  And another trip to Sand Key Park, which, by the way, is a nesting area for sea turtles.  But that's another story.





black skimmer with chick