Dolphins at Ding!

We were treated to dolphins on the left hand side of Wildlife Drive at Ding this morning. That means that the dolphins passed through the culvert from the bay side of the refuge. The volunteer at the entrance had told us to watch for them and said that the dolphins were feeding on the young tarpon. We found them and at the same spot there was a fish feeding frenzy with egrets, herons, and pelicans getting breakfast.

I love how the little fish is jumping out of the way of the dolphins.

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Then, we were treated to almost 2 minutes of the dolphins in some sort of frenzy, probably in the middle of a school of fish. You can see at least three dolphins in the photo below, if you click on the photo and enlarge it. They were kicking up a huge water show.

I didn’t get any video of the dolphins frenzy, but I did get some of the other birds.

The Great Blue Heron in one of my favorite birds. They can grow to over 4 ft. tall with a wing span of 6 1/2 ft. Check out my store where you can purchase one of my Great Blue Heron photos printed on metal. The link is at the top of the page.

Watching one of these large birds take off is awe inspiring.

Slow September Saturday

There still wasn’t a lot to see during our drive through Ding today. It all depends on your luck when you happen to drive down Wildlife Drive, though! We were there fairly early this morning and the tide was still going out. Thank you to the photographer standing near me who pointed out a female Belted Kingfisher. It had flown by us and landed in a tree quite a distance away. It was the first time I’ve had the chance to get a photo of a Kingfisher, even if the photo is a little grainy.

I love the markings on her wings that could be seen as she left the tree branch.

A Green Heron looking pretty in the morning sun.

A quick stop by the Bailey Tract only produced a photo of a cute little Killdeer and a lizard guarding an “Area Closed” sign.

And a quick update on the Eagle nest where I’ve seen the pair pretty much daily. Although, I haven’t seen them working on the nest, I have high hopes that they will. They appear to be guarding it, though.

They're baaaaaaack!!

The pair of eagles have returned to the nest! I was so excited to see them today. They seemed to be checking out the damage done by the wind and weather. We hope they will decide to remodel and have a successful nest this year! The photos are a bit fuzzy due to the nest being about 1/3 of a mile away.

Labor Day Iguana

Just a short blog today. First, we are grateful that Hurricane Dorian is turning away from Florida and hope that all of those on the Eastern Coast of the U.S. will be spared in the days ahead. Our thoughts go out to the people in the Bahamas who are in the path of Dorian.

I was able to get a few photos of the larger of the several Iguanas that hang out in our back yard these days. As I got closer to him, he scrambled up a tree, while keeping an eye on me.