Random stuff at the zoo

Grasshoppers are popping up everywhere.

Dragonfly at the zoo.

Baby penguin trying to get out his playpen.

The new baby penguin is so cute. The keeper kept the baby close to her. It's still a little young to be out running around with the grown ups but soon it will be out officially on exhibit.

One of the resident manatees. You can see the boat marks across it's back.

Lots of flowers everywhere now.

Skywatch Friday - Fort Desoto beach

Beautiful sea oats at Fort Desoto beach. This was taken 2 weekends ago. I think it might have been the last time I saw blue sky and the sun. It's been raining almost every day since.



For more skyscape photography from around the world, visit http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

Another trip to my favorite place, Fort Desoto. It was very hot and there were hardly any shorebirds around. I only had my small point and shoot in the beach bag so I didn't take a lot of pictures. Hubby and I were sitting in our beach chairs and a ranger pulls up in a truck near us and starts to rope off the above turtle nest site. I was tempted to run over and ask him how he knew there was a turtle nest there. It was in the middle of a row of sand dunes. I guess early that morning someone noticed a turtle track leading there and notified them. I stopped and took a picture as we were leaving. The little grasshopper was sitting close by.

Bug convention

It was sunny this morning so I made a trip to the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. Not many birds there today. I think they all flew north for the summer. Lots of cool insects though. There's a butterfly garden hidden away there that was full of butterflies. I saw a hummingbird there with the butterflies but was not able to get a picture. There were dragonflies, tadpoles, turtles and grasshoppers everywhere. I only saw one alligator, the rest must have been underwater.

I also ran into this woodpecker sitting high on a utlity pole. He was on the mulch path that runs around the retention ponds. Those utility poles are full of holes. He looks like he is left over from the 70's punk phase.