Pelican Watching

When we spent the day at Fred Howard Beach, near Tarpon Springs, Florida, last month, one of the treats was watching the pelicans as they flew over the water, searching for a meal and diving into the water to catch it.

Searching the waters

Beginning the dive

Peparing for entry

Splash

Resting a bit after resurfacing

Preparing for takeoff



A Day at the Beach

During our week in Florida last month, Doug and I went to the beach for an afternoon of reading and enjoying the sunshine, white sand, and ocean.

Fred Howard Beach near Tarpon Springs, Florida

I was a little envious of this colorful beach umbrella.

This seagull was stalking a couple who were lounging in their beach chairs and eating some tantalizing crackers. The bird was watching their every move while intently focused on the crackers.

An osprey was doing flybys.

This hammock looked mighty inviting in the late afternoon sunlight.

And this unusual boat made a pretty picture against the colorful western sky.

We stayed until the sun sank into the ocean.

Our Florida Accommodations

When we first considered spending a week at the Word of Life Conference Center in Hudson, Florida in January, it seemed as if the cost was going to be too high. The only room available at the conference center itself, for the particular week that we were interested in, was an Executive Suite for $119 a night, and it didn't include meals. Meals at the conference center would have run another $60 per day. Going to a restaurant for meals wasn't really practical since the conference center is located a good seven to ten miles from the nearest restaurants.

We could have gotten a lower nightly rate in a hotel in the town of Hudson, but that was about 10 miles away from the conference center. It would have meant taking all our meals in restaurants, plus a 20-mile round trip twice a day for the morning and evening sessions at the conference center.

So we had pretty much decided to stay home until our friends, Dean and Marilyn, who spend the winter in the Word of Life RV Park down there, told us about an RV that could be rented for $250 for the whole week. An added bonus was that our friends' RV was located just one campsite away.

Our rented RV was in the same campsite that Dean and Marilyn had camped in last winter.

Looking from the front of the RV toward the back.

Standing between the kitchen and the bedroom, looking toward the front.

The bedroom

Sandhill Cranes were a common sight throughout the RV Park and the Word of Life grounds.

This little fellow was a frequent visitor to the tree at our campsite.

Turkey Vulture flying over the RV Park

I couldn't ever remember seeing a crescent moon in this position before. It intrigued me enough to try for a photograph of it.

With just a few well-placed stars, we'd have had a Smiley Face.

A Final Set of Photos from Busch Gardens

Here is one final set of photos from our visit to Busch Gardens on January 12.

Spotted Hyena (also known as the laughing hyena)

The spotted hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. The large size of these animals was a surprise to me. Since seeing them at Busch Gardens, I did some research and learned that adult male spotted hyenas in the Serengeti weigh 89 to 121 lb (40.5 to 55.0 kg). Exceptionally large weights of as much as 200 lb (90 kg) have been documented.

Following are a couple of pictures of the hyena up on its feet, just to show you a little of their conformation. To me, they look fearsome and homely.

Next, we came to the African lions.

The picture of this Lioness had to be shot through glass, thus the lack of clarity.

Lion

Again, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that the picture of the lion was captured from the video that Doug shot with the camcorder. The lion was in the process of lying down; and, by the time I got into position to take a photo, nothing was showing of his head but a little of his mane.

Meerkat

Cheetahs

Sunset as we were leaving Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens in Tampa is well worth a visit if you ever have the opportunity. And, if you do, I hope you'll invite me to view your photos.

Tigers and More, from Busch Gardens

No, I haven't exhausted my store of photos from Busch Gardens yet. But don't despair. Another post or two should suffice.

Bengal Tiger

Tigers are the largest members of the cat family. The average weight of male Bengal Tigers is 488 pounds (221.2 kg). The heaviest known tiger was a huge male killed in 1967 that weighed 857 lb (388.7 kg). This specimen is on exhibition in the Mammals Hall of the Smithsonian Institution.

This one was shut out of the main enclosure for some reason. He had just a small walkway with a closed door on one side and an opening under a waterfall on the other side. Here, you can see him looking at the waterfall.

The white tiger is a recessive mutant of the Bengal tiger and tends to be somewhat bigger. The white tiger in the photograph above was in its own enclosure. In the background you can see a small glassed viewing area where one or two people at a time could enter to get close-up views of this magnificent animal.

Doesn't this one look as if the tiger is proudly displaying a framed portrait of his little human?

The anteater has such an unusual color pattern. In the above photo, doesn't it look as if it has two heads?

The optical illusion isn't as apparent in this picture.

The above two images are of an African Crowned Crane.

More Animals at Busch Gardens

Here are pictures of some more of the interesting animals that we had the opportunity to view at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida on January 12.

Eland Antelopes

The Grevy's Zebra's stripes don't go all the way around its belly.

The stripes of the Burchell's Zebra, on the other hand, do extend around the belly.

Marabou Stork

Ostrich

Orangutan

The Orangutans weren't part of the Serengeti Railway tour. They were in a separate enclosure, and photos of them had to be taken though not-exactly-clean windows. There was another Orangutan up on a platform, provided for their climbing enjoyment. There were ropes running between the raised platforms, giving the animals opportunity to engage in the climbing and swinging activity that they would enjoy in the wild.

Orangutan moving from one raised platform to another

Apparently contemplating his next move

Busch Gardens...Serengeti Train Ride

It was a hot day when we were at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida on January 12th, so we spent a good part of the day riding on the Serengeti Railway, which took us through a section of the park where we could see many different kinds of African animals in natural habitats.

Serengeti Train

According to what I found on the internet, this prickly tree appears to be a Silk Floss Tree. Such a gentle-sounding name for such a formidable-looking tree.

This isn't a great shot, but I liked the way these Impalas were sort of silhouetted against the sky.

Two more female Impalas

It is said that, when startled, Impalas can jump distances of more than 33 feet (10 m) and 9 feet (3 m) into the air.

White Rhinoceros

Giraffes

Giraffe peeking through bushes (photo obtained from video)

As usual, Doug was shooting video while I was snapping still shots. I hadn't even seen the giraffe pictured above, but Doug had gotten video of it. When we watched the video later, I thought it was so cute that I took a snapshot off the video to show y'all.

The white rhinoceros photo also came from the video. From where I sat on the train, I couldn't get a clear shot of the animal. But Doug caught it clearly on video. So, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to give credit where credit is due for those two images.