Wild Life!

Florida has a lot of wildlife.  Evidently, much of it is living within binocular and camera view of my cabin.  There are Sea Grass hummocks and palms, tall Norfolk Pine.

Sea Gulls as yet unidentified but at least 2 species and lumbering Brown Pelicans diving for fish.  There is a Ploverish type bird and some small Sandpipers and Terns.  I've seen the requisite Lizards.

Last night I found out there is an Osprey nest right behind our cabin so this morning I got up with my binocs & camera and went to take a peak.  What ensued was exciting, well to me.  Found nest with at least one very large Osprey in attendance.  Much Osprey noise was coming out of it every once and a while they make a chee-eeeh call which means, "COME FEED ME MOM!!" usually.  So, a large bird flew up, dropped a fish in the nest and sat there for a while then flew off.  More, chee-eehing started ...Then some Ravens flew in started their gravely cawing which evidently totally freaked the bird in the nest out as it launched itself off the nest,into the air and flew away!  Big bird, 5 ft ish wingspan, spectacularly marked, brown eye bar..VERY cool.  So, I am left pondering 2 adult birds with eggs or juvenile still needing attendance from mom?

As soon as the birds left the nest, the Ravens, first one, then four more flew up and ringed the neck sitting on the edge of this giant sphagnum moss nest.  The one bird, which you will see on the left in this photo sang what sounded like a Raven dirge, 2 notes over and over again, for about 10 minutes.  I watched to see if they jumped down to eat unattended eggs...they did not.  The bird on the right was obviously the look out bird as it was the first one in and the first one to leave.  After, 10 minutes, the lead bird lifted off and flew away with the others leaving 1 at a time after.  This got curiouser and curiouser.  I went inside.  Since then the Ravens and the Osprey have talked back and forth, the Osprey is back in the nest calling again with Ravens sitting around it.  Weird.  Anyone have ideas about what is going on?

Also, today we were witness to a 4 to 6 pod of Dolphins fishing out in front and yesterday while walking I found those little clam like shells the seagulls eat and a baby anemone or barnacle or something adhering to a rock.  The rocks below are home are full of shells and crazy fossil things..very cool.

My new obsession is shark's teeth...I've found brown and black ones, I found ray teeth and some sea glass.  The wild life is all around you if you just look for it and are observant...it is so awesome to participate in nature.  So what have I left out? Hmmmm, maybe the absolutely fantastic sunsets. Signing off from sunny Florida.