Sandy at the Beach

We don't get "snow" days here in Florida, but every now and then we do get a "hurricane" day and school is cancelled. We had one of these on Friday as Hurricane Sandy passed by. While I certainly should have been spending this day in a productive manner, getting caught up, I went to the beach instead. I was happy with my choice.

I am a sucker for storms. I really do enjoy the excitement of stormy days like no others. To me, the beach is optimal place to be, to feel the power of mother nature.

The birds were still out. This Turnstone stood among the stinging sand blasts.

This Willet was standing his ground.

Three of these flew by, but I'm not sure what they were. I hope those who see this storm next stay safe!

Click, Click Clicking at the Ponds

We stumbled upon a sweet family of fourteen nestled along the shore of the Click Ponds last week. I took a few photos from my car window as we did not want to disturb them. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are late breeders in Florida, but this seems really late.

I love the stripes on these ducklings. It's amazing how different they look from the adults.

Seeing these tiny little ducklings go bottoms up was too funny.

The birds at the ponds are pretty sparse these days. A Little Blue Heron, numerous Greenies, and a handful of Pied-billed Grebes...

And this Killdeer that was standing in path, and did not want to move.

I walked along the heavily vegetated exterior to see what creepy crawlers were lurking.

There were several of these Gulf Fritillary caterpillars munching away.

Not exactly a fuzzy caterpillar...

I also saw this Gulf Fritillary that was still drying its wings.

There are so many different species of dragonflies buzzing around the ponds right now.

Non-feathered Yard Dwellers

 Ever wonder what makes a dragonfly fly smile? Well, I really hadn't either until taking some photos of this delighted dasher.

Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis

What a face!

These fine friends are welcome in my yard as they help control those pesky, unwanted mosquito.

The dragonflies are rivaled in numbers only by the lizards.

Brown Anole

Brown Anoles, which are an invasive species, are an extremely populous species of lizard found in this area. This fellow was enjoying some type of long legged insect.