Winter is over. We had about a month or so of temperatures in the high 60's during the day, and 50's at night, and we even saw temperatures sink to the upper 30's a couple of times, but now, upper 70's to low 80's are upon us. Flowers are blooming, butterflies are fluttering, leaves are opening and the birds are pairing up to raise their young.
We set out this morning to go exploring, and this time, we had no agenda whatsoever. So we thought we would head to upper Pinellas County to the Brooker Creek Wildlife Preserve, which we can see from the back of our home. We went to the education center, and roamed around the preserve to learn more about what western Florida looked like before it was developed, and saw numerous Song Birds, Hawks, Vultures, Herons, and even a Pilated Woodpecker.
As we left, we drove by numerous farms and horse ranches, so we decided to stop at one to take a look around, and found one that had a sign announcing a baby girl. We were met by the owners, who were happy to show us around, and they had numerous draft horses, and out in the field, they had a cute four-week old filly named Aurora. It was amazing to see such a small, cute and curious creature, and we had a great time petting her and her mother, both of whom seemed very happy together. We also got to play with several Jack Russell Terriers, playing catch and retrieve with a large purple rubber ball.
After talking awhile to the owner, we said goodbye and headed north to New Port Richey to look around, since we have never been there. Not much going on but the traffic, so we headed back down the coast to Tarpon Springs, then making our way to one of our favorite places, Honeymoon Island. When we got there we thought about going to the beach, but after I thought about it for a second, I said we should go on the trails to see what wildlife we can find.
Since spring is upon us, the animals are getting very active, and can be seen almost everywhere. As we walked down the 8-mile trail, we saw all kinds of woodland birds, an Armadillo, Snakes, and three of the most unbelievable sights. First, the Ospreys are everywhere. Huge nests are being built, and they are paired up all over. They are one of our favorite birds, for they are simply stunning to see in the wild. As we watched them, we then came upon our second surprise, a pair of Great Horned Owls. The female was in her nest, sitting on some eggs, and every once in a while just peeking her head over the rim of the nest to see where the male was, which was sitting high up in a White Pine tree, and they would hoot back and forth to each other. Simply amazing, and they were extremely difficult to spot since they blend in so well with their environment.
As we came close to the furthest point of the trail, the best surprise was waiting. Around the bend, there he sat, an American Bald Eagle. So majestic, powerful and dominating looking. He sat high in the tree tops, and looked around his territory. The Ospreys however didn't like his presence, and after a while several males bonded together and dove at him to scare him off. After several attempts, the Eagle decided it was time to go, and flew off into the sunset. Words can't describe observing what we saw, only that it was a fitting end to a perfect spring day.
(Click on the thumbnails for a larger photo)
