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Bottoms Home, Otter Lake, and HomePosted on Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 6:55 PM - Post CommentAs I was driving home after spending the morning volunteering at the Florida Wild Mammal Association, (please visit: http://www.blognow.com.au/FWMA/), I had an overwhelming urge to drive down Bottoms Road. Even though the road is only about a mile from home, life has become busy and complicated and there aren't enough hours in the day. I just don't make it out there as often as I'd like, but today, the pull was too great to ignore! ~
~ It's such a beautiful, serene area, and the birds are plentiful! The first thing I came upon was a Great Egret - sitting out in the middle of one of the ponds - grooming! ~ A little further down the road, a beautiful Willet in the weeds. ~ A young Great Blue Heron. ~ And a Red-Winged Blackbird sitting and singing! ~ The next thing I came upon was a gorgeous little Tri-Colored Heron. He put on quite a show for me. He was using his wing to shadow the water so he could see the fish better. I sat and watched him for a long time as he gave me both front and back shots! Simply a beautiful little Heron! ~ I knew it couldn't get any better than that, so I made the turn-around to head home. As it happens so many times, I was wrong. It did get better. ~ I spotted a little Green Heron sitting quietly in a tree right along side the road. I shut off the car and slowly got out - hoping to be able to get close enough for a decent shot. Boy...did I luck out! He stayed put and let me shoot to my heart's content...each time getting a little closer! ~ He finally flew away and as I was getting back in the car, something else caught my eye. It was another little Tri-Colored Heron and he was hunting the same way the other one had been - I only managed one shot before he disappeared into the weeds. ~ It was time to go home...I had things waiting on me, so I got back in the car and headed out, but as I did, I spotted a drop-dead gorgeous Gray Kingbird high up in a tree. Too far for a decent shot, but I had to take it anyway...this is a beautiful little bird! ~ And then I spotted another Great Egret. ~ I turned back to see if the Gray Kingbird was still there...and bless his heart, he came down for a closer shot! What a cutie!! ~ It was definitely time to go home! But as I turned on my road, I watched as I drove right by my own house and headed for Otter Lake. Otter Lake is about as far from my home as Bottoms Road is...except in the opposite direction! Don't know what possessed me to go out there, but as I was driving along, I spotted something moving along side the road. I got closer to see it was a BLACK squirrel! A HUGE, black squirrel. I reached for my camera, but silly me, as I had left Bottoms Road, I had put it in the case and latched it!! I couldn't get to if fast enough and the huge squirrel was long gone by the time I got it out. This will be my next obsession - trying to get a picture of that beautiful animal!! ~ Not alot happening at Otter Lake. The Osprey were calling from all directions. Most of the nests look empty, so I am assuming the babies have fledged. I managed a shot of one BIG Osprey sitting high in the tree and a small one sitting on a lower branch....I think it's a younster! ~ I heard Moorhens calling and some Cormorants flew by, but not much else. I did see these unusual looking flowers growing in the water and then started to notice other things...one thing lead to another which lead to more pictures! ~ It was finally time to really head home! But things just never seem to go the way I plan and as I passed the empty lot next to my house, I spotted what I thought was a Red-Headed Woodpecker. I've seen Downy's and Red-Bellied and even Pileated around here, but never a Red-Headed, so I pulled in my driveway, grabbed the camera, got out of the car and trudged through the small stretch of woods in hunt of a pecker! ~ What a thrill when I discovered not one, but TWO!! Couldn't get them both in one shot, but there were most definitely two! ~ As I was watching these birds, I noticed something move in the pond, so I walked that direction! One thing lead to another....and I ended up walking (trespassing) all around the pond! (Which lead to more pictures!) ~ My house is back behind those trees. It was time to hike home! I got in the door just as the phone was ringing - my husband telling me he was on his way home. I had turned onto Bottoms Road at about 1:10pm....it was 5:35pm.....and he was going to get frozen pizza - again!!! What a day! ~
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