Thursday, February 19, 2009

Living on the fringe of a wildlife sanctuary ...


... can have its rewards, if you're as much a nature lover as I am. Where we live in Florida, we're separated from the beach only by a mangrove swamp that's part of a 500-acre privately-maintained wildlife refuge. This beautiful area is called home by egrets, osprey, ibis, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, blue herons, eagles, alligators, turtles, otters, raccoons, owls, snakes, some very exotic spiders and more.

From time to time, I'll bring you some interesting shots taken during my ritual morning walks through the mangrove swamp (via a boardwalk, where I'm safe from the gators!) and along the beach. Here's the first ... a brand new nest-in-progress being built by a mated pair of osprey. This nest, amazingly, is being constructed within 20 feet of the boardwalk at the top of a gnarled old mangrove tree.

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