January 30, 2019
I wasn’t going to post today. I wasn’t even going to take pictures. Mel and I had been out taking pictures both yesterday and the day before (my preferred outing), and it was Mel’s turn to choose the day’s activity— he wanted to go to the Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure to look for fishing stuff, so that’s where we went.
Bill Jackson’s is a mega store for every conceivable piece of sporting equipment you can imagine—including ski equipment– for snow, not water (an odd item, I thought, given that you couldn’t find snow in Florida unless it came in on a refrigerated truck!). There was even an artificial ski slope and a swimming pool inside the store!
Male Mallard (although this one doesn’t look exactly like the ones I’m familiar with in Michigan) 
Female Mallard 
This one looks kind of like a mallard,
but it’s the wrong color!
On my very brief run through the store, I found my escape route! (I’m not really much of a shopper, so when Mel goes shopping, I usually look for something else to do.) I could see a small lake out behind the store with a paved trail all the way around the perimeter. Knowing that Mel could easily spend all day in a store like this, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door!
Anhinga drying her wings 
Female Anhinga
Along the water’s edge, or in the pond itself, there were cormorants, anhingas, egrets, great blue herons, tricolored herons, gallinules, mallards, and a very well-camouflaged green heron. Overhead in the trees I managed to spot a black and white warbler as well as several palm warblers. On the nearby power line, there was a mockingbird, and in the sky above me were several terns scanning the waters for fish. What a busy place this was!
Great Blue Heron 
Green Heron 
Cormorant
Palm Warbler 
Northern Mockingbird 
Black and White Warbler
At the end of the day, we had both managed to find what we wanted—fishing stuff for him, pictures for me!
More great photos, Jeanne! Such a nice photographic respite from the deep cold temps in Michigan!
Thanks, Jane!! It’s like living in color instead of black and white–and much warmer!!
Phew, glad he got his goodies and wasn’t tempted to buy the skis! You would certainly have plenty of use for them back home!
We certainly can’t buy much while we’re down here–our tiny car was already packed to the gills!