So long since my last post - partly due to a brilliant holiday in Naples Florida. Not too much in the way of photography, but a lot of sun and fishing! That said the 5DIII did come with me and continues to meet my expectations.
A change of venue this year to the Park Shore Resort. In the centre a small lake - the fence meant you couldn't get down to water level and at most I spent about an hour with the camera but there was a bit to see.
Moorhens squabbled with the Muscovy ducks,
various dragonflies used the reeds to rest or watch for territorial invaders
and freshwater turtles cruised around - Florida soft shelled
and the non-native red-eared slider.
I could have spent more time searching the trees and shrubs for birds, but I always feel a bit conspicuous wandering around hotel grounds with a camera!
For the first time we also went to the Naples preserve - a small oasis of 'wild' land lying next to the Tamiami Trail. We went to see a talk about a blind raccoon - Trouper - a victim of an assault with a golf club when a kit which left it blind with no sense of smell. He feels his way around, and has learnt to swim. He's been raised by 'Miss Dot' a licensed rehabilitationist (made up word?) who takes him into schools to teach about wildlife. Kay and Miss Dot .............. and yes that's a rare view of me at the end!
A wander around afterwards led me to pay an early morning visit hoping to snap a gopher tortoise.
The woodpeckers looked good in the low sun,
and more dragonflies patrolled,
but I waited in vain at the most obvious burrow for the resident to give the view I wanted (head on). I did get some views but better were to come later in the holiday.
Americans mostly call tortoises turtles, and I think this last (rubbish) shot is a 'box turtle'.
