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June 2023

Third day in a row playing with manatees! I just park my kayak on the dam and they come to me. One sucked my hand right into his mouth! They have teeth like sting rays, just two hard plates, but a very soft pink tongue!
Nature John and I played with them for a while then decided to go over the dam and over the water goat and go up the creek. I had been only one other time and was stopped by a fallen tree, same this time but a fallen tree further north.
Nature John sent two videos of me and a manatee, and one he called Kayak Cleaner!

Manatee nose in the cool water coming over the dam.
Manatee snout while he uis nibbling on my kayak. It is amazing, they are longer than my kayak and weigh a ton, but they are very, very gentle.
Manatee coming up to see me.
In this photo you can even see his eyes!
His nose and pink tongue.
This one has a gash on his back.
This one has four scars from a propeller going fast.
Osprey on the top of a mast.
Little Greeh Heron preening on a boat lift.
Snowy Egret on the water goat.
Great White Egret
NJ slapped his paddle on his kayak to scare me, but all it did was scare the birds and the manatees. This photo is the Egret looking down to where we were as he was longingly trying to get back to the water.
Nature John petting a manatee.
Two juvenile Ibis between two adults.
Osprey

Thursday, June 29, 2023
Yesterday there were two manatees at the dam, this morning there were three! Again I rested my kayak on the dam and a manatee would come up to me! Nature John came up later and we both enjoyed the manatees for a while. Then NJ allowed me to use his guest bathroom, saved the day there!

TWO manatee noses on the dam.
Manatee head with whiskers!
Nose of a manatee letting the cool water from the forest go over him, the water north was much cooler than the ocean water.
Two noses!
Juvenile Little Blue
Snowy on the dam fishing.
Egret, Duck, and Snowy all on the goat.
Great Egret
Alan put out a corn cob for the birds!
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron.

Update:
Manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy, or molest manatees.
The manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states: “It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.”

Others say molesting the manatees is considered if you have 2 hands on one of them.

One hand is not considered molesting them or they would have left!

So I am sure we are fine, the manatees come to us, we did not feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy, or molest them.
There are places here in Florida where you can swim with them and touch them all you want!

June 28, 2023
A day that will go down in history for me. Nature John and I were paddling up Bear Creek when we saw dolphins. Then as we got up further, about 8 AM we came across two manatees. Nothing unusual about that but we followed them up to the dam. One put his snout right up on the dam and was drinking (I think) the cool fresh water coming over the dam. It was about 2 inches deep and was really cold. The second manatee was swimming right nearby. So, for the next hour and 15 minutes Nature John and I reveled in playing with the manatees. State law says you cannot harass manatees, but we did no such thing. The manatees would come up right beside us again and again (where is my GoPro) and “sniff” at our hand in the water. Then they would swim around and take a “bite” out of the side of the kayak. Then they would clean off any algae that was on the kayak. Around and around they circled us. Twice I had one manatee on either side of me and was able to touch both at the same time. For more than an hour they played with us. Many years ago I was able to touch a manatee, but this was another level of amazing. They really were curious, coming up behind Nature John’s kayak and plying with his lifting handle, several times. What an experience. Obviously they were too close to photograph when I was touching them, but I got a few with Nature John accepting an advance from one!

Allan's photo of a dolphin from his dock.
Allan's photo of a dolphin playing with his food before eating it!
Dorsal fin of dolphin zipping by.
Nature John paddling after a dolphin.
Manatee with head out of the water.
Manatee snout!
Manatee snout by my bow.
Manatee checking out JJ's lifting handle.
Quite young Little Blue.
Six ducks.
One of two Great Blue Herons I saw today
One of four Yellow Crown Night Herons.
One of five Anhingas hiding in the mahgroves.
Following is a series of photographs of a Brown Pelican. He took off, flew for a bit, thensubmerged completely. When he resurfaced he drained the water out of his pouch and lifted up his beak and swallowed the fish he had just caught.

Update Monday:
Out my back window is an Osprey eating his lunch.

Monday, June 26, 2023
Even more interaction with dolphins AND manatees!
A manatee lifted the stern of my kayak and turned me about 30° counterclockwise! He did not dump me, I think it may have been a mistake. It sounded like he had barnacles on his body that lifted my stern leaving little pin hole marks.
Also Jason and I watched two dolphin chasing fish, the larger dolphin caught a 12 inch fish!.

Dolphin dorsal fin near my kayak!
Smaller dolphin.
I saw dolphins, then saw manatees, then this is the second sighting of a dolphin!
Manatee snout
Kinda looks like an elephant!
Ibis
Brown Pelican
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Little Green
Small flock of parrots.
Great Blue Heron
Apollo
Blue Jay
Alan put out a new wood box, I do not know what it is, but a squirrel was messing with it!
Snowy
Crow
One of three rigs to build docks. A barge with a crane, spuds to hold it in place and other equipment.
Ever faithful Osprey.

Sunday, June 25, 2023
Dolphins, manatees! A great day! First came the dolphins, I do not know how many but I saw several break the surface to take a breath, they were so quick. I only got one small dorsal fin photo, even though I saw at least 6. One was coming straight at me and rocked my kayak! At the same time a lady on shore said that there were several manatees right there! I only saw one nose, too quick to get a photo.

Dorsal fin of one of the dolphins.
Dolphin coming straight for me, throwing up quite the wake, rocked my kayak!
Crow harassing the Osprey, I cannot see any reason, just mean. Then later i saw a Moxking Bird chasing a Crow.
Black Skimmer making his rounds, he skimmed all around the island and back and forth, he came within 20 feet of me, but was too fast to get a photo.
Cormorant flying by.
Little Green Heron
Female Mallard Duck
Like water off of a duck's back!
Snowy Egret
A bite for breakfast!
The female Anhinga is back where she had been for months in a mangrove tree.
Yellow Crowned Night Heron I just woke up.
He came out displaying!!
Osprey by my place.

Saturday. June 24, 2023
A beautiful day!! A few high clouds, moderate temperature, NICE! Today there is no wind and the bay is like glass.

Female Anhinga at dawn by my place.
She got s little excited as I approached.
She regained composure as I moved away.
Oysters squirting water into the air at the oyster bed.
One of two Osprey on top of masts!
Second Osprey on a different mast.
Juvenile Night Heron. Black Crowned or Yellow Crowned yet to be displayed. On one foot showing that he is comfortable, in fact when I went by later he was asleep in the same place!
Junior Yellow Crowned Night Heron.
Little Green on board a powerboat.
Little Green figured I was too close, raised its crown and flew across the creek.
Female Mallard Duck.
Great Egret standing on the dam fishing.
Female Cardinal flouncing her feathers. The male was behind abush.
Blue Jay.
Cormorant
Great Blue Heron on the smaller oyster bar.
Brown Pelican overhead!

Thursday, June 22, 2023
A short day today, I almost made it home before a small thunderstorm hit! The thunder and lightning hit at the same time! Then pouring rain filled my kayak, I got home soaked!!

Osprey by my house.
Another Osprey on the island.
Great Blue Heron soaking wet.
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Cormorant came up right in front of my kayak.

Monday, June 17, 2023 Juneteenth, a federal holiday.
It has been cloudy and rain the past few days, but today was clear and beautiful. 
Manatees today! Several cavorting around in front of Bob and Di’s place!

The head of one of the manatees.
Manatee tail
Two manatees.
Osprey keeping watch over me.
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Great Heron on the dam in front of the water goat.
Snowy on the dam.
(AI ) A beautiful bright red Cardinal perched on a wooden railing, fluffed his feathers and looked towards me. The remarkable bird was enjoying a peaceful moment in the yard, as he waited patiently to get the seeds from the bird feeder, which was hanging few feet away. As soon as he saw some action, he flew over, balancing himself with his sharp claws on the bird feeder, and started nibbling away at the seeds in the feeder. The Cardinal bird, with his distinctive red plumage and distinctive crest atop his head, appeared to be perfectly happy with his own company and the delicious seeds from the feeder. The natural scene was a wonder to behold, with the vibrant bird and his surroundings. It was a delightful moment of nature and beauty that filled the heart with peace and tranquility.
The Cardinal was then chased away by a Grackle.
Grackle.

Thursday (Thor’s day) June 15, 2023
(I have a necklace with Thor’s hammer on it!)
The tide was in (Nature John called it what it was, a King Tide). 
Another day for the GoPro. An Osprey landed right in front of me going after a fish. Too close to get a clear photo!! The two photos I did get off were way out of focus. He really surprised me landing so close!
Allan said that I missed the dolphin. All around a crazy day! The day started out solid clouds and windy, the clouds moved away and the wind picked up to 10 to 15 knots, a wave splashed right into my kayak – it made for hard to photograph anything it was so rough.

Osprey hit the water right in front of my bow!! A GoPro moment!
Osprey too close taking off.
Two Osprey close together! That is unusual!
Osprey on the right, all photos of the one on the left are blurry due to wave action on my kayak!
Ibis up in the mangroves, probably due to the choppy water..
Another GoPro moment, this Snowy landed almost above me then took off.
Juvenile Little Blue with his white feathers, his tail is showing his future colors though.
Snowy Egret
Great Egret

Monday June 12, 2023
Another nice day, I spotted one Skimmer, a Great Blue exposing himself, and lots of ducks.

In the quiet of the marina, a great blue heron perched on a powerboat with wings akimbo. Was it displaying looking for a mate? The bird's long, slender legs stretched out beneath its graceful body, balancing it delicately on the windshield. Its gray-blue feathers glinted in the sun, adding a touch of ethereal beauty to the tranquil surroundings. With a regal tilt of its head, and a slight squawking noise, the heron gazed out over the shimmering water, as if lost in thought. Perhaps it was pondering its next catch or simply enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. Whatever the case, its presence added a touch of wild wonder to the otherwise-manicured marina, a reminder of the natural world beyond the boats and docks.
Female Anhinga drying out.
Cormorant on a day marker.
Ibus in the mangroves on the north end of the island.
Odprey on a light pole in the marina eating his breakfast of fish.
It was a big fish, with the tail hanging over!
Two Little Green Herons on the bow rail of a boat in the marina.
The fab four are now flying!!
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret.
Another of the three Ospreys around.

Sunday, June 11, 2023
Sunshine with a few puffy clouds! 74° and nice. Slight breeze out of the south.
Two Black Skimmers came by! They are so fast it is hard to get a photo! Skimming along above the smooth water next to the marina!

Osprey behind my house.
You are forewarned a bird is about to fly when they dump any waste!
....and off he goes.
Flying high, looking for his next meal.
Cormorant preening.
A Crow harassing a Great Blue Heron. The Crows have taken over the island where the Great Blues and the Little Greens used to have their nests.
Four juvenile Mallard Ducks
Female Downy Woodpecker on a dead tree.
Male Downy Woodpecker at the entrance to what looks like a hole to a nest.
Little Green Heron

Saturday, June 10, 2023
Another fabulous day, full sun after a bit of clouds on the horizon. 

A young female Anhinga.
Baby Little Green with his baby feathers on his head sticking up!
Osprey way up on the sailboat mast watching for breakfast!
Dove up in a tree.
One of three Yellow Crowned Night Herons this morning.
Snowy Egret on a pipeline catching little fish.
Cardinal

Friday, June 9, 2023
Beautiful weather, a dolphin encounter this morning! As usual, I cannot get photos of things closer than ten feet. This morning I had been watching a dolphin up in front of me. when all of a sudden to my left about 3-4 feet away, a dolphin came up! He was facing me. He looked at me for a second, then splashed me and submerged under my kayak! WOW! I took 4 photos of him, none are recognizable as anything but a blur. I have thought many times of getting a go-pro for times like this. It would have made a great video! They are $400 and only take video for 85 minutes, I am out for 3 hours and I have no idea when nature will suprize me.

Dolphin surprised me - 3 feet away, where is my phone or Go-Pro?
Dolphin 500 feet away.
Dolphin 600 feet away.
Osprey 100 feet away.
Osprey 300 feet away up on a mast of a sailboat in the marina.
Third Osprey 100 feet away.
Little Green Heron
Female Anhinga

Thursday, June 8, 2023
For the first time in almost two years I did not get a photo because my battery had died. The battery in my Nikon D300 lasts a long time, I do not have to charge it up for about a month. This morning a Black Skimmer came around fishing – I missed the shot. I have put a spare, fully charged, battery in my waterproof container that I take every day, so, if it ever happens again I am prepared.
No dolphins or manatees, but a Yellow Crowned Night Heron catching a crab!

Little Green Heron
Juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Crab for breakfast!
Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Fab four
Snowy

Monday June 5, 2023
Two dolphins today, no photos of them though, they were too close! All nine plus mom ducks are doing well.

Osprey dragging his feet in the water to clean them!
Snowy checking out the bugs on the seawakk, breakfast!
Cormorand on a piling.
Osprey drying off.
Two juvenile Ibis.
Juvenile Little Blue.
Mom and nine still sticking together!
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Buckeye butterfly.

Sunday June 4, 2023
Another awesome day, three dolphins!

Friday, June 2, 2023

Another great day. Tuesday I volunteer at Gulfport, so no kayaking. Wednesday it was cloudy and in the afternoon we had a severe thunderstorm, dropping more than 5 inches of rain, my rain gage only goes to 5 inches, and it was overflowing! Thursday was a cloudy day. Today, sunshine, 70° and nice.

(AI ) The Snowy Egret is a beautiful bird that can be found along the seawall searching for food. With its bright white feathers. yellow feet, and contrasting black legs and beak, it stands out sharply against the grey concrete of the seawall. It is a skilled hunter, using its long, thin beak to catch small fish and crustaceans that live in the shallow waters and on the seawall. It is an agile bird, quickly darting its head into the water to snatch up its prey. Watching them hunt is a sight to behold, as they move gracefully through the water, at times their wings spread wide to maintain balance. The Snowy Egret is an essential part of the ecosystem, playing a crucial role in controlling the populations of small animals that they prey upon. It is always a joy to see these wading birds in action, as they work hard to survive in their natural habitat.
(AI ) The Snowy Egret is a small, white heron with a delicate appearance, often visible in wetlands and marshes. These birds are skilled at walking slowly and standing still, waiting for their prey to appear. Today, this Snowy Egret was seen walking along the dam in front of a "water goat," a device designed to remove debris and pollutants from water. As the egret strutted along, it suddenly caught sight of its next meal. With lightning-fast reflexes, it lowered its head and snatched a small fish from the water's surface. The egret's sharp beak and keen hunting instincts allowed it to find food even in an area altered by human activity. As the egret continued on its way, undisturbed by the water goat, it reminded us of the resilience and adaptability of nature in the face of human development.
Snowy fluffing its feathers.
Snowy on the wing up high!
(AI) The osprey is a magnificent bird of prey that is often found near bodies of water. It is a skilled hunter, using its sharp talons to catch fish from the water's surface. Once it has secured its meal, the osprey will often head to a nearby perch to eat and dry off. The bird's feathers are specially designed to repel water, but they can still become saturated after diving into the water. To dry off, the osprey will often spread its wings wide, exposing its feathers to the sun and wind. This helps to dry off the feathers and make them more manageable for flight. As the osprey dries its feathers, it provides a beautiful sight for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.
Osprey way up high on the wing.
Second sighting of an Osprey.
(AI ) Juvenile Little Blue, just like any other young bird, was still in the process of growing and developing. Only a few blue feathers had started to come in, indicating that he was still quite young. As he matured, he would continue to gain more blue feathers, and his deep blue color would become more prominent. Despite his young age, Little Blue was already learning how to fly and navigate his surroundings. He would pursue insects and other small creatures to feed himself, honing his hunting skills. He would also socialize with his peers, learning the customs and behavior of his species. Although he had much to learn and still had a long way to go, Juvenile Little Blue was full of potential and promise, eager to explore the world and discover everything it had to offer.
Juvenile Little Blue on top of warning sign.
On the shore fishing.
The fab four plus mom.
Mom plus nine.
Mom with one new duckling.
Great Blue Heron
Mockingbird
Brown Pelican on the wing.

5 replies on “June 2023”

John,
You and AI make quite the team! I’m curious to know how you connect AI with a specific photo like the snowy walking along the water barrier. So cool.
Love the photos!

The program I use to upload the photos has an icon that I click on that summons AI. I click on that icon, then type a short one line about the photo, and soon AI spits out the whole paragraph! I have to edit it of course, but it is quicker than looking up stuff and trying to write that flowery language!
Thanks for asking
John

John… It’s all up to you. Your pictures are amazing. But if you feel you could capture more, then go for it! I know that sometimes it bothers you to miss some things. If it would make you happier, then it would make us happier! We would benefit from such an investment! Thanks for everything! Kenny

Why is Gulfport so very special? Just view your photos! They are very impressive and remind me why everyone needs to be cognizant of nature’s needs.

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