Eagles and sharks and rocks...oh my

Casperson Beach, Venice Florida

Yesterday we spent mostly trying to recover from our trip to Captiva. (I think a doctor would call it withdrawals)

The morning was cloudy and a little cool, so Eric helped his dad trim trees. In the afternoon it cleared up and we went to a nearby park called Cedar Point, for a hike. Eagles nest here every year and they close off some of the trails. But we heard the distinctive eagle call and ventured part ways down a trail to see if we could get a peek. We saw what we think was either a female bald eagle or a golden eagle right above a huge nest. He/she was keeping an "eagle eye" ;) on us. Also saw hermit crabs, a gopher turtle and some egrets.

This morning we made our annual pilgrimage to the Venice Rookery in Venice, Florida. This is a small little island sanctuary where hundreds of birds nest every year....Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Anahingas, Comoronds, and various other birds I couldn't identify. Photographers flock here every year from all over the country to watch these birds in the annual breeding rituals and to raise their young. It's truly amazing to watch.

Lunch was at Sharky's at Venice Pier, one of my favorite places to eat. (www.sharkysonthepier.com) We stuffed ourselves which called for a long walk on the beach. We saw a spotted ray from the pier like one we saw in St. Martin. Casperson beach is nearby and is a unique beach with many rocks along the shore. The picture above was taken at this beach.

All in all...another beautiful day in Southwest Florida!!!