Baby pelicans

As we approached the rookery I could hear an alien-like screeching which I quickly realized was baby pelicans being fed by their mother. The rookery was filled with newly hatched pelicans in little nests.
The baby pelicans blended perfectly with the silvery bark of the mangrove trees.

Nudibranch

A small nudibranch I found clinging to a piece of sea grass drifting along the Sanibel coast. After swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, we found several more clinging to sea grass and pieces of drifting weeds.

Snails

A cluster of snails under a rotting piece of driftwood on Lover's Key State Park.

3 Amigos

gulls, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

3 Seagulls on driftwood log off of St. James CIty

Raccoon

Raccoon in dead palm tree - Bowditch Point, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Spotted this dead, hallow Palm Tree in Bowditch Point on Fort Myers Beach. Knocked on the tree trunk once and up popped the head of this Raccoon.

Knocked on it again and he dove out and scurried up the path in a hurry.

Iguana

iguana at Bowditch Point, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

A juvenile Green Iguana, an invasive species, spotted in a Palm Tree just off the boardwalk in Bowditch Point in Fort Myers Beach.

Large Hermit Crab

large hermit crab in whelk shell - FMB, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

With big red claws, found inside a Lightning Whelk shell on the north end of Fort Myers Beach

Pair of Walking Sticks

Pair of walking sticks, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Two Striped Walking Stick 
Anisomorpha buprestoides

Found this pair of walking sticks outside my front door in South Fort Myers. The female is the larger of the two. If you look closely you can see the male blending in on her back.  


After researching the insects I discovered that these Walking Sticks can shoot a toxic substance at predators (and people with cameras). The secretion has been said to be very painful and cause swelling and irritation in the eye for several days.


"The pain in his left eye was immediately excruciating; being reported to be as severe as if it had been caused by molten lead." [ http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/walkingstick.htm ]

Muscovy ducks

Muscovy ducks, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschata

 

Found this Muscovy Duck family in the Steak & Shake parking lot on Rt. 41 in Fort Myers. Muscovy Ducks are considered an invasive species in the United States and are found all over Lee County. It is common to find them near fast food restaurants and in roadside ponds and lakes.

White Pelicans in lake

White pelicans in lake, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

 

Photographed in a lake in South Fort Myers. We normally see these only at the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island but this past winter (2010) 4 or 5 White Pelicans flew into our community lake to feed. A group of diving birds arrived around 9 a.m. every day for several days and with them came White Pelicans, Wood Storks, Herons, Egrets and other water birds. The pelicans were only here for about a week and haven't returned since.

Pleco

pleco, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Pleco
Hypostomus plecostomus

 

Originally from South America, this Pleco was caught in a lake in South Fort Myers. I hooked the fish in the belly. The body of the fish is covered with armored plates and the head area feels like shark skin. The belly is soft without armor.

Piglets sleeping

Piglets sleeping, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Cute baby piglets sleeping in their enclosure at the Calusa Nature Center in Fort Myers.

Proud parents: Ham & Bacon

Largemouth Bass

Bass, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides

A nice bass caught in a lake in Fort Myers, about 4lbs.

Pigfish - bitten in half

bit in half, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Pigfish
Orthopristis chrysoptera

A pig fish is a member of the Grunt family. This one came up bitten in half by a small shark.
Gulf of Mexico

Lane Snapper

lane snapper, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Lane Snapper
Lutjanus synagris

Baby Lane Snapper caught at off the docks on San Carlos Island.

Snapping Turtle

turtle, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Snapping Turtle 

Chelydra serpentina osceola

Found this turtle crossing the sidewalk in South Fort Myers.

Black Grouper

black grouper, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Black Grouper

Mycteroperca bonaci

A small black grouper caught near Punta Rassa.

Nickerbeans

nickerbeans - bowditch point, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Nickerbean
Caesalpinia bonduc

Seeds of a tropical shrub that grows in South Florida. This specimen was photographed at Bowditch Point in Fort Myers Beach.

Brown Pelican

wet brown pelican, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis

A Brown Pelican drying off on the docks in San Carlos Island.