Author: Gary Walker
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Polo in Lakewood Ranch
Every Sunday from the middle of December to the end of April there are polo matches at the Sarasota Polo Club in Lakewood Ranch. The club was founded in 1991 and is affiliated with the U.S. Polo Association. It was originally a huge 28,000-acre timber ranch. The playing field is well-groomed Bermuda grass which seemed…
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IndyCar in St. Petersburg
The NTT IndyCar series kicked off their 2022 season this weekend in St. Petersburg. My friend Art Nadelman joined me for a day at the track on Friday. The weather was amazing, and the cars were FAST! Scott McLaughlin was the winner on Sunday. It was the first IndyCar victory of his career. A few…
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Gallery Updates
We’re making some updates to the photo galleries. The old method used to upload photos seems to have gone a little crazy, so we have to reconfigure a few things. The good news is we have a new and better solution, and the galleries will be reappearing over the next day. We’ve received several requests…
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The Notorious Deep Hole
Florida is known for alligators. Many people think of the Everglades as the foremost destination for seeing alligators. But if you live in or are visiting the southwest part of the state, there is no need to travel any further than Sarasota County to see lots of large gators. One amazing place is in a…
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Polk County Florida Gem
Circle B Bar Reserve is a Polk County park located just a few miles southeast of Lakeland, FL on Lake Hancock. There are numerous trails that traverse the park through a variety of habitats from hardwood forests to swamp. Be prepared for tired feet because many of the journeys are long. The park is also…
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Rare Bird Sighting
Every year we see or hear about a variety of rare birds in Florida. It almost always happens during migrations. This year has brought us a Calliope Hummingbird which is native to the far western United States. According to Audubon, it is the smallest bird in North America. The bird we saw was either female…
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Lake Morton Waterfowl
Lakeland, FL is aptly named with over 30 lakes within the city limits. The best lake for photography always seems to be Lake Morton. It’s famous for its population of swans. But the main reason we like Lake Morton is for the wood ducks and several migrating ducks that visit every year. It’s a nice…
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Photography Heaven in Venice Florida
In the middle of the city of Venice, FL is a very small pond with a little island on one end. Each year the island becomes home to dozens of herons, egrets and cormorants that build their nests and raise their young. It is a photographer and birder magnet because the island and its birds…
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Myakka River Wildlife Destination
Myakka River State Park is a wildlife and nature gem. Located in eastern Sarasota County, it is one of the largest parks in Florida with over 37,000 acres. The Myakka River flows through the park and creates a variety of lakes, ponds, and flooded marshlands. Because of the diverse terrain, the park is home to…
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Go Green
One of the most striking birds that we see around here is the nanday parakeet. Their colors are absolutely amazing. On the neon green bodies is an entire palette of blue and purple accents. They also look like they’re wearing orange and yellow socks. Unfortunately, despite their beauty, nandays are annoying because of their constant…
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Wintering Waterfowl
It started off being a rather quiet year for waterfowl. No matter where we went in December and early January, the numbers seemed down from years past. But the last couple of weeks have changed everything. Not only have the number of ducks improved, but we found a couple of species that we hadn’t seen…
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Baby Owls
Many owls now have little owlets. We visited a nest in west Bradenton recently and there were two new little great horned owls. There are a few other spots that we will check over the next few weeks. It’s always fun to see the little owls because they’re cute and curious. For a larger selection…