Let Me Introduce You to Sam, the Tame Pelican

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Sam is a tame pelican, who has been tagged and lives around Gulf Shores Alabama.  These photos were taken on December 1, 2011 on the Gulf State Park fishing pier.

Below:    Snack time, thanks to a local fisherman.

Hmmmm, almost as if Sam were saying, "What do I do with THIS now??"

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Great Blue Heron, One Legged Stand, It's Cold Outside

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Man and I went to the fishing pier last week, it was a bit blustery and chilly, but the water and sky were crystal clear.  This guy (gal?) was honkered down behind the building, almost to the parking lot, my guess he  (she) was there trying to stay out of the wind.

When I moved just a little, trying to get a different angle to shoot from, I discovered he was standing on one leg, not unusual, but, still interesting to see.

* Wait till you see what other water foul we were introduced to while on the pier.
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The End of the Hike, F*I*R*E

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Summer of 2011 brought more danger and heartache to Alabama, and particularly to Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Due to the drought (they are still close to 20 inches below a normal year's rainfall) there was a fire.  I have seen figures that it burned between 900 and 1000 acres of the park.

This is what it looks like in one of the areas that burned.

Below, a closer look:

Man and I have been taking long walks here in the park, it is a park made for walking and biking.  While walking in this burnt area the other day, the trail suddenly stopped:

If you look at the left side of the photo you can see the charred remains of the foundation timbers of what was a bridge crossing this small canal of water.

For the "Good News" resulting from the fire of 2011, you may find this article interesting, I know, I did.




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December's Rose

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Sunset and The Pines, Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama

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* Due to the flooding of salt water from hurricane Ivan in 2004 almost all the stately tall pines died in the flooded area (acres and acres were flooded).  The pines are coming back now, but, it will be a few more years before the new growth matches these few remaining pines in the park in height.

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The Rose and The Palm

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*And a BK burger place in the background, sometimes buildings are such a bother!
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Reflections in the Water at Middle Lake, Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama

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* Middle Lake is a fresh water lake. During hurricane Ivan (2004) it was flooded with salt water, it had to be drained and refilled a number of times to leach the salt out.  It is stocked with fresh water fish for fishing, and several times the fish all died because there was still too much salt contaminating the lake.
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