Wildlife near you :)

Maritimer

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Took a little boat ride last Saturday . . .

We are headed for a spot thirty miles out into the Atlantic Ocean, off Martha's Vinyard, Massachusetts, having left the port of Galilee, Rhode Island. The plan is to spend much of the day swimming in clear blue water. We'd been sailing into the rising sun for over an hour, when the Captain Charles Donilon slowed his 46' charter fishing boat, the Snappa. First Mate Katie invited four to come up to the bow.

We were about to have an unscheduled rendezvous . . .

This rollicking crew and the Captain played tag for over half an hour . . .

But they weren't the reason we'd come. We were looking for apex predators, graceful and magnificent creatures with a reputation that keeps some folks awake at night with dread, and others with anticipation . . .

We'd come to swim with sharks.

There were two that day - this fellow was the larger, and dubbed "Hook" for a souvenir of a past encounter with a fisherman. "Hook" was about seven feet long, a blue shark - fast when they want to be, blues roam the oceans of the world. This fellow will likely return to the waters off the Azores to meet with his lady - they'll mate and part, each traveling with a loose group of their own gender through most of the year.

Let's get closer . . .

"Hook" has an entourage - a trio of banded rudderfish. Until I met these three, I didn't realize that rudderfish (which are small jacks) could be so very _blue_.

Closer, you say? What - you want to pet a wild shark in the open sea?

Okay, then . . .

Yes, that soft hiss you heard was the shark's dermal denticles scraping against the housing of my handheld action-camera.

I don't have video of the shark that came closer than that one ... but there are scrape-marks on the frame of the mask I was wearing . . . smaller, five-foot shark slipped up from down around my fins, and brushed by so close that all I could see through the mask was his eye, regarding me with curiosity.

_Nobody_ got photo or video of the biggest creatures we encountered - they surfaced about 20 minutes apart with a "Whoosh" - about fifteen feet from the boat; black, polished, like obsidian with a sickle-fin - and they were gone, almost before we could react. Minke whales.

~Bruce
 

dbl

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That is so awesome Bruce @Maritimer. You're much braver than me....I would have been the one in the cage!!!
 

Maritimer

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Thanks, David!

Having spent a small lifetime working as an educator (lite) in a Public Aquarium helps develop an understanding of their behavior - being in a boat with a dozen passionate divers _may_ have had an influence on mine.

~Bruce
 

Salty.Reefer

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Thread RESURGANCE! This thread is way too great to just let die. I know it is winter so a lot of animal activity has decreased but lets get this thread going again.
I have significantly less photos now that I don't have the same job as before. Went from a restoration technician to environmental planner so from the field to the office. Ill try to get some pictures soon.
 

dbl

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Alright, I'll get the resurgence going with a taste of the Everglades. These were taken about 25 to 30 miles from my front door.

DSC_0028640x428_zps0f6beda1.jpg
DSC_0046640x428_zps6cca9398.jpg
DSC_0051640x470_zps4325f3db.jpg
DSC_0020640x584_zpsa23e134e.jpg
DSC_0026640x428_zps4240d098.jpg
 
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Hogan

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This little fawn was in my driveway.
IMG_0131.JPG

IMG_0132.JPG
These dragonflies are everywhere in the summer.
IMG_3149.JPG
Cutthroat Trout (yes, my wife's fish is bigger than mine...)
IMG_1191.JPG

IMG_0139.JPG

Honeybee
Sunflower with Bee.jpg

Mallard Duck
Duck.jpg

Canadian Goose on her nest (she's mean when she's awake)
IMG_3606.JPG

Desert Spiney Lizard (this guy was on the side of the house and was cold so extremely docile. He'd also lost his tail but not by me! His tail was on the ground.)
IMG_5480.JPG

Yellow scorpion
Every been hunting for scorpions with a black light? In southern utah, there are little yellow ones that are florescent in the light.
IMG_5483.JPG
 

Salty.Reefer

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Alright, I'll get the resurgence going with a taste of the Everglades. These were taken about 25 to 30 miles from my front door.

DSC_0028640x428_zps0f6beda1.jpg
DSC_0046640x428_zps6cca9398.jpg
DSC_0051640x470_zps4325f3db.jpg
DSC_0020640x584_zpsa23e134e.jpg
DSC_0026640x428_zps4240d098.jpg

This little fawn was in my driveway.
IMG_0131.JPG

IMG_0132.JPG
These dragonflies are everywhere in the summer.
IMG_3149.JPG
Cutthroat Trout (yes, my wife's fish is bigger than mine...)
IMG_1191.JPG

IMG_0139.JPG

Honeybee
Sunflower with Bee.jpg

Mallard Duck
Duck.jpg

Canadian Goose on her nest (she's mean when she's awake)
IMG_3606.JPG

Desert Spiney Lizard (this guy was on the side of the house and was cold so extremely docile. He'd also lost his tail but not by me! His tail was on the ground.)
IMG_5480.JPG

Yellow scorpion
Every been hunting for scorpions with a black light? In southern utah, there are little yellow ones that are florescent in the light.
IMG_5483.JPG
Wow great posts guys. The everglades are so rich in biodiversity.

Spiney lizards are one of my favorites.
 

Katrina71

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@dbl if you have any early morning swamp photos please share. I really miss that.
 

Oleshp

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I see very similar critters when I go fishing on Assateague Island. Somehow whenever one is there, it hitch hikes back home
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Salty.Reefer

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I see very similar critters when I go fishing on Assateague Island. Somehow whenever one is there, it hitch hikes back home
21ea0f7ffe485ef2f02dd58c57c31a93.jpg
95507829f739948b2b547c734fb562f5.jpg
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I love Assateague! Such a cool spot. Lost time I was there we were on the road out and an elderly guys got a flat. I pulled over to help and as we were changing the tire a group of 5 or so horse came over to help too! Didn’t get too close but still awesome that they were interested in us.
 

Oleshp

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We had a horse steal a cheeseburger from us once. Lol. That was good of you for stopping. I thoroughly believe in "beach buggy karma". I drive my escalade on the beach there (all the way to the VA border sometimes) and I have pulled or helped dig out a bunch of people who got stuck in the sand, in hopes that someone would do the same for me.
 

Salty.Reefer

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We had a horse steal a cheeseburger from us once. Lol. That was good of you for stopping. I thoroughly believe in "beach buggy karma". I drive my escalade on the beach there (all the way to the VA border sometimes) and I have pulled or helped dig out a bunch of people who got stuck in the sand, in hopes that someone would do the same for me.
Totally agree. I too believe in Beach buggy karma. Haha just used to call it karma but I like it
 

Oleshp

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Salty, how often do you make it there? Ever fish while you're there? We pull some pretty big sharks onto that beach in the summertime.
 

Salty.Reefer

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Salty, how often do you make it there? Ever fish while you're there? We pull some pretty big sharks onto that beach in the summertime.
I have only been like 5 times over the last 4 years. My Gf has house on the Easter Shore of Va and a house in Nags head NC. Never fished there. Mainly went for beach days, off-roading and surfing
 
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