Animal Life So Far

Thanks to my new Audubon Guide to Florida I can now identify some of what I've been seeing in the last week. At Bahia Honda State Park - 3 spotted eagle rays, a 4/5 foot shark, not sure what kind, a loggerhead turtle. At the pier by Higgs Beach - a large school of trumpetfish (pencil thin, blue/green) swimming just inches from the surface. Also a smaller school of colorful sergeant majors. In the backyard which borders a canal tarpon roll near the surface nearly every afternoon. A 3/4 foot (including tail) iguana suns herself just about every day. The cutest animal siting, though, is the dog across the canal who closely watches the surface of the canal to spot fish breaking the surface. His head turns back and forth trying to catch the culprit at which he then barks. Of course, I'm watching the dog watch for fish and getting a kick out of it. By the way, geckos aren't as cute in real life as they are on tv. And they're everywhere. I love watching the brown pelicans when they're in action cruising low across open water looking to make a snatch. What I haven't seen in three trips down here are key deer. Today I'm going to the observation area for that reason.