Nature and Animals

Get ready for paws-itively adorable fun! The Barking Lot is excited to bring back our fan-favorite Pictures with the Easter Bunny event on March 28, 1 -2:30 p.m. at the dog park – and it’s sure to be a hopping good time! Bring your pups, kids, friends, and your best smiles! We’ll have beer, wine, […]

This is a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. It is a very small bird at only 4.5” long. Its long tail catches your eye with its white outer feathers and near constant motion. It also sports a white eye-ring. Gnatcatchers first get my attention by their “pshuit” sound. It’s about the same as if you were trying to […]

I was working in my garage, sorting through some of my fishing rod building equipment, when a neighbor of mine asked me, “How do you build a fishing rod?” With the weather over the last month being so cold and windy, many anglers have turned to spending time organizing their fishing tackle. I smiled at […]

March in SW Florida should be clear, dry, sunny and warm. Last year at this time, we were experiencing a drought situation, with only a trace of rain. Don’t expect much precipitation until May or June. You can now begin to add to your landscape, whether it’s through participation in your association, in your yard […]

The Burnt Store Marina Dog Park had a great holiday season with our dog pictures with Santa and participating in the party around the marina during the Boat Decorating contest night. We appreciate all the people who came out to support the dog park. Lori Luscher, one of our board members, managed our first annual […]

WHITE PELICANS IN FLIGHT BY RICK READ The American White Pelican is a large, white waterbird with a 9-foot wingspan. It has a white body with black flight feathers, a huge yellow bill, and throat pouch. They breed in colonies on inland lakes in western states and up into Canada. During breeding season, the tops […]

KELLY AND MARILYN WEBBER – WINNERS OF THE BIG MEG TOOTH With the cool weather we are experiencing, water temperatures dropping into the 60s, snook and redfish have moved to warmer water, but seatrout are holding in areas of sea grass and sand holes. Many anglers are reporting that the bite is more toward the […]

February continues our dry season, with little or no rain expected. Daytime temperatures are historically in the 70s into the 80s, with evening lows unpredictable and possibly flirting with frost. The first few months of the year tend to be a seesaw of temperatures. This causes plants to be stressed and vulnerable to frost and […]

The Burnt Store Marina Dog Park is celebrating their one-year anniversary this January. We sure have come a long way from a field of weeds to a beautiful park for our wonderful dogs, and their owners to meet and play. We continue to try to improve the park as we increase funds. We appreciate our […]

The Tricolored Heron is mostly blue, with a white belly and a brownish back. Sometimes the white extends up the underside of its throat. At 26” the Tricolored Heron is slightly longer than the more common Little Blue Heron. It has several hunting techniques that make it unique. It will fly over shallow water, dragging […]