Friday, September 22, 2023

I once caught a fish THISSS BIGGG!!!

 
The fish story will be at the end of the post but I'll assure you now, I only took the photo! I didn't actually catch the fish! But it's a whopper!


We drove out to the Gulf Coast last weekend and it was a gorgeous day.


It started with a few sprinkles of rain and that scared most people off and we had the trail all to ourselves!

The first bird we saw was a Roseate Spoonbill but I wasn't fast enough to get a photo. 


But then when we got closer to the Gulf, a Bald Eagle was on the shore and flew to a tree nearby.


It was an elegant mature Eagle and we stood there and took lots of photos while it preened.


That was one of the highlights of the day. 


And a great way to start the day!


We saw a few Osprey too and they are always fun to watch glide overhead.


This one perched nearby and we took the pics from the truck!


Looks like he's saying, 'are you looking at ME?'with attitude! 


I took these through the truck windshield. (it was clean from the shower earlier!)


And then when we finished our hike on the Withlacoochee Bay Trail we headed out on the 4 miles of dirt road. We stopped at one of the observation platforms and that's where we saw the 'catch of the day'.


I think it may be the catch of a lifetime! This young lady pulled in a 27 pound, 3 ft long Black Grouper! 

It was amazing! I was almost as excited as she was!



It was 'catch and release' so they put it back in the water to live another day! 


A fun day was had by all!


Don't stay home just because of a few sprinkles! You might miss the gorgeous clouds at the end of the day!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

39 comments:

Debbie said...

what a great day and such a fun post!! the bald eagle really steals the show for me, your images are AWESOME!! what a great experience!

"catch & release"...in my opinion, if you are able to catch that thing, how in the world could you release it?!

beautiful clouds...i see the face of a racoon!!

i posted pictures of the new office if you are interested!!

Irma said...

What beautiful photos of the bald eagle and the osprey.
The fish is really huge, I have never seen one like that before.
Greetings Irma

Sandy said...

Well y'all did have some great sightings on that day! I love ospreys. They fly around the bayou here and have that distinctive sound which my husband has his ringtone on his cell. I know you have magnifying lens but I am surprised you got such amazing photos of the eagle. It is just lovely in the little corner of the world.

Billy Blue Eyes said...

That is a big fish, the guy was haveing a job holding it up. You have some amazing birds there

MadSnapper said...

that cloud is amazing, i think i see a mama bear in it. fantasice catch. I love the day when it starts with a few sprinkles and then turns into the perfect washed clean and sparkling spaces to wander in. awesome birds shots too

Barbara said...

That Grouper!!! WOWOWOWWOWOW!

Annie said...

Beautiful birds!! Love these photos.

Marcia said...

That was quite a catch. Isn't grouper good to eat? too bad it was catch and release. That bald eagle knew you were there and posed well for you.
I'm back home after 17 days away in Spain. Lots to share soon.

roentare said...

That is a huge fish you caught. The eagle looks regal.

Teresa said...

Como siempre genial tu reportaje, un placer pasar por aquí. Abrazos.

happyone said...

Wow that WAS a big fish.
Beautiful photos of great captures.
A little rain can't keep us away!! :)

Terri D said...

That is a huge fish, indeed! Wow!! Great photos of the birds. The eagle is beautiful. I get goosebumps when I see one in the wild. Wow!!

Ann said...

There was lots of excitement all around. How wonderful to spot that eagle. That was some fish. I'm not much for fishing but it seems boring to me but to sit there all that time only to throw fish back seems even worse...lol
That cloud looks like it has a racoon peeking out of it.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Wow! You got to see some beautiful sights for sure! I've been watching for eagles, and haven't seen any lately. Ospreys either...so your photos make me happy and also hopeful that they are around and maybe I will see one. How wonderful that you got there in time to see that huge fish before they threw it back in the water! That was definitely the "catch of the day"!!! Wow!!!!! You had a great time, I can tell. Thank you for sharing it with us. I love the clouds too!!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
Love your pretty sky photos, the clouds are beautiful.
Awesome images of the Bald Eagle and the Osprey.
That is one huge fish, I would say that is a great catch.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

Lea said...

What a fun post! Loved every bit of it!
Have a great weekend!

Shiju Sugunan said...

It appears you had an amazing adventure with fantastic wildlife encounters and a massive fish tale! I particularly enjoyed the photos of the Osprey and Bald Eagle.

Wally Jones said...

Another wonderful trip!

Eagles and Ospreys are no doubt a bit jealous of the grouper fisherman. I would be. As soon as I saw that photo, I checked the pantry for oil, grits and corn meal. There will be fish dinner soon!

This morning was decidedly pleasant to be outside!

Kathy said...

I love this post. The bird pictures are fantastic! And that fish! Wow, I've never seen anyone catch one that large.

Breathtaking said...

Hello Diane :=)
Another great outing. Fantastic shots of all the eagles, and clouds. Like Sandra I also see a bear in the clouds. The fish is enormous. It must have taken ages to reel in. I'm glad it was released.
Best wishes and a happy fist day of Autumn.
Sonjia.

RedPat said...

That was quite a fish. It is good it got to go back into the water.
The eagle shots are great.
Have a good week.

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

That is one huge grouper! Actually, I do not know a lot about groupers, but it sure looks big to me. Awesome pictures of the eagle and osprey. Such amazing birds.

Penelope Notes said...

The sprinkles are one of the best parts about being outdoors imo ... as is the gift to live another day. :)

Bill said...

Wow, great capture of the Bald Eagle and that fish is quite impressive. Have a great new week.

BeachGypsy said...

ALWAYS special to see an eagle!! Love the osprey pictures too. Oh wow that IS A BIG FISH!!! Like Debbie above I saw a raccoon!

BeachGypsy said...

ALWAYS special to see an eagle!! Love the osprey pictures too. Oh wow that IS A BIG FISH!!! Like Debbie above I saw a raccoon!

Tom said...

...thanks for sharing the eagle, it's been awhile since I've seen one. Sorry to be late, I've been in the woods with spotty internet.

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! That is quite the fish ~ glad it was released ~ Eagle and osprey are awesome photos as well as other photos ~ thanks,


Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days ~
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor



magiceye said...

Beautiful captures of the birds and wow what a grouper!

Linda said...

Wow, that is a huge fish! I love the eagle.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Fun little hike in the rain that you had. I don't mind getting wet and I have the tech clothes to keep my comfortable when wet. It's lightning I mind especially in open country.
You intrepid explorations paid off with the eagle and an osprey and then that fish!!

Brenda @ Its A Beautiful Life said...

Another swatch of beautiful photos! Love that blue sky. And that IS a big fish indeed.

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead, Diane.

GreenComotion said...

Very nice captures of the bald Eagle. I have not seen one in the wild as yet, but I see they are gorgeous. Well done!

Lowcarb team member said...

What a good day you had, beautiful sightings (love the Bald eagle) and that fish is HUGE.
Great post.

I hope you are having a good week.

All the best Jan

Rainbow Evening said...

aww.... so big fish....
I just caught very tiny one....
but, I was happy 😁

EricaSta said...

Indeed, the Black Grouper is a hit, dear Diane. Most gratifying that he can swimm further in the see. I don`t know how old he could be....

I enjoyed reading again!

....Thank you for sharing at
MosaicMonday

Have a wonderful week, sweet hugs back by Heidrun

Tanza Erlambang said...

beautiful eagle.... love it

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...

Amazing cloud formations.
A whopper is absolutely right! It must have
taken a while to land that big fish.

Jeannie said...

I loved the lady's expression of pride and joy in her smile. She was thrilled. The man holding the fish was undoubtedly struggling from the weight!
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry