Pets/Wildlife

Egrets are herons that have white or buff plumage. Scott MacKay snapped this photo of an egret at his ‘retreat’ in Concord Station, in Land O’ Lakes. Who says humans are the only ones that have bad hair days?

Meeka, left, and Mojito are best buds, along with their canine sisters. They like to groom each other, play, and then snuggle. Meeka and Mojito live with their proud owner, Carol Scharfeld, in Lutz.

The osprey, or more specifically the western osprey, is a large raptor also known as a sea hawk, river hawk or fish hawk. It is a fish-eating bird of prey with a dive speed of 30 mph. Sharon Thompson, of Wesley Chapel, saw this osprey apparently seeking a meal, in Country Walk.

Brody is a 1-year-old Boykin Spaniel. These spaniels were bred to hunt turkeys and wild birds in the state of South Carolina. This breed was so loved, it was named the state dog of South Carolina. Boykins love to swim and have webbed feet. Of course they love to play fetch with any object you throw! Brody lives with his proud owners, Kevin and Karen Kelly, in Lutz.

Karen Whitenton sees Great Blue Herons on a regular basis on the pond behind her house in Lutz, but this one caught her eye as it was drying its wings. The bird would shift and change position every 30 seconds or so.

When Mr. Cat sees a camera or cellphone pointed in his direction, he will stop and pose, acting as if he is the top cat in Hollywood. He lives with his proud owner, Leigh Love, in Wesley Chapel.

Randi Grainger sees a lot of wildlife on his property in Wesley Chapel, including the recent sighting of a cottonmouth. Grainger said he wanted to get a better shot of its head because when the snake opened its mouth, its head just seemed to disappear and it became ‘all mouth!’ A cottonmouth also is known as a water moccasin, as the snake is semi-aquatic.

Opal is a 10-month-old Lynx Siamese. She was 6 weeks old when she was adopted from a shelter in October 2020. She is a beautiful taupe color with darker ears and an extra-long tail. Siamese cats have a habit of being ‘Velcro’ cats, and Opal is no exception — turn around and there she is. Opal lives with her proud owner, Elsie Rehberg, in Wesley Chapel.

Amber Fly spied this softshell turtle during a walk through the Morris Bridge Wilderness Park in Thonotosassa. The diet of the softshell turtle usually consists of snails and fish, but these creatures have been known to eat waterfowl such as ducks and even small herons.

Liezel is a beautiful 8-year-old Pomeranian. She is a registered therapy dog and has won awards for her work. Liezel lives with her proud owners, James and Judith Sota, in Land O’ Lakes.