The Wandering Disciple

A brown pelican glides into the water for a soft landing at South Brohard Beach in Venice, Florida. The beach is a popular spot for flying activity both feathered and aircraft. Situated on the approach to Venice Airport, the beaches are filled with shorebirds looking for food and airplanes on approach to the airport. (Photo: June 9, 2018)

With the Thanksgiving Holiday this week, the collection grew rather slowly this week. More law enforcement agencies joined the collection this week. I also got a patch from one of my favorite departments, Reedy Creek. Reedy Creek is the fire department responsible for covering the Walt Disney World resort.  Here is a look at the patches added this week:  Brevard County (FL) Sheriff's Office  Hernando County (FL) Sheriff's Office  Highlands County (FL) Sheriff's Office  Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff's Office  Madeira Beach (FL) Fire Department  Reedy Creek (FL) Emergency Services  Click on the patch above to view the entire Patch Collection .

Every city has a dark side and learning about the haunts is one of our favorite things to do while traveling. Take to the streets of downtown Gatlinburg to learn about the misery, heartbreak and death that plagued the city leading to tons of paranormal activity in this tourist town. The Ghost & Haunt of Gatlinburg will show you the sites and tell you the stories that will live you spine tingling and have you looking over your shoulder and around the corners.  (Photo: June 5, 2018)

The calm and relaxing waters of the Little Pigeon River can provide a great day of activities for anyone. From laying along the banks working on your tan to having a picninc on the shores to trying to catch a fish, the river is a great place to spend the day. Another way to experience the river is to hop on a tube and go for a ride. On our last trip to the Smoky Mountains we did just that, we grabbed a tube from River Romp and took the a ride on the calming rapids of the river. (Photo: June 5, 2018)

There is a new airlines in town at Southwest Florida International Airport as Alaska Airlines began service to RSW this past week.  The new routes to Los Angeles International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport now connects the west coast of Florida with the west coast of the United States.  As of now, the Alaska flights are offered daily but the destination rotates between LAX and Sea-Tac.  (Photo: November 23, 2020) 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Donten family to your family. Have a great day with your family and enjoy your holiday meal. For those working today to keep our essential services operating, thank you for your service. In honor of Thanksgiving, enjoy a turkey photo from Billie Swamp Safari. (Photo: February 24, 2018)

Hop aboard the Chondola and take a ride to the summit of Anakeesta, Gatlinburg's treetop adventure. Opened in 2018, Anakeesta is one of the regions newest attractions and is located high above the town. Your journey to Anakeesta begins in the heart of the Gatlinburg as you board the chondola for a 600 foot lift up to the summit of Gatlinburg's highest point. Once you arrive at the top, there is plenty of excitement awaiting from a 16 bridge treetop trail, a challenging zip line course, a 360 degree observation tower and much more. (Photo: June 5, 2018)

Even the orangutans are ready for a holiday treat as we near Thanksgiving weekend. ZooTampa is thankful for their orangutans and their new baby born into the zoo this month. The zoo is home to a large troop of Bornean Orangutans and they can be seen showing of for zoo guests each and every day. (Photo: November 21, 2020)

Fort Myers, Florida: Thanksgiving week saw an increase in flight traffic into Southwest Florida International Airport.  The airport saw more activity and larger aircraft as people embarked on holiday travel. In addition to the increased holiday traffic, there was also an increase in sports charters as Florida Gulf Coast University was hosting a holiday NCAA basketball tournament at nearby Alico Arena and Hertz Arena.  Here is a look at what I saw this week at RSW. C-FGKH – Airbus A320 (Air Canada)  N104UW – Airbus A320 (American Airlines)  N105HQ – Embraer 175 (Republic Airways/American Eagle)  N255WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N268WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N346JB – Embraer 190 (JetBlue Airways)  N358PW – Boeing 737-800 (American Airlines)  N443WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines/Spirit of Hope)  N561JB – Airbus A320 (JetBlue Airways)  N580JB - Airbus A320 (JetBlue Airways)  N583NW – Boeing...

When traffic along the Cades Cove loop comes to a complete stop you can be pretty sure a bear has been spotted.  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home over 1,500 black bears and Cades Cove is a great place to see them.  The park is one of the largest protected habitats for the bears and they are plentiful in the park with an average of 2 bears per square mile of the park.  Just remember if you encounter a black bear on your trip through the mountains, be sure to keep a safe distance between you and the bear while enjoying the moment of catching one of these amazing animals in the wild. (Photo: June 4, 2018)

This week saw the collection grow by twenty departments. The collection continues to be from Florida but I have begun to reach out to departments outside the sunshine state. I also received my first law enforcement patch this week. I am still considering adding LEO patches but it seems like that may be tougher due to security protocols and the fact I no longer work for a law enforcement agency.  Here is a look at the patches collected this week:  Broward County (FL) Sheriff’s Office  Delray Beach (FL) Fire Rescue  Dunedin (FL) Fire Rescue  Gainesville (FL) Fire Rescue  Lafayette County (FL) Fire Department  Lakeland (FL) Fire Rescue  Leon County (FL) EMS  Navarre Beach (FL) Fire Rescue  North Okaloosa (FL) Fire Rescue  Ocala (FL) Fire Rescue  Orange County (FL) Fire Rescue  Sanford (FL) Fire Department  South Pasadena (FL) Fire Department  Southern Manatee (FL) Fire Rescue  St Augustine (FL) Fire Departme...

This pair of Eastern Meadowlark do a pretty good job of blending in with the grasses despite having a bright yellow chest. Found in the grasslands of the eastern US, the Eastern Meadowlark spends its time on the ground, foraging for food and nesting. Despite being called a lark, the Eastern Meadowlark is part of the blackbird family. (Photo: November 20, 2020)

Tampa, Florida: A quick stop at Tampa International Airport resulted in some unique surprises. I almost skipped the airport because I did not see anything interesting on the flight radar. However it must have been having an issue and I was surprised with not one but two special livery Alaska Airlines almost back to back. First up was the Honoring Those Who Service livery followed a few minutes later with the Toy Story 4 livery. Add that to the Utah Air National Guard KC-135 on the FBO ramp and it was a rewarding quick visit.  Here is a look at what we saw today at TPA:   60-0316 - KC-135 Stratotanker (Utah Air National Guard)  N262UP - McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (UPS)  N287WN - Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N289CT - Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N329NB - Airbus A319 (Delta Air Lines)  N402UP - Boeing 757-200 (UPS)  N420UP - Boeing 757-200 (UPS)  N570AS - Boeing 737-800 (Alaska Airlines/Honoring Those Who Serve)  N584NW - ...

Sarasota, Florida: It’s been a while since I have been back to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. While my career took me to RSW, SRQ will always be a special place for me when it comes to spotting as it is where I began my spotting hobby. While I still oversee the SRQ Spotters page on Facebook, it has been way too long since I have been on the flight line at SRQ. So on Saturday as I was in town grabbing a bite to eat on the way to Tampa, we decided to take it to go and eat along the fence at SRQ.  While it was pretty quiet, it was still nice to be back. Here is a look at what we saw today at SRQ:  N163BF - Eurcocopter EC-135 (AirLife)  N515QS - Cessna Citation Latitude  N24736 - Boeing 737-700 (United Airlines)  Click on the photo above to view these and the rest of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport photo gallery.

An evening mist begins to form along the Cliff Branch in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Cliff Branch runs right though the heart of Gatlinburg creating that iconic mountain stream view we have all come to know from East Tennessee. The Cliff Branch begins up the mountain and flows south though the town before joining with the Buckberry Branch and Holy Branch south of town. There are many cool places to sit and listen to the stream flow like along this hiking trail at the Gatlinburg Trail. (Photo: June 3, 2018)

Fort Myers, Florida: The flight schedules continue to increase as we get closer to the Thanksgiving holiday making for some great spotting at Southwest Florida International Airport. This week brought a few special liveries into RSW including Delta’s “Thank-You”, JetBlue’s “Boston Celtics” and Southwest’s “Maryland One” to name a few. The traffic in and out of the airport continues to impress so I recommend a visit while the traffic is good.  Here is a look at what I saw around RSW this week:   1703 - HC-130 Hercules (US Coast Guard)  C-FDCA - Airbus A320 (Air Canada)  C-FZQS - Airbus A320 (Air Canada)  N103DY - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N104DN - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N106DN - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N215JQ - Embraer 175 (Republic Airways/Delta Connection)  N249JB - Embraer 190 (JetBlue Airways)  N283WN - Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N325DN - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N328RP - Cessna Citation...

Fort Myers, Florida: It was a rather quiet morning this week when I visited Page Field. However I was greeted by a surprise visit by a Coast Guard HC-130, the same aircraft that visited RSW earlier this week. It performed a few approaches before departing back to Clearwater.  Here is look at what I saw at Page Field this week:  1703 - HC-130 Hercules (US Coast Guard)  N189VT - Cessna Citation III  N531KC - Beechcraft Baron  N678BG - Cirrus Vision  N818RA - Pilatus PC-12  Click on the photo above to view these and the rest of the Page Field photo gallery.

The Florida Panther is a subspecies of the North American Cougar and is the only cougar population found in the eastern United States. Found in South Florida, the Florida Panther was once on the brink of extinction, with as few as 20 remaining in the wild. Conservation efforts have raised the population to about 230 in the wild but the panther is still endangered. The panther has many threats in the wild from territory disputes with other panthers, alligators which are the panthers natural predator and humans through automobile collisions, poaching and habitat destruction. Today efforts to protect the species are underway in the wild and zoos throughout the state like ZooTampa house injured panthers that can not survive in the wild.  (Photo: May 26, 2018)

During the late 1800's and early 1900's immigrants flocked to the United States to chase the American Dream.  While New York City got much of the attention, there were melting pots across the country including Ybor City in Tampa, Florida.  Settled originally by Cuban cigar makers, Ybor eventually became home to Spaniards, Italians and Germans.  Today the immigrants are memorialized by a statue in Centennial Park. (Photo: May 13, 2018)

Goodyear aviation put on quite the show during the 2018 Tampa Bay Air Fest at MacDill Air Force Base.  Its rare to see the Goodyear blimp and the Goodyear air show team at the same event but when they do, be prepared for an amazing show.  Here Mike Goulian flew his aerobatic Extra 330 over Wingfoot One during the show.  (Photo: May 12, 2018)

This week the patches received come from one end of the state (Miami) to the other (Ocean City) and a bunch of stops in between.   If there was a theme to be had this week, it would be beaches as many of the patches come from coastal department.   Ten new departments joined the collection this week including:  Jacksonville Beach (FL) Fire Rescue  Lake Wales (FL) Fire Department  Largo (FL) Fire Rescue  Miami (FL) Fire Rescue  Miami Beach (FL) Fire Department  Ocean City-Wright (FL) Fire Control District  Oldsmar (FL) Fire Rescue  Osceola County (FL) Fire Rescue  Sanibel (FL) Fire Rescue  Treasure Island (FL) Fire Rescue Click on the patch above to view the entire Public Safety Patch Collection .

Its daddy play time at the zoo as Goyang gets a little play time with one of his sons.   The 20 year old, 315 pound Bornean Orangutan is dad to three little ones.  ZooTampa has a troop of eight orangutans and they can be see daily having fun for all to see.  (Photo: November 7, 2020)

An osprey flies high over the shoreline at Brohard Beach. These magestic birds of prey are usually found near bodies of water looking for a meal. Ospreys can be seen soaring over the water and then diving feet first to grab fish by their talons. Ospreys can be found year-round in Florida and the Southeast United States and migratory throughout the rest of the US. (Photo: May 5, 2018)

This week the collection added a few of the neighboring departments as well as the addition of the State of Florida EMT patch.  Eleven new department joined the collection this week including:  Desoto County (FL) Fire Rescue  Hernando County (FL) Fire Rescue  Hillsborough County (FL) Fire Rescue  LaBelle (FL) Fire Department  Lake County (FL) Fire Rescue  Lehigh Acres (FL) Fire Rescue  Lauderdale by the Sea (FL) Fire Rescue  Manatee County (FL) Department of Public Safety  Manatee County (FL) EMS  North Collier (FL) Fire Rescue  State of Florida – EMT Click on the patch above to view the entire Public Safety Patch Collection .

Don't let the playful appearance of the African Painted Dog fool you, these large canines are ferocious hunters in the wild.  Travelling in packs of 10 to 40 dogs, the African Painted Dogs are one of the most successful hunters in the wild despite their rather small size compared to other carnivorous hunters.  A pack of African Painted Dogs have a success rate of 60-90% and make about three kills a day per pack.  (Photo: May 6, 2018)

If you have been watching the TV show "Secrets of the Zoo" you may recall the story of Johnny and Jamie.  The famous pair of Indian Rhinos recently gave birth to an endangered Rhino calf on September 12, 2020.  The zookeepers decided to name the calf Gronk after Tampa Bay Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski.  (Photo: November 7, 2020)

Tampa, Florida: On a trip to Tampa, I decided to make a quick visit to Tampa International Airport for about an hour of planespotting. As a result of projects at the airport, the upper levels of the garage has been closed so I spotted from the seventh floor of the short-term parking garage. With Runway 1R/19L closed, it put TPA in single runway operation making it a little easier to cover all arrivals/departures from the lower floor.  Here is a look at what we saw during the hour at TPA:  C-FLKX – Airbus A321 (Air Canada)  N251AU – Boeing 737-400 (Flair Airlines)  N261UP – McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (UPS)  N310FR – Airbus A320 (Frontier Airlines)  N323NB – Airbus A319 (Delta Air Lines)  N382DN – Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N403SV – ATR 42-600 (Silver Airways)  N424UA – Airbus A320 (United Airlines)  N438UP – Boeing 757-200 (UPS)  N443UP – Boeing 757-200 (UPS)  N489UA – Airbus A320 (United Airlines)  N624NK – Airbus A320...

A black bear is having a blast playing with some old fire hose at ZooTampa. The animal care team at the zoo use enrichments to help provide the animals with new experiences to stimulate their senses. Enrichments come in many forms from tasty treats, bubbles in water features, cardboard boxes and even old fire hoses. (Photo: April 22, 2018)

Join Buzz Lightyear on an intergalactic journey to save the planet from the evil Emperor Zurg in this family favorite adventure in Tomorrowland at Disney's Magic Kingdom.  Added to Walt Disney World in 1998, the interactive ride features the co-start of Pixar's Toy Story Buzz Lightyear as he embarks to defend the galaxy.  After being recruited by Buzz as a Space Ranger, its up to you and Buzz to fire your lasers at as many aliens as you can.  While your points add up, see if you have what it takes to be the best Space Ranger ace in your group.  (Photo: April 8, 2018)

Come one, come all for out of the world fun for the whole family at Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama.  Modeled to look like a roadside carnival for dinosaur-ic proportions, Dino-Rama is the centerpiece of Dinoland USA at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  It features carnival games, great rides and plenty of meet and greets with your favorite Disney character.  (Photo: April 28, 2018)

 The workhorses at the Walt Disney World Resort come in all breeds and sizes.  From the big and strong horses that pull the carriages down Main Street USA to the little ponies giving kids rides at Fort Wilderness, they all have an important role.  You can get up closed to the program by visiting the Tri-Circle-D Ranch at the Fort Wilderness resort or see photos of the famous big screen horses at the Saratoga Springs Resort.  (Photo: April 7, 2018)

Blue is the color of the day when it comes to the newest livery by United Airlines. Debuted in 2019 and the first United livery since the merger with Continental Airlines, the new scheme features three shades of blue Rhapsody Blue, United Blue and Sky Blue. The nose of each aircraft features United's new slogan "Connecting People, Uniting the World". Look for these new paint schemes to arrive at an airport near you as the fleet slowly converts to the new style. (Photo: November 2, 2020)

Fort Myers, Florida: It was a fun week of plane movements at Southwest Florida International Airport. From the increase of traffic in November as the region rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic to the touch and go’s by a pair of vintage Covairs, the US Navy and the US Coast Guard, it was a great week to planespot at RSW.  Here is a look at what I saw this week around the airport:  1715 – HC130 Hercules (US Coast Guard)  168428 – P-8 Poseidon (US Navy)  C-FKPX – Pilatus PC-12  C-FLKX – Airbus A321 (Air Canada)  C-GITU – Airbus A321 (Air Canada/Star Alliance)  N71LC – Airbus Helicopters H125 (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)  N72LC – Airbus Helicopters H125 (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)  N121UW – Airbus A320 (American Airlines)  N221WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N260WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N302DN – Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N319PQ – Mitsubishi CRJ-900 (Endeavor Air/Delta Connection)  N32...

The other day I had mentioned the caterpillars on our milkweed in the garden.  The transformation of egg to Monarch continues and today we had two shiny new chrysalis on the plants.  We had to go out and get a few more milkweed plants to sustain the feeding frenzy of the growing caterpillars and were shocked to see them already building chrysalis on the new plants.  Next step is new Monarch butterflies for the garden.  (Photo: November 1, 2020) 

This week saw the collection grow with the addition of my hometown fire department (Englewood) as well as adding the patches of two of the three department I have spent my career with (Sarasota County and Lee County Port Authority).  This week the collection grew by twelve departments.   Here are the departments that joined the collection this week: Coral Springs-Parkland (FL) Fire Department  Crystal River (FL) Fire Department  Davie (FL) Fire Rescue  Englewood Area (FL) Fire Control District  Greater Naples (FL) Fire Rescue  Lee County Port Authority (FL) Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting  Lighthouse Point (FL) Fire Rescue  Panama City Beach (FL) Fire Rescue  Pensacola (FL) Fire Department  Sarasota County (FL) Fire Department  Sunrise (FL) Fire Rescue  Tamarac (FL) Fire Rescue Click on the photo above to view the entire Public Safety Patch Collection .