~Florida's Birds~

[Sage]

Some of the birds I see in southwest Florida are migrants so you may see them in your area later too. Others are residents. Many are endangered.

In our yard, shot through screen

ditto

at Ding Darling yesterday where we met a twenty-year birder, seeing his very first Wood Stork

Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), seen only in limited area of FL or TX. National bird of Mexico.

[Sage]

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

This one was shot at Ding Darling but we see them daily in the lakes where we live, sometimes in groups, sometimes swimming.

[Sage]

Snowy Egret - Egretta thula

Gull - not sure which

Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea or Reddish Egret

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

[havalotta]

The egret and gull are both very nice shots Sage...
The wood stork sure has an odd way of resting in the grass.
Their legs bend backwards like the herons legs do but It got me to wondering....Do MOST of the wading birds legs bend in that direction?

[Sage]

They do!

[havalotta]

What a murky looking hole he's found to puddle in.

[Sage]

at St James City, Pine Island

at Matlacha, through window of Sandy Hook Restaurant "Don't you even think about it!"

look at that long fish!

[havalotta]

Not fair! All I have to watch are tiny little snow flees If I'd take the time to search for them in all this frigidness....Below zero.
A mere drop in the bucket compared to all the excitement you're seeing....
You're doing a GREAT job sharing!

[MaggyNoLia]

I hope you don't mind if I post a couple of the birds I shot recently in the keys. We went to the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key and there was this freshwater pond called Big Blue Hole that allowed me to view birds a little differently than normal.

This is a female Anhinga swimming in the Big Blue Hole.



It was so cool looking through my lens and seeing her eyeball staring back up at me from under the water.



But sooner or later she had to come up for a breath of air.



She was an active little girl. Here she is seen poking at a turtle. She inspected every inch of this turtle.



Finally, a more familiar view of the bird. Swimming is done and it's time to dry out.

[MaggyNoLia]

I caught this Pied-billed Grebe swimming by in front of me. I was too late to catch it under the water. I was watching the Anhinga pester the turtle. You can see it's little feet a paddlin' and there's a little fish swimming by too. I have no idea what the fish are...