Yellow-crown Night Herons are found throughout Florida, but we don’t often see them actually nesting in our local wetlands. This spring, however, there were three different breeding pairs nesting high up over the mile-long boardwalk! “Nests are constructed by both birds, but it is more the case that the male gathers sticks and the female […]
Author Archives: Birder's Journey
On a quiet walk one recent morning I was surprised to come across this beautiful American Bittern just strolling lazily in the marsh! “Usually secretive and difficult to see,” this species is not uncommon in our Florida wetlands, but Bitterns are so elusive that they are often easily missed. They . . . “are stealth […]
Red-winged Blackbird females have been very busy in the last few weeks! It was such a delight to spot the one above, singing her morning song. ☀️ This is the time of year we see the perfect little nests of Red-winged Blackbirds popping up everywhere in the wetlands. Often they are constructed in a V-shaped […]
Just one of those sunny mornings when you look out across the pond and spot a Snowy Egret reflected in the water~! 😌
It’s that time of year again~! 💙♥️. Just this week, BirdNote published a cool piece about Great Blue nesting behavior: A heron nest starts with just one stick. “Great blue herons don’t mate for life, but they do have elaborate courtship rituals that help pairs form strong bonds. Their mating displays include bill snapping, neck […]
Distinguished by its black legs and bright yellow feet, this elegant Snowy Egret’s ‘golden slippers’ are barely visible as it treads gently through the thick marsh looking for a tasty morsel. We are fortunate to have Snowy Egrets as year-round residents here in South Florida. They are truly a conservation success story! “The species was […]
We had the pleasure of visiting Orlando Wetlands again two weeks ago. Always one of my absolute favorite places! There’s so much to see there at this time of year, and I’m sure I’ll post other photos soon. But I just couldn’t resist starting with the Roseate Spoonbills. The Spoonbills were very actively flying back-and-forth […]
I loved watching this juvenile Purple Gallinule making his way independently through the marsh. Looks like he’s just learning the ropes. ☺️ But how do we know this a Purple Gallinule, and how can we tell it’s a juvenile? Several unique features make it unmistakable: long, bright yellow “chicken legs”, a distinctive red and yellow […]
The bright yellow eyes of a Least Bittern suddenly popped out of the dense marsh leaves as I walked by. Once I saw this furtive little beauty, I waited ever so patiently for him to make himself a little more visible so I could get a really good shot. 😉 Knowing how elusive Least Bitterns […]
Fall is one of my favorite times of year in the wetlands. The weather is getting cooler and the humidity is gone. Everything is still mostly lush and green. But the Bald Cypress are beginning to look bare as their needle-like leaves turn rust-colored and fall to the ground (read more cool info about Bald […]
Birder's Journey 