As the nesting season draws to a close, and the migratory birds have returned to their summer homes, we see fewer and fewer of our ‘regulars’ like the Great Blue Herons and Wood Storks here in the preserves. Some of the juveniles and a few baby birds, like the Night Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Common Moorhens (Gallinules) still remain, […]
Author Archives: Birder's Journey
I was wandering along, hoping to spot some of the elusive baby ducks, when all of sudden, I noticed this odd, striped, curved shape object (featured above) in the pond on my left. Somehow, it just didn’t look like a plant….! The pond on my right was open and deep, with lots of Lilypads floating […]
There’s a well-shaded pond (referred to as the “Alligator Hole”) where we can catch a glimpse of the Night Heron families each year, sitting up in the Cypress trees. There are both Yellow-Crowned Night Herons and Black-Crowned Night Herons here in our preserves. Both of these birds are large, but have shorter necks and are stockier than many of their more graceful, […]
The glow of the sky at sunrise looks so lovely behind the birds as we all (the birds and I!) begin our day. On the first several tree islands, each bird appears as a silhouette, as I walk toward them facing east.. A lone Fish Crow rests in the crook of the tree branches as the […]
Peaceful Waters Sanctuary is tucked away in the corner of a large public park, not far away from my home. It’s always quiet and peaceful, and almost always empty of people. You never know what you’ll see . . .
I just love living so close to our wetland preserves and sanctuaries. So many miracles of creation – every outing is a joy~!
This graceful Great Blue Heron (GBH) was standing at the edge of the pond the other day, scanning the water for a good fishing spot. I stood there admiring him for quite awhile, hoping that I would catch a great photo of him catching a nice big fish. As he strutted over to the grassy mound, […]
Some birds just always look good, like this adult Purple Gallinule hiding in the shadows above. Some little guys, like the ones below, are still aspiring to look like their handsome parents.
It seems amazing that one can arrive at the preserve at 6:30 am, and still miss some of the best morning light! How much earlier can sunrise get?? Nonetheless, I was happy to see the White Ibis featured above looking stunningly rosy, just as the dawn broke (alternatively, one might say he looked like he’d just […]
This little fella peeking out from the reeds above, the Least Bittern, is often described as ‘reclusive, ‘solitary’ and ‘elusive’. He is the smallest of our Herons (11-14″), and quite a common permanent resident of Florida. But, the Least Bittern is often hard to find – and difficult to see clearly once you do catch a […]
Birder's Journey 