Least Bitterns are known for being shy and very well-camouflaged, great at hiding in the marsh. I spotted this Bittern fly in on a recent early July morning, and assumed it would quickly scoot off into the dense foliage. But when I hurried over to get a better look, she just stood there, posing atop […]
Category Archives: Marsh/Wetlands
My history of previous Purple Gallinule posts seems to show there was more Purple Gallinule activity during the winter and early spring in the past. This year I must not have been paying attention! So happy to see some of these beauties are still popping up in the marsh now and again so I can […]
I was happy to be one of the first visitors out on the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary the other day. As I walked along in silence, I caught a glimpse of a large bird as it flew through the foliage over the swamp, off to my right. It glided by soundlessly and disappeared into […]
On the top right, petals from the Pond Apple tree fall into the water and make a lovely pink and white display. Bottom right, the graceful, hanging Fireflag blossoms are a favorite snack of the Purple Gallinules. iNaturalist experts confirmed for me that the plant on the left is Kosteletzkya Pentacarpos, or Saltmarsh Mallow, which […]
Just a few scenes from one of our favorite Florida birding spots. Even at this time of year, mid-June, when the birds are more scarce, it’s a great place for a day hike!
Yay…. I think that’s my mom heading this way! I’m starving! We’re still seeing lots of nest activity in our local wetlands, even though it’s mid-June already. This Great Egret youngster looked pretty excited when he saw his parent heading back to the nest. “Both parents feed the young by regurgitation. At the age of […]
On Mother’s Day, a friend and I went for a walk at our local refuge, hoping that maybe we’d catch a glimpse of a SwallowtaiI Kite, as we’d heard they were around. Incredibly, two spectacular Kites suddenly appeared toward the end of our walk~!! One performed its magical aerial acrobatics right in front of us, […]
Hard to believe that birds often build their nests in places that are so readily visible to human passersby. These images were all taken from separate and distinct nesting areas – there are many this time of year.
These Sandhill Cranes kept us company most of the morning, as they strolled and foraged along the same trails we chose to walk. They were clearly right at home here, and utterly unperturbed by our presence. Sandhill Crane chicks can leave the nest about 8 hours after hatching (!) but, like this long-legged juvenile above, […]
‘Strikingly slender’, according to Audubon, the Tricolored Heron is an active lone forager in marshes, swamps and other bodies of shallow water. Very common in the Southeast United States, it’s one of our most abundant year-round Florida wetland birds. Same lovely bird, but in breeding plumage this time! Still known to some as the Louisiana […]
