My husband spotted this beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk enjoying the waning moments of sunlight at the Refuge the other night.The Hawk seemed quite undisturbed by our presence as he gazed down at us from his perch.We enjoyed every moment, as the setting sun continued to cast that wonderful golden glow. Before long, the sun was too low […]
It’s always a thrill to spot an American Bittern! If you have the good fortune to encounter one at all, it is usually well-camouflaged – and it’s often likely to disappear from view quickly.When disturbed, the Bittern will frequently elongate his neck and point his head skyward, as if trying to blend in even more […]
I always love watching Purple Gallinules as they scale the heights of the tall, narrow Fireflag plants to get at their tasty purple blossoms.You can see the eager anticipation in his eyes as he gets closer!Success . . . . delicious! Off on a quest for more. . . .
The White Ibis, present year-round here in south Florida, is often seen unceremoniously probing for insects in the mud and grass on lawns and roadsides, looking less than glamorous. But our White Ibises also inhabit wetland marshes and shallow ponds, where they feed on fish, frogs, and small crustaceans (Audubon). I thought this one actually looked quite lovely, […]
As birders, we are always looking to the skies and paying attention to flight patterns as a key to identifying our fine feathered friends, like the Osprey featured above. But I’m always paying attention, too, to the interesting signs that are posted in our preserves and parks. I recently noticed this very cool sign above – the first […]
This young Purple Gallinule is often seen clambering around the Fireflag plant, on his quest for the tastiest purple flowers. Always charms the passersby – so pretty, so sweet from head to tail.
I took the image above just after 7 pm in mid-September at our local refuge. The image below was taken in mid-October, at the same refuge, just after 6:30 pm – a half hour earlier than the photo above. What a difference a month makes in how the sky looks at that hour of the day.When I […]
This Limpkin was one of many who were enjoying the Apple Snails along the shoreline of Lake Kissimmee. Limpkins have a specially designed bill, the tip of which acts almost like tweezers, to pry open and extract the Apple Snail from its shell. But they also feed on insects, worms, small crustaceans, and other mussels (All […]
Northern Mockingbirds are well known for their melodious non-stop singing. They are expert mimics of other birds, and are continuously adding to their repertoire of sounds. In fact, male Mockingbirds may learn more than 200 songs over a lifetime (All About Birds).But I caught this lovely Mockingbird just resting quietly on a branch at dusk the other evening, occasionally fluffing […]
On a recent evening, we were treated to yet another beautiful sunset over one of our nearby wetland preserves.These two photos were taken just one minute apart. A few moments later, the sun disappeared completely below the horizon. This lovely scene brought to mind a verse from Psalms: “You make the lands of sunrise and sunset sing […]
Birder's Journey 