The stately Sandhill Cranes, year-round residents throughout Florida, are called ‘iconic members of the Florida ecosystem’ by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Below is a Florida Sandhill Crane distribution map from the University of Florida IFAS Extension illustrating the species’ broad range throughout North America, including its widespread presence in Florida. The Cranes […]
Category Archives: Marsh/Wetlands
I recently spent an overcast morning at Orlando Wetlands, one of my favorite birding spots . . . Despite the clouds, it was still as lovely as ever~! A new half-mile long curving boardwalk was completed last winter, taking visitors across one of the lakes and providing previously inaccessible views of the marsh and cypress […]
A Painting Bunting couple enjoying breakfast in the morning shade.
These charming little Atala caterpillars are part of a wonderful success story! The Atala butterfly was abundant in Florida in the late 1800’s, when its native host, the Coontie, was a prolific starchy food plant widely used by the Seminoles. With the arrival of settlers in the region, the Coontie eventually became severely over-harvested in […]
I never really thought of Anhingas as soft and cuddly . . . till I saw this one this morning 😌
When I tell visitors to our wetlands that this coy little bird is a Green Heron, they almost always ask why it’s called a Green Heron, since “it isn’t green”. Truthfully, until today, it always appeared quite grayish-blue, chestnut, and white to me, and in the shadows looked even darker. The Smithsonian Birds of Florida […]
This buff-colored juvenile Purple Gallinule with the wet head feathers is enjoying his freshwater environment of pickerelweed and other aquatic vegetation. He’s just beginning to show the Purple Gallinule‘s characteristic blue shield above his beak, and a faint bluish hue is beginning to appear in his wing feathers. Before long our young bird will begin […]
A variety of lovely blooms seen over the HOT summer in some of my favorite places in Florida: Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Green Cay Wetlands, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary . . . . . . and below, two special finds at Staten Island, New York’s wonderful Snug Harbor Botanical Gardens.☀️
Anhingas are often seen diving into ponds and open water, as underwater fishing is their specialty. But this fellow looked a little awkward, leaning WAY over the railing, apparently peering at something tasty among these densely growing emergent plants in very shallow water. We frequently see Anhingas dive into open water, swim around, and then […]
Mid-August to mid-September hasn’t been much of a birding month for me this year. It’s been – and still is – very HOT 🥵 here in Southeast Florida, and the birds don’t seem to like it any more than the humans. But the Double-crested Cormorants are always out and about, no matter what the weather. […]
Birder's Journey 