Are you familiar with the infamous plume trade that supplied the millinery industry just over 100 years ago? This sign at the entrance to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, near Naples, Florida, provides a glimpse into the history behind this practice . . . and, this incredible place. I cringe to think about it, but literally millions of […]
Tag Archives: Birds
I spotted these two sweet, young adult Purple Gallinules the other day. . . . more colorful than their younger juvenile peers, but not yet as brilliant as they will be in their full adult colors. See this All ABout Birds comparison for more.
The Great Blue Herons are busy preparing for nesting and raising new families. Looking good and showing off in the evening. . . . Nest-building duties in the morning. . . .
The Osprey‘s powerful curved talons come in handy when landing in a tall, bare tree.Unlike other birds of prey, the Osprey‘s talons are “nearly cylindrical, rounded on the top and bottom . . .” (The Scottish Wildlife Trust), and “their toes are lined with short, stiff spikes for extra grip” (Audubon.org) as they catch and carry large […]
The Limpkins were enjoying a lovely morning at this preserve. . . . As I wrote in a recent post, the Apple Snails they love to eat are plentiful here this year.This young fellow had a little trouble negotiating his large find. But he eventually found a solid marshy clump to bang the shell on, and […]
A Tri-colored Heron contemplates his next move just before the sun sets. See more about these delightful wading birds at All About Birds and on some of my previous Birder’s Journey posts.
The Double-crested Cormorant is the most common Cormorant in North America (Audubon). So where are their double crests, you ask?? Oddly enough, the bird is so named because of two tiny, barely noticeable, tufts of black feathers that appear on its head ONLY during breeding season. Speaking of ‘tufts’, this fellow (not in breeding plumage) appears […]
An hour before sunset, while everyone was eagerly watching the skies for other more showy birds flying in to roost, I spotted this lovely adult Little Blue Heron hiding in the marsh. How do I know this blue-gray bird is an adult? Because, curiously, Little Blue Herons are completely white when young. The white juvenile Little Blues are often mistaken […]
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck (BBWD) above was the designated sentinel of the day, keeping a close watch over the 15 or more fluffy, black and yellow ducklings swimming about nearby with their ‘guardians’.It had been raining all day, and the worst of a severe thunderstorm had just passed. We surmised later that it may have been […]
