My husband and I were recently inspired to take a long drive to Central Florida, several hours north of us, to hear two wonderful experts from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) speak about ‘birding and habitat restoration along Israel’s Rift Valley, a major flyway of the world.’ Dan Alon, Director of […]
Everybody needs a little quiet time to him/herself, and birds are no exception. Can’t get over how hard this Wood Stork above was working all morning, flying out and back, out and back to the trees every few minutes, searching for just the right soft cypress branches to bring back to the nest. He could use […]
Every morning there is something new and beautiful to see on my walk. This view of the sunrise above was the first sight to greet me as I stepped on to the boardwalk this morning at 7:30 am. What a glorious way to begin the day!! A few steps along the boardwalk, this big ol’ […]
This past week, there was so much activity in our local wetland preserves that I decided to share just a few of my favorites. One highlight was the funny little Great Blue Heron chick featured above, one of several who have not yet fledged. The nesting Great Egrets that I posted about a few days […]
I took a very short walk yesterday morning, but met some lovely bird – and human – friends out there! The White Egret featured at the top of this post was obviously not quite awake yet when I spotted him just after sunrise ;-).But further along, I noticed that this White Egret, displaying a rather elegant, alert […]
A couple of days ago, on a very dreary and overcast morning, I was out on the boardwalk with several other birders, photographers, and walkers. We were watching the Great Blue Herons fly back and forth across the water with small branches, on their way to and from their nesting areas. This one, however, was […]
It is fascinating to observe the feeding behaviors of the large wading birds in our Wetlands. The Roseate Spoonbill featured above was using the steady, back-and-forth foraging motion this beautiful bird uses to find and capture its prey.Through a unique process called tactolocation, the Roseate feeds in shallow water by sweeping its large spoon-shaped bill from side to side. […]
The Great Blue Herons are still very busy courting and getting ready to start their new families together. “Sometimes I wonder where my partner has flown off to. . . . When will he finally get back here with some more good sturdy sticks . . . !” Off to work – Looking quite business-like […]
This beauty above is one of the magnificent Great Blue Herons who court and mate and raise their young in our local Wetlands. “He flies through the air, with the greatest of ease . . .” Bringing yet another branch to the nest. . . . This gigantic male Great Blue Heron was en route back to […]
The American Bittern featured above is one of those special, elusive birds that we don’t see out in the open very often. Several birders stood watching him for the longest time . . . waiting for him to just DO something! Meantime, he was very accommodating to stand in this little clearing and be […]
Birder's Journey 