Birds - From Other States
Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, FL Dec. 13, 2009
- breeding plumage St. George Is., FL May 21, 2010 We saw this handsome guy on our last trip to the beach the afternoon before we had to leave the island.
May 19, 2010 This is one of my favorite bird photos! I love the composition and the colors. There were 4 chicks in the nest. I shot this photo from a moving tour boat at Wakulla Springs State Park in Florida.
Green Heron ; Butorides virescens
Homosassa Springs State Park, FL Dec. 13, 2009
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron chicks
have a face that only a mother could love! :) I photographed them from the tour boat at Wakulla Springs State Park in Florida in May 2010. Unfortunately, there were a lot of branches in the way.
Navarre Beach, FL Sept. 2, 2007 I enjoyed watching these little birds running in and out of the surf hunting for small prey.
were hanging out near this cow in hopes she would stir up some insects as she grazed. It looks like she needs to eat a LOT more, she is terribly thin!
I photographed this Great Egret stalking in the rushes from a boat in Wakulla Springs State Park in Florida.
Juvenile Egret Snowy have yellow legs, making it easy to identify them.
Little Green Heron
Broad-winged Hawk; Buteo platypterus
Sanibel Island, FL Dec. 19, 2009 Kenny spotted this handsome hawk sitting on a beach chair on our last morning at Sanibel Island. I was amazed how close it let me approach. I had seen it a couple of days earlier sitting on the edge of a building.
St. George Is., FL May 21, 2010 These birds were very wary, I was not able to get close enough to get a good photo. This is a flock of brownish-hued breeding adults and paler juveniles. Click on the photo to enlarge it and see that the bird in the middle has a band on its leg.
I photographed this White Ibis from a boat at Wakulla Springs State Park.
Great Egrets were nearly wiped out for their beautiful, wispy plumes to be used to decorate women's hats in the late 1800's. The Audubon Society was formed to help protect these beautiful birds.
Tri-colored Heron; Egretta tricolor
Big Cypress Preserve, FL Dec. 16, 2009
Little Blue Heron; Egretta caerula
Wakulla Springs State Park, FL December 20, 2009 I enjoyed seeing these pretty little birds as they stalked along shorelines and riverbanks. This photo was taken from the boat at Wakulla Springs SP. I wish the leaf hadn't been in the way!
Sanderling chasing a Snowy Plover
Black-bellied Plover; Pluvialis squatarola
St. George Is., FL May 19, 2010
Homosassa Springs, FL December 14, 2009 I enjoyed seeing these unusual water birds with the blue eyes. They use their long, curved beaks to probe for worms and small crustaceans. They are a very common bird in south Florida.
Great Egret; Casmerodius albus
Milton, FL March 19, 2008 I had seen this beautiful bird from the river bank at my uncle's vacation house. It was too far away to photograph, so my brother and I took off in a paddleboat and fought a strong wind in order to get close enough to take a picture. He was holding onto a small cypress tree in the middle of the river when I got this shot. I wish I could have been even closer, but it took off and flew away before I got a chance. This bird is in its breeding plumage, the long, wispy feathers are visible on its left side. These beautiful birds were nearly wiped out because of these feathers, ladies in the late 1800's wanted them for their fancy hats. What a waste!
Reddish Egret; Egretta rufescens
Sanibel Island, FL Dec. 15, 2009 This photo was taken late in the afternoon at the Ding Darling wildlife refuge. Some of these birds have a very "shaggy" neck, this one may not have been in breeding plumage yet.
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron; Nyctanassa violacea
Wakulla Springs State Park, FL Dec. 20, 2009 The boat ride at the park was a great way to photograph birds. They were accustomed to people and weren't bothered by the boat. It was wonderful to see so many different birds in the wild.
Snowy Plover; Charadrius alexandrinus
Navarre Beach, FL Sept. 2, 2007 This little bird was very well camouflaged against the snow-white sand of the Gulf Coast.
This Ruddy Turnstone was running with a Mole Crab in its mouth, it had just caught it in the sand. Click on the photo to enlarge it for a better view. This photo was taken on St. George Is., FL on May 20, 2010.