WILD IN FLORIDA

 

We went  with friends for a short tour-boat ride on the Peace River.   The sign below was posted on the dock where we boarded.  And of course we did pass several gators as we boated along.  I guess they weren't hungry, because none of them showed the slightest bit of interest in the boat or the people on it.  

 

 

Other than the ubiquitous alligators, the rest of the wildlife in this post is all birds all the time.   And all are from a "land cruise"  (otherwise known as a Saturday Drive) to Lake Trafford, near Immokalee.

 

 

 

Most of the birds I took pictures of were in the wetlands near a runoff canal to the Lake.  I think this is a juvenile Snowy Egret — he posed just beautifully for the camera.  (All pictures will enlarge with a click.)

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A group of Ibis watched this Great Blue Heron forage.  They looked as if they hadn't been invited to the banquet.  When the Heron finished, the Ibis slowly began to hunt the waters themselves  – perhaps for whatever the Heron stirred up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a little out-of-order.  We saw several Caracaras on Church Road near Felda on our way to the Lake.  This was the only picture I was able to get because we had to find a place to turn around and get off of the road first.   The caracara is Mexico's national bird and is sometimes known here as the Mexican Eagle.  This one is perched in the same kind of tree (a slash pine) as the one where  the Bald Eagles (the US national bird) have a nest near us.  

 

 

 

 

Pretty Little Blue Heron

 

 

A few more of the usual suspects near Lake Trafford.   The Little Blue doing a wing stretch; another Egret;  juvenile Ibis fishing;  and a  Common Gallinule (marsh hen).

 

It was a lovely day drive — the park at Lake Trafford, which is in Collier County,  was being well used.  There were families and kids fishing,  picnicing and birding, but it wasn't as crowded as places nearer to Fort Myers can get on weekends during the season.    We enjoyed our day.

 

 Linking to:   ALL SEASONS; MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY; WEDNESDAY WATERS; and SIGNS SIGNS.  Thank you to all of the hosts.