A Full-time Life

Category: Florida birding

  • BIRDS OF LAKE OKECHOBEE

    WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY and (bottom picture) WATERY WEDNESDAY

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    We saw these woodstorks along with the accompanying egret on the Okee Tente Recreation area near the mouth of the Kissimee River (on the North side of Lake Okechobee).  (And aren't all those names just so much fun to say.)  We were out on a recent weekend exploring the area.  (I refuse to call it going on a Sunday Drive, because that's what my grandparents did — and they were old!)

    The egret was sticking so close to the stork that at first I thought I was seeing an adult with a juvenile.  But it is always fun to see more than one bird species at time, so we weren't really disappointed.

     Sit and stand

    We walked along the area for a short while and must have seen over 100 storks.

    And quite a few other species as well. 

    Apparently it was THE place to go for Sunday lunch.  

     

    Below are a a couple of Black Vultures, brown pelicans (with their very blue beaks) and one of the storks over to the right.) 

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  • OSPREYS

    THIS POST IS LINKED TO WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY hosted by Springman.  Look at his post and click on the links — beautiful pictures and you'll learn about birds at the same time.

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    Osprey at lunch We see these beautiful birds in many places where we live or travel.  Probably because we too like to stick close to the water. 

     According to Sibley, It's a unique species sometimes placed in its own family.  It feeds on fish it captures by hovering and plunging feet-first into the water.  (And believe me, it makes a big splash when it does that.  If one lands near you while you're daydreaming, you'll wake up quickly.) 

    Ospreys  nest on top of bare trees, but if they aren't available, they'll use telephone poles or poles specifically placed for them. 

    They return to the same nest year after year. 

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  • WOOD STORK

    THIS POST IS LINKED TO WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY and WATERY WEDNESDAY.   Go click on the links!!!

    These are two of the birds we spotted on the Darling Refuge Wildlife Drive Sunday. 

    Wood Stork:  A separate family from any of our other birds, he is definitely not the benign-looking baby bringer of myth.  (This one would give babies terrible nightmares I fear!)

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    Great Egret:  Looks as if he's admiring his reflection, but really waiting for lunch to appear.

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    We saw a ton of other birds on the Kayak Trail, but my pictures didn't turn out well.  It was hard to concentrate on kayaking, keeping the camera dry and not going aground — the water was very shallow.  We'll try again another time.

  • FLORIDA FLASHBACK FOR SKYWATCH

    It's a Friday Flashback – but not too far back.  These pictures were taken just a couple of days before we left Ft. Myers.  More skies are on display at SKYWATCH FRIDAY. 

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    Bird61 Late afternoon in the Canal Cottage — we were packing up, scrubbing down kitchen cabinets, removing every trace of food (in an empty house any leftover crumb is a banquet invitation for those certain unlovely Florida insects), and generally working pretty hard to get ready to hit the road in a couple of days.  I went to the sink for a drink of water and saw this bird land on our dock.  (I thought it was some kind of  heron but on closer look I'm not sure.)

    Anyway, I grabbed the camera and ran outside.  Got a couple of pictures and followed him as he flew along the docks clear to the end of the Canal — snapping pictures the whole way. 

    Then I happened to look up and notice how pretty the sky was.  So I snapped a few pictures — like the one on the top of this post.

    Then I got to visiting with one of the neighbors — and when I looked up again, the sky looked like this:

    Evesky71

    By the time I went back indoors, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing when I went out.  It's a wonder we ever got away!

  • THE SURVIVOR

    SKYWATCH FRIDAY IS CELEBRATING AN ANNIVERSARY.  Click on the links and look up!

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    A while ago, we posted a picture of this bird (or one very like it) rat-a-tatting-on a metal lamp-post.  After that, we learned that the male woodpecker tries to make as much noise as possible to attract a mate.  I guess a metal post would help with that goal.   At any rate, the birds seem to have survived pounding their little bills against the metal and are happy now just working over the trees looking for dinner.

  • SUMMER MORNING

    This post is linked at SKYWATCH FRIDAY  .  Click for beautiful skies from everywhere. 

    Pictures from a quick walk around around Upriver RV Resort on a warm summer morning.  (And it IS summer, even if it doesn't officially start for a couple of weeks.)  

    The East Canal is the best place to watch the sun come up:

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    Half an hour later, over on the West Canal (where our cottage is),  the moon is still up:

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    Wp004 While over on South street, I am afraid that this woodpecker is already suffering from too much heat. 

    He pecked away at the metal lightpost while I took several pictures and showed no signs of stopping any time soon.    

    It was a lot of noise.  I hope he doesn't move over to our street.  I'll take our mockingbird alarm clock any day.

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  • WAKE-UP CALL, FLORIDA

    MORE MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY POSTS HERE  and also EVERY DAY LIFE which asks for a picture of a tree this week! 
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    In Oregon  LAST FALL and winter, we were wakened by the geese.  Here at Upriver, it is the mockingbirds.   A cheerful alarm clock and one that varies from day to day.

    N004o matter what they're copying, their song seems to say "All's right with the world!"

  • WEEKEND BIRDING

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    We weren't seriously birding last weekend — but here are a few of the birds we saw without really trying.

    Drive-by (or boat-by) birding!

    I need to take a Florida birding  class, but to the best of my knowledge these are:  little blue heron, cattle egret, sandhill crane, snowy egret, and osceola turkeys.  (These wild turkeys are more colorful than the kind we've seen in Oregon and elsewhere.  Their feathers are a burnished bronze color.). 

  • IN THE WOODS

    Here's part of our World right now.  For other's THAT'S MY WORLD POSTS CLICK ON THE BLUE.

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    THIS grasshopper02 THIS palmetto 12

    Boardwalk reflections

     

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    SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS … BUT IT ISN'T ALWAYS A WILDLY EXCITING SOMETHING.

    SOMETIMES WE CAN'T WAIT QUITE AS LONG IN THE WOODS AS THOREAU COULD!