Birds at Circle B Bar Reserve

Little blue heron in green (with a small blue dragonfly buzzing over him).


Black bellied whistling duck was giving me the eye. They should be called Pink feet whistling ducks.


Male anhinga drying off after a swim for food.

Purple gallinule trying to hide. This is my first picture of this bird. They are beautiful with their purple feathers and red beak with a yellow tip. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of his big bright yellow feet. They are very skittish and he kept trying to go deeper in the grass. I didn't want to spook him so I left him with only the above picture.

Last weekend I made a trip to Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland. I hadn't been there in a while and was curious to see what was still hanging around the park now that the heat had set in. It was so hot, even early in the morning. I had heard it was alligator mating season and to be careful of them but I only saw one small alligator. The bigger ones must be deep in the cooler water now. The park was full of dragonflies and butterflies (pictures of them coming) and you could hear frogs croaking all over. There was only a handful of birds there. Now that all of the wintering birds and pelicans are gone it seemed a little empty in the park. It's still an amazing place though and I'll probably go back several times this summer even though I swear I won't until at least October.

Yes, it's baby swan season.

A recent trip to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park produced another beautiful swan family. There were 3 siblings in all. They were so graceful following mom up and down the skinny river that runs through the park. Right before I left, I checked on them and they had plopped down for an afternoon nap. I'm now on a quest to get some pictures of baby swans when they are a little older to watch them grow up.

It Was The . . . Of Times

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." -- Charles John Huffam Dickens, English novelist (1812 - 1870)

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

The unfathomable worst of times from the British Petroleum ecological disaster remains uncertain before the coastal states bordering the Gulf of Mexico as oil is spread over and under a large expanse of the massive body of water.

Solutions to the unfolding epic disaster with the difficulty in capping an oil well gushing its bounty a mile below the water's surface has amazingly been met with opposition from environmentalist organizations at seemingly every turn.

The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

While listening to George Noory on Coast to Coast radio this past week I was entertained with the mention of the conspiracy theory involving international intrigue in the sinking of the oil drilling platform in the northwest portion of the gulf when a couple of days later it was mentioned in conventional news that there was a natural gas build-up in the well that typically causes problems for the safety of drilling rigs and their personnel.

As of this writing, the state of Louisiana has been most adversely impacted with oil on 100 miles its coastline while President Obama's recent commentary has been to "plug the damn hole," with that specific effort ongoing.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

A chilly May in California has been countered by a warm Florida with welcome conditions locally here after such a long cold winter.

Most recently I have spent much time at Lakes Regional Park in Fort Myers, Florida, capturing wildlife imagery that will hopefully continue unabated at favored coastal venues.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

This is the first season I have taken the opportunity to spend extensive time at Lakes Park with the purpose of wildlife observation and photography specifically with hopes of observing the introduced and/or escaped Scarlet Ibis.

Earlier this year there was an extraordinary drop in the temperature for an extended period causing a fish kill in many of Florida's lakes including that at Lakes Park.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

The numerous birds present at the time were not able to stave off reports of the stench of the overabundance of the food source while I never experienced the sensory discomfort even during a visit to Lakes Park when fish littered the surface of the park's man-made lake.

The morning of 26 May 2010 at Lakes Park seemed favorable for viewing of the final return of space shuttle Atlantis as a high altitude east/west contrail was observed immediately upon arrival at the park.

The Red-winged Blackbird chasing an American Crow above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I thought the shuttle might have such a vapor trail if it were to fly miles overhead which would make it easy to spot.

A helicopter made a seemingly security flight over the area, but the only evidence of Atlantis was made a few minutes before its landing at Cape Canaveral with the claps of the sonic boom heard.

The Green Heron above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

The bird activity at Lakes Park has been rewarding while I've had the opportunity to continue to practice capturing flight shots of the larger and less frequently smaller species of birds that will readily be seen in the area through the summer.

My most recent sighting of the Killdeer was reminiscent of my April sighting of the Least Sandpiper at Lakes Park, both seemingly out of place on "the beach" adjacent to the south concession area with both birds seemingly exhibiting nesting or merely resting behavior.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Both of these species are much more commonly seen at the gulf beaches and coastal bay shores.

This past week allowed my meeting of wildlife enthusiasts that I have seen with frequency at Lakes Park including Georgia and Kevin.

The Killdeer above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Georgia had commented to me that she was a participant in the recent Lee County birdpatrol count of birds while canoeing within the northern portion of Lakes Park on Wednesday and had not seen the Scarlet Ibis which I have been diligently seeking to take a better photograph of after two prior sightings at this venue.

Kevin, whom volunteers for local birding clubs, had earlier told me that there was the possibility that the activity of the birdpatrol might flush some birds our way though there was no out of the ordinary observation made.

Kevinn Fung above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I had told him of the reading I had made earlier at the blog of Rich Leighton where a child astoundingly throws stones into the area of birds at rest where the kid is noted as saying to his observer that it helps his dad take a better photograph.

In anticipation of a sighting of the Scarlet Ibis this week, there was also the normal observation of the traditional birds of the area.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

With great fortune I was able to observe the Scarlet Ibis for the first time since May 1st.

The bird regrettably was seen from a much greater distance than I would have liked as it appeared to be flying toward the area of Estero Lagoon.

The Scarlet Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

What has made the sighting more exciting for me is that a Lakes Park employee told me this past week that he has only observed the Scarlet Ibis five times in the past four years although he conceded that he doesn't look for it.

It is known that the Scarlet Ibis when it breeds with the White Ibis will likely produce pink offspring (due to dominant genes).

The Scarlet Ibis hybrid with White Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I believe I made the observation of a descendant of a Scarlet Ibis hybrid that may have bred with the White Ibis as the particular ibis seen had distinctive pink feathers on its back and neck.

Without question the most common bird species at Lakes Park is the White Ibis.

The Swallow-tailed Kite above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Other species of bird I observed and photographed this past week will ultimately be viewable in my pbase photo gallery highlighting Lakes Park as well as in species specific galleries.

This is a must see venue if you are ever in the area.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I saw for the first time this past week a vehicle parked at the Summerlin Road trailhead entrance to Lakes Park which offers easy access to a different wildlife experience within the venue.

Be warned that the Lakes Park access on Summerlin Road is at a potentially very busy intersection with seemingly dangerous parking accommodations.

Cardinals outside my window

Sunday morning my hubby yells "I just saw a flash of red flying in front of the window". I looked outside and there was a cardinal family on the ground looking for food in our backyard. I grabbed my camera and was able to get a couple of snaps before they moved on. They did not stay very long. The first picture is of a baby just learning to fly. It looked pretty scrawny and it's beak is still a dark color. Based on the dark red coming out on the head and the sides it may be a male. The second is the mom. She's got the orange/red beak and red tail. The last is of the dad with a snack in his beak. Some sort of bug. Again, why does the male bird always look prettier than the female bird???

Manatees at Homosassa Springs

A great place to see manatees up close is Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. The water is crystal clear. There are several manatees that live at the park. There's an observation deck that you can walk around over the water and see the manatees swimming by. The water there stays warm all year round so I'll have to go back in the winter. There's a boardwalk over the river that runs outside the park where the wild manatees congregate in the winter. I've heard you can see hundreds of them huddled together. Mullet fish were jumping non-stop. We only get an occasional jump in the channel behind our house. Here they were jumping constantly. I finally got a picture of one in mid-air.

Birds at Homosassa Springs

Male wood duck with reflection.

Great egret missing a foot. He must be a permanent resident.

Great blue heron looking for food.

Pileated woodpecker high up in the tree.

Last weekend I took a trip up north (north of Hillsborough county) to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. I had not been there in at least 25 years. When I was younger growing up in Birmingham, my family used to drive down to visit my grandparents and we always stopped here for a rest. The front entrance building looks exactly the same. I didn't remember much about the inside of the park. It's a small park but there's tons of wildlife. There's a river that runs through most of the park with birds everywhere. There's permanently injured residents as well as wild birds that stop by for food. It's also a great place to see manatees up close. I have pictures of those coming up later.

Baby blue herons at work

Several months ago I was walking over to the cafeteria at work (we have 52 acres on the property) and I saw a handful of yellow crowned night herons hanging out in the pine trees up against one of the buildings. They were building nests! I kept thinking I need to bring my good camera to work to get some pictures but at the time you could just see the tops of the mom's heads on the nests. There were 12 nests in all over a few weeks. Now several months later I noticed some of the babies getting bigger and finally brought my camera in to get some pictures now that you can see the babies sitting outside of the nest. The sad part of the story is out of the 12 nests only 3 were productive. Blackbirds have been attacking the nests and fighting with the night herons over the eggs. Coworkers have told me stories of being close by and hearing load screaming going on between the two species. There are lots of broken eggs on the ground. As of this date we have one nest with 3 big babies, one nest with 2 babies and one nest with a mom still sitting on hopefully eggs.

It's funny how different the babies look from their parents. The morning I took the above pictures there were no parents around the nests. I'm sure they were close by getting food. The babies start out brown and spotted and later turn grey with dark grey and yellow on the head. On the way from work on the same day, the below night heron was sitting on a utility line on my street so you can see what the adult looks like.

Florida Burrowing Owl Progeny

With great enjoyment, I have been studying the Florida Burrowing Owl since my first discovery of it in late February 2010.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

My observations have been at Cape Coral Library and the area immediately to its south from the intersections of Mohawk Parkway and Skyline Boulevard.

I have learned that this species of bird is also known as Ground Owl among other names.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

Behavior that I have read where the owl (typically male) will fly to heights of 100 feet or more above the ground has never been seen among the dozen or so birds I've been watching.

I suspect that this behavior is more common in the Burrowing Owl species of western North America.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

David Sibley has written that there is vagrant overlap of both species along the Atlantic coast.

While there has been the opportunity for me to make nearly 40 hours of close observation thus far, I have only observed the fledglings of the Florida Burrowing Owl for the first time this past week.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

The burrow I had first seen owlets at was one I had not studied at all due to the overgrowth of weeds for photography although had seen the presence of the adults there in passing on a few occasions (just north of Cape Coral Parkway).

I have also observed Burrowing Owl fledglings at the burrow I have photographed mating activity numerous times in the past few months.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

I took the opportunity to make a video with the 5dm2 of the fledglings as they made their way from a burrow when an adult gave the "all clear" signal at the burrow appropriate for the occasion.

The camera was set up to offer some interesting action where the adult fed the first out of the burrow an ant and apparently was teaching burrowing behavior to its young.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

When I had approached within 100 feet of the burrow, the fledglings made a beeline for safety and later returned to the car and drove by at much closer range with all five of the fledglings back in the open.

On an earlier visit to the area for owl study it was interesting to watch a pair of owls at another burrow that seemed to be somewhat behind in their next generation though I observed the interesting behavior of one owl preening the other.

The Burrowing Owl with Halloween Pennant above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

A Halloween Pennant was a surprise to be presented from one mate to another.

The food items favored by the Burrowing Owl observed thus far have included ants (taken at the entrance to the burrow), a grasshopper, Halloween Pennant, and a worm.

The owls are also known to favor rodents so a small rabbit seen in the area is not given much chance of survival.

This species is very reliable for study if you have the chance to visit.

Baby birds at the zoo

Great egret bringing a stick to the nest.


Baby blue heron.

Two baby blue herons with mom.

Another nest with mom feeding 3 baby blues.

Two baby blue heron siblings.

Lowry Park zoo is now full of wild baby birds in the trees around the alligator exhibit. The great egrets are high up in the trees so it's hard to see the babies, although you can hear them crying for food. The palm trees around the edge of the alligator exhibit are full of blue heron nests. The fuzzy white birds are so cute at this age. They are all trying to walk around and flap their wings.
I saw some snowy egrets building nests as well as one spoonbill so I'm going to try and get back there in a couple of weeks.