Snipe Hunting at Paynes Prairie

Today was rainy and overcast but Bill decided we should go ahead with a scheduled trip to Paynes Prairie anyway. I wasn't so sure but, once again, Bill knows best. We arrived just as the rain stopped and the birds came out. It wasn't the best light for pictures, but that didn't stop me!

All of the usual herons, egrets and ibises were in attendance including this Little Blue Heron.

Several Pied-billed Grebe swam among the alligators.

No Prairie blog would be complete without some Coots!

Bill was the first to spot the Wilson's Snipe.

He didn't seem to mind that I took lots of pictures.

I love that little bit of orange on his tail!

Fabulous coloring!!

He really blends in with his surroundings - much like the bitterns that we occasionally see here.

Take a close look at this Blue Heron's profile. There is a Green Heron in the background.

He looks like he still has his breeding feathers.

I always love the Belted Kingfishers! This one was especially beautiful and one of the few birds where the female has more color than the male.

Another regular - a Snowy Egret and, yes, that is an alligator in the background. We saw hundreds of alligators and most were huge - over 12 feet. Where's Troy and Lizbeth?

We saw lots of sparrows flitting around in the bushes. They rarely stay still long enough for a decent picture, but this Savannah Sparrow was cooperative.

One of the resident hawks - I assume it's a Red-shouldered as they are the most common here in Florida.

Bill trekked ahead with the camera to try and get a shot of a huge frog several people told us about. No frog, but check out the head-dress on this kingfisher. This must be the male.

Bill specializes in headless armadillos. He tried to catch up with it, but the armadillo was too quick.

I spotted him on his way back.

This is a juvenile male Red-winged Blackbird.

And, of course, this is a male Cardinal. They were everywhere.

My new favorite bird - a gorgeous White-crowned Sparrow.

Why does this remind me of Christmas?

As we were leaving, these two Bald Eagles stood guard at the highway. Despite the lack of sun, we had a great time and will return again soon!

Saint Marks II

Another view of the St. Marks Lighthouse.

According to what I've read online about the lighthouse, it is still being used but I saw no signs to confirm that. I understand it is open to the public once a year.

The Water Lilies were in full bloom on all of the numerous ponds. We kept looking for the frogs that we could hear croaking thinking one of them sitting on a lily pad would make a great picture - but no such luck.

The Pied-billed Grebes were well represented...

as were the Scaups. I believe this is a Greater Scaup, which we don't usually see here in Florida. You can just barely see the green sheen on the head. His bill is blueish.

We had to stop the car and wait for this Black Snake to pass. He wasn't in any hurry so I got out and took a picture. The little no-seeum bugs were biting like crazy and we had to cover ourselves with bug spray. In addition, the mosquitoes were making their spring appearance. We all have numerous bites.

I think this a Rat Snake. He has a full belly and was trying to climb up the side of the lighthouse, but was too heavy.

There were several groups of what I think are Savannah Sparrows (just a hint of yellow over the eye) along the road looking for insects. They were not eating them fast enough!

The Bald Eagle on the left is probably 3 to 4 years old as there is very little brown mixed with the white on his head and tail
.

The Cattle Egrets are really cute with their puffy pink heads.

In Colorado we see (and hear!) the Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. This is a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They move quickly and when the sun catches their neck feathers - they flash bright red. It's really hard for me to get a decent picture showing the quick flash of red.

This is probably the best picture of the bunch.

Our Belted Kingfisher was once again sitting by the road...

having a bad hair day.

St. Marks NWR

The town of St. Marks is 3 plus hours North and West of Ocala, 17 miles South of Tallahassee and home to the St. Marks National Wildlife Preserve. We stayed in an Art-Deco Bed and Breakfast "Sweet Magnolia Inn" with a "get-comfortable-and-help-yourself" relaxed style. The Inn-keepers, Andy and his wife Denise, were great hosts - making breakfast to order and visiting over wine and munchies in the evenings.

 But our destination was the huge - 68,000 acres - National Wildlife Preserve just down Route 98. The entrance is a beautiful seven-mile drive to the St. Marks lighthouse and the preserve is home to many species of migratory birds.

The Saint Marks Lighthouse

We saw Bald Eagles all three days we visited. One of the volunteers told us there are 23 nesting pairs in the park. The light was not great for pictures - but I took lots and lots anyway.

I love these Cattle Egrets with their pink blush indicating they are ready and willing to begin mating.

Boat-tailed Grackles were everywhere.

We saw many kinds of shore birds and ducks. This is a Laughing Gull sporting his mating plumage with the black head.

The Great Blue Herons are always fun to photograph. They stay still - unlike the little birds.

The Thistle were blooming along the road and I was surprised to see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower showing off their bright red throats when the sun hit them just right. I really tried to get a great picture - showing the whole bird AND the beautiful flower AND his ruby-red throat, but it was a chore! I have a couple of so-so sucesses that I will share in future blogs.

The Red-winged Blackbirds were also everywhere - making lots of noise.

One of my favorites - a Belted Kingfisher. It may look like he has two eyes on the side - but the one closer to his spectacular beak is a white spot.

The State Bird of Florida is the Mockingbird - and they were well represented in the park.

The Wisteria was blooming - everywhere. Bill took this picture in the parking lot of the Sweet Magnolia Inn. Ocala is too far south for Wisteria, so we were thrilled when we realized our short trip to the Forgotten Coast coincided with the plant's short blooming cycle.

Sunday Drive

We have lots of American Goldfinches in our backyard. They aren't very colorful this time of year.

We took a ride out to Cedar Key for some of Tony's famous clam chowder. It was beyond delicious! Afterwards, we drove around the island where I spotted this Belted Kingfisher sitting by the Gulf. I've been trying to get a decent picture of this bird for several years - but they never sit still long enough. This one did. It's funny because my sister (http://quilterb-bethsblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/finally-kingfisher.html) just took some fabulous pictures of the same bird.

This one must be a male as I don't see a brown stripe.

This pier has seen better days but the many birds didn't care. I just think it's a neat picture.