The bill is a little longer and slightly turned up. The chest is stripped. Yep, I'm pretty sure it is a Greater.
Beautiful bird in his summer plumage.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Greater Yellowlegs
Bill and I had quite an adventure at Harns Marsh yesterday - but more on that in a future post. This is a Greater Yellowlegs - at least I THINK it is Greater (as opposed to Lesser).
The bill is a little longer and slightly turned up. The chest is stripped. Yep, I'm pretty sure it is a Greater.
Beautiful bird in his summer plumage.
The bill is a little longer and slightly turned up. The chest is stripped. Yep, I'm pretty sure it is a Greater.Beautiful bird in his summer plumage.
Bald Eagle at Babcock-Webb
We stopped for a little birding on our way south to our condo in Fort Myers where we are anxiously awaiting my sister's arrival. The Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area has a short road along the lake where you can drive past camping areas, fairly clean bathrooms and lots of trees.
We didn't see many birds - maybe because this beautiful Bald Eagle, and another juvenile were in the area. This picture made the stop worthwhile (well, this and the bathrooms).
We didn't see many birds - maybe because this beautiful Bald Eagle, and another juvenile were in the area. This picture made the stop worthwhile (well, this and the bathrooms).
Thursday, April 12, 2012
OTOW Unique Birders Go Up the River
The OTOW Unique Birders, led by head birder Margitta, car pooled to the Moss Bluff boat ramp where we met Captain Vince Druding to board our pontoon boat for a trip up the Ocklawaha River.
The Ocklawaha River watershed covers 2,769 square miles from Polk County to the St. Johns River. It is divided into the Upper Ocklawaha River, Lower Ocklawaha River, and Orange Creek sub-basins. The Upper and Lower sections are divided by the dam and lock in the background.
It's nesting time for the herons and egrets. These Great Egret parents were taking turns tending to their hungry babies.
Aren't they just the cutest babies you ever saw? Their beaks look too big for their little faces but they'll grow into them.
The river was a scenic path through the river shed habitats.
The birds were beautiful. Check out the breeding plumage on the Great Egret parent as it checks on the fuzzy balls in the nest.
A great deal of time is spent preening.
But the results are worth it!
Off he goes for more food for his hungry family.
We also saw Great Blue Herons.
and Anhinga families.
The Anhinga babies.
We saw this Great Egret and because his beak is darker than the others, there was some speculation it might be a White Great Blue Heron.
But looking closer, it was just a Great Egret; his legs are black, he has a smaller bill and no head plumes.
Osprey were everywhere. The first time I got a picture of an Osprey with a fish in his talons, I thought it was really original. Now I realize that there are fish in most of my Osprey pictures.
...but not all.
This is a Red-wing Blackbird. Most of the adult males had bright red on their wings. This one must be a juvenile.
The sun was shining on this male Boat-tailed Grackle showing his beautiful colors.
This is the female Boat-tailed Grackle.
We saw both Turkey Vultures and this Black Vulture.
The wild flowers lined the banks of the river and attracted loads of butterflies.
They were beautiful!
After our trip we had lunch at the Dam Diner and tallied our bird count. We saw 22 different kinds of birds. Great trip - thanks Margitta!
The Ocklawaha River watershed covers 2,769 square miles from Polk County to the St. Johns River. It is divided into the Upper Ocklawaha River, Lower Ocklawaha River, and Orange Creek sub-basins. The Upper and Lower sections are divided by the dam and lock in the background.
It's nesting time for the herons and egrets. These Great Egret parents were taking turns tending to their hungry babies.
Aren't they just the cutest babies you ever saw? Their beaks look too big for their little faces but they'll grow into them.
The river was a scenic path through the river shed habitats.
The birds were beautiful. Check out the breeding plumage on the Great Egret parent as it checks on the fuzzy balls in the nest.
A great deal of time is spent preening.
But the results are worth it!
Off he goes for more food for his hungry family.
We also saw Great Blue Herons.
and Anhinga families.
The Anhinga babies.
We saw this Great Egret and because his beak is darker than the others, there was some speculation it might be a White Great Blue Heron.
But looking closer, it was just a Great Egret; his legs are black, he has a smaller bill and no head plumes.
Osprey were everywhere. The first time I got a picture of an Osprey with a fish in his talons, I thought it was really original. Now I realize that there are fish in most of my Osprey pictures.
...but not all.
This is a Red-wing Blackbird. Most of the adult males had bright red on their wings. This one must be a juvenile.
The sun was shining on this male Boat-tailed Grackle showing his beautiful colors.
This is the female Boat-tailed Grackle.
We saw both Turkey Vultures and this Black Vulture.
The wild flowers lined the banks of the river and attracted loads of butterflies.
They were beautiful!After our trip we had lunch at the Dam Diner and tallied our bird count. We saw 22 different kinds of birds. Great trip - thanks Margitta!
Monday, April 2, 2012
One Block Wonder
Another finished quilt top! This one was really fun and unlike other One Block Wonders I've done. These are MY colors!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
OTOW Unique Birders
On Thursday, the OTOW Unique Birders met at the H & R parking lot at 7:30 AM to carpool to the Withlacoochee Bay Trail where we began scanning for birds around 9:00.
There was a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk waiting in the parking area, welcoming us.
Once we all assembled and started on the 4+ mile drive, he left.
The Cardinals were out in numbers!
One of the first birds we spotted along the trail was this beautiful Brown Thrasher. I also saw what I believe was a Summer Tanager - but did not get a picture good enough to post. Others in our group reported hearing its song, so I'm fairly confident in my identification.
Along the bank of the river, Fiddler Crabs played in the mud. This one was giving us the claw.
We saw several Bald Eagles - but this was the only one close enough for a decent picture.
One of a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers.
The State Bird - Mockingbird.
Several Brown Pelicans flew by for pictures.
And a large flock of White Pelicans flew overhead.
As we rounded the turn to head back, this snake blocked the road.
I heard one birder say it was a Water Snake and another was sure it was a Corn Snake. He sure was a pretty brown!
There was a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk waiting in the parking area, welcoming us.
Once we all assembled and started on the 4+ mile drive, he left.
The Cardinals were out in numbers!
One of the first birds we spotted along the trail was this beautiful Brown Thrasher. I also saw what I believe was a Summer Tanager - but did not get a picture good enough to post. Others in our group reported hearing its song, so I'm fairly confident in my identification.
Along the bank of the river, Fiddler Crabs played in the mud. This one was giving us the claw.
We saw several Bald Eagles - but this was the only one close enough for a decent picture.
One of a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers.
The State Bird - Mockingbird.
Several Brown Pelicans flew by for pictures.
And a large flock of White Pelicans flew overhead.
As we rounded the turn to head back, this snake blocked the road.
I heard one birder say it was a Water Snake and another was sure it was a Corn Snake. He sure was a pretty brown!
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