This Red-bellied Woodpecker is enjoying the berries on a bush by the side of the road. He is named for the tinge of red on his belly - which I have yet to see. He is often misidentified as a Red-headed Woodpecker which has an all red head and solid black back.
Ding Darling is home to a large flock of White Pelicans. Their cousins, the Brown Pelicans, perform the wild aerobatics - diving head-first into the water - that visitors find so entertaining here in Florida. White Pelicans just kind of stand around in big groups looking pretty.
Loggerhead Shrikes are common around here. I like this picture because you can clearly see the hawk-like bill.
Another common Florida bird is the Osprey. They are large eagle-like birds and the only raptor that plunges feet-first into the water to snag fish. I usually see them flying overhead or sitting in a tree - so it was a treat to see this one standing in shallow water.
I love the profile of the Belted Kingfisher - his head looks too big for his body. He is sitting in a tree over-looking a large tidal pool deciding which fish he wants for lunch.
Little Blue Herons are fairly common near both fresh and salt water.
I think this is the rarer, slightly larger Reddish Egret, also part of the heron family.
Isn't this grumpy old man just wonderful? He is actually an immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron.
There was a large group of Pied-billed Grebes on the water but they did not want to be photographed and quickly swam away as I got closer.
I know these are just common Mourning Doves - but it is so rare to get a picture of them in a tree instead of on their usual perch - overhead wires. The nest-like mass on the limb is an air plant.
These two doves were singing love songs back and forth and did not seem to notice me.I saw several Roseate Spoonbills and an outstanding male Magnificent Frigatebird flying overhead - but did not get decent pictures of either. Maybe next time.
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