Myakka River State Park is a wildlife and nature gem. Located in eastern Sarasota County, it is one of the largest parks in Florida with over 37,000 acres. The Myakka River flows through the park and creates a variety of lakes, ponds, and flooded marshlands. Because of the diverse terrain, the park is home to a huge variety of wildlife.
There are many types of migrating birds that spend the winter and spring months in the park including several species of waterfowl. It’s also a good place to find roseate spoonbills which are one of the most desired birds for photos in the state.
Roseate Spoonbill Flying By
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of the most striking birds that we see around here is the nanday parakeet. Their colors are absolutely amazing. On the neon green bodies is an entire palette of blue and purple accents. They also look like they’re wearing orange and yellow socks.
Unfortunately, despite their beauty, nandays are annoying because of their constant squawking which can get extremely loud. They can also quickly wipe out feeders.
Nanday Parakeet Perched on a Cedar Tree
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
It started off being a rather quiet year for waterfowl. No matter where we went in December and early January, the numbers seemed down from years past. But the last couple of weeks have changed everything. Not only have the number of ducks improved, but we found a couple of species that we hadn’t seen in our travels. Most notably is the northern pintail. We located a small nature preserve near Tampa Bay that the ducks liked. In addition to the pintails, we found northern shovelers, widgeons, and plenty of teal, including my favorite, a green-winged teal. Hopefully they’ll stick around for a few more weeks.
Male Northern Pintail Flying By
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Many owls now have little owlets. We visited a nest in west Bradenton recently and there were two new little great horned owls. There are a few other spots that we will check over the next few weeks. It’s always fun to see the little owls because they’re cute and curious.
Great Horned Owlets Snuggling in Their Nest
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Last week ended with a fantastic day photographing scissor-tailed flycatchers. These migrants travel all the way around the Gulf of America from Oklahoma and Texas to spend the winter here. They like open areas like farmland. We found them around the strawberry fields southeast of Tampa.
They are beautiful birds that are fun to watch as they fly from perches to snag insects out the air. Their long-forked tails make them incredibly agile. They can twist and turn performing quite a show when chasing bugs.
Over the past couple of years there have been numerous sightings even though they remain quite rare in this area.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with a Long Tail Sitting in a Tree
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
The area marshes have become vacation destinations for many migratory birds. Again, this year we have been so fortunate to see yellow-headed blackbirds and bronzed cowbirds, among the many species enjoying their temporary stays.
Another bird that has managed to work its way into the area from the southeastern part of the state is the grey-headed swamp hen. It’s a relative to the brilliant-colored purple gallinule. The swamp hens are also very colorful. They are actually native to Asia but found their way to south Florida about 30 years ago.
Grey-headed Swamphen Looking Out from the Reeds
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One bird that has become a favorite of photographers is a reddish egret. They are acrobatic feeders. There is one that people search for at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg. If you find a group of people in the tidal flats, you can generally figure that a reddish egret is the focus of their attention. They typically favor the pools along the beaches created by the receding tide where fish get trapped.
Recently we found one that was fishing shallow inland waters. He was alongside a large flock of white pelicans.
Reddish Egret Watching for Fish
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of the most cherished birds to photograph in Florida is the roseate spoonbill. The beautiful pink colors are always stunning to see. People from around the world visit Florida on photography tours just to see the spoonbills.
They are particularly colorful this time of year as breeding season is underway.
Roseate Spoonbill Looking for Food in a Shallow Pond
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
A few weeks ago, we headed out to look for owls. They are active now as the breeding season is underway. Our trip took us to the Sebring area and to Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County. We had success finding barred owls in both areas and also found a pair of great horned owls near Sebring. It was a fun day as the owls were very active which enabled us to get some rare flight pictures.
Barred Owl Taking Off from a Pine Tree
Our next photo shoot with the owls will surely include babies as many eggs have already hatched.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
The bald eagles are back, and nesting season has begun. Last week we headed to our favorite nest site and watched the eagles continue repairing and rebuilding their nest that blew down over the summer. When reports of the nest falling started rippling through the rumor mills, it was easy to wonder if the birds would abandon the site and move on to another location. If that happened, we would lose the best place photograph bald eagles in this area. But, thankfully, the eagles like the spot as much as we do!
So, the rebuilding has begun, and the nest is growing larger every day. It’s amazing to watch each bird disappear and then return with large sticks or Spanish moss. They build the nest layer by layer until it’s deep enough to handle 2 full grown eaglets. The nest will be active until spring when the eaglets are old enough to leave the nest on their own.
Bald Eagle Leaving the Nest for Repair Materials
Because this site is so accessible, it’s also very popular with photographers which means we get to reunite with friends we haven’t seen all summer.
Fall is here …. finally. The northern birds are beginning to arrive, and migrators are starting to travel through the area. The next 6 months are prime time for wildlife photography in Florida.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
The other day I was in our back yard with one of our little dogs when a large Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly landed on one of our bougainvillea bushes. My first reaction was “wow” the colors of the butterfly and the flowering shrub were amazing.
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Resting on a Bougainvillea Bush
Thankfully, the butterfly liked the pollen on the flowers and stayed long enough for me to run in the house, grab my camera and get some shots. This was one time when the image through the lens was every bit as good as the live image.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of the ecological issues in Florida that often goes underreported is the impact of non-native, invasive species on native wildlife populations. The one species that gets most of the airtime is the Burmese Python which has had a huge effect on the Everglades. But there are countless other animals that have been introduced to Florida due to the pet industry. Many species of birds, snakes and lizards have escaped captivity or simply been turned loose over the years and established their own permanent and growing populations.
There are many types of parrots and parakeets that continue to thrive in this tropical climate. One of my favorites to photograph is the Nanday Parakeet but they can become a real nuisance because they tend to roost in large numbers, and they are extremely noisy.
Another species that has recently been spotted in this area is the Common Myna. My friend Art Nadelman took me to see a pair that seem to have made Pinellas Park, FL their new home. They are pretty birds, but their reputation isn’t good.
Common Myna Searching Through the Grass
Mynas are native to southern Asia, but many have been sold as pets over the years. They are a member of the starling family so they’re clever and resourceful. Some figure out how to escape from their cages and then, if the climate is accommodating, they adapt to their new surroundings and begin to take over. It will be interesting to see how these birds change the environment in the Tampa area in the future.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
