Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Florida Wildlife

University of Florida
The University of Florida is recognized as one of the top public universities in the country. It’s also known for its highly successful athletic programs. But this year, UF also had the distinction of being home to a rare yellow cardinal.
Yellow Cardinal Resting in a Willow Tree
According to most data, there are an estimated 15 million cardinals in the eastern US. But there are only a reported 10-15 yellow cardinals in that group. So, finding a yellow cardinal is literally a one-in-a-million opportunity. This year one has been living in the natural area teaching lab off Natural Area Drive. People have been traveling from all parts of Florida to find this rare bird. Thanks to some help from others, we were fortunate to find him, but he was difficult to catch out in the open. He liked the willow shrubs and often stayed in the interior areas of the shrubs making photography very challenging.
We were also lucky enough to find a ruby-throated hummingbird nest with eggs. The female would fly off and return frequently.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Female Resting on Her Nest
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Songbirds
- Hummingbirds
June 1, 2022
Circle B Bar Reserve
One of the most popular destinations in Florida for photographers, birders, hikers, and families is Circle B Bar Reserve just outside of Lakeland. It’s a fantastic place to see amazing wildlife while walking some lengthy trails. The park is located along the western side of Lake Hancock. The terrain varies widely from swampy water areas with small lakes to hardwood hammocks with huge oaks.
Great Blue Heron Standing in the Sunlight
The park is a relatively short drive from the Orlando area, so it gets many tourists in the winter, especially during spring breaks. They realize there is no reason to pay a lot of money to go to an alligator farm because when the weather is warm you can count on seeing plenty of gigantic gators at Circle B for free.
For more information about the park, check out the link below.
- Circle B Bar Reserve (polknature.com)
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Herons
- Other Water Birds
May 31, 2022
Lakeland Area
As the “snowbird” season comes to an end in Florida, we wanted to try and photograph a few waterfowl species before they begin or continue their journeys north. One of the species that spends time here is the ruddy duck. We’ve photographed the attractive little ducks in the past, but we’re always on a mission to find that perfect shot. So, we headed to Lakeland where we have always found ruddy ducks in the past. We follow the recent sightings from birders on Cornell University’s website so we knew the ducks were still in the area from several reports. As luck would have it, they chose a different lake that day!
But all was not lost. This day turned out to be one of the best days we’ve ever had for wood ducks. We saw almost 30, and many were just perched and preening in the morning sun. Their colors are simply amazing. Other birds that settled on or around the lake that day included mallards, ring-necked ducks, mute swans, black swans, lesser scaup, and a large flock of white pelicans.
Wood Duck Male Resting on a Wall
The male pelicans were hilariously courting the females by cruising around the lake with their wings lifted over their backs.
White Pelican Male with a Wings Up Pose
Here is a link to Cornell’s website which is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in birds.
- eBird – Discover a new world of birding…
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
May 30, 2022
Sebring Area
Sebring, Florida is known for its famous Sebring Raceway and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Racers from all around the world just descended on the small city of 10,000 people to drive in the annual event. The race is part of the prestigious IMSA sports car series.
Sebring is surrounded by thousands of acres of agricultural land including citrus groves, blueberry farms and cattle pastures. It’s a great area to see many different species of wildlife, especially crested caracaras.
Orange Tree With New Blossoms and Fruit From the Last Crop
On a recent visit we enjoyed the fragrant blossoms of citrus trees that were flowering with oranges still on the stems. And we were also successful in finding caracaras. One juvenile bird stayed within 30 feet of us as he tried to figure out how to carry away an armadillo carcass. He finally gave up and flew off but not before giving some nice photo opportunities.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Crested Caracaras
May 29, 2022
River Ranch
From March to September, Florida is the summer home to swallow-tailed kites. Hopefully, I’ll be writing about some great photo opportunities over the coming months. We began seeing these incredible birds around the end of February, so we decided to take a drive to an area that is known to have a decent population.
KICCO Wildlife Management Area is located about 30 miles east of Lake Wales. The Florida National Scenic Trail cuts through the WMA. The Florida Trail is 1 of only 11 Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails in the country, and 1 of 3 contained entirely within a single state. The trail is currently about 1,500 miles long and winds its way across Florida from Big Cypress National Preserve in the south to Gulf Islands National Seashore in the western end of Florida’s panhandle. We did see 4 of the prized kites but they were sailing around above us while we were under the tree canopy, so we didn’t get any good photos.
Eastern Phoebe Perched on a Branch
Follow the link to learn more about KICCO WMA.
- KICCO Wildlife Management Area | FWC (myfwc.com)
May 28, 2022
Baby Sandhill Cranes
Again, this year, we had a pair of sandhill cranes nest right around the corner from our house. The eggs finally hatched and there are now 2 new crane “colts” enjoying the neighborhood. The cranes chose to build their nest by a pond that they used 2 years ago. Luckily it was in a spot that was easy to see and photograph. The images I shot were right after the first egg hatched. The colt was less than a day old. The second egg hatched the next day and within another couple of days the family had moved on.
Female Sandhill Crane Nudges Her New Chick
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Cranes and Storks
May 28, 2022
Okeechobee
A few weeks ago, we took a long ride down by Lake Okeechobee to look for a couple of rare birds for our region. They had been sighted at a campground on the south end of Lake Okeechobee. On the ride over we spotted a bald eagle with opossum roadkill for breakfast, and we were able to get some good shots. Further along, there was a species of game bird that has adapted to the south Florida habitat and is now beginning to build a population. The bird is a red-legged partridge, and it is very colorful. Like grouse and quail, it likes the ground and would rather run than fly. We were fortunate to see several that popped out of the grass and ran along a dirt road.
Red-legged Partridge Walks Along the Edge of a Road
Our destination ended up being a bust. The two species we were hoping to find didn’t show. So, the 2-plus hour drive through citrus groves and sugar cane fields was salvaged by the eagle, the partridge and a tom turkey that was fanning for a harem of hens in a field. Sometimes the journey is better than the destination.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Bald Eagles
- Other Birds
May 28, 2022
More Scrub Jays
We recently ventured out to nearby nature preserve which has a large stand of scrub oaks. In Florida, when you find sizable areas of scrub oaks, you may find Florida scrub jays. They are very sociable and curious and tend to travel in family groups. Scrub jays can be very approachable which makes them a fun species to photograph. Their bright blue and gray markings are beautiful. It’s always a treat to find them because there are so few around. They are only found in Florida. The Federal Endangered Species Act lists them as threatened.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Florida Scrub Jays
April 30, 2022
The Notorious Deep Hole
Florida is known for alligators. Many people think of the Everglades as the foremost destination for seeing alligators. But if you live in or are visiting the southwest part of the state, there is no need to travel any further than Sarasota County to see lots of large gators.
Large Group of Alligators Resting Along the Bank of a Pond
One amazing place is in a remote section of Myakka River State Park called the Deep Hole. The pond was supposedly created by a sink hole and is estimated to be over 100 feet deep. A special pass is required to visit the Deep Hole and only 30 passes are distributed every day.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Animals
February 18, 2022
Polk County Florida Gem

Circle B Bar Reserve is a Polk County park located just a few miles southeast of Lakeland, FL on Lake Hancock. There are numerous trails that traverse the park through a variety of habitats from hardwood forests to swamp. Be prepared for tired feet because many of the journeys are long. The park is also home to Polk Nature Discovery Center which is a very nice museum with lots of helpful local information.
House Wren Pops Out of Cover
Depending on the time of year, you can see many very large alligators along a trail aptly named Alligator Alley. While alligators are the main attraction, the number of species of wildlife in the park is amazing. It is a destination for many photography tours.
Purple Gallinule Stepping Across a Log in the Water

February 17, 2022
Rare Bird Sighting
Every year we see or hear about a variety of rare birds in Florida. It almost always happens during migrations. This year has brought us a Calliope Hummingbird which is native to the far western United States. According to Audubon, it is the smallest bird in North America. The bird we saw was either female or an immature male as the adult males have beautiful purple stripes on their throats.
Calliope Hummingbird Female in a Live Oak Tree
This bird was visiting feeders with several ruby-throated hummingbirds at a residence east of Tampa. Fortunately, the homeowner is a bird watcher who was happy to let us try to photograph the rare sighting.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Hummingbirds
February 16, 2022
Lake Morton Waterfowl
Lakeland, FL is aptly named with over 30 lakes within the city limits. The best lake for photography always seems to be Lake Morton. It’s famous for its population of swans. But the main reason we like Lake Morton is for the wood ducks and several migrating ducks that visit every year. It’s a nice easy walk of about 1 mile to go completely around the lake. But it can take over an hour because of all the photo opportunities.
Mallard Drake Resting Peacefully with His Head Tucked Under His Wing
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
February 15, 2022

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