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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A duck that is common in our area but seldom seen in the rest of the country other than southern Texas and southern Arizona is the black-bellied whistling duck. A few things make them easy to identify in the air. First is their distinctive call. They sound much like a wood duck with more of a crying sound than a quack. Next is their large white patch on their wings. The patches are easy to see because their wing beat is much slower than a typical duck. With most other ducks, males are typically more colorful, especially in winter and spring before mating season. However male and female whistling ducks look alike.
Most whistling ducks don’t usually migrate. They may travel out of the area for short periods of time but generally remain nearby. Like wood ducks, whistling ducks may sit above ground in trees. We’ve even seen them perched on telephone lines. They are easy to approach which can be detrimental. It’s not uncommon to see bald eagles carrying them back to their nests to feed their young.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
Summer is beginning to wind down for many, including wildlife. It seems in Florida that summer is the time to catch up with things like editing and organizing photos and finishing projects that need to be done around the house. While summer is generally quieter for wildlife photography, there are species that we only see from March to August.
The swallow-tail kite is a magnificent bird that migrates from South America in the spring to breed in Florida. Their diet consists mostly of insects although they also eat lizards and small snakes. They are about the same size as a red-tailed hawk but what makes them so spectacular is their flying skill. They can capture dragonflies out of the air. I was fortunate to witness one take a dragonfly off the tip of a bush in our back yard. I noticed movement in the air and when I looked, the kite had swooped down and picked off the dragonfly and slapped the top of the shrub with its tail just a few feet from where I was standing. Of course, my camera was INSIDE the house. Aargh!! Yet another missed opportunity. Sadly, they are leaving the area now ahead of hurricane season.
Other birds that are non-migratory are often more visible during the summer months because of breeding activity. Sometimes we see odd behaviors and unusual sights like a bobwhite quail singing from a pine tree.
All species of birds of prey nest at different times of the year. Eagles start in late fall / early winter and are followed by owls and hawks that typically nest in early spring. In late spring the ospreys breed while summer is the time for kestrels, kites and caracaras.
The good news is that we’re heading toward the best time of the year for birding in Florida. The fall migration is near. Many birds will be arriving for the winter while others will be stopping over on their way further south. From October through April, the state transforms into a sanctuary for so many different species.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
It’s always a thrill to see a Crested Caracara. They are a Federally designated threatened species so sightings are not real common. Caracaras are usually only found in parts of Florida, Texas and Arizona in the United States. Their range is mainly in Mexico, Cuba and Central America.
They feed on dead animals like vultures but will also eat insects, frogs, snakes and other small birds. When they’re not scavenging, they like to sit on fence posts or in tall trees. Their vision and sense of smell are amazing. They are normally not real wary so if you do find them at a reasonably close distance, getting a good photo is possible.
Recently we were fortunate to come across two perched atop utility poles in a pasture in rural Sarasota County. When we stopped to watch, one cooperated by flying towards us and landing in the field. It walked around the field for several minutes searching for a small animal or likely a nest of meadowlark eggs. A few minutes later the other spotted something and flew and landed 20 feet in front of me. It found a dead meadowlark. It eventually picked up the carcass and flew off to join the other caracara.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of my favorite photo destinations is Lakeland, FL. As the name implies, Lakeland is a city of lakes. According to recent data, there are 38 named lakes in the city. Lakeland is famous for its population of mute swans that are descendants of a pair of swans given to the city by Queen Elizabeth in the 1950s.
On our last visit we encountered the swans on their nests. Many were incubating eggs while some little cygnets had already hatched and were kept protected in enclosures. There were still many ducks around including wood ducks, ring-necked ducks, mallards and ruddy ducks. I had not seen a male ruddy duck for many years. A few white pelicans were also cruising the lake.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
During one of our recent visits to Fort DeSoto State Park in St. Petersburg, we saw several types of shore birds. Some live in this area all year while a few are just temporary residents until returning to distant nesting grounds. The whimbrel is one of the birds that migrates here from way up north along the arctic waters.
Another shore bird that travels long distances between their winter getaways and their arctic nesting homes is the Ruddy Turnstone. An interesting fact about turnstones is that there are only 2 species of turnstones in the world, and both live in North America.
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
One of my favorite butterflies is a zebra longwing. It is the official state butterfly of Florida. Unlike other butterflies that dart around, the zebra longwing seems to fly slower and is more graceful which may be just an illusion because of their stripe pattern. Zebra longwings are fairly large butterflies which can grow to 4 inches. The are typically not found north of Florida and they can also be seen in south Texas.
An interesting fact about the zebra longwing is that it is the only butterfly that feeds on pollen in addition to flower nectar. This allows them to live longer than other butterflies.