Eagle is back!

Until this morning, I had not seen the eagles in the nest for almost 2 weeks. Considering the conditions in the water around here, it had me worried. So, it was great to see at least one of them in the nest early this morning.

Big Turtle and Big Bird

Sometimes a drive through Ding isn’t necessary in order to see a big bird and a big turtle. A neighbor called to tell me this very big Florida Softshell Turtle was getting ready to cross the street. I’ve previously seen it going from our lake and crossing the street and into the swampy woods behind the houses. It appeared to be on that same trail today.

Truly a face only a mother could love!

When you look out your kitchen window at dawn and through the trees you see a 4 ft. bird standing on the top of the chimney of the house next door, the only thing to do is grab your camera and go take some pics!

Just as the sun was starting to hit his face, he decided to fly away.

Birds in Flight

I had a chance to catch photos of several birds in flight at Ding today, along with some other birds on the ground. We watched a group of Roseate Spoonbills. Some young ones and a couple of older ones with the dark pink and orange feathers. This is one of the younger ones taking off.

The next two photos show the difference in the older bird and the younger ones. In the first photo, the one on the left doesn’t really even have pink legs yet and isn’t bald.

The one on the right below has pink legs, but has lost the hair on his head and still has the lighter pink wings.

The older one was the last to fly. Luckily, he came straight toward me.

So long . . . until next time, old guy!

Our neighbor, Hugh, will have to identify this bird for me. I read that identifying shorebirds is not for the weak (and certainly not for me!). But, he flew toward me and I got a photo!

This Great White Egret did a flyby, but didn’t land.

This Great Blue Heron flew behind me and I almost missed it.

A couple of days ago, we watched the sun come up along with this big bird in our backyard. It’s always amazing to see a 4 ft. tall bird in your back yard!

First day of Fall 2018

While it’s the first day of fall, it is another hot and humid day on the island! Last weekend when we drove through Ding, we saw only one bird along the whole drive. It was a yellow-crowned night heron. We didn’t even see birds flying overhead. It was upsetting because you have to assume it had to do with the red tide. However, today, we saw several different types of birds.

We saw two Great Blue Herons. This one appears to have the beginnings of mating plumage.

The second one didn’t have the fluffy plumage, but it was still very pretty. I love these huge birds!

We saw a few Little Green Herons. I was able to get a photo of two of them. It was so good to see them.

A couple of days ago, I saw a hawk attack a Little Green Heron and they landed in our neighbor’s yard. The hawk flew away and I went to check on the heron. I could tell that it had at least a broken wing. I called CROW (Center for Rehabilitation of Wildlife) on the island and they sent a volunteer to pick it up. But, it also had a broken leg. I doubt the little guy made it.

I could watch the Reddish Egret do his little dance and his antics all morning! They seem to work harder than the other birds for their food!

And it is always great to see the Roseate Spoonbills!

This fairly long yellow rat snake was just chilling in the road. They are known by several names and aren’t venomous, but as far as I’m concerned, they are still a snake!!

Below is the lone Yellow-Crowned Night Heron we saw last weekend.

And then back to our neighborhood. This hawk has been hanging around, trying to catch one of the ducks behind our house. He’s most likely the one that attacked the Little Green Heron. He has that hungry look in his eye, doesn’t he?

My post wouldn’t be complete without a couple of pics of the eagles in the nest!