Week 16

20 Apr 2013,  Mead Gardens

Size does NOT matter, at least to this Downy Woodpecker. Usually I see them pecking at a tree trunk or limb that has some thickness to it. This little twig that this male is pecking holes in has a thickness less than the length of its small bill.



A Green Tree Frog was here on this bamboo at 800 am. After leaving to get lunch, I came back to look for migrants and this frog was in the same place at 300 pm.

The most common warbler of the day in the gardens was the Common Yellowthroat.

I did not notice the left eye of this Barred Owl until I reviewed my images at home. Images taken a short time before this one did not show anything wrong with the eye. My assumption is it is the outer eyelid just looking weird. It is the length of the projection outward that looks really strange, almost as if something is sticking into the eye. Of the two adults and the two juveniles that have been seen here recently, Karen and I saw one (maybe two different) adults and one juvenile. 

Besides this female American Redstart and a male, other warbler species seen were the Prairie Warbler, Northern Parula, the Common Yellowthroats I mentioned and Palm Warbler--a number of them are still hanging around. Karen and I also saw a male and female Indigo Bunting and a Northern Flicker. A Cooper's Hawk was on its nest.

Introduce a friend to the beauty of the natural world.

18 Apr 2013, Wekiwa Springs SP Sand Lake

 

I have noticed that a good percentage of images (like this one) of my Swallow-tailed Kites show them feeding on the fly. This raptor is a favorite of many nature lovers and I always enjoy the aerial show they put on. Click the image to see the prey. 

 

 Maybe the Gopher Tortoise will be one of the featured stars in the next Transformers movie. 

17 Apr 2013, Wekiwa Springs SP Markham Tract

Her boyfriend ...

His girlfriend ...

Eli and I saw this loving couple in an unlikely spot.  The location was in a hydric hammock.  Eastern Bluebirds' habitat is open areas and edges next to open areas.  Maybe they just wanted to come to this swamp to see how the other half lives.