Wildlife officials in Florida are extremely concerned about a virus that is threatening turtles across the state. There are reports of turtles with swollen or sunken eyes, red, irritated skin, and lethargy so intense that they don’t even flee from predators or humans. The disease, known as turtle fraservirus 1, or TFV1, or turtle bunyavirus, […]
Tag: central florida
Florida proposes 24-hour-a-day alligator hunting
Florida may extend its alligator hunt. Hunting seasons across the country are regularly scheduled, with some lasting for only brief windows of time. In Florida, the alligator hunting season only allows the animals to be harvested at night. That may change, however. The Florida Fish and Wildlife has proposed adding additional daytime hours to the […]
Dark-eyed Junco
This past week I was in St.Louis, and I had no time for any birding, but I did walk around the campus where I was working looking to see what may be lurking around. I didn’t see anything unusual, but it was nice to see many White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, which we don’t get […]
Chickadee Irruption in Central Florida!
Here in Central Florida we’ve grown accustomed to having an easy time identifying chickadees. If you see one, it’s a Carolina Chickadee. But this is no longer the case, as there has been a massive irruption of northern and western species of chickadees into Central Florida. The irruption was first noticed when the above photographed […]
Identifying Florida’s Wrens
Wrens do not top the list of birds that are difficult to identify, but for newer birders they can present a challenge. With practice they can be identified by their sounds alone–they’re vocal enough that they can frequently be detected and identified without being seen. But at first glance, they tend to look similar – […]
Loggerhead Shrike
The Loggerhead Shrike is perhaps my favorite bird. Not only do they know how to make black, white and gray look quite handsome, but they have a habit of impaling their prey on barbed wire fences and thorns. I see them all over Central Florida, most frequently where there’s a field and a barbed wire […]