Snail Kites don’t frequently come into Orange County, but with all the rain we’ve been having, I guess water levels are high, and this one decided to look for a better place to find Apple Snails. What a beautiful bird! I watched this one for almost an hour. It spent a lot of time just […]
Tag: Scott Simmons
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks
Over the last few months, I’ve been watching a Red-shouldered Hawks’ nest at Central Winds Park. It all started with their courtship along rte 434 just south of the park. Then I found their nest inside the park. I’ve seen the fledgings hanging out on branches by the nest, and now they’re flying around the […]
Osprey at Cameron Wight Park
This morning I drove out to Cameron Wight Park hoping to find a Brown Pelican for my June Challenge (finding as many birds as possible in my county during the month of June). I didn’t have any luck with that, but it was fun to see this Osprey going to work on a fish. He […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Week Ended 15 Jun 2013
We are delighted to announce the RESULTS of our most recent “Best Photo of the Week” Competition. Jose Garcia Allievi wins First Prize for his outstanding image “Ruby on Purpurea”. Scott Simmons wins Second Prize with “Swallow-tailed Kite in Florida” and Nancy Ellwood wins Third Prize with “Crested Caracara in South Texas”. The voting for […]
Yellow-crowned Night Heron on Wekiva River
This afternoon after work I took a kayak down the Wekiva River for about an hour to see what I could find for my June Challenge (finding as many birds as you can in one county during the month of June). It was really fun to find a Yellow-crowned Night Heron nest. I saw one […]
Occoquan Bay NWR, 6/11/2013
I’m up in Virginia visiting my parents, and so my father and I decided to visit the Occoquan Bay NWR, which is a wonderful area to visit. We walked a couple miles from the parking lot to the Potomac River and back, and saw some pretty fun things. We heard several Yellow-billed Cuckoos there, and […]
June Challenge Begins
So June Challenge has begun. If you’re not a Florida birder, June Challenge is a friendly competition among birders. You choose a county and find as many birds as you can in the county during the month of June. June is hot, and migration is pretty much over. I had some time go out yesterday, […]
Swallow-tailed Kites in Dade City, FL
This morning I drove out to Dade City to look for Mississippi Kites that were seen there yesterday. I got there around 8:30 am, and by around 9:30 am, the area was swarming with at least 40 Swallow-tailed Kites. Then off in the distance, I saw my first Mississippi Kite. It was very far away; […]